Week-long Welcomings from Moosylvania: Oct. 21st through Oct. 27th

Welcome to The Moose Pond! The Welcomings posts give the Moose, old and new, a place to visit and share words about the weather, life, the world at large and the small parts of Moosylvania that we each inhabit.

Welcomings will be posted at the start of each week (every Sunday morning). To find the posts, just bookmark this link and Voila! (which is Moose for “I found everyone!!”).

The format is simple: each day, the first moose to arrive on-line will post a comment welcoming the new day and complaining (or bragging!) about their weather. Or mentioning an interesting or thought provoking news item. Or simply checking in.

So … what’s going on in your part of Moosylvania?

NOTE: The comments page will now split off after 20 or so left margin comments with the most recent comments on the current page. To see the older comments, scroll to the bottom of the page and use the link.

  • Page One of Comments is HERE!
     
  • Page Two of Comments is HERE!
     

41 Comments

  1. Good morning, meeses! Friday …

    It is 41 degrees in Madison with an expected daytime high of 48. Mostly cloudy skies are in the forecast.

    Today’s news is the same as yesterday’s news: Republicans will do anything to protect their president and that includes cheating to preserve their majority in Congress and their gerrymanders in the red states. Today’s response should be the same as yesterday’s: when they go low, we go vote (h/t Andrew Gillum).

    When I see stories that I know to contain inaccuracies or subtle biases – because I know something about the actual situation – it makes me suspicious of news reporting. I read an AP article yesterday about Barack Obama’s visit to Milwaukee this afternoon for a Get Out The Vote rally and some of the stuff was flat-out wrong and some of the omissions were glaring. Suffice it to say, there were a lot of reasons that the black vote was lower in 2016 than in 2008 and 2012 and only some of it had to do with Barack Obama not being on the ballot. And he did have a Wisconsin rally with Hillary Clinton scheduled but it was cancelled when someone shot up the Pulse nightclub in Orlando and slaughtered dozens of people. And the rally today is to GOTV young people, not just black people – it is at a high school that is in the inner city but also a 10 minute bus ride from the UW-Milwaukee campus and its 25,000+ students. Anyway, he will be there with our next governor, Tony Evers, our soon to be re-elected Senator Tammy Baldwin, our next lieutenant governor, Mandela Barnes, and assorted congressional Democrats and congressional Democratic candidates. I hope he gets Milwaukee fired up and ready to go!

    See all y’all later!

  2. Friday Meese

    31 degrees here in the Catskills and we will have some snow tonight in the higher elevations.

    400 Days since Maria

    • Good for the New York Daily News for keeping their widget active. 400 days! Everyone involved in that fiasco should be ashamed of themselves.

      Did you see that a Democratic Senator (this is why the Senate deserves our scorn) thinks it would be a bad idea to have Puerto Rican or DC statehood because it would hurt Republicans? JHC!! Republicans wake up every morning plotting new ways to disenfranchise Democratic voters, limit our power – and kill grannies!

      A devastating typhoon hit in the Mariana Islands, a U.S. territory near Guam, overnight on Wednesday. From what I read, FEMA was on the ground and sheltering in place to be able to provide help. There is almost nothing left on one of the islands – winds were clocked at 180mph. It will be interesting to watch the recovery and see if they learned anything from the mistakes made – and still being made – in Puerto Rico.

  3. Many 1st world problems: hvac will need a $300 thing soon — not yet but soon, Kindle battery is dying, healthcare reimbursement is asking for a detailed receipt from last February’s eye doc visit. Eye doc who has been my only eye doc (we kept moving back to Austin, so I kept seeing him) is retiring. What is the deal with real life? Like I said, all very much 1st world problems. We’ve had a boil water notice here for less than a week and you’d think we had to walk down to the creek with buckets & fetch water the way people are complaining. Yep, that extra step of filling a pot with water, boiling for 3 minutes & waiting for it to cool is, well, extra — but think about Puerto Rico, or Flint. We’re lucky.

    Anyway, have Head Full Of Dreams, I don’t know about you, but I need the uplift.

  4. Good morning, Moosekind! I’m late to the party this overcast Friday, owing to having to take a sleeping pill last night. Right now it’s 40 F. in Ashburn, going up to 50 F. later. Younger Son and DIL are moving today as tomorrow is expected to be horribly rainy. Younger Son will drop off Miss Pink Cheeks and Mr. Paw Patrol this afternoon so they can spend the night with us. The rain is expected to begin tonight.

    Love the new term Sister Dee has provided—trumpada?—is that the right spelling? So easy to say. While watching the news last night I could tell from the misspellings of Hillary’s, Brennan’s, and Debbie W. Schultz’s names that a trumpada sent the pipe bombs. They’re all stupid and don’t know how to spell. All the Nigerian princes who want to marry me and make me their princess if (I’ll just give them $4,000 in cash to come over here) can’t spell either.

    I sweartagoddess, I’m going to swear off newspapers until after November 6. The WaPo never fails to tell me that the Dems will lose the house even more and the Senate is not in play at all. This morning they’re trying to say that Corey Stewart, who’d be even worse than Thing if he ever set foot in the White House, is a darling, much misunderstood transplant from Minnesota who has taken up the Southern Cause as his own. Note to Corey and the WaPo: the Civil War was over in 1865.

    Yesterday I visited my friend who lives 30 miles away. She’s been through a lot in the last two years. It wrings my heart to see how frail she is—she can’t walk more than a few yards without stopping to rest. Makes me conscious of how precious life and health are.

    Wishing a good day to all Meese!

    • We should all be conscious of how precious life and health are and embrace what the goddess has given us. I was flipping through my Medicare options as I am coming up on Enrollment Day and grateful that I will be able to go with a lower-cost Part B because I am in pretty good health.

      Do not believe the WaPo, by the way; its owner is giving money to Senator Cory Gardner of Colorado, the author of Colorado’s “life at conception” bill, so that he and his party can continue destroying all that is good. Tax cuts over country – I wish there was an alternative to Amazon as I would boycott them in a minute.

      • I managed to kick most of my Amazon habit when Borders went belly up. I was so upset with the loss of a brick-and-mortar bookseller that I vowed to stay away from Amazon. It’s why I have a Nook rather than a Kindle; B&N has their own management/financial issues, but at least I’m not making it worse. Now about the only thing I buy on Amazon is DVDs during their Black Friday sales and the very occasional gift purchases that I need shipped directly elsewhere. It was hard to break the impulse to check Amazon as my first stop, but now that I’ve done it, I’ve found it much easier (although undoubtedly a bit more expensive) to buy local or through other online merchants.

        • My usage is mainly business and being able to have an emergency replacement product drop shipped to a client with one day service is something I need, unfortunately. The products are everywhere – it is their shipping infrastructure that can’t be replaced. :(

    • Best of luck to Younger Son and DIL! They’re lucky to have you available to keep the Littles (of any variety) from being underfoot.

  5. Good morning meese. It’s 50 with a predicted high of 83 on this Friday.
    Belle had an UTI which was previously undiagnosed because the vet had not been able to collect a clean sample. They were finally able to on Wednesday (and also gave her a bath in the process, which she needed) as part of getting her put under for ultrasound, and gave her an antibiotic jab good for 12 days. She was initially very vocal about letting me know what she thought of it all, but now I think she’s more settled, being back to purring. (though hopefully not because she’s in pain)

    Lots of stuff going on at work and in my personal life so today and the weekend will be busy. I’ll try to check in more often although I’m going to be so busy that I have to pause my Agatha Raisin reading at the end of book 20. Wishing everyone a pleasant day!

    • {{{basket}}} – glad Belle is doing better. Take care of yourself, please. You aren’t Atlas you know. Holding you in my heart and sending lots of Healing Energy to your household. moar {{{HUGS}}}

    • Basket, you are really busy nowadays! So glad to hear Belle is better and back to being your sweet little girl. Hope work and personal life—and piano practice—are going well!

  6. 43 feels like 37 with 100% humidity and so overcast the PV system is still in night mode (as in off & not producing at all). Only got 2.2 KWHs yesterday so m-t-d is stuck at 210 – today seems like more of the same – but the weekend is supposed to be sunny. We shall see what we shall see. Several of the folks I have been and still am concerned about are starting to see light which is such a good thing and such a relief. Unfortunately Aji isn’t one of them (she sprained her right wrist yesterday & 2 of the dogs have been missing for 2 days now) to the point I’m starting to say “C’MON Universe! This very good person will do lots of good work in the world if you’ll quit piling granite boulders on top of her!” Meanwhile out and about in the world our job is to win elections. Right now nothing else matters – or rather everything that matters depends on us winning elections. We will survive – how well depends on winning elections – but we will survive. So. Dem HQ has acquired a phone to better coordinate rides to the polls this last stretch. I’ve got 2 more weekends worth of shifts there. Channeling Healing Energy to everybody everywhere shaped to the need. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}

    • Well, thank Goddess Dem HQ has finally acquired a telephone! It’s only the 21st century, after all.

      Does the sun ever shine in Fayetteville? It always seems to be cloudy there.

  7. Good morning, Meesefolk; 39 when I got up this morning with a cloudy high of 50 expected. Rain is moving in, so damp and chilly means I need to think about preparing comfort food for the weekend. I’m thinking mac ‘n cheese made from scratch, but that’s as far as I’ve gotten with the weekend menu. I’m really in the mood for chili, but The Hubby and I have never seen eye-to-eye on chili; I’m a “must have kidney beans” girl, and he’s an “over my dead body” boy. Since chili is a no-go, I may just settle for fried chicken, green beans, and mashed potatoes. Apparently, my definition of comfort food = starch!

    I had big plans for accomplishing things last night, so of course, none of that happened. I had a roast in the crockpot and decided I wanted baked potatoes done in the oven rather than the microwave. The upshot was we didn’t start dinner until after 8:00, and once we were done, I had no desire to do anything beyond reading. I’m still in that mood, but I hope it will break by the time I get home, so I can do some catching up.

    My biggest (and most boring) project ahead is ripping out seams of curtain panels. I had started making curtains for The Kiddo and SIL for their old house, when they announced they were putting it on the market. Rather than finish, I set the fabric aside for a later date, and that date is now here. Unfortunately, when I was sewing panels of fabric together, I used French seams; great for finished curtains, not so great when you need to rip them out because you need smaller panels. The fabric is an ivory-on-ivory stripe and is quite lovely…except when you live in a house with one grey cat, one black cat, and two mostly black Basset hounds. As a result, I can’t just sit in front of the tv and rip seams. I’ll be hiding in my sewing room for the better part of the weekend (no 4-legged critters allowed), which makes a boring job boring-er. Yes, I’m whinging…

    Good day to and for all!

      • Don’t tempt me; I have so much to do before I head to OH next weekend with a carload of furniture that I’m about to hide my Nook from myself!

    • Everybody’s definition of comfort food = starch – it’s hardwired in. Fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and green beans is a lovely “comfort” meal. Another one we used to do is chicken & rice – in a cast iron or other ovenproof skillet brown the dredged chicken pieces to get a nice “crust” then add a cup of rice and 2 cups water or stock, cover and bake until the rice absorbs all the water. (If you don’t have an ovenproof skillet, transfer the chicken pieces and some of the oil/dripping into a casserole dish with the rice & liquid. That works nicely too because you have some fat/dripping left in the skillet to make gravy with. LOL) As to the seam ripping, audio books are your friends. {{{HUGS}}}

      • Oh, good idea! I don’t have any audio books on hand, but I do have some old cassettes (really…cassettes) of episodes of The Shadow. I haven’t listened to them in ages, so re-listening will be like hearing them for the first time. And bonus, I even know where my cassette player is!

        • Old radio shows are even more fun than audio books in my opinion. 😁😁😁 ❤❤❤ 🤗🤗🤗

    • I’m an inpatient ripper, so my easy solution for french and serged seams is to just cut then off when ever I can. However this solution works best when the panels need to be smaller and a pattern match isn’t disturbed. Happy ripping!

      • I may end up doing that in the long run, but I’ll try ripping before I decide. Fun fact: I learned a few years ago that I was using my seam ripper the wrong way…after 40 years of sewing!

    • What’s a French seam, DoReMI? It must be good. Nancy Mitford said in one of her books that any Frenchwoman who wants to buy a dress first turns it inside out and examines the seams. If they aren’t finished properly, she won’t buy it.

      • Copied from Spruce Crafts: “A French seam is a seam that encloses the seam allowance on the inside of a sewn item so that no raw edge is visible and eliminates the need for another form of seam finish. It is used most commonly on very sheer fabric so the seam blends with the fabric. … A french seam is most common on a straight seam.”

        Basically, it’s a technique used when one doesn’t want any raw edges visible, and it effectively means that each seam is sewn twice.

  8. Good morning, 57 and raining in Bellingham. The rain has settled the pollen but I’m still aching and sneezing so I must have a cold. Regardless, I’ll shuffle around until I recover!

    I’ve finally got my seasonal gift sewing sorted out, and my stubborn determination to use what I’ve got, but in a new way can now ease. I’m driving myself crazy :) So simple sewing will keep me busy for a few weeks.

    Best rainy day wishes to all.

      • Mine is chaotic right now (and if I’m being brutally honest, most days). So for mine, you just have to envision an ironing board, a sewing machine on a desk, and an explosion of fabric.

  9. It’s lovely weather outside- a clear and sunny 74 here in Costa Mesa. Picked up more flyers to do more canvassing this weekend. We’ll see how many I can get done.

  10. Barack Obama in Milwaukee – firing up the crowd (he is the final speaker)

    Video of President Obama starts at 22:43

    • They are considering charging it as a hate crime. JHC, what gave them that idea?!!??

      Of course, the hate isn’t new – what’s new is that the person – and party – controlling the United States government inspires it, approves of it and enables it.

  11. Good morning, meeses! Saturday …

    It is 43 degrees in Madison with an expected daytime high of 54. Mostly cloudy with a bit of sun this morning then clouding up this afternoon and into the evening. Possibility of showers overnight and into tomorrow.

    I watched the Barack Obama speech in Milwaukee live on the PBS live feed and it got me fired up and ready to go! I had already banked my vote in the morning so instead of rushing out to vote, I sent that energy out to others who were not sure if they could spare 30 minutes. You can, do it!!

    I have nothing to say about the MAGAbomber other than that yelling at a man in a restaurant – a man who poses an existential threat to the elderly, people in nursing homes, and people who need health care – is NOT the same as sending pipe bombs to people who say mean things about your political party’s leader. And the press is not a victim in this – they are complicit by giving hate a free platform because it juices ratings. Look in the mirror, CNN and MSNBC, and when you see the hooded men looking at you over your shoulder, think about cleaning out your own stables. There is a 24×7 cable TV channel for racists and deplorable people – they will not have their views “stifled” if you don’t invite them into your studios. You have a choice, choose representing the Fourth Estate with honor.

    See all y’all later!

  12. Diana, here is what your postcards are doing!!

    I need to find out if anyone here is doing it. I can write postcards, I can’t make phone calls any more.

  13. Got water boiling, when I start to say “this is getting old”, I remember Puerto Rico and Flint. I’ve got it pretty good. Watching local news & Up, the MSNBC show before Joy Reid. There’s a fun bunch that watch it & comment on twitter. Today’s plan: if there’s anyone at the Texas Book Festival I want to see, will go there. Maybe ask campaign if they want flyers passed out at the Fest. Or just do campaign work. Groceries, dishes (running the dishwasher should be safe, because it’s hot for so long)

  14. 51 with 100% humidity and a bit hazy but the sun’s out and that’s good. We got 8 KWHs yesterday and the m-t-d is just under 219 – if the sun stays out we might even get to the double digits today. Heading for 70 which is confusing both flora and fauna around here, but I might manage a walk today which would also be good. Since they’ve finally gotten a phone at Dem HQ I expect to be more steadily busy than in the past – I seriously hope we’ve got the drill set up on the front desk by the phone! Channeling/Sending Healing Energy out to everyone everywhere who’ll accept it – from our nation itself, the world environment itself, to my individual “beloved others” – there is so much pain right now. (& Aji’s dogs are still missing.) Candles lit and protective herbs burned. Hoping for the best even as I prepare for the worst. Pragmatic progressive do that. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}

  15. Good morning, 42 and cloudy in Bellingham. RonK and his fellow salmon enhancement activists are planting trees at Whatcom Falls Park today, and I’m going to be in and out of my sewing room. I hope to have everything cut out today, but my keep it simple plan keeps getting complicated. Time to still those creative impulses!

    I also need to cut the best of the hydrangeas and find a place to dry them. The bushes were full this year so I have more left than I usually do.

    It I keep the news off I may even have a few moments of well being today. Take care everyone.

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