Week-long Welcomings from Moosylvania: Feb. 24th through March 2nd

February 23, 2019 JanF Community 119

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 (usually Saturday night with a Sunday date). 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?

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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.

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

50 Comments

  1. Good morning, Meesefolk; 14 when I got up with a high of 23. Meh. My goal today is to stay inside with plenty of warm blankies to wrap around me for comfort…in more ways than one.

    My heartfelt thanks to everyone here for the kindness and understanding you’ve extended to me, anotherdem, and even MVgal, who is a Methodist by tradition. And Jan, I’m taking your advice about keeping my necklace; I took it off in the first place to hold it while I pondered/prayed about what it meant to be a United Methodist. I will keep it to help remind me that my tradition is still my tradition, and that the things that give me strength from that tradition are still within me.

    I actually have hope today. I watched a podcast from last night (anotherdem, I tweeted it to you) that essentially addressed the pain and confusion so many of us are feeling, with the question, “What’s next?” No one has an answer yet, of course, but the overwhelming message of the podcast was to view this as an opportunity. I think that’s the faithful response, and I can’t wait to see where this opportunity takes us. It will be messy and painful and rocky, but I have no doubt that what emerges will be centered on love and justice. A new Methodist movement could be a powerful, joyful thing.

    And as a PSA about the ongoing role of the religious right as a political force, what is happening in the Methodist church is not an accident. I was posting yesterday at the GOS about the role of the Institute on Religion and Democracy (IRD https://theird.org/). They are very much one of the forces behind the curtain, and while organizers within the church deny it, most suspect that their funding has been part of the process too. I’ve been watching the IRD since the late 80s; they are very much one of the tentacles of Christian libertarianism that I’ve mentioned in past posts.

    • The religious right has its toxic fingers in everything. In an earlier time, the Catholic Church used to have strong anti-death penalty anti-war opinions and a belief in the dignity of work and the value of caring for the poor and infirm. And they were hated by the right-wing white evangelicals – “cross burning” was aimed at the “dirty papists.” At some point, they got “embraced” by the white evangelicals and convinced that the Republican Party – pro-death penalty, pro-war, anti-union, anti-poor but anti-abortion – was where they should put their political gunpowder. Zygote protection overrode everything! I had heated discussions with family members about this until I realized that their brain cells had been burned away and I stopped wasting my time.

      I hope things work out for you and that wiser heads prevail!

    • and when I checked twitter for #GC2019, I saw this:

      Wil Ranney
      ‏ @wilranney

      The only winner today was the IRD, who’s Washington millions achieved their stated goal of destroying mainline Protestantism in th US #UMC #GC2019

  2. It’s 41 feels like 33 and is a bit hazier than it was yesterday. We got 13.9 KWHs yesterday and the m-t-d is 203 including this morning’s driblet. That’s if not a W00T then a bit of quiet satisfaction. I’m banking hours again and that’s just fine. I got a pleasant – and fascinating – surprise when I got home yesterday. In my mail were two children’s books published 1919 and 1920. The same even at the time out of print books my Daddy sent me for my 10th birthday the year he otherwise disappeared and my younger sisters (age 2) destroyed. One of those now almost 60 year old younger sisters found practically mint-condition copies of those books and sent them to me – with a lovely “thank you for teaching me to read” note in the fly leaf of each one.

    Aji finally got the Word yesterday – thyroid cancer and it has to come out ASAP. (Should have come out about 15 months ago but that’s another rant at the medical industry.) There are also some lumps on her liver and a still “we dunno” about a pain left chest but the cancer must be dealt with first. Deal with the others once the cancer is gone. Please pray to any and all deities you might have that they will do the treatment now and let her pay it out. If it’s cash up front everything comes to a screeching halt again while she tries to raise it. So we pray & work towards getting the treatment and paying it out later.

    I need to get back to work. I also need coffee. Holding everybody in my heart – there’s so much pain and so much need even in my small circle of “beloved others” – sending you all Healing/Making Things Better Energy for your shaping. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}

      • I will. And do my best not to go off into rants about our g-d medical system that should have looked for and found this 15 months ago when she first started having the so-very-frightening and painful symptoms. I have a whole lot of faith in her ability to make it through this IF the medical system will do their part and get the cancer out of her.

        • I am not making light of either Aji’s fear, her condition, or the crap care she has received, but I will say this, as someone from a family riddled with thyroid disease (including thyroid cancer): if you’re going to have cancer, have thyroid cancer. If it hasn’t metastasized (and that’s obviously always a concern), it is one of the easiest to treat and has an incredibly high survival rate (awful phrasing, but the reality of cancer). I’m not so heartless as to think any of this is going to be easy for Aji, particularly with the added concerns about cost, but I literally gave a sigh of relief when I read medullary thyroid cancer. My experience is an outlier to be sure; of my parents, my sister, and myself, I am the only one who has not had thyroid cancer (although I do have a thyroid condition and am biopsied regularly), and my parents and sister all were declared cured at their 5-year marks. Medullary, IIRC, is not a hereditary thing, but the survival numbers for all but anaplastic thyroid cancer are quite similar. So please take this comment, not as a Pollyanna approach, but as a message of hope.

          • Aji said something about the 1-2 year survival rate for what they think she has is good but the 5-10 isn’t. But of course part of what it comes down to is how much damage was done by not testing or treating it for over a year since her first episode. Which was on 11/10/17. It presented like a heart attack. They said “it’s not your heart” and sent her home. She had another episode. They said “it’s not your heart but we’re sending you to Albuquerque for a heart cath anyway.” and sent her home. (Charging her altogether around $40K and religiously dunning her for it daily.) And did not respond for 14-G-D-M-F-months to all of her many attempts to get scanned or tested in any way. So now it’s make up for lost ground.

            But definitely thank you – messages of hope are always very welcome and this one is very hopeful. (& Congratulations to you and your family. This is good.)

          • They’re supposedly covered by the Indian Health service – but everything they’ve been dealing with, both Aji and Wings, is “out of network” for that incredibly underfunded program. (So much for meeting treaty obligations…)

            Candles of course are always welcome. {{{HUGS}}}

    • Will see what $$$ I can scrape up after I get my SS check beginning of March to send to her. Keep us posted

  3. Good morning, 28 and sunny in Bellingham, but a cold wind is blowing so I’m staying indoors because tRump/Bernie angst and cold wind gusts overwhelm my TMJ muscles. It’s slowly continuing to improve so I’m staying protective.

    For some reason I couldn’t think my way through sewing a simple pillow case yesterday, so I didn’t accomplish much of anything. I finally just laid out the projects and took a nap. I hope I can focus today.

    Best wishes to all.

  4. Good morning, meeses! Wednesday …

    It is 12 degrees in Madison with an expected daytime high of 18. Cloudy this morning and then sunny the rest of the day. The snow is gone for now and after a few flurries on Friday, it is expected to be dry for at least a week. Fingers crossed! I can handle the cold but the treacherous travel stresses me out.

    Today the news will be all Michael Cohen, all the time. Why anyone is interested in hearing from a man so morally compromised that he saw nothing wrong with being essentially a mob enforcer for Donald Trump, is beyond me. Slime attracts slime, liars hire liars – it is just another shitshow.

    Yesterday, the House voted to override Trump’s emergency declaration. Thirteen Republicans voted with the Democrats, mostly the Libertarians who are uncomfortable with giving the executive the power of the purse but a few traditionalists, some people planning to retire and several who will likely be primaried. I was not surprised to see Jim Sensenbrenner on the list. He has probably the safest R district in Wisconsin and is a long-time congressman who has been in the minority and the majority and knows that Congress as an institution should be protected. Gallagher, the representative from the Green Bay area, is more of a head scratcher. That is rabid Trumpland and he just invited a primary opponent. The resolution goes to the Senate where they have 15 days, by statute, to vote on it. My money is on it being rejected by the Senate because the most important thing to them is to protect their president, more important than protecting Congress’ role as the Constitution described it. I would like to be proven wrong! In the long run, it will be up to the courts since Trump will veto it so it probably makes no difference. Most of those talking about voting against it are up for re-election and worried about their seats. Lisa Murkowski is probably the only one who truly believes that trashing the Constitution for partisan gain is a bad idea.

    H.R. 4, the Voting Rights Act refresh, was introduced yesterday. I hope it finds bipartisan support and can pass the Senate as well. Anyone who votes against helping protect the right to vote has no business being in Congress and I hope those who do are targeted.

    See all y’all later!

  5. Wednesday Meese.
    15 degrees here in Saugerties NY and it is going to snow. Sigh.

    Anyone who thinks only Republicans are racist needs wake up.

    This

    Puerto Rico

    • The Maryland Democratic Delegate really said “everyone has used the slur”?? JHC! Someone once said that Maryland is actually one of the more racist states in the country, a state that has one leg in the Confederate South and one leg in the north – but only to preserve its job base in Washington DC. I believe it!

    • Since His Vileness has been in the White House every nasty demon in the country has crawled out from under rocks into the daylight. It was nicer when they stayed under their rocks.

      I’m going to look up banishing spells. There must be a way to get rid of demons other than by voting every four years.

      • Well, voting every time the polls open helps – but yes, do try a banishing spell. It can’t hurt and it might help. {{{Diana}}}

  7. Warm & foggy today. Foggy brain, too. I know there is a lot happening in the world — local morning news was interrupted to show Trump & Kim, I flipped to a station that still had local. Looks like the Methodist Church is falling apart. Was reading about the meeting on twitter yesterday. Found some lovely people to follow; but one of the worst hate-filled accounts was a man from Texas so that hurt even worse. So, I opened a tab for youtube, looking for comfort music. This isn’t that, but it’s a good message (and seriously, what is it with me & the 2nd verses of songs?):

    Yahweh

    Take these hands
    Teach them what to carry
    Take these hands
    Don’t make a fist
    Take this mouth
    So quick to criticise
    Take this mouth
    Give it a kiss
    Yahweh, Yahweh
    Always pain before a child is born
    Yahewh, Yahweh
    Still I’m waiting for the dawn

    • {{{HUGS}}} – & Healing Energy. I don’t know if this is calming music for you but it is for me. No words, just instruments and ocean waves. moar {{{HUGS}}}

    • I found a good many to follow too (and reconnected with quite a few I followed during GC2016); I found a good number to block too. There were a fair number who were not UM and just dropping in to be shit-stirrers, so those were easy blocks. It was those from within the church that I had to think about long and hard. If they weren’t hateful and their timelines weren’t filled with stuff that would make Individual 1 proud, I didn’t block them. I have no problem hearing dissenting viewpoints, but I won’t do toxic.

  8. Good morning, Moosekind. It’s actually a beautiful day here with the sun rising behind the woods and a pale blue sky shining down. The current temperature in Ashburn is 29 F., going up to 46 F. today.

    Had a wonderful visit with Darling Niece yesterday. We always feel better after our chats. She has been watching Marie Kondo on Netflix, so is in the throes of paring down the family possessions! Had to laugh but actually she’s on the right track as they want to sell the house before their child is in middle school. (When did “junior high” become “middle school”?)

    It’s peculiarly ironic that just now, when I’m writing about Kashmir in my book, there should be such horrible goings-on between India and Pakistan over that beleaguered country. Kashmir needs to be independent, but that will probably never happen. If Pakistan ever takes it over it’ll be the end of beautiful Kashmir as a tourist destination—look at the once-lovely countries of Syria and Lebanon.

    Would like to catch some of the Capitol Hill hearings today and catch up on other reading.

    Wishing a good day to all at the Pond and beyond.

    • I didn’t realize that India and Pakistan were fighting although I saw a tweet last night saying “two nuclear powers are having a border clash and no one seems to care.” I was afraid to google for it. :(

  9. Saving this here … (Jan – I took out the vid – because it was on auto-play – substituted this one- Dee)

    • is there a way to turn off the auto-play? I clicked on the settings, but I can’t change that.

    • Dee, I had noticed it was autoplaying but when I looked at it, it said AutoPlay off so I thought it was just for me – it lied!! I will remember that about Root videos in the future.

      Thanks for the cleanup!

  10. Good morning, 34 and cloudy in Bellingham. I finally found my way through a major brain fog and got my sewing room projects sorted out. The table linens are easy but the pillow shams to go with the Dr. Who quilt are harder for me. Combining several different fabrics, cutting the pieces from various left over sizes, changing my plan to reflect Sophie’s color choices, and then remembering the quilting techniques I want to use is challenging.

    My sewing room is serving as a partial escape from reality……hope it helps me make it through today!

  11. Clouds moved in just before sunset last night so the expected drops in temps didn’t happen. It’s 49 and overcast in Fayetteville, AR. The PV system is on but that’s about all you can say for it. We got a hair under 15 KWHs yesterday and the m-t-d is 218. Unless it clears off – or at least the clouds thin out and it lightens up – I’ll be surprised if we generate a full 2 today. (Hey, sunshine – come out and prove me wrong! 🌞🌞🌞) It’s a very good thing I’m not in charge of this stuff – I’d royally screw up the systems doing things “my way” since the systems are much more complex than I understand or ever could understand. (Of course we’re in this environmental disaster situation because our culture was too greedy and short-sighted to worry about that.)

    Boosting signals as I see them but still mostly staying off my TL on twitter. Aji was supposed to get a blood draw yesterday but – even though she’d called and asked them Monday night & was told ‘no’ – it needed to be a fasting draw so it was put off until today. At least they called her before she’d actually left. (There’s gotta be some way to get the care – & that includes correctly answering direct questions – back into ‘healthcare’. Just gotta.) Other than that still holding pattern until the various tests get done/come in & specialists get things lined up. Candles, prayers, any RCs out there a novena would be helpful, just whatever connection to Power you might have, please call upon He/She/It/They go get this organized and done.

    I need to get back to work. Healing Energy, Making Things Better Energy, to everybody for your shaping to your need. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}

  12. Good afternoon, Meesefolk; 16 when I got up with a snowy high of 25 today. The weather report and my weather widget both said 1″ of snow today, but when I woke up there was already more than that…and it’s still coming down. I don’t mind at all; it’s a beautiful, light, fluffy snow that has me itching to go sledding. Unfortunately, I’ll just be going home to shovel instead, but a girl can dream!

    The mess with my church isn’t going to go away anytime soon. First up will be waiting for the Judicial Council’s decisions on just how much of the Traditionalist Plan will actually go through. At least nine sections were deemed possibly unconstitutional in advance of the vote, but that didn’t stop the Trad camp from pushing them forward. It’s quite possible the most punitive sections will be declared unconstitutional, and while that won’t change the outcome in the long term, it would provide some breathing room for the non-Trads to determine a course of action. Additionally, rumors (from what I consider to be knowledgeable sources) are out that a significant number of United Methodist seminaries are considering disaffiliation. It won’t hurt the seminaries nearly as much as one might think, because our seminaries are open to anyone wishing to pursue an M.Div or other degree. The current advantage to having Methodist seminaries BE Methodist is that the curriculum is designed to ensure Methodist candidates for ordination have the coursework and training the church requires; disaffiliation could make it harder for Methodist candidates to be prepared for the next steps in the ordination process. That hurts the church, but not the seminaries. And in one other “be careful what you wish for” area, the students at Kiddo’s workplace, a Methodist college, are making noises about pushing the college to disaffiliate from the church. Again, this is an area that won’t hurt the college that much, since the ties are more historical than financial. But a loss of Methodist-affiliated colleges, if it happens, will also mean a loss of one of the most reliable undergrad-to-seminary pipelines that the church has. But hey, other than all that, General Conference was just peachy…

    Good day to and for all!

    • {{{DoReMI}}} – sigh. Holding you in my heart. (Maybe the Judicial Council will consider both constitutionality and loss of seminaries/colleges in their decision – if they can’t be bothered with supporting the Christian doctrine they started with.) Healing Energy & moar {{{HUGS}}}

      • They can’t consider anything but the petitions they’ve been asked to review. The JC kind of functions as our Supreme Court, but only in terms of what may/may not constitute a violation of our Discipline. It’s strictly an administrative vs theological function, which is actually a good thing in the long run…but frustrating in the short-term.

    • My friend M, who was a student associate pastor at my church, before they moved to Chicago & came out as non-binary, posted this on FB:

      United Methodist, cisgender and straight, and wondering what to say to your queer beloveds whose church has now strengthened its policies of hate? Here’s some genuine suggestions for the days ahead that will not add to the pain of your queer or trans neighbor. Ones that are gentle to the wounded. Ones that honor the truth that has been ignored for a long time, at the cost of LGBTQ people. Ones that center the targeted. Ones that prioritize queer people over the future of the denomination. (If not now, when) Ones that take ownership. It’s never too late to start doing the right thing. Be tender. Be humble. Be authentic. If you’re unwilling to find yourself in any of these, probably better not to say anything at all. No posts. No preaching. Much damage has been done.

      • Wow. What a violent culmination of a violent 45+ years. I cannot imagine what it must feel like as the scapegoat community of this move of empire.
      • To POC queer United Methodists: I cannot imagine how you’re feeling but I love you and want to be in solidarity with you, better addressing white supremacy and queer/trans phobia within me and in my church and community.
      • I’m sorry this is happening. There’s no excuse.
      • I didn’t do enough because I was scared or selfish or just blissfully unaware. I’m sorry it took this for me to learn. But I am committed to doing the work now.
      • I want to be a better ally. I will google or reach out to strong public LGBTQ allies about where I should start reading so that I can grow.
      • I’m thinking of you and sending love.
      • I didn’t get it, but now I’m beginning to. I’m sorry.
      • I wish I would have done more to prevent this. I promise to do better.
      • This must be a real exhausting blow. Can I send a meal to you in the days ahead?
      • While I would rather turn away from the ugliness of the church by saying it’s not my own or that I’m not a part of it, I know I must own my place in it all. I’m sorry.
      • I know this pain and discrimination isn’t new for you LGBTQ people in the UMC, I imagine it’s still a hard reality to watch unfold.
      • I had no idea I was a part of something like this. But I do now, and I’m here for you and your community.
      • I’m horrified about how this public proclamation of a 12 million member denomination will only increase violence against LGBTQ people, especially POC LGBTQ people. What organizations can I support financially to help work against hate and it’s consequences?
      • I can’t believe we only added pain to this aching world. Shame on us.
      • I thought my approach would save us. I’m sorry.
      • Words of tender care and solidarity.

      You really can’t go wrong with any of the above, or anything in the spirit of the above.

      I’m so thankful to those who have covered me in just these kinds of words over the last few days. And especially for the solidarity of my queer and trans kin outside of the umc. I have felt every bit of it and it is truly well with my soul. What was hidden has simply been brought into the light for all to see. That is freeing. From here, we can make some real choices of real possibility together. But that possibility will turn to dust if the desire is to simply cover up, once again, what is and has been, living and moving across the church: in its conservative, moderate, and liberal regions.

      The immediate talk of resurrection can be yet another gloss over the impact this week will have on LGBTQ people in this country and beyond because of this decision, no matter what we may build from here. The damage is not over. We are only in Holy Saturday, still in the tomb.

      If you are in solidarity with your LGBTQ siblings, this is a fact you can hold with us. That though it may be well with our souls, it is not yet well with our collective life – the laws, policies, practices, and cultural norms within and well beyond the church that continue to keep us from flourishing. And the UMC has just made that worse. This a fact. So let’s hold it. Look at it. Feel it. Let’s not rush to what can be, but first take a good long linger in what is. That’s important spiritual work. Faithful work. Loving work.

      I appreciate the impulse to seize this moment to move lovingly, courageously, powerfully into something better, but “better” will never actually be better, unless first we are honest together. Not for a night. Not for a week. For some time. And unless first, the voices that are prioritized shift in our collective life together. And unless first, we see that the only way to better is intersectional – prioritizing people of color and a commitment to anti-racism and anti-colonialism.

      The stone is not yet ready to be rolled away.

        • When M was at my church, as a candidate for ministry, I said that they are the most clearly “called” person I’ve ever known (& as a cradle Methodist, I’ve known quite a few) – I joked that there’s an invisible neon sign over their head, flashing “called”

  13. Thursday Meese. 15 degrees here in Saugerties NY, going up to 33 with snow.

    I don’t even know where to begin with comments on the Cohen hearings. Watched the whole thing yesterday from start to finish. Then got up this morning to read about the Orange Dastard’s fail meeting with his N. Korean buddy.

    My only hope is that Teflon Donald meets the same fate as John Gotti.

    Puerto Rico

  14. Good morning, Moosekind! The sun is rising behind the woods across the way, but the trees still look grey and misty. The sky is clear for now but no doubt clouds will move in later, because a wintry mix is expected in time for tomorrow’s rush hour. Currently the temp. in Ashburn is 35 F., going up to 42 F.

    I’m still reeling from yesterday’s hearings. I was amazed to find myself actually feeling a bit sorry for Cohen, despite the reprehensible things he’s done. Was absolutely staggered when he said, “He wasn’t kidding when he said he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and get away with it. You don’t know him! I do.” And the second takeaway for me was, “If Mr. Trump loses the 2020 election I fear there will not be a peaceful transition of power.”

    OMG! Martial law? Perhaps I should keep in mind one of my late mother’s adages: “Blessed are they who expect nothing, for they shall not be disappointed.” Perhaps if we aren’t expecting it, the worst won’t happen. I keep hoping he won’t even run for election because it would be too difficult from a prison cell.

    Well, so the Dastardly Dotard didn’t accomplish anything other than hugs and kisses in Vietnam, and Kim Wrong ‘Un had nothing to do with Otto Warmbier’s death. Uh-huh. And the moon is made of green cheese.

    Even the WaPo is mentioning India and Kashmir this morning on the front page. I wish the two governments would offer Kashmir the option of joining one of them or being independent. However, I’m not an expert on the politics of that region.

    Wishing a good day to all at Pond and Beyond!

  15. Oh my goodness it’s cold. Yesterday I was wearing sandals. Today — zipped up warm jacket with the hood up. We’re supposed to be in the 40s all day. Upper 70s tomorrow, then a cold front next week & possible freeze. Glad I didn’t get around to putting my plants out away from my door. I got a couple of donations yesterday, lots of sharing of my posts, so that was good. Back to comfort music: Love Is Bigger Than Anything In Its Way.

  16. Good morning, meeses! Thursday …

    It is 0 degrees in Madison with an expected daytime high of 21. Cold and dry.

    I am late this morning as I had to get some projects done in anticipation of having to hit the road later today and I can’t stay – will check back later.

    I saw some of the snippets of testimony from the Cohen hearing but haven’t read a lot of the post-hearing commentary yet. The biggest takeaway is that Republicans are willing to protect their president for crimes he committed before he started running for president, while he was running for president and after he was inaugurated. It is good to get that on the record as we make the case to burn down their party and salt the earth where it once stood.

    See all y’all later!

  17. Good morning, 29 and partly sunny in Bellingham. Between necessary house keeping, listening to the Cohen hearings, and solving a machine quilting issue yesterday was a busy day. To me, Cohen’s testimony revealed the R’s and tRump to be as despicable as I know them to be.

    Joyce Vance, at the Wa Post…….

    Yes, Michael Cohen’s a liar and a criminal. So how come you believed him?

    The key question the night before Cohen testified was, would he be believed? Would Republican members of the committee eat him alive? He had, after all, pleaded guilty to felony charges of lying to Congress.

    On Wednesday, Cohen began the transformation from deceitful criminal to believable witness. That doesn’t mean he redeemed all of his past sins, became one of the good guys or even turned into someone you could admire. What he did was simple. He testified to facts in a manner that, even if it required further corroboration to be definitive, was believable as presented.

    Time for coffee and then I may actually finish my Dr Who sewing today. Best wishes to all.

  18. Not sure what the temp is as the widgets are way apart this morning – anything metal has a crusty coating of ice on it but the cats’ water is liquid and the roads were wet but not slick. I’d hoped to not have to go out today but I ran out of milk last night. Sigh. I needed to visit the drugstore and get more Pine Bros “softish throat drops” and had hoped to get stamps but the Post Office doesn’t open until 8:30. I’ll have to do that tomorrow after I get off work at 1. (Yeah they asked me to swap out Friday for Thursday this week.) We did get a tad over 2 KWHs yesterday bringing the m-t-d to 220. The PV system is on – not by much, but on. Probably/maybe get another 2 for the day and end the month at 222 – we shall see what we shall see.

    Nothing new yet with Aji. She got her blood draw yesterday but the combination of that, travel, and what fasting does to somebody who’s hypoglycemic really brought her down. The way she put it

    “Today, I’m not even trying to hang onto anything; I’m just letting the numbness take over. It’s all I can manage.”

    Whatever your Faith teaches you to do in such situations will be greatly appreciated.

    I didn’t watch or follow the Cohen thing – I’ll read the Rantt synopsis in a bit to catch up – but as to the “peaceful transfer of power” well – there’s a reason Congress is sworn in a good 2 weeks or so before the president. Our founders may have been/were slaveholding, racist, misogynist, a**holes but they were quite intelligent enough to not trust anybody in the Executive position to not try something like that. It’s also why the prez can’t use the army domestically. And the prez has to be a civilian. And all military officers swear their oath to the Constitution and not the prez. Cohen is probably correct that twitler and his handlers/sycophants will try. They won’t succeed because that’s been prepared for.

    Cookies are on the cooling rack. Washing machine’s about done. I need to heat the smoked chicken my DIL brought me last night enough to make it easy to debone. There is stock and soup making in my relatively near future. (Probably this weekend.) I need to get out the electric grill and do my next 5-week’s worth of breakfast sausages. (Goddess, that is messy. So glad it’s only every 5 weeks.) And bring in more firewood from the porch. (If it stops drizzling/spitting ice crystals I need to bring more from the outside racks onto to the porch to dry, too.) Mostly I need to get some coffee first. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}

  19. Good morning, all; 1 when I got up with a high of 27 today. It was a sunglasses day, which I have decided is my equivalent of bfitz’s 15+ KWHs…which earns a w00t!

    I should know by now that when I make “plans” for how I’m going to spend my evening, they will be disrupted. Last night the disruptions were good things. First, I got a phone call from The Kiddo, and as every mother knows, when a call starts with Mommy instead of Mom/Mum/Mother, a request is forthcoming. Kiddo has a local red carpet event coming up and needs alterations to her outfit and asked if I could come down this weekend to do them. I’m not a fan of doing alterations, but they sound fairly minor and straightforward, and besides, she said Mommy. How could I refuse? After I got off the phone, a friend called and asked if we could go out to dinner tonight. This is a friend who normally isn’t available unless we plan months in advance, so of course I said yes. (I was so surprised that I had to ask her if she was going to be dropping some bad news; she assured me that she’s just suffering from the winter doldrums and wanted to get out to have a drink and dinner.) Of course, all of these sudden additions to my schedule meant I had to adjust quickly. The grocery shopping that I normally do on my way home from work on Fridays had to be done last night, so I was leaving the house at 10pm to go to the grocery store. When I got home, the sidewalks still needed to be shoveled, so I was out at 11:30 with shovel in hand. I finally got to bed at 1; I bounced out of bed this morning, but I suspect I’ll be yawning quite a bit by late afternoon.

    I gather from yesterday’s testimony that Republicans think lying is bad (unless it’s Individual 1) and that being a birther is not racist if you have African-American nieces and nephews. I’m still mostly focused on what’s happening with my church, I saw this yesterday and was reminded that humor, even the self-deprecating kind, helps:

  20. Friday Meese

    22 degrees and snowing lightly here in Saugerties NY – going up to 38.

    Rep Stacey Plaskett (D-VI) won twitter with her eye roll – I keep looking at it

    The situation in Puerto Rico is going to get worse – unless the Senate acts

    • I retweeted some of those Puerto Rican tweets and will do it again later in the day.

      The best tweet from the Cohen hearing was from Charlotte Clymer, preserved in a screen cap:

      That is Lynne Patton back behind the white guys! Someone said that seeing her there like that made the Republican side of the panel look like a slave auction. :(

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