Week-long Welcomings from Moosylvania: March 10th through March 16th

March 9, 2019 JanF Community 87

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?

…

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!
 

46 Comments

  1. Good “morning”, Motley Meese! The week begins …

    Morning low of 32 degrees in Madison WI with an expected daytime high of 37. Partly cloudy skies are in the forecast.

    Have a great day, all y’alls!!

    ~
     

    Public Service Announcement – Springing Ahead:

    Don’t forget that Daylight Saving Time will go into effect at 2am Sunday morning. So 2am will become 3am and you are going to be tired and out of sorts for about 4 weeks.

      • I am not sure there is such a thing as “catching up” although I always tell myself it is possible! I thought about changing my wake-up time an hour but I really need the full allotment of time between wake-up and when my clients start work in order to get projects done. They get very crabby when I restart their servers while they are working! :)

        So far so good! I stayed up as long as I could Saturday night, kept the DST schedule and was sufficiently tired at my regular going-to-bed time last night. I did need an alarm to wake up this morning but I don’t feel like I was cheated out of sleep. Let’s see how I feel at 1pm. :)

  2. Daylight Savings Sunday Meese

    It’s snowing here in Ulster County NY. :(

    Will be discussing Black feminism and misogynoir this morning at Orange. Comments should get very interesting

    • tipped, rec’d shared – will read later, after the caffeine has kicked in – looks really interesting

    • The diary is up to your very high standards of course. I learned more about what you’d already taught me also of course. But a comment caught my eye and I’m “What the Every Living Fuck?!?” – you are on NR at DK? I know they’re out of their ever-living minds over there but Jeebus Cluny Frog! I guess it’s a good thing I’m banned already because I certainly would be if I let fly over there about this.

      Thank you for, well, everything – your knowledge, your willingness/persistence in getting it out there, your friendship. Just thank you.

    • Excellent essay. I have not decided yet if I will read the comments but I will bookmark the diary.

      This Audre Lorde quote:

      “The master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house. They may allow us to temporarily beat him at his own game, but they will never enable us to bring about genuine change.”

      We need to be aware of the limitations of the power that the “masters” are willing to cede us. And we need to remember that unless we have equality codified in the Constitution, our gains will always be subject to the whims of those masters. We have seen it happening with reproductive rights and that battle will not be won as long as right-wing males on the Supreme Court have the power to undo previous court rulings that “gave” us those rights. A right “given” is a right that can always be taken away.

  4. Well, it’s warmer this morning than I thought it’d be, I thought it would be back to long sleeves but no. Anyway, got some cooking to do today but for now I’m watching the news & eating an almond butter sandwich.

  5. Good morning, Moosekind! The stew in the slow cooker is simmering away and breakfast is over, so I get to play.

    Last night it rained. Today it’s gray again but the temp. in Ashburn right now is 38 F., going up to 57 F.! Hey, I might even go for a walk—by myself. Monty Beagle has no stamina. Anyway, the only exercise Dearly Beloved ever gets is walking Monty, so he can carry on doing it.

    Haven’t looked at the news yet. Hoping today will be really productive. The fact that I have so little energy brings it home to me quite forcefully that I can never get a real job again: if I don’t have a rest after lunch, I’m useless.

    I’ve made a list of the things that have to be covered in Chapter 22 and dear me, it’s so long there might have to be a Chapter 23…

    Wishing all at the Pond a good, peaceful day!

  6. You can reset clocks but you can’t reset cats. They started making their “hey! get up it’s time for breakfast” noises at what is now 7:30 – ya know, I don’t promise to vote for but I’ll make a donation to any presidential candidate who promises to get rid of Daylight Savings Time. Or even just back it up to what it was before W expanded it to prove how “environmental” he was. Bigger donation for getting rid of it altogether of course 😂😂😂 Anyway it’s above freezing but doesn’t feel like it. Cloudy which in a sense helps – if I was looking at this clock time with the sun telling me different I think it’d be even worse. Yesterday the sun came out a little before noon and gave us a wonderful, sunny, 15.3-KWH-generating rest of the day. The m-t-d is 82 so we’ve got a bit banked against the several cloudy days I see in the immediate forecast.

    Since starting late I’m taking a break in the Sunday chores. The muffins (molasses spice) – well actually muffin bread as I baked them in square pan rather than messing with muffin tins – have cooled enough to cut and package up for the week. So I’m having coffee and a fresh warm muffin square while I check out the internet. I still have to do the floors, including the front porch. Most of that is actually sweeping which hurts my back and is why I’m putting it off but the firewood detritus is just too much for the vacuum. So I’ll sweep up the big stuff then vacuum up the cat fluff and dust bunnies. Later. Heading over to DK for Dee’s post right now. No change on Aji’s surgery, or rather lack thereof, or on the situations of anybody else I’m worried about. sigh. Invocations/prayers still very much needed. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}

  7. Good morning, 33 and cloudy in Bellingham. I’m doing my best to sleep the time change away. After three attempts I think I’m finally ready to face the day. And it’s just another day with laundry, desk tasks, and some sewing. I’m finally finishing things in my sewing room so that’s my reward for doing the rest of the endless chores :)

    Time for coffee. Best Sunday wishes to all.

  8. Monday Meese
    38 here in NYS going up to 47 which should melt yesterday’s snow.

    Looking at the launch of attacks against Julian Castro – not from the right – but from the Sanders campaign:

    Read Rupert’s whole thread.

    Puerto Rico

    • I had to google “coquis” to make sure I was not retweeting something rude without knowing it!

      Coquí is the common name for several species of small frogs in the genus Eleutherodactylus native to Puerto Rico. They are onomatopoeically named for the very loud mating call which the males of two species, the common coqui and the mountain coqui, make at night.

      I hope they resolve the food stamp issue soon. I know it suits Republicans and their gospel of “kill the weak” to have them all starve but one would hope that there are still a few “old time” Republicans who think that doing it in broad daylight is a bad idea. Of course, 3,000+ body bags from Hurricane Maria didn’t make them blink. :(

      • The situation is going to get far worse – come Sept. Well over a million Puerto Ricans are due to lose health coverage and medication coverage. The loss of insulin alone – will kill many thousands. The only solution for many will be a mass exodus to the mainland states that have Medicaid expansion.

  9. Good morning, meeses! Monday …

    It is 21 degrees in Madison with an expected daytime high of 32. Sunny skies are in the forecast.

    There is not much new in the news. We have too many presidential candidates right now but I have to say that seeing Pete Buttigieg call Mike Pence (someone he knows quite well from Pence’s time in Indiana), a “cheerleader for the porn star president” is fun – we need to make sure that Pence is damaged as much as possible in case he ends up being the nominee. And it appears more and more likely that we will see a Bernie Sanders blow-up as he is finally vetted by the press and challenged by candidates who don’t need to tiptoe around him – like all narcissists, he does not take criticism well. I am not sure a more aggressive attack from Hillary Clinton would have changed anything in 2016 – his deadenders were staying home regardless of what she told them about his policy plans and white-centric message – but for those of us still smarting from that election, it is refreshing to see that his free pass has expired.

    I have some accounting projects to get caught up on and need to refresh my to-do list. I am going to take a short trip to a warm place next week to see if I can thaw out and need to have good notes for when I come back with vacation brain.

    See all y’all later!

  10. I woke up at 4:30 — actually before that nut I made myself stay in bed till then, Got up, got downtown early & got in a 20 minute walk — .71 mi, not bad. I got in a workout yesterday afternoon, too — one of the short-duration, nigh-intensity things: 4 rounds of 45 seconds each: pushups (I so wall ones because I can’t get on the floor), squats, butt kicks, triceps dips (I did overhead triceps things with 3 lb weights instead) & side lunges. Yesterday I also cooked 3 bunches of vegetables to have on hand to add to whatever dish. So it was a really productive day. If only I had been able to sleep. Of course I’m sleepy now. Gonna use Wild Horses by Snow Patrol to keep myself awake.

    Ooh, you’re trying not to blink
    For once you wanna see what is
    Ooh, it hasn’t finished you
    It’s only that it feels that way
    [Pre-Chorus]
    Just keep your wits about you, don’t let it end you
    And summon everything you’ve held up in reserve
    Don’t fall for every single stolen glance and wink
    Try to keep your heart on higher shelves for once
    [Chorus]
    What are you holding back
    I know you’ve wild horses, enough inside of you
    (Stop holding back)
    Now’s not the time to learn
    Serenity, it’s gone to red from blue

  11. Good Moon Day morning, Meese! Woke up much too early—before 6 new time—and am starting to grind into gear. When I took Monty out to the courtyard it was still completely dark, and the wind was blowing so strongly we both scuttled back inside as soon as possible.

    Just been reading Jan’s “Fighting Back” posts and the comments here from yesterday. Read Dee’s wonderful “Misogynoir” dk post too but didn’t have time to read comments. I can’t believe that Dee of all people is on NR! I’m basically commenting at dk as little as possible, I just get too angry on the subject of St. Bernard of No Accomplishments.

    Jan said:

    And it appears more and more likely that we will see a Bernie Sanders blow-up as he is finally vetted by the press and challenged by candidates who don’t need to tiptoe around him

    Jan, I can believe that about the candidates but not about the media. They’re calling him the “front runner.” As if! A bunch of people on Twitter are pushing back against the “Bernie is just so goddamn great” narrative.

    I did get a lot accomplished yesterday, just not what I’d wanted to accomplish. I even went for a walk, it was so warm. Right now in Ashburn it’s 48 F., going up to 58 F.

    Well, a new week is beginning, so there will be time to get things done. Wishing all a good day!

    • You are right about the media not pushing back on the B.S.! On the AP story about Julián Castro’s comment about reparations, the photo showed Bernie Sanders greeting a white voter in Iowa. How is that relevant to the story??!!? Maybe it was snark – showing Bernie Sanders with his natural constituency, butthurt white voters who believe the Republican lie that the economy is zero sum and that every positive thing for a person of color comes at the expense of white people. But eventually the media will catch up with what is happening. The Des Moines Register poll which showed Biden, Sanders and Harris also showed that Sanders’ favorables are dropping so “name recognition” may soon not be enough. Kamala’s favorable/unfavorable puts her in second place to Biden and her favorables keep going up.

  12. Brain function is not up to par – I’m blaming it on Daylight Savings Time. Quite seriously. Not kidding when I say I’ll contribute to the campaign of anybody who says they’ll get rid of it. Won’t necessarily vote for them depending on what else they say/stand for, but will definitely send them a few bucks just for bringing it up on the national stage. I will admit the overcast doesn’t help any. It’s 41 and at least the PV system is on. As the year goes forward the system is able to generate something even on cloudy days just because the angle of the sun is more direct. Yesterday we got 6 KWHs even – what I average in daily use so while didn’t bank any didn’t dip into my bank either. The m-t-d is 87 and we should get over 90 by the end of the day.

    My Austin son and family will be visiting the end of this week. It’s their Spring Break. Not a long visit – we’ll do family dinner together Thursday night and then a day-trip to Eureka Springs on Friday then they’ll take off again Saturday – but still a very nice time to look forward to. The elder is now in 4th grade and they’ve got a Park Pass that’s good until next mid-August so they’re planning on doing National Parks whenever the boys have a break this year. That will be good for the boys. In truth better than staying longer with relatives they only see once a year and haven’t really formed a relationship with. Their cousins are so much older than they are that while it’s always a fun visit a short visit works best.

    I’m planning on giving blood today – there’s a drive at the hospital this afternoon. I’d hoped to find a way to give Aji credit for the blood but since the operation still hasn’t been scheduled I’ll just do my normal thing. (My note on my desk says “give blood, get milk” LOL) It’s “baby quad” blood but since I’m not actually in New Mexico it was never going to be my blood banked/going into Aji’s body anyway. Aside from which I can’t always donate – sometimes my pulse is too slow or my iron count too low. And sometimes they miss my rolling vein. sigh. But for now I need to get back to work. And coffee when the Chair and a faculty member stop using the kitchenette for a conference room. (Her office is next door, folks. Maybe consider other folks might need the kitchenette?) Healing/Making Things Better Energy to everybody – special invocations for Aji actually getting her already- way-too-long-delayed treatment soon. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}

  13. Good morning, 36 and cloudy in Bellingham. The garden shops are starting to open now so I’m thinking about primroses and pansies. It’s still to cold at night to plant anything else but seeing a few blooming plants always lifts my spirits.

    Best Monday wishes to all.

  14. Good afternoon, Meesefolk; 30 or so when I got up with a [currently] sunny high of 37. It’s supposed to be 64 and rainy on Thursday before the temps plunge again, so it will be like a tiny, but messy, taste of spring. It’s too early to get spring fever; IIRC we got snow in April last year. But a reminder that the sun will shine AND bring warmth again is welcome.

    I got my taxes done yesterday after spending Saturday doing anything but. It turned out that my total increase in withholding for the year equaled our refund, so I’m glad I did it, if only for the breathing room. And the refund will cover the spring wellness visits + shots for the critters, so it all worked out perfectly for us. (It doesn’t make me any less angry at the clueless Republicans who don’t understand why some folks count on big refunds each year.)

    Tons of work to do, and a post to write, so it’s back to work for me. Good day to and for all!

  15. Good morning meese. 48 with high of 64 today. Had to take my roommate to the ER last night and we didn’t get home until 3:45, so I am dragging today. She is stable and hopefully will be able to get some rest.

  16. Tuesday Meese

    34 here in NY’s Hudson Valley, and cloudy. Going up to 41

    Elated to see this news – elections have consequences – the fauxgressives in NY opposed her.

    Tish James

    Puerto Rico

    • I would like to see the Deutsche Bank corruption splatter back on Anthony Kennedy’s son and remind everyone that Kennedy retired specifically so that a literal pile of crap could appoint a hyperpartisan to the Supreme Court. His legacy should be “just another slimy Republican willing to do anything for tax cuts.”

      Tish James rocks! The left-of-the-left has no clue what effective government looks like – they just want to bern EVERYTHING down in a purity rage delusionally expected something pleasing to them to bloom in its place. Their plan will literally kill us.

  17. Good morning, meeses! Tuesday …

    It is 18 degrees in Madison with an expected daytime high of 45. Sunny this morning but showers this afternoon and for the next few days as temperatures get into the 50s. I am hoping we see some significant melting – a friend posted photos of her crocuses showing themselves making me sad that my early spring flowers planting bed is under a 2 foot pile of snow and ice.

    The 2020 Democratic Nominating Convention will be in Milwaukee! I am happy for Milwaukee and Wisconsin but sad that for the next two years we will hear that “finally, the Democratic Party nominee visited Wisconsin!” Hillary Clinton visited Wisconsin during the primaries and had a rally planned with President Obama after the convention; it was cancelled after a gun-fueled maniac murdered dozens of people in the Pulse shooting. But a lie circles the globe before the truth can get its boots on. In any event, the convention will excite the base and we hope boost turnout and it will not be cancelled due to a hurricane. :)

    I wish that “right-wing pundits turning out to be disgusting people going back many years” would not become 30% of the headlines on a day when the Republican Party released their Blueprint to Kill the Elderly. Nancy Pelosi is right – the Republicans would like nothing better than to run against House members pushing impeachment than House members running on “the Republicans are planning a trillion dollar cut to the safety net to pay for the tax cuts for the rich that they made in 2018.” A show vote for impeachment would be a waste of time and would just gin up the MAGAts. Instead, we will continue to roll out new bills, vote on them and watch them die in the Senate helping us not only retain the House but win the Senate and the presidency. From Speaker Pelosi’s office:

    Just this past week, under the leadership of Congressman John Sarbanes and our dynamic Freshman Class, we protected our democracy by passing our transformative H.R. 1: The For The People Act. […]

    Our drumbeat of action For The People continues this week. On Tuesday, we will introduce H.R. 6, The Dream and Promise Act, led by Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard, to protect our courageous and patriotic Dreamers and TPS and DED Americans.

    On Wednesday, we will proudly introduce Congressman David Cicilline’s H.R. 5, the Equality Act, to end discrimination against LGBTQ Americans and advance full equality in America.

    And shortly, under the leadership of Congresswoman Karen Bass, we will bring bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act to the Floor.

    Show the voters what we are for and what a Unified Democratic Government will do for them.

    See all y’all later!

    • Ha! “For the People” is the second half of Kamala Harris’ campaign slogan. I love it! I am so ordering the t-shirt next time I get some money!

  18. Didn’t walk this morning — so foggy it’s almost raining, and I have a headache. And we’re supposed to get thunderstorms tonight so no walking tomorrow morning either. I hope I get to feeling good enough to do my HIIT workout this evening. There’s nothing involving bending over, so it should be fine. Comfort music this morning: Walk On. (I was about to hit post when I noticed the irony — totally unintended, this song is just really soothing, like a cashmere shawl around my soul)

  19. Good morning, Meesefolk; 19 when I got up and going up to a sunny 43 today. The rain moves in sometime tomorrow, so I’m going to enjoy the sun pouring in through the windows while I can. Our snow is almost all gone, but unlike Jan, that’s been the story of winter here in MI. I can’t help feeling that we got cheated a bit, because while we did get some snow, we also got wildly fluctuating temperatures that melted it quite rapidly. Most of my friends think I’m full-tilt crazy, but I still take a childlike delight in snow. I figure that if I ever reach the point where I start making noises about moving south during the winter or even just hiring a service to shovel my walks, it will be the clear signal that the various aches and pains of aging have reached a point that they need to be accommodated; I hope my inner child will understand that reality.

    I finally got around to watching excerpts of Pete Buttigieg’s townhall; my admiration for him only grew. I do hope that if we take the presidency, a place is found for him in the administration so he can build his portfolio and his profile. I will say that I think his youthfulness works against him a bit; he looks even younger than he actually is. If I saw him and Beto walking up my sidewalk together, I’d assume it was the Mormons coming to call.

    Good day to and for all!

  20. Good morning, Moosekind! Have been trying to post here for an hour but keep getting interrupted by texts, Twitter, and Monty Beagle. It’s a beautiful day in NoVa but cold and very windy. The courtyard is a wind tunnel anyway, ugh! Currently in Ashburn the temperature is 39 F., going up to 49 F.

    Today is my birthday. Can’t believe I’ve attained this great age! Wow. What no one ever tells you when you’re young is that no matter how many birthdays you celebrate, inside you feel like a 21-year-old with smarts.

    Finished my book yesterday but have a terrible feeling it might have ended too soon. It’s in the hands of two beta readers now but if there are any volunteers in the Pond, would be delighted to get your opinion. It’s 36,000 words, so not a long read.

    Last night I had an earache, so I took strong cold medicine. This morning it’s a bit of a sore throat. Dearly Beloved is going to obtain my favorite remedy at the grocery store when he goes out, so I’ll be popping capsules at intervals. I’m just too busy to have a cold right now.

    The time change is throwing me off terribly! I’ll leave it at that, I’ve griped enough.

    Lots of little chores in the forecast, dinner tonight at the restaurant around the corner from our flat. Wishing all a good day!

    • Happy birthday, Diana! My favorite birthday toast (that I actually remember!) from my days in Scotland was “May you be happy, and may your enemies know it.” I wish you that and so much more!

    • Happy Birthday! I hope the rest of your day is pleasant!!

      I am always surprised to have attained whatever milestone age I reach. I guess my years of complete disrespect for my body (and occasionally my psyche) did not harm me as much as I was told it would. That said, I shall not tempt fate by suggesting that I have completely dodged that bullet – I will attribute my current state to having discovered early enough to take care of myself, an attitude heightened by my desire to be around for as many years as possible to help my daughter get through school and establish herself.

    • {{{Diana}}} – HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

      💖💖🌞🌞🎉🎉👏👏🎁🎁👏👏🎉🎉🌞🌞💖💖

    • Happy Birthday Diana! I’m sending a virtual bouquet and chocolate cake :) Love this……

      “…….What no one ever tells you when you’re young is that no matter how many birthdays you celebrate, inside you feel like a 21-year-old with smarts.”

Comments are closed.