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!
– Page Three of Comments is HERE!
Good morning, Meesefolk; 32 when I woke up (dogs on top of the covers because I did turn on the furnace) and going up to 61 (thermostat set for same, so heat shouldn’t click on too much). There’s rain in the forecast, but if my widget is anywhere close to accurate, it won’t move in until late tonight. Tomorrow is going to stink, but today should be sorta ok.
Jan, FYI the picture for my post today was picked especially for you. I know it’s unlikely that Chuck Schumer will give the weekly address two weeks in a row, but just in case…;D
I had another lazy day yesterday, so it’s time to get off my backside and get productive. I need to get some resumes out, but I’ve been having ongoing connectivity issues, so we’ll see. I really don’t want to have to use public wifi to apply for jobs, but it may become necessary.
Good day to and for all!
Thank you for that! It will never be Schumer twice in a row, thank goodness, because the House and the Senate alternate weeks for the Weekly Democratic Address. Once President Harris is inaugurated she will do them and I will only have one place to look for videos and transcripts. :)
May it be so, Jan.
Good Tiu’s Day morning, Meese, and welcome to another bone-dry but sunny day in Ashburn. It was 47 F. when I took Monty out to the courtyard this morning (the moon was still bright and beautiful, by the way), but it’s 51 F. now, on its way up to 72 F. Perfect walking weather!
Had the night from hell last night. Turned the light out at 10:30, was still awake at 12:30, so said “to hail with it” and got up to make a cup of tea. Read an actual, as opposed to a Kindle book for a while, then fell asleep in the green recliner. Woke up at 6:30 feeling very stiff and sore from not being able to turn over.
Wish I knew why I have so much trouble sleeping despite exercising, setting all my devices to Night Shift Mode, using lavender oil on the soles of my feet and my temples, and rubbing Magical Sleep Cream into my wan cheeks. Nothing seemed to work last night. Also, the person who serves as our precinct captain here sent me a snide little email late in the evening, so that bothered me to some extent.
But it’s a new morning, and a friend on the fifth floor emailed to say how much she enjoyed reading the articles I wrote for the quarterly. Several people I’ve seen in passing have complimented me and another friend actually rang up yesterday afternoon to say how much she liked them.
Hope to actually get something done today. I do need to sneak in a nap because I have granny duty this afternoon.
The news continues to be so horrendous that the only way I can stay sane is not to think about it too much. The news from my Australian sister-in-law this morning was also troubling: it appears that two of the four darling great-nieces are on crutches, brother-in-law’s Alzheimer’s is so rampant he can’t remember anything from one minute to the next, and she herself has been felled by viruses all winter long. It’s spring in Melbourne now, so I hope she begins to feel better.
That’s all from me this morning…wishing a good day to all at the Pond!
This could be a contributing factor: “the person who serves as our precinct captain here sent me a snide little email late in the evening.” I find that if I read or see something that upsets me on some level, it disturbs my sleep. It is not even that I am thinking of that particular thing but it is unsettling and sleeping well is all about settling in. I am glad you got some sleep – even though not perfect – and I hope you get your nap!
Thanks, Jan! You’re right, that probably had a lot to do with it.
{{{Diana}}} – Jan’s probably right. The “snide” little email was probably chewing on the back of your mind. Heaven knows that kind of thing keeps me from sleeping. Congratulations on your congratulations. :) Hope you get a good nap today.
Hi, bfitz! Yes. Actually, when I have trouble getting to sleep, I often find myself thinking about every stupid thing I’ve ever done in the past, every bad decision I’ve ever made, and so on. It’s awful.
However, last night during my 6 and 1/2 hours’ sleep, I dreamed of scrubbing the floor of the shower with Bon Ami. Is that a form of brain bleach?
Actually, yes it is. Your subconscious is scrubbing out the grunge. Actively doing it. Also showing that it’s work. The “oh, just don’t worry about it.” Kind of response actually makes it worse because it diminishes the amount of mental work it takes to detoxify those “little” poisoned arrows. {{{HUGS}}}
It didn’t get below 60 last night and the house was warm enough the furnace didn’t kick on. It’s 65 now and heading to 70. Overcast and rain expected later today, then the temps will start dropping again. We generated 9 KWHs yesterday and the m-t-d is 131. My monthly data is mismatched again – 4 days running now – and I’ve just gotten an email from support saying they don’t know what’s wrong and so will mark the case resolved. Ahem. I emailed back saying they can’t call it resolved since it isn’t fixed. Sigh. It wouldn’t bother me except the comparative data pulls from the field that is wrong. If it was pulling from the “system production” field the comparative data would be correct and I’d be irritated at the mismatch but not really bothered by it.
I’ve got a bunch of stuff chewing on the back of my mind so my sleep was sketchy. I finally fell into deep sleep after 5 am and so didn’t get up until 7 when the cats were letting me know quite vocally that breakfast was late. Sigh. Worried about people. Worried that I can’t help them. Worried about world events and totally knowing I can’t do a thing about that. The election up coming. Life is easier when you’re ignorant and gullible. But BIPOC have never had that option – or at least don’t live long if they take that option – so I must not take that option either. And face hard truths – about my country and about my candidates. If I can find the facts among all the allegations.
Gato Murf just jumped off my lap so coffee time. I’ll be back to read DoReMI’s post shortly. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}
Hope you managed to snatch some rest yesterday, bfitz!
Good morning, 48 and cloudy in Bellingham. Looks like I wasn’t the only one with disrupted sleep last night. But I did finally go back to sleep and now my day is slow to get underway. Oh well, I’ve got an easy day ahead so no need to rush.
Bellingham is about 20 miles from the Canadian border, and there are many rural roads that cross back and forth. Makes me furious this is happening…….
British holidaymakers ‘traumatised’ after arrest at US border
I think today needs to be a news lite day. Best wishes to all.
I read that! It’s just AWFUL!
Looks like I need to post a correction. I really dislike the increased border patrol in Whatcom County so the story made me mad. But facts matter…..
Jailed British tourists entered US ‘deliberately’
Good morning, meeses! Wednesday …
It is 45 degrees in Madison with an expected daytime high of 50. Mostly cloudy skies are in the forecast.
I did not watch the debate (I won’t give any clicks or eyeballs to any organization that employs Chris Cuomo) so I will have to wait for the day-after stories to see what happened. The headlines suggest that everyone went after Elizabeth Warren and that Joe Biden spent most of his time defending his son. This is not going to end well. The front-runner is an old-time pol with old-time ideas who is running on the mojo he built up by being Barack Obama’s vice president; the person who is closest to him in the polls is too far left – and has no intentions of moving to the middle – to be elected in a general election. Not only that, she plans to reject any money except “small donor money” which will please the deep-pockets Republicans immensely. You can’t win a general election on “principles”, you need cold hard cash and a lot of it will have to come from big-money donors. Unless our primary voters rally around one of the center left candidates who has a reasonable chance of snagging the center, Donald Trump will have an easy time of it. There are not enough left-of-the-left voters to make up for the people who will stay home rather than vote for Elizabeth Warren or Bernie Sanders.
I am having a touch of vertigo this morning and I need to focus on getting things done that have to be done before I am forced to shut everything down – so the news may have to steep for another day.
See all y’all later!
Good morning Jan – I listened to half of it and followed friends on twitter. Sorry about the vertigo!
Thanks for the Kamala Harris NowThis tweet! That is all I need to know about the debate. :)
I haven’t had a vertigo issue for quite a while now; I learned to manage it by moving very slowly when I am getting out of bed in the morning – quick, jerky movements make me woozy and then nothing works to settle things down. For whatever reason, I moved in a different way this morning and I could feel the wooziness start. So far, consciously holding my head steady is working but I am not sure how long I can do that so my ability to work today is at risk. Maybe it is the goddess’ way to telling me to take a day off! I have been working much too hard lately.
Hope the vertigo passes on. It sux. Really. And if it’s keeping you from doing the work you had planned, well, maybe it is time to relax and just let it be for a day. Healing Energy. {{{HUGS}}}
So sorry about the vertigo Jan. My last bout was caused by a blood pressure issue and I was slow realizing that. Hope your’s is just the same old and eases soon.
Gosh, Jan, hope the vertigo will disappear!
Good Wednesday morning Meese. 46 going up to rain and 64 here in the Catskills.
Puerto Rico
Rainy morning — strong thunderstorms last night, just soft rain now. Still very itchy & sleeping badly. Going to make another doctor appointment today. Did anyone watch the debate? I really didn’t. Every time I flipped over, there was either yelling, or Tulsi Gabbard, so I flipped back off. Anyway, I’m going to try & make it through another day at work & I wonder what Trump & his minions will do today.
{{{anotherdemocrat}}} Holding the Good Thought for you/your doc finding the source & a remedy for the itching. & better sleep. Healing Energy. moar {{{HUGS}}}
Good Woden’s Day morning, Moosekind! It’s 60 F. in Ashburn at 10 a.m., going down to 58 F. by the end of the day because we’re expecting rain. I need to get out and do my walk before that happens—if it does.
After my awful night on Monday I had to keep going until after dinner, so when I sat down to watch the “debate,” I basically slept through it all. Woke up occasionally when I heard Kamala’s voice. Reading this morning’s accounts from various sources, I still don’t like Mayo Pete. Kamala’s take-down of Stupid Chris was highly enjoyable to watch and listen to.
This morning my scale greeted me with such good news that I’m actually looking forward to behaving myself for the rest of the day. Lawks, it’s been a year and a half since I was that weight.
Can’t help wondering whether anotherdemocrat has got out her snow gear—Austin’s high will be in the low 70s! As much as I love Austin, which is one of my 10 favorite cities, I couldn’t take the heat if I lived there.
Lots to do today, so need to get going. Wishing a good day to all at the Pond!
Well, we didn’t get the rain – just the clouds – yesterday so 3.8 KWHs & m-t-d is 135. Obviously not on track for the monthly goal. sigh. It’s 40 “feels like” 33 and sunny at the moment. I’ve got a fire going and laundry hung on racks in front of it. At least with the sunshine/solar gain I can let the cats be on the porch. They do love watching the world go by and/or napping in the sunshine. When not curled up on the hearth rug in front of the fire (as Cloud is doing right now).
Haven’t a clue who “won” the debate – which I didn’t watch or follow the live tweets – because the MSM will say the winner is whoever they want it to be. At this point I don’t know and don’t care who they picked out of a hat. I know the likelihood of the person being not-white is not-good. I’m still trying to track down how much truth is behind the anti-Native, anti-sovereignty allegations against Harris. It is damned hard to do. I can find the allegations with no problem, unfortunately since that means they’re “trending” or whatever the eff google calls it, I can find a few pro-Harris articles which only mention it in passing (with a “that was her job” that anti-Harris Natives don’t accept), but nothing that tracks back to transcripts or official documents of any kind. This is pissing me off. There has got to be real evidence somewhere. Sigh. I need to know this for myself. I need to know if Harris is the person I think she is – or not. And things are loudly and violently horrible just about everywhere. Which is precisely what the Bircher/KKK/christofascists want. So when it stops being loudly and violently horrible America will be happy to accept the quiet desperation & death in life in a post-1875, pre-1900 America.
So I do what I can, financially-personally-spiritually, for whoever I can. So many people I personally know. So many people who are hurting so badly. I’m sometimes not sure why anybody would want to be here. Veil of tears in very deed. But we are here and we can make the best of it if we work together. Communities are how we survived in the first place. They’re how we thrive. Rebuilding communities (not “gangs”) is how we will do it again. Meanwhile, coffee. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}
Good morning, Meesefolk; 46 when I got up and heading all the way up to 52. It’s grey and damp, so it must have rained at some point, but I slept through it. It’s supposed to rain throughout the day, so I won’t be missing that.
I didn’t watch the debate either, and after my reading last night and this morning, I don’t feel like I missed much. I just don’t see how the format of these debates is at all useful, but maybe they work better for folks who are less tuned in on a daily basis? I would much rather see debates organized around specific topics with questions either prepared by and/or presented by subject-matter specialists. Or maybe a question and answer session hosted by an association of HCBUs like NAFEO? There needs to be a format/set of hosts which would not be so obviously channeling the inherent bias of their whiteness. Hey, a girl can dream…
Good day to and for all!
Right now the debates are all trying for “gotcha” moments – not necessarily the candidates but the media that is presenting them. CNN has a history of disliking Democrats and loving the ratings from their promotion of Trump’s hate rallies so they can’t be trusted to present anything fairly related to the election. It will be better when there are fewer candidates because the ones on stage will be less desperate. I wish they would start dropping out but I suspect they won’t until Iowa. Sadly, that will mean that Mayo Pete and his unbearably smug whiteness will make the first real cut.
You put that so well, Jan. I can’t quite put my finger on what it is about him that bothers me (it is not his gayness), but something does. He seems entirely too pleased with himself.
No, it is not his gayness, it is his white male entitlement. He reeks of privilege, the kind that comes from a life that never felt suffering or knew anyone who did. That he had “discomfort” over coming out does not make up for his lack of connection to the lives of people who have suffered and still do. It is not surprising that he is polling at 0% in the Black community – they have seen his kind and know him; he is the “concerned white liberal” who they – rightly – scorn. He will never be able to rid himself of the mantle of cowardice he wears for not running for any statewide race in Indiana. If you are afraid to face the people you live with, go away. Mayor of a white-on-white college town prepares you for exactly nothing.
Good morning, 49 and windy in Bellingham. We’re sharing autumn leaves with the entire neighborhood! I enjoyed seeing the Downton Abbey movie with a friend yesterday afternoon. It was nice to leave my reality and just be with the wonderful visuals in the movie.
I’ve got a few must do chores today, but keeping my BCH leg elevated is my main task. The swelling usually eases when I do so crossing fingers and toes it will do so this time.
Best wishes to all.
{{{princesspat}}} Healing/Helping Energy. moar {{{HUGS}}}
Oh no, I just saw that Elijah Cummings died. I can’t – will check in later.
#RestinPower Elijah Cummings.
Puerto Rico
Good morning, meeses. Thursday …
It is 43 degrees in Madison with and expected daytime high of 52. Mostly sunny skies are in the forecast.
I was going to talk about the good news from yesterday and go fangirl again on Nancy Pelosi but then the Breaking News headline flicked across my desktop that Rep. Elijah Cummings had died. We have lost a powerful voice for the rule of law, for fairness for the oppressed, for decency in government. I don’t even want to think about who is next in line for the chairmanship of his committee – there is no one who can fill his shoes.
There was good news yesterday. For one thing, New York Attorney General Tish James got the double-jeopardy repeal passed and signed. Now, there is a guarantee that the Trump crime family won’t get off scot-free regardless of what happens at the federal level. That there were state crimes committed by him, his family and his business associates is not even in doubt and federal pardons won’t let them off the hook. Thanks you, New York!
Even Republicans in the House voted to rebuke Trump’s Syrian policy and he responded by having an epic meltdown in the White House complete with insane “letters” to foreign leaders, insults to Congress, and terrible comments about the Kurdish people who have been slaughtered as a result of his ignorance of, frankly, just about everything. He tweeted out a photo intended to show Nancy Pelosi “melting down” but instead will likely become the iconic photo of her tenure – standing over the assembled old white males and the Orange Orshole giving them the what-for on behalf of the American people. She turned what had been intended as a taunt into her Twitter cover picture. Thank you, Speaker Pelosi!
See all y’all later!
Good Thor’s Day morning, Meese! Jan and Dee beat me to it: I have just been reading in the WaPo about Elijah Cummings. I hadn’t known he was ill! What a good man he was—may he rest in peace and may our memory of him be preserved.
He was only 68. I’m a lot older than that, so this is reminding me that mortality is not far off. Just hope I can get everything done before it’s time to pop my clogs.
Day is breaking in Ashburn with gray clouds scudding across the sky. At 5:30 when I took the Badly Behaved Beagle out to the courtyard, it was so horribly windy, cold, and dark he only stayed out long enough to do No.1. He then scuttled toward the door as fast as he could.
Today we are going on an Ashby Ponds excursion to L’Auberge Chez François in Great Falls, which is a good 15 miles from here. We’ll get on a little shuttle that will drop us off at the restaurant. It’s a shame the weather isn’t nicer because L’Auberge has some charming outdoor seating.
I’m splurging on this because next Monday is our 52nd wedding anniversary and Dearly Beloved does so many nice things for me, I want to do something nice for him.
Sorry, the political news is so bad I simply can’t comment on it. I’m too upset.
Meanwhile, either Goddess has intervened or the colder weather has made me more energetic, because last night I actually worked on my short story collection. I’m not sure it’s going to be out in time for Christmas, but we’ll see. I’d really like to write three more to round out the book. If y’all have time from dealing with news about Thing, can you think of more songs with “Bye” in the title? So far I’ve thought of the Everly Brothers’ “Bye, Bye, Love”; Dan Wossname’s “Bye, Bye, Miss American Pie”; “Goodbye Girl,” and “Bye, Bye Birdie.” I need those song titles for the third story.
Another missing piece is that I can’t seem to find the matron Goddess of Scotland. There’s always Brigantia, but she was north of England, not necessarily Scots. If anyone knows of one, please tell me!
Wishing a good day to all at the Pond, and I hope Jan’s vertigo, another’s itching, and princesspat’s leg issues will depart forthwith!
My vertigo symptoms dissipated by mid-afternoon and I was extremely careful this morning to not trigger it again. It is weird that abrupt movements during the day don’t trigger it – it is only the “first in the morning” movements that do. Certainly, while in the throes of vertigo, it is hard to see anything good about it but if taking extra care when arising is all I need to do to keep it at bay, I am pretty fortunate. When I look around and see what people with chronic conditions have to deal with – drugs, treatments, hospitalizations – I thank the goddess for my good health.
The cooler weather is good for the brain! I can’t function in heat and it probably kills brain cells, which are already disappearing at an alarming rate! The cool Fall morning are when I am most productive.
Jan, it may be low blood sugar in the mornings that set the stage for vertigo with sudden movements. Not that changes how you should deal with it of course. But it would explain why just in the morning and not throughout the day. I feel the same about my health. Grungy but compared to other folks…I’m fine. {{{HUGS}}}
That makes perfect sense that low blood sugar would set the stage, it is tied to so many other things. Mystery solved!
Got a doctor appointment this afternoon, wonder if he can think of something. But yesterday talking to my dermatologist, (good news twice over: the bump he removed was pre-cancerous & it was contained, so I don’t need to go back for 6 months) he again mentioned that he & his son both take multiple zyrtec for eczema. So I tried 3 last night before bed, and 2 this morning. We shall see if it helps. Calm, soothing music: Coldplay’s Clocks. (has always reminded me of floating in Barton Springs)
Very sad about Rep. Cummings. 68 is ridiculously young, and we needed him for this fight.
We did need him for this fight – few can speak with the moral clarity that he brought to the issues he cared about. Ridiculously young, indeed.
Another, that’s good news about the bump and I hope the Zyrtec helps with the eczema!
It’s 39 in Fay., AR heading for 70 and supposedly sunny but the sun isn’t up yet. I’m up early because Tractor Supply called yesterday and the wood bricks are in. I need to take my friend to work so I have the car. It’ll be at least but I hope only 4 trips to get the entire lot home. I’m gonna try to do it all in one day but I don’t know. It’s not the trips themselves, it’s the unloading. We’re talking about a literal ton of wood bricks.
Don’t know what to say about Elijah Cummings except “thank you, sir” and “rest in power” – I’m gonna be 68 on Sunday. We do need him. But we will have to do it without him. These are not choices we are given. Whoever takes that Chair has a whole lot to live up to.
Things are seriously stressful for a lot of folks I know. I’m doing what I can to help and it’s not enough. sigh. Oh well, gotta deal with a kitty mess and then get out of here. I’ll check back later. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}
Good morning, Meesefolk; 43 when I got up and heading to 50. We still have some 60 degree days in the future, thank goodness; I’m not quite ready to move into sweater and jacket weather full-time just yet.
I’m heading to Findlay OH later today to meet Kiddo and SIL. I’m taking them cider and pies (products our village is known for), and they’re bringing Kiddo’s old computer. My laptop died a sudden and painful [for me] death a few months back, and since then I’ve been using my old netbook. It works fine, but I really need a larger screen, particularly now that I’m on it daily as part of the job search. I somehow think I’m getting the better deal, although since I’m getting a Michigan four-berry pie for Kiddo, it’s almost a tie. All the running around I need to do will keep me distracted; I’m far more upset by the loss of Elijah Cummings than I would have ever anticipated. The minute I stop to think, the tears start…so I’m going to work at not stopping to think too much today.
Good day to and for all!
Good morning, 55 and partly sunny in Bellingham. The news of Elijah Cummings’ death is heavy. His leadership presence made me feel that moral clarity and respect were still governing principles. I know others share his values, but his passing is a loss to our country. May we honor his memory.
The wind is blowing maple tree leaves through the air, so it’s a blustery fall day outside my window. I clipped the last of the hydrangeas yesterday and sat in a chair by the veggie garden cleaning the brown petals from the blooms. It was nice to be outdoors with my leg up and now I have about 4 doz hydrangea stems saved for future flower fun. They should dry now and hopefully the color will hold.
Best wishes to all.