Week-long Welcomings from Moosylvania: Jan. 26th through Feb. 1st

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!
 

 

41 Comments

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

    Morning low of 28 degrees in Madison WI with an expected daytime high of 34. Mostly cloudy skies are in the forecast.

    Have a great day, all y’alls!!

  2. Sunday Meese.
    33 and cloudy here in Saugerties NY going up to 45.

    Got home around 1AM exhausted after speaking at film showing of “The First Rainbow Coalition” in New Jersey.

    Be sure to watch it on PBS

    Premiering Monday, January 27, 2020. Check local listings: https://to.pbs.org/30ClQgY
    Official Website: http://pbs.org/firstrainbow | #FirstRainbowPBS
    In 1969, the Chicago Black Panther Party formed alliances across lines of race and ethnicity with other community-based movements in the city, including Latino group the Young Lords and the southern whites of the Young Patriots. Banding together in one of the most segregated cities in postwar America to confront issues like police brutality and substandard housing, they called themselves the Rainbow Coalition.

    • {{{Dee}}} – I wasn’t a part of it – if I’d been less caught up in school & working I would have been, just too focused on self and family at the time – but the first Rainbow Coalition, what I still think of first when I hear the term, gave me back the hope I lost in 1968. Blessings on you, Fred Hampton, and all who were a part of it. Has happened means can happen and will happen. That’s true of the good things like Rainbow Coalition as well as the bad ones it was created to deal with.

      • And I have my mother to thank for even knowing there was an original Rainbow Coalition, not just the later Jesse Jackson one. I really have no idea how a white woman in Houston, TX busy with being a single parent and running her own business in the hopes of making more money than she did as a secretary had the time much less the energy to research and find the information. But she did. I recognized the Rainbow Coalition button in the clip. Tears.

  3. Puerto Rico

  4. Good Sunday bornig, Beese! Mudge to by disbay, I’d god adother code.

    This is going to slow me down. It’s a lovely day, though, with early clouds giving way to blue skies and sunlight. The current temp. is 34 F., going up to 46 F. Yesterday we received 1.54 inches of rain. I’ve never seen the creek in the woods so full since we moved here nearly two years ago.

    The outside world is weighing on me to the point that I’m battling depression now. I feel helpless, and am only cheered by the fact that we did flip the lege here in Virginia last November. The polls are showing Saint Bernard of No Accomplishments at the top, which would be depressing if I still believed in polls. After 2016, I do not.

    Someone wrote that she’d rather walk naked through 10 feet of snow than vote for bernie. I feel the same way. To me he’s the mirror image of Thing in his stupidity, sexism, and complete deafness to any ideas but his own. Also, the fact that he’s now a multimillionaire who owns several houses gives the lie to his “everyone who’s poor should overthrow the rich” mantra. I honestly don’t know what I’d do if he turns out to be the (un-Democratic) nominee: if I and others like me were to write in Hillary’s name, that would merely throw the election to Thing.

    Oh, I don’t know. I took two daytime cold pills that I discovered in the bathroom and Dearly has promised to go out to buy more cold capsules. In return I will make a nice yellow cake with chocolate icing.

    Going to roast fresh pineapple slices for tonight’s dessert. The sugar in the pineapple caramelizes when you do that and makes the fruit even more delightful.

    That’s enough whining from yrs truly! Wishing everyone at the Pond a nice, quiet Sunday.

  5. Sunday Sermon

  6. Of course after I made arrangements for someone else to be the time keeper at my meeting, throat feels normal & tests sound normal. That was also the case several mornings last week, though. So I will still only go for long enough to vote. And ask for AIDS Ride donations. Right now: watching the news, got tea steeping, laundry spinning. Today Jim Wallis is speaking at my church. I’m not sure how I feel about him. I stopped reading Sojourners when they ran an anti-choice issue; and in his book God’s Politics, he seemed to be making an argument for GLBTQ Christians to stop demanding equal rights. But my church wouldn’t have him if he was that way, so maybe my read of that book was wrong.

    • He’s more center-right than center-left, but on the issues that he’s good on, he’s very, very good. I quit following him ages ago, because although my politics tend to be more pragmatic than progressive, my faith is more progressive (and even edges towards radical). I haven’t quite figured out why there’s such a difference for me, but anyway, Wallis is generally too conservative for my taste (although personally very appealing). So how was he?

  7. It’s 36 heading for 56 and sunny in Fay., AR. Which I hope holds although the forecast says not. I need the sunshine for multiple reasons. Yesterday we got over 8 KWHs and the m-t-d is 128.8 so with even one more day of good sunshine we’ll at least have generated more than the original 2.5K system did in ’15. We’ll still be the lowest for the 4K system but at least competing in the same category as it were.

    I’m paying as little attention as I can to the deadly farce being played out in both politics and the world. We’re still breathing, if not always very easily or well, so there’s hope we’ll survive it and be able to make things better. Once the primaries are over (early March) I hope they’ll get around to opening Dem HQ here. Depending on a number of circumstances it could be as late as September before they do – but I’ll hope for sooner. Staffing HQ is the one thing I can dependably do. Everything else is iffy – and not dependable. sigh.

    Getting a very slow start today. Dealt with cat stuff and bird stuff and breakfast – that’s about it. Hands hurt which kinda makes it difficult to do the counters, bathrooms, and floors. But they need to be done and I’ll get them done over the course of the day. I just can’t do them all at once and get it over with as I prefer. Such is life. Definitely not a serious problem. I at least have a paid-for house to worry about cleaning. Holding the Good Thought for everybody’s housing issues – from the milder clearing up space to the intermediate of needing repairs to the very serious of having one at all – prayers & invocations.

    Gonna tour the internets as long as Murf is on my lap then get back to house stuff. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}

  8. Good morning, 53 and cloudy in Bellingham. Yesterday was a very quiet day, and I’m slow to wake up today. Looks like I may just hibernate for the whole month! I had planned on seeing the Bolshoi Ballet, Giselle, with Emma today but she has too much homework so I think I’ll go by myself. Quiet rest continues to ease the arthritis flare I’ve been struggling with but I’m feeling like a recluse.

    Best wishes to all as we start another week.

  9. Monday Meese. 37 here in Saugerties, NY and I’m puzzled by the weather forecast which shows snow for today with a temp of 44. Duh.

    Puerto Rico

  10. Good morning, meeses! Monday …

    It is 27 degrees in Madison with an expected daytime high of 34. It says there is light snow but that was not in the forecast so I shall ignore it!! I have to travel later today and have a tight schedule – no time for weather related delays.

    My plan of avoiding the impeachment “trial” news is mostly working although I did catch a headline suggesting that tRump’s lawyers are being allowed to state as fact that it was Ukraine who interfered in the 2016 election – not Russia. JHC on a popsicle stick!! That should be a crime. The Bolton bombshell will, I am sure, create not even a raised eyebrow from soon-to-be-former Maine Senator Susan Collins – her outrage is reserved for people who point out that Senate Republicans are tRump’s Stepford Spouses and are terrified of crossing him.

    I am also ignoring news of the Iowhite caucus and will celebrate when it stops being in the news. The caucuses are undemocratic and embarrassing to our party and, worse, the results are not a bellwether of anything at all. It is damaging to our party because Iowans are not representative of our electorate and the issues they care about, and are basing their votes on, will only resonate from Sioux City to Davenport and points between. Iowa went Trump in 2016 because they are self-loathing fools and haters – why suck up to them?

    See all y’all later!

  11. I am so glad I requested today off. I didn’t get home from my meeting until 7:30 last night. And my congressional candidate didn’t even get our endorsement. And my voice was normal at church but disappeared by afternoon. Just, ugh. Now, I’m watching Stargate & eating breakfast. Today: all the Sunday stuff I didn’t do yesterday, and go to the gym.

  12. It’s 31 heading for 62 in Fay., AR and sunny enough I didn’t have to turn on the lights this morning to feed kitties, deal with litter boxes, or fix breakfast. I like that. 😁👍🌞 We got another 8 KWHs yesterday. The m-t-d is 136.9 so we should definitely (if the sun stays out) get to 140 and maybe 145 today. Clouds, rain, and possible snow move back in tomorrow. sigh. But we’re already above the 2.5K system total so I’ll call it good.

    Tragedies seem to hit harder when we can put names and faces on the victims. Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna aren’t the first, last, or only people who died yesterday in some sort of accident. But having their names, their faces, in a sense knowing them…just hit hard. And of course media swarm couldn’t be bothered with noting other folks were killed too. Folks who are still being mostly ignored. Which actually might be better for their families, as disrespectful as it feels. As to the political situation…so much for the hopes 2020 would be a better year. sigh. But we will work as hard and as best we can to see that it ends better than it’s started.

    Healing/Helping Energy to all who need and accept it. Whatever that means to the person in question. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}

  13. Good Moon Day morning, Moosekind! Getting a very late start: it’s 10:30 and I’m still in my dressing-gown, which is late even for me. Problem is, I have the Mother of All Colds, a truly disgusting cold, which is making me feel bloody awful. In a few minutes I’ll have a hot shower, which will make me feel better, and then I’ll sit in the living room in front of the little fake woodstove with its little fake flames. I’m not due for another set of pills until noon.

    Tonight is the wretched 12-hour fast, because I have to have blood drawn at 8:30 tomorrow morning. Today in two words: pretteh crappeh.

    Right now it’s partly cloudy in Ashburn and 44 F., on its way up to 50 F. No rain until the weekend, according to them. You know whom I mean.

    This morning on Twitter I read a long article (forwarded by Bill Kristol, of all people), by Richard North Patterson. It was so literate (he said “different from” instead of “different than,” thereby sending himself to the top of the class), so well written, and contained such well-reasoned arguments as to why St. Bernard of No Accomplishments would be a disaster in the WH, that it quite made my day. Like Jan, I’m not paying much attention either to Iowa or to the “Bolton from the Blue.”

    Glad to hear bfitz is getting some sunlight for her solar panels! What’s good for one is good for us all, I feel.

    Wishing a good day to all at the Pond and a less disastrous day to all beyond!

  14. Good morning, 46 and partly sunny in Bellingham. Yesterday’s Bolshoi Ballet experience was interesting….a 200 yr old ballet, streamed via satellite to a dish receiver at the theater, and mid 1st act the dish had to be updated. So we waited while that was done, and then the stream had to be restarted several times until a start place close to where we were was found. Felt like I was home trying to make the remote respond to the tech connection instructions on the screen!

    Regardless the ballet was fun to see, and the interview with the latest choreographer was interesting. He has added pantomime and a “lost” fugue segment to this production as well as adapting the movements to modern dancers and their bodies. And some of the campy “collapse on Giselle’s tomb” moments were actually rest and breathing breaks for the soloists so they could recover and continue dancing. The main costumes were wonderful romantic tutu’s that danced with the music.

    My other misadventure was with parking. All the handicapped spots were taken and the only available parking enough of a walk to pinch the nerve in my right leg so I was really hobbling. And in the far parking lots there are no sidewalks and that made me feel even more vulnerable :( I spoke to the theater manager and got the number for the parking association so I’ll call today.

    Monday morning, ready or not. I’ve got to work at my desk today so I’d best get going. My best wishes to all.

  15. Good evening, Meesefolk. I’ll skip the weather report, since I was INSIDE AT WORK IN MY OFFICE ALL DAY. :D

    I think I’m going to like my job; the people I’ve met are friendly and kind and interesting and peers (or close to it) in terms of age. But holy cow is there a lot to learn; I imagine it’s going to take me a month just to get to the point of handling the basics (and that may be optimistic). Today I really didn’t learn much, because the payroll had to be processed. My “training” consisted of “this is how it’s done.” Even the trainer admitted this was far from optimal ; since she had my two computer screens positioned in such a way that I could barely see what was happening, it was a bit further from optimal than she imagined! I’ll get into the swing of things, and training begins in earnest tomorrow. If she continues to sit at the desk chair and while I’m pulled up close, we’ll chat. I can’t learn anything that way, and I would actually do best if I’m sitting at the computer and she’s directing me where to click and point and drop down, etc. Today was all about her convenience; from here on out, it will be what works best for both of us.

    Good day to and for all!

    • Nice to “see” you, DoReMI!

      I hope you can get the training re-arranged in such a way that it works better for you. As someone who trains people on computers and computer software, it is very very hard to resist wanting to demonstrate rather than directing the user to try it themselves. I have a better vantage point because I usually do training via remote control, not in person, so I just need to resist grabbing the shared mouse from their hands and I can roll my eyes if they start doing something dumb – they never see my face! :)

    • {{{DoReMI}}} YAY!!! for the new job starting. Double YAY!!! for the “going to like…” & “friendly and kind and interesting…” co-workers – and Holding the Good Thought on training. Definitely hoping the trainer understands first show me, then walk me through while I do it, then stay within hollering distance for the next month or so thereafter. It’s always easier to just do it yourself but nobody learns anything when the trainer doesn’t train and just does it. It sounds like an interesting job. And a worthwhile one.

      Thank you so much for checking and and I hope you will continue to do so. moar {{{HUGS}}}

  16. Tuesday Meese
    35 here in the NY Catskills going up to 39.

    I know folks may have problems with Google – however this is an outstanding ad:

  17. Puerto Rico

  18. Back to work. Rainy morning, not a drought breaker but some is better than none. After work, I’m going to be a background person in an ad for my congressional candidate, which will be fun I’m sure. Yesterday I got some housework done, and went to the gym. This week’s workout has all 1-minute running segments — schedule was for 8 but since I won’t get to do today’s cross-training workout, I did 10 segments. That was hard. The 90 seconds walking in between seemed like nothing by the time I got to repeats 8-10. One of my warm-up songs is really perfect for warming up: Arabesque. Also great words:

    I could be you, you could be me
    Two raindrops in the same sea
    You could be me, I could be you
    Two angles of the same view
    And we share the same blood
    Comme deux gouttes d’eau
    On se ressemble
    Comme provenant de la même mère
    Comme deux ruisseaux (You could be me)
    Qui se rassemblent (I could be you)
    Pour faire les grandes rivières
    And we share the same blood
    Yeah, we share the same blood
    And we share the same blood
    Yeah, we share the same blood
    Music is the weapon, music is the weapon of the future
    Music is the weapon, music is the weapon of the future
    Music is the weapon, music is the weapon of the future

  19. Good morning, meeses! Tuesday …

    It is 28 degrees in Madison with an expected daytime high of 30. Mostly cloudy skies are in the forecast.

    While driving home yesterday afternoon, I nearly drove into a ditch from laughing when the news reported a snippet from Kenneth “Boys will be rapists – :::shruggie:::” Starr saying that the impeachment was political and “a sad day for America.” Gawd, these Republicans have no mirrors!! I am glad my trips are mainly done because I am angry that NPR is carrying the impeachment “trial” live on every station including my classical music station. I can understand it on the news stations but I listen to classical music because I don’t want to hear Republican voices and reports of disgusting Republican behaviour on my radio while I am driving!

    The pundits are asking “how can the Democrats stop Bernie?” when he has such a commanding lead in the Iowhite Caucus. I know I know – call on me!! We stop defining the caucus as anything but a petulant pimple on the ass of the Democratic Party – Iowhites threaten to be angry if we deny them the spotlight and they will, what? Vote for Trump if we don’t kiss their ring? They already did that and there is about a 98% chance that they will do it again in 2020. Give the attention to South Carolina and Nevada and California, not a bunch of losery losers who elected Joni Freaking Ernst, for crying out loud! Yes, this ticks me off.

    I am trying to get my to-do stacks organized after a January spent with too much travel, too many government reporting deadlines and too much 2019 to 2020 accounting distractions. I have 4 days to get ready for February when project work begins in earnest.

    See all y’all later!

    • (Giggling)

      Jan, tell us how you really feel!

      Honestly, I’ve seldom seen you so furious. Of course, there’s a lot to be furious about!

      It’ll be over a year from now, if not sooner. We’re going to vote that bastard out.

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