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 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 (right before “Leave A Reply”) and use the Pages Tool, shown here with 3 pages of comments available.
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COUNTING DOWN THE TIME UNTIL DECENCY RETURNS …
Good “morning”, Motley Meese! The week begins …
Morning low of 27 degrees in Madison WI with an expected daytime high of 43. Partly cloudy skies are in the forecast.
Have a great day, all y’alls!!
Sunday Meese. 30 degrees going up to 40 with rain (glad it is not snow) here in Kingston NY
Puerto Rico
“I cried when I heard this song for the first time … thinking of all that we have lost and tenaciously retained in Puerto Rico”
‘Rene’ wins Latin Grammy for best song of 2020
Sunday Music
Rec’d & shared
Love the sax. 😁🎶🎶🎶
Good morning, still warm here. I think later in the week, we might have lows in the 50s. Today: watch the news, church, put together my overnight oats for next week, check out the page on the Romancing the Runoff auction site for items under $50 — some are $10 or less — to see if there’s something I can buy. I got groceries delivered from Whole Foods yesterday because I want mushroom risotto and that’s literally the only place I could find it — not a mix but ready made. So I’ve got Thursday’s special meal set: Amy’s mushroom risotto and vegetarian buffalo wings. I might go to Wheatsville & get some of their rosemary sourdough bread.
It’s 44 going to 50 and overcast today. Sun’s supposed to come out later. Maybe. The PV system is on anyway. We didn’t quite get 2 KWHs yesterday and the 148 m-t-d is not on track. Whether or not we can get it back, I don’t know. It’s possible. Not likely but possible.
That’s true of so many things these days. The paths we thought to walk closed to us – sometimes abruptly (R.I.P. JFK – 57 years gone) – sometimes a choice made earlier shifted us to a different path without us noticing it until it was too late. The new path isn’t necessarily a bad path. And since we didn’t walk the one planned we don’t know how that would have turned out. Maybe better, maybe worse, maybe the same just different. I know if I were given a choice to go back and walk an earlier desired path but it meant I would never meet the people I love on this one, I’d say no. I would not give up knowing them. Even the ones who do not like or respect me as I do them. I would not give them up. So on we go. Whatever words and patterns and symbols and “sacramentals” we use to try and connect – to the Universe and to each other – keeping us as sane as possible on our trek.
Taking a break in Sunday chores for coffee, checkin, & heading over to DK for the #BlackMusicSunday. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}
Good morning, 36 and mostly cloudy. It’s good to have a weekly reminder of what day it is ’cause they are all blurring together now. Yesterday was another busy housekeeping day but it’s nice to have a clean refrig again.
Today we’ll clean the last of the fall debris from the patios and figure out a way to stay relatively dry and warm so we can be outside for hor d’s on TDay. With a fire in the stove, food on the barbeque and a griddle to keep warm, blankets for everyone, warm drinks, etc we should be ok for at least an hour.
Best wishes to all on this quiet Sunday morning.
Monday Meese.Rain all day – 41 going up to 46.
Meet Tony Blinken
Biden is selecting a Black woman to be UN ambassador – and raising the position back to cabinet status
The return of expertise and competence. Refreshing!
Puerto Rico
The CDC recommends suspending all travel to Puerto Rico due to COVID-19 risk. In Saturday’s update, they placed the island at level 4, the highest danger level.
Good morning, meeses! Monday …
It is 37 degrees in Madison with an expected daytime high of … 37! Mostly sunny skies are in the forecast. We are expecting a winter weather event Tuesday which may change my shopping plans. I need to hunt and gather for our Thanksgiving feast and was going to do it Tuesday to avoid crowds. If the weather is frightful, I may have to wait until Wednesday which will surely be busier and less safe.
I know that everyone will find this shocking but people from the tRump campaign are disrupting the recount efforts in Milwaukee County. One observer demanded that entire (majority Black) Wards of ballots be tossed – suggesting that Uppity Blacks Daring to Vote harms Republicans. Well, yes, yes it does. Thanks again, Black voters, for saving us from four more years of tRump!
Today two of the swing states, Michigan and Pennsylvania, will certify their election results. There is some chicanery afoot regarding Republicans in Michigan planned to deny the certification which will be struck down quickly. They have no discretion, their duty is simply ministerial and if they refuse they can actually be charged with a crime. There is one appeal in Pennsylvania but it does not appear that it asks for the certification to be delayed – no one is quite sure what it is trying to do! Even Chris Christie is embarrassed by tRump’s legal attempts to deny his loss and delay the transition. From what I understand, Emily of the GSA has been called to appear at a House hearing today to explain why she won’t allow the transition to begin. Literally no one thinks she will show up; why would she? She is a short timer in a lame duck administration whose only hope for future employment is with right-wing organizations who will reward her for stonewalling and punish her for allowing the transition to occur before January 6th when Congress receives the votes from the Electoral College and certifies the election. I hope she doesn’t mind being the cause of the deaths of tens of thousands of people on her resume. In a just world, the political party perpetrating this travesty would be relegated to the dustbin of history – in AmeriKKKa, it will be rewarded with more power in the House and Senate. :(
I did not accomplish as much as I wanted to this weekend. It turns out that election anxiety being diminished has pushed pandemic anxiety to the forefront. I am trying to decide when the Thanksgiving super-spreader event will cycle through and if I dare venture out at all during that period. I wonder if the people intent on spreading COVIDs at Thanksgiving are the same ones who plan to travel over the Christmas holiday period and that their illnesses – and the deaths of their elderly loved ones – might make the December super-spreader event less impactful. I feel like it won’t be safe to go anywhere until the middle of January, just in time for colleges to start welcoming students back for the Spring semester. :::sigh:::
See all y’all later!
The overnight was a lower-than-forecast 27. It’s 33 now and heading for 56. It’s also sunny at the moment although the widget says it’s overcast with a dense fog alert. Whatever. We’ve had enough warmer weather to keep the yards & fields mostly green so with the frost on them they looked like fields of lime sherbet. We got 2.5 KWHs yesterday and the m-t-d is 150.7 – not on track but still possible in the 8 production days left. Not likely but possible.
It’s nice to see the quality of the cabinet Joe is actually choosing. Another reason to stay off my twitter TL is all the OMGHOF from Dem – and not just LW – reactions to rumors of who Joe is going to choose. Funny, the rumors all seem to pick either Rs or Dems guaranteed to make Dems go OMGHOF. I wonder what the source of those rumors could be. (No I don’t. But I’m totally pissed that people believe them.) The other reason of course is all those Dems demanding Dems in office “do something” – as they have since Nancy picked up the gavel again – even though Dems in office are doing everything in their power as it is. There never was any chance whatsoever twitler would be removed from office. Every legal way required consent of the Senate. Screaming at Dems for not doing what they can’t do. sigh. Just feeds into the fascist propaganda about Dems. sigh. But it’s very good to see Joe’s actual picks.
COVID is doing nothing but getting worse. And it’s deliberate. Since the stats came out showing it hits – and kills – BIPOC at significantly higher percentages than white people, the Deplorables/magats/KKK/nazis/fascists have considered it their patriotic duty to go maskless, attend superspreader events, and infect as many BIPOC as possible. Evil, evil, evil. Joe & the rest of our team can combat COVID when they get into office and have the power. I don’t know if they can combat genocidal magats deliberately spreading it. 🙏🙏🙏🕯🕯🕯
Gots stuff to do. And need more coffee! Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}
Back to chilly weather here — was 52 when I did my walk/run. I thought about going back inside for gloves. Today: in the office to drop off completed applications, pick up new ones, and try calling people who I haven’t been able to reach from the office phone. Some call blockers have no go-around for me to be able to say “I’m not a telemarketer, let me leave a message”, not everyone puts an e-mail address on their application…. It’s just really hard to reach some people. Anyway, back home to work on more applications.
Good morning, 42 and mostly cloudy in Bellingham. I did a little bit of sewing and an even smaller bit of garden cleanup yesterday, so I need to try to accomplish more today. I’m sleeping ok, but keeping covid/tRump angst at bay is still dominating my thoughts so I’m preoccupied and forgetful.
I want to do a bit more to make the patios more inviting for winter so we can use them for a safer outdoor gathering spot for family visits. Between the barbeque, our outdoor fireplace, and our son’s gas fire pit we have 3 warm spots under umbrellas and I’ll finish sewing the last fleece blanket today so every chair will have a blankie.
If we are relatively comfortable I may do something similar for Christmas, but if it’s too cold and wet we’ll just cope. Best wishes to all on this grey Nov. morning.
Tuesday Meese. 35 here in Kingston NY going up to 45.
Linda Thomas-Greenfield
Take time out to watch this short clip with Linda Thomas-Greenfield from last year
Puerto Rico
Good morning, meeses! Tuesday …
It is 36 degrees in Madison with an expected daytime high of 39. Mixed precipitation this morning turning to rain this afternoon and overnight. It looks like we have about an inch of snow on the ground this morning. I hope the roads aren’t slick! I don’t have to drive anywhere until tomorrow, thank goodness.
The transition can now begin in earnest! I am glad to see that career public servants are being put in positions of power – I am sick of the sycophants and hangers-on that have been the hallmark of tRumpian government, grifters looking to make money off their access, emptying the treasury and killing good government regulations to reward their friends. January 20th, when all these people get cashiered, cannot come soon enough.
I am glad that Dianne Feinstein won’t be seeking a leadership position on Senate Judiciary next year. Her sucking up to Lindsey Graham was embarrassing. No, DiFi, he does NOT have the best interests of the country at heart – he is all about Republican power and using it to destroy everything we hold dear. The quicker people realize that Republican Senators are the enemy and treat them as such, the sooner we can fix the mess they made. I was disappointed to hear an interview with outgoing Senator Doug Jones where he talked about the “decent people on the other side of the aisle” and I hope he is not given a powerful position in the Biden Justice Department. We need people to see the Mitch McConnells and Tom Cottons and Mike Lees and Ted Cruzes and Rick Scotts clearly and for what they are – destroyers of our democracy who will always put their party over their country.
Busy day here! I need to get caught up and organized to be able to shut down client work at the end of the day today. I will have to venture out of my cocoon tomorrow to hunt and gather and put things in place for a quiet Thanksgiving.
See all y’all later!
It’s Tuesday, right? Weird week. Feels like I’ve been working for weeks, guess I’m anticipating those 2 days off. Today’s plan: just work. Weather this week is very see-saw: yesterday was cold, this morning it’s 65 already, cooler tomorrow at my walking time….. Today is the last day of the auction benefiting the Georgia runoff candidates, Black Voters matter, New Georgia Project & Fair Fight. They’ve raised over $330K & have all kinds of items for romance & science fiction/fantasy fans, authors, people who want to write for TV or otherwise talk to showrunners, agents, etc.
It’s 50 heading for 59 with rain expected and already overcast. PV system’s on but that’s about it. We got 7.9 KWHs yesterday and are at 159.6 for the m-t-d. Not gonna make 200 but as long as we can get another 7 KWHs before next Tuesday we’ll get out of last place (for the 4K system). 😁
Rant: I will never take at ‘face value’ videos of our Elders (experienced Dem elected officials) doing or saying things to make Dems go OMGHOF. Most of the time if you see a fuller version it doesn’t mean what everybody was screaming about. DiFi’s been hit with many of those. We have no idea what the business with Graham was about – and if it weren’t personal we would. Just like we know the “shaking her finger” at school girls and telling them “my way or the highway is not the way it works” was followed by telling them – not lecturing, talking to them – the way it works and setting up an internship for one of the most vocal girls. Not that anybody attacking DiFi cared about that. But why should Rs attack our most experienced and accomplished people when they can sucker Dems to do it for them. DiFi, Nancy, Hillary – the list is long. And the wounds are deep. If they weren’t the good and responsible people that they are, they’d have left us to our self-righteousness and gone off to live as quietly and comfortably as they most certainly could. Goebbels is looking up from Hell and smiling. End Rant.
I can’t bring another cat inside but it looks like I’m feeding a 6th. I just hope it’s not a 7th by next Spring. I know who the cats “belong to” – they’re folks who get kittens, keep them inside while they’re little and cute, put a flea collar on them and toss them outside when they’re grown. (I hope to goddess they get them fixed first but I doubt it.) Those folks seem to have shifted over to dogs. At least with the dogs when they stop being cute puppies they’re put in the fenced backyard. I remember Tricia used to come to the Pootie diaries saying “I hate people.” There are times I agree with her. Mostly. Sort of. Would if I didn’t also know a bunch of folks who rescue. Meanwhile I need to come up with a safer shelter than under my car on the carport before the really bad weather gets here. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}
We need to quietly retire the Democratic Senators who don’t get that this is not the Republican Party that helped pass the Civil Rights bills, that it is not the Republican Party that had grand alliances with Democrats to fix big problems. This is the Republican Party built on the Reagan Racism and Lee Atwater and Karl Rove and whose only purpose is power – power to oppress minorities and women, power to destroy our planet in service to the donor class.
Dianne Feinstein is one of them, Patrick Leahy is another. And one of the worst is not even old, Chris Coons of Delaware also thinks that Senate Comity overrides the human suffering caused by Republican “governance.” I defended Feinstein’s right to choose her own retirement and supported her reelection. But running around the Senate unmasked and complimenting Lindsey Graham on the “Justice” Mrs. Jesse Barrett confirmation hearing was terrible optics and worse politics. We will have to disagree on this.
Good morning, 50 and cloudy in Bellingham. I’m so relieved the transition to the Biden Presidency is now official. I know the tRump drama isn’t over yet but it will be soon!
Covid is still here though with 81 new cases so far this week. It’s really wet outside, but I’m going to keep trying to make a family TDay time together on the patio fun and relaxing. I’m not a fan of winter camping but if it lifts our spirits in a safe way it’s worth the effort.
Best wishes to all.
Good morning, meeses! Wednesday …
It is 37 degrees in Madison with an expected daytime high of 41. Showers off and on most of the day. The snow yesterday made things slick but the rain should wash it away. I have to travel this morning so fingers crossed that everyone is driving carefully – our ICU beds are all full and people who get in serious automobile accidents will have to wait in line behind the barflies who infected each other and those who considered masks “oppressive.” You know that is oppressive? Spending 7 months being careful and locked down and flattening our curve only to have a bunch of selfish MAGAts destroy all of our work. Deplorable.
I was glad to see the adults and the true public servants put forward by Joe Biden yesterday. None of those men and women are billionaire donors or relatives or people who are anxious to leverage government service to become wealthy. Refreshing! I am excited to hear about the next batch of cabinet nominations, the ones who will run the domestic policy departments. So far, so good.
See all y’all later!
Wednesday Meese. 34 here in Kingston NY going up to 51.
Will spend much of the day cooking. It will just be our household of two – but I am doing food swap with two friends who will drop off their specialties, and I will give them some of mine. They are bringing Puerto Rican pasteles and pernil (roast pork) and they will be getting some of my collard greens, potato salad, and cornbread smoked oyster dressing.
Giving thanks for Chef Jose