Week-long Welcomings from Moosylvania: November 22nd

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 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.

COUNTING DOWN THE TIME UNTIL DECENCY RETURNS …

31 Comments

  1. U.S. Ambassador to the UN-Designate, Linda Thomas-Greenfield

  2. Puerto Rico


    In #PuertoRico fewer than 200 intensive care beds remain for patients with #Covid_19 The numbers of infections have risen dramatically on the island in recent days.

  3. Was going to walk this morning, but my stomach disagreed; and since I have tomorrow off I can sleep in and still walk before there’s many people out. Short workday today, hope I actually reach some people. Always confuses me how people can apply for a service then never respond to messages & e-mails trying to set up said service.

  4. Good Wednesday morning, Moosekind, it’s been a while. I’ve been making a big push to get all my writing projects done. Uploading the mss. to the publisher has been a massive, tedious undertaking as that organization has changed its upload process completely. I’ve been having a lot of trouble so I’m working with my contact there. The details are too tedious to describe.,

    Anyway, here in Ashburn we have 46 F., going up to 51 F. later. Right now we have sunlight and a mackerel sky of cirrus clouds overlaying the pale blue sky.

    We’ll be having Thanksgiving dinner for two this year, sad to say. Until yesterday we were still thinking of an outside dinner at Elder Son’s house but it turns out DIL is immuno-compromised because of a drug she’s taking for an illness, so that’s been canceled. Went to Trader Joe’s yesterday morning and it was jammed. We’ll have a never-ending turkey breast with the usual accompaniments.

    Still, we are better off than many, that’s for sure.

    Hoping to get a lot done before it clouds up completely tomorrow. I know laundry is on the “To Do” list!

    Wishing a good day to all at the Pond AND to President Biden and Vice-President Harris. (As far as I’m concerned they’ve already been inaugurated.)

    • {{{Diana}}} I’m so glad you checked in. I was getting a little worried. Healing Energy to you & your family. moar {{{HUGS}}}

  5. It’s 40 heading for 48 and still misting. Rain’s supposed to go away soon but the clouds are scheduled to be with us all day – clearing off about sunset so the overnight temp can drop like a rock. Freeze warning for in the morning. We only got 1.7 KWHs yesterday and the m-t-d is 160 – with 6 production days left in the month.

    Gonna be solo for Thanksgiving. I’ve got the chicken breast my son brought me – it’s already cooked and just needs heating. I’m thinking of doing broccoli, with or without cheese, and a pumpkin side dish of some sort (pumpkin puree left from when I made pumpkin bread) since I don’t have any sweet potatoes. I might do a small pan of cornbread – in lieu of both rolls and dressing. 😁 Thanksgiving was a big family thing when I was a kid but it’s gotten smaller and smaller over the years. This isn’t the first one I’ve spent alone. My sons will probably call me over the course of the day. The special meal is more “in memoriam” than anything else.

    Twitter mostly showing that some folks can’t let go of the drama and will create it where none exists. The RW propaganda machine is always happy to help with that. sigh. I didn’t sleep well and am obviously running “behind my time” – more or less OK now except my tummy’s grungy. I did laundry yesterday and now need to put it up. Everything in life is a cycle. Including the household chores that make living more or less comfortable. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}

  6. Good morning, 42 and cloudy in Bellingham. I’ve complicated our simple TDay plans by planning an outdoor time together so I hope it will be ok. Yesterday’s wind and rain made me want to cancel, but the sky is lighter this morning so we’ll carry on. If being together outside “works” we’ll have an option for Christmas.

    RonK will finish the shopping today and we’ll do the pre cooking and then can relax. With no one staying here I’ve let the house get relatively messy, and that suits Ron just fine!

    Take care everyone.

  7. Thanksgiving Day Meese.
    Made my ham and potato salad yesterday, collard greens are on the stove, today making mac and cheese, turkey, oyster cornbread dressing, and candied yams. Friends are dropping off “trade food” today.

    Smiling at this

  8. Puerto Rico

  9. Good morning,meeses! Thursday-that-feels-like-a-Saturday-and-won’t-tomorrow-be-a-shock!!

    It is 37 degrees in Madison with an expected daytime high of 46. Mostly sunny skies are in the forecast.

    So it begins. The Justice Mrs. Jesse Barrett era begins with a celebration of the #RepublicanDeathCult as she strikes down commonsense restrictions on large gatherings where people are singing and chanting COVIDs all over each other. The body bags from people killed by the superspreader events caused by now unrestricted church gatherings should be placed on the front steps of the Archbishop of New York’s palace. That our highest court can decide that the right of the religionists to gather and spread disease can trump my rights to be safe from anti-science COVidiots is just another reminder that the Republicans have put in place courts that respect only the rights they like and to hell with the rest of us. I will never forgive the berners who ratfked the 2016 election and gave us this.

    I have to say that I really don’t care that tRump pardoned Flynn and will pardon Gates and Manafort and Bannon and then himself. I was listening to the talking-heads bloviating about how this “breach of protocol” needs to be addressed by the incoming Biden Administration. No, Republicans shirked their duties and did not remove this blight and they own what happens to the rule of law. Joe Biden should not have to spend a penny of political capital dealing with their failure to take out the rotting garbage they left in the White House. On January 20, 2021 at 12:01pm, Donald J. Trump will announce his run for the presidency in 2024, blocking any chance for the federal government to prosecute him or his family as it would then be deemed “political” and we should NOT take the bait. May he be a 320 pound albatross around every Republican’s neck for the next 2 years leading to a blue wave of retaliation in 2022. And may Cyrus Vance and Tish James send Trump and his crime family to prison where he can spend the rest of his life.

    I will get some quiet-time accounting projects done this morning and then get ready for the holiday meal. I hunted and gathered yesterday in a surprisingly not very crowded store (in and out in 15 minutes) and it is just a matter of preparing the vegetable, heating the chicken and placing everything on the table. We only did Thanksgiving out-of-town events every four or five years – and NEVER in election years – so staying home is not a big deal for us. We will do our best to avoid humans until at least December 8th. The New York Times surveyed people to find out if they would respect the CDC’s recommendation and only have a meal with household members. Even in Madison, where there are many people who know science, 18%, nearly 1 out of every 5, said they would have holiday gatherings of people outside their household. It was not as bad as some parts of Wisconsin but another reminder that “screw you, I will do what I want” rules America 2020.

    See all y’all later!

    • I’m up and cooking. Just our household of 3 people and 3 dogs will be here – though friends are dropping off food (not coming in)
      Made my ham and potato salad yesterday, put collard greens on last night before I went to bed – today I’m roasting the turkey, making the corn bread oyster dressing, candied yams, deviled eggs and mac and cheese.
      We will be happily eating left-overs till Christmas.

      • Sounds wonderful! I was seeing on Twitter that a lot of people are doing food-sharing Thanksgivings, some planning to eat their shared meals over Zoom. Excellent idea – eating the same food together virtually and increasing the odds of surviving until we can get vaccinated.

  10. It’s a beautiful (if cold at the moment – 41 heading for 64) morning. This Thanksgiving sunshine will get the Nov production out of last place for the 4K system. If I had a 1/10 of Bezos’ money I’d put a PV system on every house in Puerto Rico and every Rez in the U.S. (might need another 1/10 to repair all the houses – & build them on some of the reservations). My son gave me the turkey breast I’ll be warming up later today. And yesterday my best friend came by (she had a dr’s appt so was out and about) and dropped off the rest of my holiday meal – sweet potatoes, fresh green beans, and homemade cranberry sauce. Blessings indeed.

    Of the many, many people and things I am thankful for – and daily, not just once a year – you folks and the Moose Pond are high on my list. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}

  11. Happy Thanksgiving morning, Moosekind! It rained during the night and was still cloudy when I woke up at 7, but now the clouds have scuttled off and we have a pale blue sky with patchy white clouds here and there. It’s 55 F. in Ashburn right now, going up to 69 F. later.

    We were going to defy the CDC and eat Thanksgiving dinner on Elder Son’s deck in Arlington but that’s off. DIL has just begun a course of prednisone so her immune system is compromised. She thinks she and our grandson had Covid in early February when no one really knew what it was. She now is experiencing lung issues.

    So Dearly and I will have Thanksgiving dinner at home, just the two of us, and it will be better than whatever they’re having here.

    Feeling very relaxed because THE BOOK is now in the publisher’s hands, my last piece of writing for the quarterly has been completed, and I can get back to my novel. There are six chapters to write, including one chapter about a boar hunt. It’s interesting to write a whole novel when you don’t know whatinell you’re talking about, as is the case with yrs truly. I’m just taking everything I’ve ever read about Roman Britain, simmering it in my subconscious, and letting the writing go with the flow.

    I’m thankful that all of us here are alive and well, thankful that Outgoing has been defeated, and thankful that vaccines have been invented. Hoping that this time next year we can all be together with our families again.

    Wishing a happy Thanksgiving to all at the Pond.

  12. In from my walk/run. It’s chilly — in the 50s, and I did 1.4 miles — 6 running segments and 4 of them were 90 seconds! It’s a teensy bit of progress, but it’s still progress. My Thanksgiving meal will be mushroom risotto & veggie buffalo wings. Watching Fantastic Beasts, I love the ending. Have a good day, everyone!

  13. Good morning, 46 and cloudy in Bellingham. Yesterday our son helped me move the patio table under the Alaska Cedar tree and today we’ll set up the gas fire pit and bring out the blankets and spare umbrellas. People in the PNW have been sheltering under cedar trees for years and I’m grateful we can do the same now.

    A day of cooking, music, family time outdoors and via zoom…feeling gratitude. Thanks to all for our moose pond friendship.

  14. Friday Meese. 47 here in Kingston NY going up to 56.
    Looks like I’ll have already cooked food till Christmas – after I cooked way too much and then my friends dropped off more :)

    Puerto Rico

    SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Officials in Puerto Rico announced Wednesday that the U.S. territory expects to receive its first COVID-19 vaccines by mid-December as the island hits a record number of daily cases and hospitalizations.
    Health care workers, teachers and certain public sector employees are among those who will take priority, officials said.
    “This will be the best gift we can receive,” said Health Secretary Lorenzo González.
    Puerto Rico requested 1 million vaccines, but not all are expected to arrive at once, said José Reyes, adjutant general of the Puerto Rico National Guard, which will help distribute them.
    Many have worried how a U.S. territory that struggles with daily power outages will store vaccines that require extremely cold temperatures, but Reyes said they have three containers available that will provide the proper temperature.

  15. Good morning, meeses! Friday …

    It is 34 degrees in Madison with an expected daytime high of 41. Sunny skies are in the forecast.

    I stayed away from the news yesterday except for a brief pass through Twitter. We watched the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade, the National Dog Show, hate-watched parts of two football games and had a nice meal. It felt good to have my daughter home and safe from the infected hordes who will return to her campus after Thanksgiving. Her school finally relented and went into the cloud for the remainder of the semester but issued no directives to the students about bringing COVID back from their family outings and travels. We shall hunker down here and hope that the next wave misses us and that we can stay safe until vaccinations are available for the masses. Mark me down as “not willing to get vaccine from Oxford AstraZeneca.” Who could have predicted that a rush to produce a vaccine – and puff up stock prices – would lead to sloppy procedures, lies and coverups? I am hoping the Pfizer vaccine is available to me – they are the only one of the recent announcees whose development is not associated with tRump’s tainted Operation Warp Speed project. I simply don’t trust something run by them to not be marred by bad faith, grift and self-dealing.

    Today is a work day for me – some clients closed their offices so it will be quieter than usual and I hope that I can get some end of month accounting work done.

    See all y’all later!

  16. Good Friday morning, Moosekind. It’s gray and 51 F. in Ashburn at the moment, going up to 56 F. and sunny later. For the morning I have a pedi at 10:30, followed by some grocery shopping. We won’t have to eat any meals from Dining Services until Monday or Tuesday. How nice!

    Elder Son and family are coming to tea this afternoon, which means that yrs truly will have to hustle to tidy up this place. I might even vacuum, Goddess save us all.

    Hoping to get to my novel today. I’ve given myself some time off for the past few days but I really need to get back to it.

    Wishing a good day to all at the Pond.

  17. It’s supposed to be rainy today, but it isn’t raining yet — we really need it so I hope they’re not wrong. Today’s agenda: I really should come up with something. For right now, I’m eating breakfast & watching Harry Potter.

  18. I’ll be eating turkey for the next 2 weeks. The only side dish that wasn’t “normal” food was the cranberry sauce and my friend gave me a single serving of that. I’d have liked more – it was delicious – but her husband and father like it too. 😁 Anyway it’s 49 going to 59 and mostly sunny at the moment. Yesterday was lovely. We generated 7.3 KWHs and the m-t-d at 169.8 is firmly out of last place even if there’s no way to make first. If it makes it to 180 it will cover my average monthly use and that’s just fine.

    I got the two expected phone calls from my sons yesterday. Both having “household only” celebrations. And had an unexpected but lovely chat with a friend in KS. She lives alone and is doing “best practices” whenever she has to go out. And of course had at least some contact with online friends/family. All in all, a pleasant day. Hopefully today will be another as folks rest up from yesterday. 😁 Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}

  19. Good morning, 48 and cloudy in Bellingham. Lots of fun visiting with family via zoom and outdoors yesterday, lots of cooking, lots of good food….feeling happy but oh so weary this morning. The patio set up was cozy and inviting, the fire pit and fireplace kept the chill comfortable, umbrellas kept us relatively dry, blankets for each chair added comfort, the hot drinks (cider and a T Day sangria) and food (olive crostini, fresh veggies, sweet potato fries) were tasty. But best of all we were together without worrying. So weather permitting we have a Christmas plan. Now to rest and recover!

    Best wishes to all as we make it through November.

    • I was just thinking this morning – as November wanes – that we started this month on high anxiety, worried about the election. We will end the month with that resolved and just needing to stay calm while we wait for the transition of power. We have had the pandemic hanging over us for 9 months and still have that to worry about but there is a light at the end of the tunnel, vaccines to protect the health care workers who will keep us alive until enough doses are available for everyone. I think back on how I felt the morning after the 2016 election and how impossibly long 4 years felt but, holy mackeral, we made it!

  20. Good morning, meeses! Saturday …

    It is 27 degrees in Madison with an expected daytime high of 43. Sunny skies are in the forecast.

    Donald Trump, astute businessman, paid $2,039,000 to Milwaukee County to recount and Joe Biden added 132 votes to his shellacking of the Republican president. Well, done! Dane County is still counting and expect to be counting through the weekend. Dane County has a lot more smaller towns in the hinterlands than Milwaukee County does so it is not surprising that it is taking longer. It is very likely that the $704,000 that the tRump campaign spent on that recount might yield a handful of tRump votes. The exurbs here are filled with white supremacists who hate that the liberals in Madison have their tyrannical boots on their throats. :::insert eye roll emoticon here::: Yes, we insist on keeping people safe from harm.

    I plan to avert my eyes from the damage being done by the tRump malAdministration on its way out the door – there is nothing I can do about it and all we can do is hope that some of it can be undone. As we watched Obama initiative after Obama initiative dismantled in the early days of the tRump’s reign of terror, we know that there are options and the people coming in with the Biden Administration will know what to do. You can’t undo death, however, so I pray we all stay safe until we have a competent government that reflects our values. Next week Joe Biden will announce his economic team. I will look forward to that.

    See all y’all later!

    • saw these this morning Jan

      The recount. Dane County

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