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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Puerto Rico
Good morning, meeses! Wednesday …
It is 37 degrees in Madison with an expected daytime high of 39. Mostly cloudy skies are in the forecast.
The retired NYPD officer arrested for gouging out a Capitol Police officer’s eye, lays it all bare: “Blue Lives Matter” only matters when the people attacking police are non-white – in the service of Republicanism, white supremacists are not held to the same “standard.”
I am laughing at Republican electeds – on the one hand Rick Snott of Florida says that the Republican Civil War is over, they are united in their disgust for multi-culturalism, putting down uppity-women, suppressing the vote and storming capitol buildings if need be, ie trumpism. On the other hand, Liz Cheney says that Republicans need to make clear that they are not the party of white supremacy. Sounds civil warlike to me! The Big Lie base are white supremacists and white supremacist enabler and apologists – without them, they can’t win elections.
I have a bunch of news stories up in tabs to read later but I suspect they will all be closed. I got sidetracked this morning with some server maintenance that I forgot needed to be done. Not being able to sit at my desk for more than 3 hours makes me miss some of the reminders. Time to get back to it!
See all y’all later!
And we are back to the kind of weather people move here for — 60s this morning to 80 this afternoon. I’m going to run into the office tomorrow, now that they’ve got the water situation straightened out. I have several completed applications that need filing. And — woohoo! — the grocery stores are restocked, so I’m getting some tomorrow. They’re waiving the fee for curbside, and as long as they do that, I’m happy to let their employees do the actual shopping.
It’s 57, going to drop down a bit, then top out at 57 this afternoon. Cloudy but the sun’s already starting to break through. Yesterday we generated 13.1 and we’re at 87.7 for the m-t-d. We’ve a good shot at reaching 100 but no way to get to even the 147 the 2.5K system did in Feb ’15. sigh.
Cats are getting accustomed to each other. I have to be in the house when they’re all together – coming home from yesterday’s shopping and not finding the new cat for several hours proved that – but at least while I’m in the house (and awake) things are going relatively smoothly. (Famous last words – I just had to go break up something. sigh) I’m still worried about how I’m gonna corral both Freddie and the new one with only one carrier for the vet visit Monday. Hold the Good Thought.
Well, Joe gets the kids out of cages while we look for family or find other solutions if we can’t find family and our team is up in arms about how he’s continuing the detention centers. Because they believe the emm effen propaganda the MSM puts out. We gonna be mostly in detention centers, if we’re still breathing, if we don’t break up that gee dee fascist propaganda machine. Or at least check out the gee dee anti-Dem slanted headlines before erupting all over twitter. The MSM has, through its RW propaganda, created the atmosphere where our team expects to be betrayed – and so our team accepts every twisted, slanted, flat-out-made-up, headline story as evidence of betrayal. And no matter how many times those effen propaganda stories are proved wrong, the propaganda has done its job. Our team doesn’t support our team. The fascists get more power and kill more people because our team doesn’t support us as we take the slow steps to deal with the evil the Rs did in their last round of power.
Nothing I can do – I learned that some time ago – to convinced folks being manipulated by fascist propaganda that they are being manipulated by fascist propaganda. So I guess I’ll go boost fundraiser tweets. (& when the butter’s softened enough, go do some baking.) Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}
These people are not my team:
I learned long ago that some people are happy only if they have something to complain about and they actively search for stuff to be butthurt over. It is one of the things that was so infuriating about blogging at the Great Orange Satan. There are too many people there who either can’t or won’t read, can’t or won’t do nuance. The good news is that you can choose to ignore those folks – it is why I have a generous selection of local and national news sites in my Twitter feed to give me a sense of what is real and what is ginned up.
With regard to GOS, I hardly ever go there now. I’m so afraid of saying something that will be interpreted as inimical to hobgoblins and being banned, that I now make sure my comments are brief and my occasional diaries largely inoffensive. There are some males and more than a few women (pro-Kamala women) that I really like, so I don’t want to be completely cut off from them.
Good Wednesday morning, Moosekind! Guess what, it’s actually a nice day here in Ashburn. It’s 55 F. now and beautifully sunny, going up to 63 F. later. Just came back from the new gym, where I did my treadmilling. I forgot my Kindle, but luckily I have the Kindle app on my iPhone, so was able to keep on reading the new novel that popped merrily into my Kindle library yesterday. I love novels about how they managed about cooking in wartime Britain, so this one is right up my street.
I’m about to run an errand before lunch. Have a boatload of stuff to do if I can stay awake long enough after lunch to do it. Luckily, I received some advice from the publisher about marketing, so I’m going to focus on that.
My website really needs taking in hand by someone who knows what he or she is doing. I need buttons added, bla bla. I am perfectly happy with WordPress and GoDaddy (the name irritates me, but what can I do). I’m perfectly happy with the pix I buy from Canstock. I just need someone to add the buttons, add an email list or something, and so on. If anyone knows anyone, please pass along the name. Naturally, this will be a paid job. I just can’t afford to pay what a marketing company would charge.
I’m still Seriously Displeased with what happened to my article on the library here. As the story reads now, only the first paragraph is the one I wrote. IThe rest of the article is tiresomely pedestrian. I console myself with the idea that I have other venues for creativity, and with the knowledge that one day they might have to do without me.
Please bear in mind that even I recognize that this is very much a first-world problem!
Wishing good news about PR for Dee, peace of mind for JanF, continued nice weather for another, and lots of sunshine to bfitz. I am waiting to hear the news of how princesspat’s spring arrangement turned out.
Blessed bees!
Good morning, 31 and light clouds. Yesterday was frustrating for me because due to the hives I had following the 1st dose of the Moderna vaccine my doc decided it was to risky for me to have the 2nd shot. He ordered an antibody test to see what happened with the first shot and has referred me to an allergy clinic for testing as the allergic reaction may be to a vaccine component. So I guess I’ll sew myself a new mask and try to stay safe and patient.
RonK got his second shot and has a very sore arm this morning but is otherwise ok.
Best wishes to all.
Poor you, princesspat, that’s the way I am with ‘flu shots. My last doctor before this one didn’t want me to have them after what happened in 2007. Perhaps the Johnson & Johnson one will be the right one for you. Good luck!
Good morning, meeses! Thursday …
It is 18 degrees in Madison with an expected daytime high of 36. Sunny skies are in the forecast. We are losing some of our snow depth but where it was piled up to get it off of streets, sidewalks and driveways it is not going anywhere fast. We will need some 50 degree days to start the real melting.
Deb Haaland got the nod from Joe Manchin so that will pave the way for her confirmation. Republicans were complete aholes to her (Surprise, NOT!!) so that was an important endorsement. Ron Klain, Joe Biden’s Chief of Staff thinks he has a Republican to vote for Neera Tanden – I hope he is right, I think it is important to have her in that spot. He also said that regardless of what happens, she will have a job in the administration, her skills won’t go to waste. I am not sure why “partisanship” being found at OMB is such a dealbreaker – Mick Mulvaney was one of the leaders of the House Freedumb Cacas and a rabid Tea Partier. Republicans – and probably Joe Manchin – confirmed him to OMB. Double standards.
Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine being added to the mix is a game changer. I see that being so helpful to people whose availability makes it difficult to schedule two shots. For us old folks – retired and semi-retired – it is fairly easy. For people who work and have families to manage, it would be more difficult. One jab and you’re done. Thank you, medical science!
See all y’all later!
Good Thursday morning, Moosekind! The carpet cleaners will be here in less than an hour, so I must hurry-scurry. It’s a gorgeous day here, sunny, blue-skied, going up to 49 F. That’s a lot cooler than what we’ve had earlier this week, but I’ll take it. Right now the temp. is 45 F. and the winds are only 10-15 mph.
We’re stashing Monty in Doggy Play Care, then will do errands. After we get some tacos, we hope to eat them at Younger Son’s house. The children will break for lunch around noon or so. Mommy, imprisoned in the master bedroom upstairs, may be out of quarantine as early as Saturday. Dearly and I have been double vacc’d so we’re mostly okay. I double-mask when out in public.
Almost all of our white stuff (not beloved snow, but sleet and ice pellets) is gone. That’s fine.
Wishing a good day to all at the Pond!
Thursday Meese. 41 here in Kingston NY.
I hope we will make a big push to get the word out to get people behind this bill – given that the Rs are ramping up voter suppression
Puerto Rico
New Podcast
It’s 36 heading for mid 50s and sunny at the moment. The forecast says clouds will move in today and stay for the rest of the month. Not helpful, Pisces (or whoever’s in charge). We got 13 KWHs again yesterday and the m-t-d is just over 100 – if we could get 12/day for these last 4 we’d at least get above (barely) what the 2.5K system did. This will be the first time since I upgraded to the 4K system that we haven’t at least gotten more than the 2.5K system. But then one solid quarter of the month the system wasn’t on at all because I have no way to clear the snow off. (Heck, even if I’d called my lawn guys – they do Xmas lights – to clear it, they couldn’t have gotten to my house. The street was impassable by wheeled vehicles.) In June or July the daily generation can make up for that, still generate more than the 2.5K system did, but not in February.
We keep doing what we can. It’s mostly not big enough or fast enough for the scope of the problems but it’s as big and as fast as we can. Taking fire from both sides, head down and keep going. But it is so effen tiresome to have to protect our backs from people who are supposedly on our team at the same time.
The new cat is working in well. I’m not going to leave them all together when I’m not out with them, but Murf and the youngster were sitting in the front window together watching the world. Not side by side – definitely maintaining social distancing here (3′ rather than 6′ but they’re cats) – but together doing their own things. Progress. A certain blessed someone has ordered a carrier for me. It should be here Saturday and I’ll leave it open and in the living room. So as long as the 2nd cat doesn’t take a powder when I put the 1st cat in a carrier on Monday, we’ll be fine.
We’ve got several different Traditions here at the Moose Pond. I would appreciate it if, in whatever Tradition you follow, y’all send Healing Energy to Fineena. She got the biopsy results back yesterday and it’s small-cell lung cancer. Her PCP has already got her an appointment with an oncologist Monday and they’re also scheduling a brain MRI (apparently to see if it’s escaped the lungs). Thank you.
Minor – thank you coffee – headache so I hope I can manage to take breaks in my online boosting & reading today. Pixels are so much harder on my eyes than print. But then newspaper print is so small it’s kind of a trade off. Even if I wanted to support the RWNJs who own our local paper. Which I don’t. So. More coffee. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}
I will certainly keep her in my prayers and mediations, bfitz. She and I are twins separated at birth. Of course, we’re also separated by 10 years in age so it was a distinctly odd pregnancy on The Mother’s part, but there we are.
Rosy clouds of love and maximum healing white light, fineena.
Good morning. Ran into the office, back with new people to try and contact. Less perfect weather today: 50s and rain is moving in, but I wouldn’t call it “bad” weather.
Good morning, 41 and cloudy in Bellingham. It’s calm and quiet now but lst night’s rain was noisy and there is a wind warning for this afternoon. I did get the patios cleaned up yesterday so it’s looking more like early spring outside my window. To my relief the pruning and editing we’ve been doing with the plants along the walkways and around the patios has made the spaces feel less cluttered. The sense of seclusion is still there but now there is some breathing room.
RonK continues to feel just fine following his second shot and our DIL and grand daughter are feeling much better now too. Assuming the antibody tests will show some protection I’m feeling ok with just having one shot. I should be protected from a severe case of Covid, and that’s the most impt. The UW Lab contacted our son yesterday, asking him to be part of a study looking how the vaccine effects people who have has Covid. He can do this part of the study without changing his Coumadin meds so he will participate.
I’m really slow to wake up this morning, so a sleepy best wishes to all.
Good morning, meeses! Friday …
It is 23 degrees in Madison with an expected daytime high of 41. Mostly cloudy skies with a chance for light snow this evening.
The minimum wage increase will be removed from the American Rescue Plan per the parliamentarian. I suspect that Democrats do not have the votes to override her which might be a bad idea for a number of reasons. The filibuster is going to go down sooner rather than later but I think that the hill to die on should be HR1, the John Lewis Voting Rights Act. If Republicans refuse to vote for fair elections, it makes no sense to give them the right to veto legislation supported by Senators representing a majority of Americans. A headline I saw (story behind a paywall) said that Republican Senators have not represented a majority of Americans since 1996. That makes sense, it ties in with the ascendance of minority rule that started with the presidential election in 2000, was briefly wrested away from 2006 to 2008, returned in 2010 to ratfk President Obama’s agenda, and went viral in 2016 to usher in the trump era and the corruption of our courts. If we can’t pass laws to override the trump courts, I am not sure how the republic endures.
It sounds like some Senators have a plan to use the tax code to punish and reward businesses related to the $15 minimum wage – that sounds like a better solution in the long run. If businesses stubbornly prefer to pay a penalty rather than pay their employees a decent wage, fine. When the economy recovers, they will have a difficult time finding workers.
Busy day – last working day of February – so I best get back to it.
See all y’all later!
Friday Meese
Just posted this – hate to see Republicans have a clear field
Puerto Rico
A very serious read:
A cool, misty morning but after last week, I’ll take it. Working until 3 today, hope I can get a lot of people set up to use the library. Allergies are killing me, I’ve had to resort to taking benadryl. Ooooh, happy me — the Science channel has astronomy shows today! My entertainment is set.
Hope you’ll feel better, another!
{{{anotherdemocrat}}} Healing Energy
Good Friday morning, Moosekind! It’s fair and cool in Ashburn so far, with a current temp. of 41 F., rising to 49 F. Just advised Dearly that he should take the dawg out this morning, as it’s going to be cloudy and hideous this afternoon.
As soon as I finish this coffee I must head out to the gym. Then it’s off to the bank and the grocery store. I’ll be so happy when the C2 rower arrives at the new gym as it takes care of both cardio and resistance training.
Interviewed a dear lady from the Writers’ Group yesterday in her flat. She’s the one who arranges the Zoom meetings for the group once a month. She became quite emotional when describing the day the plane hit the Pentagon (she was fortunately in A Ring at the time, and it hit E Ring, the outermost ring). Few think of the aftermath for the employees at the Pentagon, but basically it was three weeks of all-day group therapy in the meeting rooms before normal work life resumed.
Anyway, so after errands, have tons to do! Y’all at the Pond please have a nice Friday.
It’s 40 heading for 50 and overcast. Again. & yes, I know we had 4 good sunny days in a row. But. Again. The clouds moved in late afternoon but we managed 11 KWHs before they did. With this morning’s driblet we’re at 112 for the m-t-d. And it’s going to be driblets today. We did get rain early hours of the morning. We are supposed to have rain tomorrow. It sure the heck would be nice if the clouds weren’t bridging the two. If it ain’t gonna rain, clear off. sigh.
Prayers for Fineena & well, a lot of folks. And one foot in front of the other. Even with and for folks who are going to run out of road sooner rather than later. There’s so much to be done and so little I can do. Except care. & let folks know I care. If they want to hear it.
Politically, nationally, internationally Dems know what needs to be done. The issue is now – and heaven help us probably always will be – the majority of white people are WASP supremacists, Deplorables/fascists/KKK to the bone. Some pretend otherwise and hit us from the left, but it’s the flip side of the same coin. I don’t know if we can wrest the power from them. I don’t know if we can even survive trying. But I know we won’t survive if we don’t. So one more area in life where it’s prayers and one foot in front of the other.
On a brighter note, the new cat is integrating well into the household. Hold the Good Thought for the vet visit Monday. Off to read Dee’s diary & boost stuff on twitter. Well, may more coffee first. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}