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 to view previous pages, shown here with 3 pages of comments available and Page 2 circled.
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Good “morning”, Motley Meese! The week begins …
Morning low of 64 degrees in Madison WI with an expected daytime high of 73. Thunderstorms are in the forecast.
Have a great day, all y’alls!!
Sunday Meese. 57 going up to 83 here in Kingston – it’s going to be a lovely sunny day.
Puerto Rico
Good morning. Watching the news, eating breakfast. Today: make tea and “overnight” oats, and maybe get my bangs trimmed; they are down to my nose, so it is definitely time. Low humidity & temps below 100, it’s almost fall-like.
Black Music Sunday
It’s 66 heading for 90, we’ll see about the heat index, and slightly overcast at the moment. Supposed to be sunny but the sun will have to burn off the morning haze/light fog first. Yesterday’s supposedly sunny generated 12.32 KWHs so 142.34 is the m-t-d to start the day.
We truly live in an evil society. Even the few folks I’m personally trying to help wouldn’t be in the situation they’re in, wouldn’t be needing the help, if we lived in a decent one. The avenues of help are few and convoluted. And access is largely controlled by power-abusing gatekeepers. Meanwhile it gets harder and harder for those in need to hang on. & the few who have been able to help are either running out of resources or burning out. Or both.
Smelled a rotting potato in the cupboard this morning. Oh joy. Dealt with that mess and am cooking the rest of the potatoes. I’ll decide what to do with the cooked potatoes later. Got some chores done. Taking a short break then back to it. First being to get the potatoes off the stove and draining. I’ll need to close up the house in another hour but for now thankfully they can be open and let the steam out.
Holding the Good Thoughts for a couple of potential paths. One more or less immediate, the other longer – just hoping not much longer – term. Coffee and over to Dee’s diary. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}
Good morning, 57 and raining in Bellingham. We got the patio furnishings sheltered from the rain just in time, so I made some tea and sat under the canopy and read my book yesterday afternoon. It was cozy and nice to be outdoors regardless of the changing weather.
Our local hospital is requesting community assistance re keeping covid as controlled as possible so care will not have to be rationed. Hospitals in Eastern Wa and neighboring states are struggling…..
‘Sophie’s choice, over and over’: Death panels are the new phase of the pandemic
Best wishes to all, and may we all stay well.
An article in my news feed today was about an Alabama man who was having a heart attack and could not find a hospital that could take him – because the ICUs were filled with unvaccinated COVID patients. WE KNEW this is what would happen which is why states closed last year – the hospital system could not handle the number of people who would be sickened if we just let the virus run its course and achieved “herd immunity.” Now, 25% of our country is risking the lives of those of us who got vaccinated, wear masks, socially distance and aren’t selfish aholes. Yes, I am part of the Angry 75% and I have no sympathy for unvaccinated people who are dying (I have a tiny bit of sympathy for their blameless young children). The vaccine has been available to EVERYONE – FREE OF CHARGE – since June.
Agree completely, Jan, and so sorry for that poor man who died because of the Stoopids’ selfishness!
Good morning, meeses! Monday …
It is 61 degrees in Madison with an expected daytime high of 73. Storms and rain all day. The weather front moved in at about 1:45am and rumbled enough to make sleep impossible – so I got up. My doggie was not happy.
Another year of 9/11 remembrances are behind us. I want someone to stand up and say “WTF, George W. Bush! Your daddy and his pal Lee Atwater set the stage for tRump, your complete ignorance and inflated sense of self-worth led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people – just shut the hell up and go away.” instead, we have people who should know better praising his speeches. THIS is why we lose power – instead of demonizing the terrible people who help destroy America, burn up our planet and encourage the worst among us, we lionize them. No wonder people are confused about who to vote for. I am a member of the proud 10% who did NOT approve of George W. Bush when he stood on the pile of rubble that his hubris helped create and announced that he would get the people who “did this” – and then proceeded to start wars of choice against nations not involved in the attack. If he really wanted to get the people who took down the towers, he should have opened up his Rolodex and found the names of his pals in the Saudi Royal family and taken them out.
I am determined to stay focused this week and make progress on my to-do lists (yes, there are many – I am an Aries!). Last week started with a holiday and every single day was fragmented by interruptions and unplanned activities. I have a hard deadline for a clearing project on Thursday and I don’t want to be panicking at 3pm on Wednesday afternoon.
See all y’all later!
Finally, I can say I know someone who despises Dubya as much as I do!
Not one of those hijackers was an Iraqi or an Afghan. Fifteen were from Saudia, one was from Egypt, one from Lebanon, and two were from the Gulf.
But of course Dubya didn’t want to war on his rich Saudi friends.
Good Monday morning, Moosekind! I feel so hot, and have since I arose at 6-something, that I have revised my breakfast plans so I can enjoy something cold. We’re headed toward a hot week, blast it. This close to Mabon we should be enjoying cooler temperatures. Instead, it’s now 70 F. and cloudy, going up to 90 F. in Ashburn today.
Never made it here yesterday because I was embroiled in domestic duties—cooking, baking, a bit of laundry, exercising, and shopping. Photos are due to the editors by the end of this week so I need to hunt for one of the Pentagon on 9/11. Apart from that, as Jan pointed out, we are done with 9/11 for another year and thank Goddess for that.
I have some boring tasks to complete, specifically filling out medical forms and emailing them to the rheumatologist. That office wanted them back the same day (last Thursday), although the appointment isn’t until 3 months from this very day. Well, they can just whistle. I’ll return them on my schedule and they are not having my Social Security number. It’s none of their business. I despise the way doctors’ offices are so intrusive. Who do they think they are?
Gripe, gripe, gripe. Need to do lots of stuff, so I’d better get on with it. Wishing a nice quiet day to all at the Pond.
Good morning. Working in the office today, will be vigilant about stretching and moving. We might get tropical storm level rain tonight and tomorrow. I left my umbrella in the car, so it will definitely rain this afternoon.
It’s 65 heading for 90 heat index around 95 and more than less sunny today. Yesterday we generated 13 KWHs and the m-t-d is 155.34 – not great but not bad. Especially since I didn’t run the A/C. I’m hoping not to have to today as well. We shall see. Gonna try to get my laundry done today. We shall see about that too.
For over a week Jill’s faced every single day with one piece missing from being able to get out and get safe – a different piece every day. As soon as the “missing” piece is nailed down, one of the already-nailed-down ones comes undone. (Evil her husband sold his soul to does not want her to escape. No, I’m not joking.) Aji’s raising funds for family friends – little fundraiser now for travel and lodging so the family can be with the young man who’s on the vent in Santa Fe. (No, not COVID – pneumonia – and probably somebody dying on the vent at the last minute is the only reason he’s in Santa Fe. They were full up and about to ship him out of state when the ICU bed “opened up”.) She’s hanging on for her own stuff. As is just about everybody else. Holding the Good Thoughts.
Lousy sleep last night but slept really hard the last 45 minutes or so before the cats woke me up again so groggy. Need to see about getting the laundry on and then over to twitter. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}
Good morning, 54 and mostly cloudy in Bellingham. I’ve got a domestic day ahead with laundry, desk work, and donating. I’ll bag and box everything and RonK will deliver the goods to various charity thrift shops. Fortunately we don’t have a deadline because we would never meet it!
Best wishes to all.
Good morning, meeses! Tuesday …
It is 70 degrees in Madison with an expected daytime high of 77. A line of thunderstorms moved past us about an hour ago – to the north this time, thank goodness – and will give us cooler temperatures overnight and tomorrow. It will heat up again over the weekend and then starting the middle of next week it looks like we put the 80s behind us for the rest of the month.
Today is the day that California voters can decide whether voting against a literal pile of human garbage is better than staying home because they don’t particularly like the other guy. If voters in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin had made that decision in 2016, over 600,000 people killed by trumpism might still be alive. Since California is mostly a mail-in voting state, the final outcome won’t be known for weeks – I hope the votes already booked put NO over the top by large enough numbers that the late ballots won’t leave us in a state (!) of anxiety. We need California as a good government partner. Apparently, the right-wing is already claiming election fraud which analysts are saying may dampen Republican turnout. Please proceed, deadenders, please proceed.
Another right-wing fauxchristian and radio personality died of COVID-19. Good riddance. I agree with those who are saying it is time to set aside vaccinated, COVID-free zones in our economy and in our daily lives. The anti-vaxxers can choose to die but they have no right to infect the rest of us. No vaccine? Stay home, leave a note on your door that you are choosing to die – someone will send a death cart later.
Okay! I am seeing some light at the end of the tunnel and need to rush towards it. My hard deadline was pushed out to give me a little more breathing room and progress is being made clearing two rarely-looked-at storage areas. Having “lots of storage” is turning into a curse – it is too easy to tuck things away to defer the inevitable donate-toss-keep decision. I just wish I had started this sooner.
See all y’all later!
Tuesday Meese. 59 going up to 79 and rain all day. Am disgusted seeing all the CA recall click bait stories.
Puerto Rico
Good morning. Division meeting today, we’ll probably hear about the “back to normal” plan. When I was in the office yesterday, the office Trumper was on the phone with a patron, talking about when we’ll re-open. It really gave me insight into the working of their minds. She was saying “we all hate” being closed and can’t wait to re-open. She may feel that way, but I think even her sidekick is fine with things as they are; and other opinions range from that to my “please can we go back to not being in the office ever”. So I don’t know if MAGATs don’t listen/hear people around them, or just breeze past that to “my opinion is everything”.
It’s 69 heading for 90, heat index 95, and sunny. We’ll have 80s the next few days, 90s over the weekend, then looks like 80s or lower for the rest of the month. Yesterday’s “sunny” only generated 11.4 KWHs. M-t-d is 166.7 to start the day. There’s no way we can get to 400 at this rate and the 360 “4th place” is still iffy.
On schedule the next roadblock for Jill came yesterday – the ride she needed and had been promised to get her to ABQ to sign paperwork canceled. She’s working on a way to get there. It’s not the sale itself – that could be done online – it’s the state stuff. NM doesn’t appear to accept virtual signatures for anything. Meanwhile the nice manager who’s been finding ways to comp days for Amelia – the only one who has the authority to do it – is out with COVID. Amelia’s been there so long, their letting her part of the September rent wait until the manager gets back. Nothing new with anybody else. That’s not good but at least it’s not worse.
Once I finish my oatmeal and close up the house I’m heading for Tractor Supply to order my woodbricks. Between that and my property taxes, next month’s credit card statement is going to be an “ouch”. I’ll be OK, but as to helping anybody else. . . Holding the Good Thought on that, too.
Heading for twitter to do my morning stuff while I drink my coffee. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}
Good Tuesday morning, Meese. We have hazy skies from the smoke from western wildfires this morning. Current temp. in Ashburn 72 F., climbing to a torrid 90 F. later.
I keep being reminded of the opening lines of Diary of a Mad Housewife: “It is very hot this September morn, hotter than any summer day we have had.” Uh huh. That was a good story. It was published before the second wave of Women’s Liberation—if it had been published after, the ending might have been quite different.
Tonight we are having tabouleh, along with whole-wheat pita bread and a garlicky hummus. I have to go work on it in a minute. It’s getting its initial chilling in the fridge.
Have the final meeting for the Authors’ Festival this afternoon. There is an hysterical female who writes emails filled with exclamation points and capitals to our long-suffering chief organizer. I think next autumn he and I will arrange to be out of town for the entire month of September.
In other news, I’m so sick of Val Demings’ hair-on-fire emails I’m unsubbing as soon as I finish this post.
Hoping for the best in the California election, hoping for the best weather so I can meet Darling Niece for lunch on Thursday, and hoping it will be a good day for all at the Pond.
I love Middle Eastern food! “Tonight we are having tabouleh, along with whole-wheat pita bread and a garlicky hummus.” I need to go find out if the Middle Eastern restaurant I used to get carry-out from survived the pandemic. I need to find more fun things to eat.
I unsubscribed from all political emails last year. I can make my own judgements about if something is “the end of the world as we know it.” I don’t have money to donate to politicians in any event and long ago decided not to donate scarce resources to political campaigns in states I don’t live in. I donated to Kamala in the presidential primary and donated to Hillary’s general election campaign. I would love for Val Deming to beat Li’l Marco especially after his latest insane comments about the Orange Menace. I will send her energy.
Good morning, 54 and mostly cloudy in Bellingham. My thoughts are with our son and Heidi, his old dog. She is glad to see everyone and still loves her food and treats, but her legs are failing and she really losing weight. She sleeps a lot now and doesn’t seem to be in pain but it’s really hard to know when to make the call to the vet. I was sitting on the grass beside her yesterday and when it was time to go we both needed a boost up. Old dog, old me…..Heidi is giving us a lesson in aging gracefully.
Best wishes to all.
Deciding when to let your dog “go” is one of the hardest things ever. I have had to do it twice, once for a 19 year old dog and once for a 17 year old dog. It is always “too soon” for us but I am pretty sure we hold onto their earthly bodies longer than we should (we will always have the memories). Dogs will suffer in silence pretty much forever – I hope she gives Hans an unmistakeable sign when it is time.
Good morning, meeses! Wednesday …
It is 55 degrees in Madison with an expected daytime high of 72. Sunny skies are in the forecast. Perfect day!
Gavin Newsom’s recall was turned back. I did a quick scan of Twitter and saw that it was pretty much overwhelming – a total rejection of trumpism and the #RepublicanDeathCult. I hope he doesn’t take it as a solid vote of confidence, he seems just “okay” as a governor, nothing very special. It will be interesting to see who might primary him next year. I thought it was instructive that CNN commentators were, as expected, disappointed that the latest Republican dumpster fire did not win election. They have a vested interest in chaos, promoting scorched earth to attempt to retain audience share as “Fox Lite.” I continue to #ShunCNN, the network of trumpism.
I have a few projects to get out the door before the sun comes up. My schedule will be a bit fractured today as I have to help a friend get her car to the shop and then I have had an unexpected conference call inserted into my day. It seems like as I get older, it is more difficult to get back on track after an interruption. The threads are harder to pull back together and “taking good notes” is often not enough.
See all y’all later!
Wednesday Meese (yawn) stayed up past my bedtime to watch pundits in disarray as CA Gov kicked butt and won.
Puerto Rico
Good morning. Happy about the California result. Meeting about re-opening moved to next week. Working in the office today, must be better about stretching and moving.