Week-long Welcomings from Moosylvania: January 29th

January 28, 2023 JanF Community 66

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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30 Comments

  1. Wednesday Meese. First Day of Black History Month. 20 degrees here in Kingston going up to 34

    I decided to go back and update a story about her, and my family in VA which I wrote for Dkos in 2008. Will publish this morning.

  2. Puerto Rico

    The call for annexation to the U.S. is decreasing in support in Puerto Rico, in the U.S. Congress, and in the United States. Congressman Tom McClintock (R-Calif.) publicly said what many Americans say in private: Puerto Rico is a proud and distinct nation that speaks a different language, has its own national identity, and should not be annexed into the United States.
    Some Democrats support “statehood” because they see Puerto Rico as a mere political pawn in their partisan chessboard. Democrats don’t realize that Puerto Rico would be a tossup given the conservative fundamentalists, the corrupt pro-statehood party (PNP), and the waning Popular Democratic Party (PPD). Also, most Puerto Rican voters in the U.S. do not support annexation. Even Congress’ Government Accountability Office (GAO), in a 2014 report, explained that statehood would negatively impact Puerto Rico’s economy, plunge more people into poverty, and push more people and businesses to leave altogether.

    End of the emergency declaration for COVID-19 will restrict health services in Puerto Rico

    • Democrats are hopeless – you can tell them time and time again that Puerto Rico Statehood would more likely guarantee two more Republican Senators but they refuse to read and learn. Setting aside the fact for a minute that Puerto Rico residents don’t want to be a state, Puerto Ricans in Florida in 2022, for example, showed that they are anything but a monolithic voting bloc for Democrats. They are more like Cuban Americans, embracing the Republican Party’s approach to the culture wars and civil rights and income inequality, literally “I got mine, screw you.” We would be better off putting our energy into DC Statehood – or better yet, make sure that we keep our promises to millennials and GenZ, encourage them to vote and then swamp the purplish states when the Republican olds die off and elect people who support our values.

      • Yup. They don’t listen. They don’t pay attention to the politics of the non-voting rep in the house or the asshat governors

  4. Good morning, meeses! Wednesday … and Spring is in the Air!

    It is 36 degrees in Tucson with an expected daytime high of 57. Mostly sunny with some clouds and a chance for rain through mid-afternoon. I woke up to the sounds of something running around on the roof and I wondered if the hibernating desert creatures are beginning to stir. So I googled “when do desert creatures come out of hibernation” and it said, in big bold letters FEBRUARY. So they must have a calendar just like the monsoon critters who showed up exactly on Monsoon Day, June 15th! I am hoping it is the little lizards who are so much fun to watch and not the scorpions who are not fun to even think about.

    Joe Biden will meet with Marj’s Kevin today to create a photo op and fodder for the nightly news. Nothing will be decided because Kevin McCarthy will feel the grip on his manly bits tightening as he attempts to get out of the box he put himself and his deadend party into. I find it difficult to believe that none of the half a billion dollars he raised for his paper majority was from people who will lose money if the global economy crashes and the federal government shuts down. I wonder when they will exert their power. The MAGAt machine delivered votes but at what cost? I hope we have some smart people on our side who can tie the crazy Qs directly to the pain ordinary Americans will feel when a party that has no interest in governing has veto power over the purse strings.

    So Chief Justice John Roberts’ wife made millions off the Supreme Court? :::yawn::: The Supreme Court will soon be in 10% approval range along with McCarthy’s House and the “Consent of the Governed” phrase in the Declaration of Independence will be severely tested. Our institutions were discredited by Mitch McConnell’s shameless co-opting of the Supreme Court and then shredded by the Republican Party’s acquiescence to tRump and MAGAtism. Goddess help us should we lose the presidency.

    Today begins February, a short month but one that promises to be busy. The list of projects that had to wait until the January project deadlines were met is long and I best get to it.

    See all y’all later!

  5. More ice today, the precipitation is heavier, snapping power lines and making power outages. 90,000 in the Austin area. I turned the heat up to 68, going to warm up my apartment in case it goes out here. I got in a walk yesterday, it wasn’t rain/sleeting then, and wasn’t slippery. This afternoon may have to be dancing inside rather than a walk.

  6. Good Wednesday morning, Moosekind, and a blessed Imbolc to all who celebrate it. The current temperature in Ashburn is 31 F. I woke up at 3 a.m., looked out the window, and sure enough, there was snow! It’s just a light dusting that will be gone by noon, now that the sun is shining in blue-and-white skies. The weather forecasters are falling all over themselves with glee because for once they got it right. I asked Dearly to take a photo of it because it’s likely the only snow we’ll see this winter.

    Anyway, it looks very pretty, hanging on the trees and grass like Valentine lace.

    I feel awful after two nights of very poor sleep. Just called my doctor to ask for more Ativan. After this check-in I’m going back to bed.

    We had a most successful but quiet demonstration yesterday. We wore pins and held rainbow signs and flags to show our disapproval of the hate group that was invited to speak by the Conservative Caucus here. There were 70 of us versus 20 Conservatives in the audience. Our precinct captain wants to carry this fight all the way up the chain of command, even if the entity governing all these old people’s homes loses its certification.

    Went to the doctor yesterday—oh, it’s all too annoying to talk about. I’ll perhaps hint at it another time. Will come back later to read Jan’s and Dee’s essays.

    Wishing a good day to all at the Pond.

  7. It’s 22, may or may not get to 35 (NOT the 45 the widget told me Sunday which is why I thought it would be OK to wait until today to get milk), mostly overcast but trying to clear off. I can see a few streaks of pale blue in the northern sky and there’s enough light I don’t need to have the artificial ones turned on. PV system isn’t on. Tuesday gave it a layer of snow on top of the ice pellets that were Monday’s contribution. We finished January with 149 KWHs. Giving us a new low to beat next year. The best we’ve ever done in February was 310 in 2016 but anything over 200 is good and over 250 is very good.

    I’m hoping that once we get above freezing, presupposing we actually do, the roads will clear off and I can go get milk. Otherwise, it’s laundry today in addition to my ordinary stuff. Which I’d best get to. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}

    • It is beyond sad to have to rely on Republicans to pass critical civil rights legislation. For all the “success” that people say we had in 2022, losing the House and not gaining enough Senators to kill the filibuster was a blow. I wonder if someone will tee up another court case that challenges qualified immunity in the wake of the latest murder of a Black man by rogue police officers. The Republicans just kept filing lawsuit after lawsuit and finally got Roe overturned – why can’t we relentlessly pursue our goals with the same single-mindedness?

  9. Good morning, meeses! Thursday …

    It is 41 degrees in Tucson with an expected daytime high of 59. Sunny skies are in the forecast. This morning when I started work, I could see the 90% waxing moon from the window in my office. She is behind the buildings now.

    Gun totin’ Republicans, many allied with insurrectionists and nazis, in the Capitol building! What could possibly go wrong? I would not want to be a House member in these times – one wonders why people fight tooth and nail to hang onto what has to be one of the worst jobs in America. I supposed for many of the MAGAts, the $174,000 a year paycheck plus perks is more than they could ever hope to earn in the real world where blithering idiocy is not rewarded but I know that quite a few of the Democrats are sacrificing potential earnings because they want to serve our country. I wish that the desire to “serve the people of the United States” was a requirement. Goddess, please keep our Democratic representatives safe.

    It is entertaining to watch tRump shred his potential 2024 opponents ahead of the primaries. It sounds like quite a few people are holding back before they make an announcement – one wonders if they are hoping that the leader of their party is indicted criminally in one or more of the pending investigations. What a mess they have created for themselves by embracing a malignant narcissistic grifter and elevating him to a position of power over them! I hope they rip each other to shreds and demoralize their cult members who become dejected and stay home in 2024.

    I was distracted by contractors showing up and making a lot of noise and disrupting my day yesterday so I am behind on my projects. I hope to get back on track today.

    See all y’all later!

    • Feel sure you heard that Nikki Haley wants to run for POTUS.

      Do these dolts realize that it was HILLARY CLINTON who made women running for president seem normal? Bet no one ever thanks her.

      I’m going to die still furious about 2016.

      • I did see that Nikki Haley announced the announcement of her run! She won’t go far, tRump will never allow a woman to advance in the Republican primary or his “disloyal” Vice President, the only other person who has made grunts about 2024.

  10. Puerto Rico

    Adopt a pothole

  12. Good Thursday morning, Meese. Wurra the day! It’s 31 F. and cloudy, and will probably remain so all day. Our apartment and the lawn between it and the woods face north, so where the abundant sunshine didn’t strike the grass yesterday, the lawn is still bearing traces of our little old snow.

    Last night as I walked from the clubhouse to our place, it was a beautiful clear evening with the moon about three-quarters full. I bowed to her, as usual.

    Had another horrible night. Fell asleep after dinner so never made it back here to read Jan’s and Dee’s essays. While I was still awake, I did have a very good interview with a climate advocate. She doesn’t want to be called an “activist,” because that word carries a negative connotation for some.

    This morning I have a ton of writing to do and this afternoon a meeting of the Resident Publications Committee. All on top of a 9-hour sleep deficit. (Cue tiny violin.)

    What else…I’m behind on letter-writing, pretty much behind on everything. The “Style” section of the WaPo has an article about Nikole Hannah-Jones this morning. Our president, the mayor of DC, the non-voting DC representative in the House, and a House Rethug all want the federal work force to return to work in DC. I put it to you that workers have a right to travel to and from work on the Metro every day without being murdered. We’ve had several murders on the Metro in the past two weeks, to say nothing of serious injuries.

    Gunfire stops a beating heart. Yes, I am “pro-living.”

    Wishing a good day to all at the Pond.

  13. It’s 31 and might actually get to 39 today. Maybe. Overcast but it’s supposed to clear off this afternoon. I hope early afternoon. Surprisingly, since we never did get above freezing yesterday, we generated half a KWH. So at least the very-much-off track m-t-d isn’t still sitting at zero. It’s going to take sunshine and above freezing temps to clear the panels.

    I didn’t preregister for Spoutible so I can’t start an account until open registration next week. Not that I really want to have a whole lot of different venues going at once. But I do want to know where my friends are and how they’re doing. And several of them are planning to dump twitter entirely for Spoutible.

    Sinusitis last night so lousy sleep. Which mostly means I’m too groggy today to think of whatever I wanted to post this morning. And I’ll be really slow today. Oh well. Off to twitter and Dee’s diary. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}

  14. I apparently forgot to check in before work. Hi. It’s going to get above freezing today — and maybe not freeze tonight. So I suppose we’ll work in the office tomorrow. Got in a walk yesterday, the sidewalks were clear enough to be safe. But my Apple watch refuses to acknowledge when I walk in the afternoon. Frustrating. Anyway, working from home. Getting some people set up, even though we can’t mail anything out until maybe tomorrow.

  15. Good morning, 36 and light clouds. Yesterday was frustrating…..woke up late, missed a dentist appointment because my car wouldn’t start, was behind with my part of house keeping so I was in Sue’s way while she did hers, didn’t work at my desk, etc. Oh well, today will be better.
    I’ve been day dreaming about starting seeds in the garage with a grow light system but reality is creeping in and I think our energies are best suited to a winter seed sowing method using milk jugs as mini greenhouses. It’s much easier and our Emma works at a busy coffee bar so we have a source for jugs. RonK will be very relieved to know I’m not going to stir up a big project! I don’t like the look of milk jugs in the garden but I think I can use some bulb pots to shield them from my sensitive eyes :) Best wishes to all.

  16. We are back to in-office work today. Walked in the parking garage, because 34 is too cold to be outside. They keep the office warmer than I keep my apartment, so that’s nice.

  17. Good Friday Meese. 15 degrees here in Kingston atm – minus one with the wind chill and it’s going to get worse. Can’t let the dogs stay out and play.

    Puerto Rico

  18. It’s 28 heading for 44 and sunny, finally. Not that we’ll get much generation until the snow & ice are off the panels. But today should get the snow & ice off the panels. Yesterday we generated just over 1/2 a KWH so the m-t-d is just over 1. Not what you’d call a great start for the month. Still, there’s a lot of month left.

    I got better sleep last night. Or rather this morning, since the biggest chunk was between 4 and 8. So not as groggy. Hands are still stiff though. But then they will be until June. Everybody seems to be trucking along. Which is better than not. Off to twitter. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}

  19. Good morning, meeses! Friday …

    It is 55 degrees in Tucson with an expected daytime high of 72. Sunny skies are in the forecast. There is a bit of wind.

    Can’t stay – working on a project that needs to be done by noon. Will check back this afternoon and read everyone’s comments.

    See all y’all later!

  20. Good morning, 41 and cloudy outside my window today. RonK is with a work party at the land trust site he tends to and I’m going to work on the ivy fence by our parking area. We both have cabin fever! The ivy had grown to thick and high for us to manage so late last fall it was hard pruned with a hedge trimmer. I knew it would look bad all winter but would recover come spring. New growth is starting to show so now it’s time to clear out all the dead leaves, find the long runners and clip them close to the base branches and tidy all the remaining cuts. Then the new growth will not be disturbed and the hedge/fence will look nice again. Garden therapy for both me and the ivy! Best wishes to all.

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