Week-long Welcomings from Moosylvania: June 14th through June 20th

June 14, 2015 JanF Community 157

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 (every Sunday morning). 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 now 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 and use the link.

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62 Comments

  1. Good morning, Moosekind! It’s already 87 F. here on a blazing summer morning in NoVa. That’s also supposed to be our high today. Glad to say that (1) we had showers yesterday evening and last night, (2) more are predicted this afternoon, and (3) the air conditioning is working. We must have lost power briefly last night because the clocks are all erratic.

    Miss Pink Cheeks and I made 28 fairy cakes yesterday but there wasn’t time to frost them before Mommy came to take her and Babylicious home. I frosted them last night and brought them to the school this morning. I do hope that’s the LAST party this school year!

    Worrying about my cousin in Connecticut, who was in a head-on collision last weekend—in the early morning hours, as she was driving to the airport for a flight, some 22-year-old guy driving on the wrong side of the road plowed right into her. She’s in the ICU. Hope she’ll be all right. Everyone in the family is praying nonstop.

    Other than that, not much news. Hope Portlaw is doing OK and is not in any pain. Just texted Granddaughter in Houston and she’s doing all right. She might leave work early today to avoid potential problems. Wishing a good day to all at the Pond and beyond!

  2. Good morning, 56, partly cloudy and a nice breeze in Bellingham today. Another nice day for gardening …..if I can muster the energy! I was so tired after the pool yesterday all I managed to do was laundry so my list remains long. The family is planning on being here for the 4th of July, and Ron’s camera is focusing on the garden so the pressure is on to plant my containers. I seem to be having trouble focusing on the task this year so I’ll do what I can.

    Reading about Bfitz’s bueberries has me wanting fresh strawberries and the local berries are ready so that may distract me today.

    I hope all’s well with Portlaw today.

  3. Surgery cancelled at last minute late yesterday because of contraindications. Rescheduled for later this week. Am not a happy camper. Will write again maybe Sunday or Monday. Keep those candles burning and thoughts of healing coming,. Thanks.

  4. Sorry to be late – Firefox and my puter display were on the fritz – finally back to normal after tech support

    • You have more trouble with your dang computer! Thanks for checking in. I was starting to get a little worried.

  5. City is closing at 3, County at 4…. I don’t know why UT is bothering to announce a 5pm closing because 5pm. Someone said the Comptroller’s Office gets to leave….. though they’re huge, so that’s at least a lot of people off the road. But we’re still here.

  6. deluge is holding off
    I had to use the wipers for about 5 minutes coming home. It’s not even raining now. But the news is all on about storm prep. The animal shelters are asking for help – they are over capacity & there will be more.

    If the school district is closed tomorrow, we’re delaying opening till 10. Sigh. For cold weather closings, if they’re closed, we’re closed. But it looks like most of the storm went east, so we’re on the dry side – “dry” being comparatively speaking. But right now, “dry” actually means dry.

    Had dinner, and I have chocolate, so I’m good for the night.

  7. Good morning, meeses! Wednesday …

    It is 55 degrees in Madison on its way up to 80. Partly sunny skies are in the forecast.

    The GOP presidential clown car has its first bona fide clown … The Donald! There was much excitement on Twitter as everyone rushed to post their favorite hair photo and ridiculous quote. And Neil Young, a self-proclaimed Berniebot, joins the long list of performers ticked off that Republicans have used their songs without permission in their campaign rallies. Why would you want to use the song of someone who disagrees with you vehemently and give them a golden opportunity to diss you???

    Speaking of Republican clowns, the Kansas legislature, cajoled by Brownback’s tears, passed the largest tax increase in the state’s history. But it was mainly on the poors so all is good! The “job creators” will get to keep their tax cuts. Good luck finding qualified candidates for those jobs, though, because the K-12 budget was cut in the last “starve the beast” pass at the budget and post secondary education is on the chopping block for the next round.

    There was a Joe Biden sighting and it ties in with the Pope’s big news day tomorrow so I am going to see if it is post-worthy.

    See all y’alls later!!

  8. Morning Meese

    Do we really have to read about The Donald?

    The Bozo Bus is now bigger.

    ACK!

    • The bad thing about The Donald is he really does make all the others look good.

      • Possibly he makes them look “less bad”. But to the extent that he is speaking what is in their thought bubble, I expect his entry into the race will be a disaster for the Republican Party. One of their spokesmen said that the comments about “Mexicans” in particular were “not helpful”. You mean this, guy from nativist party?

        “When do we beat Mexico at the border?” Trump asked the crowd at his announcement at his namesake Trump Tower in New York City. “They are not our friend, believe me…The U.S. has become a dumping ground for everybody else’s problems…When Mexico sends its people, they are not sending their best. They are not sending you. They are sending people that have lots of problems, and they are bringing those problems to us. They are bringing drugs and they are bringing crime, and they’re rapists.” […]

        Trump also indicated that he would build a “great, great wall on the southern border” and that he would undo the president’s executive action known as the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

        That message will resonate in Iowa, home of Rep. Steve King.

  9. Good morning, Moosies. It’s heading for 80 here.
    Am about the read the news, try to understand the trade deal, and have lots of coffee.
    Going back tomorrow for another try for my knee. So, thanks for all the wishes. Will be back when I am back. And, I hope you continue to behave!

  10. Good morning, Meese! For some reason, WordPress is not liking me at all today. There has been no earthquake, forest fire, flood, or other disaster. There were power outages yesterday, however. I checked the login requirements for Safari and it said to “enable cookies from sites I visit under Preferences/Privacy.” It was already set to that. Still couldn’t log in. Then I set the Preferences/Privacy to “enable cookies all the time from anywhere” and it STILL won’t let me log in.

    I don’t understand how suddenly my password can fail to please when it’s worked for years. How long have I been drinking at the Pond with all of you? Same thing with the Kaiser Web site. My password worked for years, now it doesn’t, and I can’t reset it because I don’t remember the answer to one of the security questions.

    Not sure why I’m getting a “Howdy, Diana in Nova” at top right when I’m told I have to log in to “like” anyone’s comment. Please take it as read that I “like” your comments.

    There are days when I hate the entire computer world. This is one of them. BTW, I also have to completely fill out name, email addy, and Web site just to post this comment!

    • I posted a comment just now and then was told I had to log in. Naturally, I had to hunt for the piece of paper with my passwords but did find it and now a member in good standing of the Pond Kin.

    • I had that happen yesterday. I posted a comment reply to Dee and it took just fine. I then posted a sadface reply to Portlaw and it said I was not logged in. I tried again and when I clicked Preview, it showed that the new comment would be from “Anonymous”. My “Howdy, JanF!” was visible on the upper right hand corner. I found the login and logged in so all was well. The computer had remembered my password (and thoughtfully put it into the password field with the large dots hiding it) so the cookies were intact, I had just been logged out.

      I wonder if there was a reset of certain security settings in light of the LastPass security breach? LastPass is a service that keeps all of your secret passwords “safe” on the Internet. And it got hacked. I know a lot of people have trouble remembering passwords but the idea of storing them in the cloud does not seem wise to me. A sticky note next to your computer is safer.

      • I have to log in every day, because I’m somehow logged out overnight. The same thing has happened to me when posting a comment, but that seems to be random.

  11. The storm passed to our east, barely any rain last night. Supposed to be some today, though. Dem club canceled tonight’s meeting, just in case. Though I forgot that & neglected to bring my workout clothes for tonight. Hmmm.

    Ok, I was all tired & grumpy but this video of my my boys & fans onstage last night in Montreal just made me feel much better: http://m2.cm/1BlAA5I. I’m still sleepy, but my heart feels better. “People got the power…”

  12. 71 supposedly heading for 81 today in Fay., AR – very overcast – radar show a big green and yellow swirly right on top of me but it’s just barely sprinkling (and fortunately didn’t start until I had gotten to “old” campus so my hair and windbreaker got a bit damp but nothing got actually wet. Holding the good thought for Portlaw (hope the music helped) and the health and well-being of the rest of Moosylvania. Stay safe anotherdemocrat – and I wish to heaven my TX relatives would check in. (I emailed them yesterday but haven’t heard back.) I’m soloing today, which I’d forgotten yesterday, and have the next hourly payroll to deal with so I’d best get to it. {{{HUGS}}}

  13. Good morning, it’s 56 and sunny in Bellingham today. I’ve decided to pass on the pool this morning so I can keep some progress going in the garden. My plans for yesterday changed thanks to a mite/spider infestation in the garage. The ivy that looked charming growing up the side of the garage found it’s way inside around an old window, got mites, dropped a sticky residue, then spiders hatched in and around it….yuck! All my floral arranging tools and supplies were crawling with bugs and after vacuuming and scrubbing everything (walls, tables, stuff, and floor) the creepy critters are gone and I was done for the day. So maybe today will be an actual gardening day!

    • Eeek!! This sounds like a nightmare. I would have sold the house and moved. :)

  14. Good morning, meese! Thursday …

    It is 69 degrees in Madison on its way up to 79. Cloudy skies are in the forecast.

    Terrible news out of Charleston, SC: 9 dead in a shooting at a black church. The news suggests that the motive is not clear and the 21 year old white male killer is still on the loose. The truly psychopathic choose to do their killing in churches to increase the terror. Lone wolf, lone wolf … bs. Domestic terrorism fueled by officially sanctioned racial animus by one of our national political parties.

    The Supreme Court will release more opinions this morning at 10am Eastern. Seventeen cases left to decide – the SCOTUS Watch post will go up shortly. I am hoping to pull together some information to post about Pope Francis’ encyclical on our earth. Every single one of the 16 declared and undeclared Republican candidates for president are climate change deniers. How do they thread the needle of respect for religion and disrespect for science?

    Sending healing energy to Portlaw …

    See all y’alls later!

  15. My heart goes out to the families of the victims of white terror in South Carolina

    I can’t really say much right now – except that sadly a lot of us have known this was going to happen sooner or later

    bbl

  17. Good morning, Meese! The news is so awful that it hardly bears thinking about. Jan’s comment:

    Domestic terrorism fueled by officially sanctioned racial animus by one of our national political parties.

    is right, as is Denise in describing it as “white terrorism.” This country is insane! Other countries forbid the use of guns, but here the NRA wants college students to be able to “openly carry.” This makes me want to send my granddaughter to another country or planet for college.

    Horrible news also about the rampaging floodwaters in Texas and Oklahoma. Wish some of that rain could go to California, where it’s needed.

    Well, I changed my password and set Preferences/Privacy to “Accept all cookies from every conceivable site, even Republican ones,” and I still can’t log in to “fierce” anyone’s comments. WordPress is making Mooseland too difficult to use. Wish we had the old Moose back. :(

    Will also send healing energy to Portlaw and wish everyone at the Pond a good day today.

    • I told both of the computers I use to remember my password for here & I can always log in. Sorry you’re having so much trouble!

      And on the “campus carry” — my friends who went to UT and now teach at other colleges are talking about using that stupic law as a recruiting tool to hire people away from UT.

    • I am sorry you are having this problem! What kind of message are you getting when you try to Fierce? You are obviously logged in enough to post. I can go poking around in that Fiercing module and see what is going on. You are on a Mac using Safari, right?

      • Yes, Jan, I’m on a Mac using Safari. I changed my password and wrote it on a sticky, but the “Fierce” still doesn’t like it. Here’s the message I get when I try to log in:

        ERROR: Cookies are blocked or not supported by your browser. You must enable cookies to use WordPress.

        And that was after I changed the Preferences to “Enable cookies all the time, anywhere in the universe.” It is very discouraging.

    • I often wonder, Diana, what would become of us if the Republicans were to control all three branches of government. I have gotten a glimpse of it here in Wisconsin and it is very very frustrating but we have certain protections by having a Democratic administration in Washington DC. If those protections were taken away, I would want to start country-searching also because I am not sure I have the energy to fight for every scrap of fairness.

      Guns on campuses, guns in classrooms, guns in bars, guns in cars, guns in grocery stores and department stores, guns bought by angry people, guns bought by scared people. They just abolished the 48 hour waiting period for gun purchases here in Wisconsin because nothing say Freedom like the ability to be ticked at someone and be able to rush out, buy a gun and go shoot them. :(

      • Jan, I know! Rethugs apparently control the DC government and now they are BLOCKING a law passed by the District of Columbia to safeguard women who have abortions or use contraception from being discriminated against. ???

        Another, how we got so broken as a country started happening when Ray-gun was elected president and broke the power of the unions. Dubya exacerbated the downward spiral. Both administrations claimed “gummint” was the problem, not the solution. Glass-Steagall was repealed, the Fairness Doctrine overturned, and then Faux Noise came into being. It has brainwashed half the population, and that half goes to the polls and votes against Democrats—who, even if far from perfect, at least have some concept of governance and fairness.

        I’m not sure this can ever be remediated, frankly.

  18. I don’t get what’s wrong with the world. How did we get so broken that someone went into a church & shot people? And this isn’t even the first time. Or the second.

    More rain today. But we’ll be ok. It’s just water.

    Seriously – What’s Going On?

    • American terrorism – the White Male Patriarchy/Oligarchy’s chosen weapon to keep women and people of color in their place. And the way they get their recruits is the same way ISIL does. Young white guy going into a church and shooting black people? Feature not a bug. That’s what’s going on.

  19. Good morning, 57 and cloudy in Bellingham today. My little part of the world is peaceful this morning…..a nice breeze from he open window, fresh coffee, flowers waiting to be planted. But my heart is hurting. How can anyone elected to public office by using fear and hate live with themselves? On some level they have to know that fueling such fires will have consequences far beyond their abilities to predict or control.

    And on a more personal level, my sons have been helping prepare the house for our friend who had the aortic dissection so he can safely return home. He has been in intensive rehab but his brain was oxygen deprived for too long, so he has a long way to go. Needless to say everyone, especially his family, remains very concerned. I’m still worried about our son’s recovery, but in comparison he is a very lucky and fortunate man.

    Planting flowers and creating some beauty in this world helps me cope, but I wish I could do more.

    • Please, keep adding beauty. Someday maybe the world will choose beauty over horror.

  20. 73 and may or may not go any higher today in Fay., AR (my bet is it will, but that’s what “they” say). Not raining at the moment, in fact a few rays of honest-to-goodness sunshine right now, but supposed to start pounding in another few hours. Permanent flash flood watch for the region but no flooding here – so far anyway. Heard from my Bay City aunt – they’re fine. Nobody else has responded but I’m sure my aunt would have told me if anybody was in trouble. I guess it’s a good thing I’m so busy today I can’t process the evils of today’s news. Old enough to remember Black churches getting bombed/burned in the ’60s and my original thought when I saw the headlines was a tired, “oh fuck, not again” – not really helpful I know. Thanks Jan for putting the candle in for Portlaw – holding the good thought for her. And absolutely princesspat please keep adding beauty. Without it to keep us going we’d just curl up in a corner and die. Got to get back to my paying job. {{{HUGS}}} and best wishes to all.

    • Apparently that church has persevered through the ages.

      The congregation first formed in 1791, a coalition of free blacks and slaves. […]

      The early years of the congregation were fraught with trials as Brown and other ministers of the church were jailed for violating laws that prohibited slaves and free blacks from gathering without white supervision.

      In 1822, the church was burned to the ground, after plans for a slave revolt were exposed.

      Denmark Vesey, a carpenter who brought himself out of slavery, was the architect. Since he was one of the founders of the congregation, authorities suspected the church was the meeting place for planning the rebellion.

      The church was torched in retaliation. Authorities arrested 313 alleged participants, and executed 35, including Vesey. […]

      The congregation rebuilt the church and met there until 1834 — when all-black churches were outlawed by the state legislature.

      Undeterred, they continued to meet in secret until the end of the Civil War in 1865, when they formally reorganized. […]

      At the time, the church was a wooden two-story structure, and it was destroyed in an earthquake in 1886.

      Once again, it rebuilt.

      During the civil rights movement of the 1960s, it was a destination stop for many of the leaders, including Martin Luther King Jr.

    • The president just issued a statement … fast forward to about the 40 minute mark.

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