Week-long Welcomings from Moosylvania: Dec. 20th through Dec. 26th

December 20, 2015 JanF Community 115

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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43 Comments

  1. Happy Solstice, Yule, or whatever you wish to call it – also my grandson’t 11th birthday. 31 at dawn, currently 44 heading for 64, and sunny at the moment although there are clouds in the forecast. Rain not scheduled to hit us until the wee hours Saturday morning. Which means my 2 trips to my older son’s house this week – tonight with her parents since I can’t drive in the dark and Friday around midday – will be dry if not warm. Really we did “Christmas” on the 6th, so I’m just sort of waiting the year out.

    Trump is what he referred to Hillary as having happened to her in 2008. So are many of Bernie’s supporters on DK (and yes, a few Hillary supporters as well). It’s all very well to talk about Obama and Hillary being the grownups in the room, but a sizable percentage of our country doesn’t like grownups. They’re nasty little kids who hate girls, think bathroom jokes are funny, and not only don’t see any problem with beating up somebody who isn’t them, they think it’s their right to do so – proves how tuff they are and thus superior. Somewhere along life’s way we lost a generation on parenting – many of those who now should be teaching their kids proper behavior and concern for their fellow humans are just living out their nastier childhood fantasies through their children (something I noticed when I was teaching public school in the 1980s and ’90s). Sigh.

    Well, Chelsea’s going to have another baby and a whole lot of folks are going to vote for Chelsea’s mom – maybe that will get us moving in the proper/humane direction. Here’s hoping – and also working to make the hopes come true. {{{HUGS}}}

  2. Good morning, 35 and partly cloudy in Bellingham today. I’ve got a busy day ahead, but my knees are already complaining so my list will yet another edit. A reality based Christmas seems to be happening in spite of myself!

    Best wishes to all.

  3. Good morning, meese! Wednesday …

    It is 40 degrees in Madison, on its way up to 53. Thunderstorms are in the forecast.

    Busy morning here … will try to check back later.

    PLEASE … stay out of trouble! :)

  4. Good morning Meese – just submitted my final grades – now will wait for the fallout whine brigade from those students who don’t like what they wound up with :)

    This story is disturbing

    British MP Angry After Constituents Barred from US Entry

    A British member of Parliament has written to Prime Minister David Cameron, asking him to challenge the United States after a British Muslim family was denied permission to travel to southern California at the last minute.

    Stella Creasy, a lawmaker who represents northeast London, said in her letter to Cameron that a family party of 11 people — a father, his nine children, and his brother — were approached at Gatwick airport and told they could not board their flight to the U.S. on December 15.

    Creasy told British newspapers that she is concerned that a growing number of British Muslim families are being denied entry to the U.S. with no reason given.

    According to the article the family paid $13,000 for tickets – which will not be refunded.

    I’m still trying to follow this story

    Man Who’d ‘Follow’ Trump ‘To End Of The World’ Arrested In Anti-Muslim Plot

    Police found an explosive device Sunday in the home of a 55-year-old Richmond, California man who allegedly threatened to harm the local Muslim community, according to a local report.

    Police evacuated William Celli’s neighborhood when they found a device at his home on Sunday and detonated it, Bay Area TV station KPIX reported. Celli was arrested and booked into county jail on Sunday afternoon, according to the report.

    He seems to be a big fan of Trump

    46 here going up to 55 – and tomorrow;s forecast says our temps will soar to 71!
    This is totally weird.

    See you all later. Coffee time.

    • Denise, that is outrageous, saddening, and infuriating about the Muslim family’s being denied entry to the USA! What loathsome policy is this? Wonder whether the President knows about it?

    • Don’t even know how to say how appalling it is that our nation has turned into such pants-wetting scaredy cats (and that’s insulting cats) as to deny a family travel during the holidays – and especially to do so at the boarding gate so it costs them money. Any money is bad, but that’s something like half my annual salary! And as to the xenophobic would-be terrorist who is a Trump supporter. Well, that’s also appalling but not surprising.

      Congrats on getting your grades in. Ours were due yesterday and I had to track down one adjunct whose grades didn’t “take” – she thought she was done but the system disappeared them and she had to reenter. (Fortunately we had a deadline of noon and a “grace period” of the rest of the working day.) And I hear you about the whine brigade! :)

  5. Good morning, Meese! It looks like Brigadoon here with Christmas lights twinkling through the fog. It’s an incredible 57 F. now, going up to—gasp—70! Hate it! This time of year it should be cold.

    Got all the snail mail dispatched yesterday, thank goodness. Today is the day to focus on sticking the Christmas presents for the children in gift bags and cramming colored tissue on top. After the mess I had to deal with from years of saving wrapping paper and ribbon, I never again want to deal with anything but gift bags.

    I am heartsick that my 18-year-old grandson in Austin has chosen to attend the University of Texas next year. I’m so worried he’ll get caught in the crossfire between the mature 18-year-olds who will be allowed to carry guns on campus. If jobs weren’t so hard to come by, I bet all the professors would resign. I do my Christmas shopping on line because I hate malls and fear the possibility of being shot at. What a country!

    Meantime, another boatload of refugees has sunk off the coast of Greece, and a TV commercial is pairing the 20-something Lady Gaga with the 80-something Tony Bennett. Ugh!

    Going to try not to think about the state of the world today and hope you all will do the same. Have a good day, everyone!

    • As with U of A here in Fayetteville, UT in Austin is the largest employer, so once somebody gets on there they mostly stay. And we’ve had problems with disgruntled (entitled) people shooting things up for a long, long time. Mostly it’s a good and safe place to be. And it’s truly about the best Texas has to offer for people who 1) think and 2) care about people in the abstract.

      Glad you got your Xmas stuff done. (I discovered gift bags when now 18-y.o. Josh was a little kid, I love them. A little guy doesn’t need any help opening his own present with them.) Hanging prayer flags or lighting a candle for the “state of the world” to acknowledge the evils in need of repair while going about the business of things I can actually, personally, do something about is the only way I can keep from just curling up in a ball of despair. That and finding good things in the world to rejoice in. The Moose Pond and people are on that “rejoice” list.

      • And you, bfitz, are one of the “lights” I cherish on this site! Well, all our sisters are lights in the world in their individual ways. I love coming here in the morning, it’s as necessary to me as breathing.

    • among many things I hate about campus carry is that our Atty General says they have to allow guns in dorms — so those super-flimsy walls…. some dimwit is going to shoot a gun at 3am & hit someone 3 rooms away (or 3 floors away, because “flimsy”). Just tell grandson that he’s not allowed to live in Jester Dorm.

  6. Woke up at 3:30. Refused to get up at that hour. My head is playing I Believe In Father Christmas and I wish it wouldn’t, because that song breaks my heart. Trying to switch to a happier one.

    I’m wearing sandals, we’re supposed to set a new record high today of 82. Got workout shorts & a tech top for my after work walk. Next week, we’ll have highs in the 50s.

  7. 56 at dawn and unexpectedly drizzly today in Fay., AR. Heading for 65 and “they” say it will clear off and even be sunny this afternoon. But then “they” didn’t and still don’t predict any serious chance of rain until the wee hours of Saturday morning. So the weather shall do as it will and we will live with it. It’s already 62 so I opened the porch window for the cats when I left.

    So far it’s very quiet here. I’m really hoping the Chair changes her mind and doesn’t come in at all. She can work from home just as well if she feels she has to and we’ve got some unexpected rain right now. It’s warmer than expected because of the rain, but it’s still wet. Anyway, I’ve got some things I need to check on and/or push through this morning and mostly the rest of the day will be tidying up and shutting stuff down. (All the computers need to be actually turned off, including the copy machine/internet printer just in case of power outages while we’re gone – and stuff like the electric kettle need to be unplugged. That kind of stuff.) So. Barring emergencies a quiet if busy-ish day.

    I’ll be hit and miss after today until we come back on 01/04/2016 – hope everyone has a good rest of the year. I’ll leave the definition of good to you. :) And of course, {{{HUGS}}}

  8. Good morning, 37 and raining in Bellingham today, and the snow in the Cascades has closed the passes. So unlike the rest of the country our weather pattern remains wet and cold. I’m finally seeing the end of the list so if I can keep focused today I’ll be ready for the family focused holiday we have planned.

    When I read this article by Jonathan Chait this morning I’m flooded with gratitude for the ACA, and with anger because of the lies and the continued attempts to sabotage the law. As you all know this is personal for me as it directly effects our son. His medical care, his on going recovery, and his new insurance effective Jan. 1, 2016 are all thanks to Obamacare.

    Sorry, Conservatives, Obamacare Is Still Working

    The Cadillac Tax debacle illustrates a crucial underlying reality of the politics of health-care reform: Change is incredibly difficult. That is why the United States staggered along for decades with a system that simultaneously spent far more per citizen than any other system in the world and cruelly denied treatment to millions. The compromises in the law are a function of this reality. Obamacare’s drafters could not draw up a blue-sky plan as though they were free to design the system anew. They had to work around an entrenched reality, making the system more humane and efficient without unduly burdening those who feared change. That they managed to pass and implement such a reform in the face of hysterical opposition is a historic triumph, one with which the opposition, five-and-a-half years later, has not come to grips.

  9. Afternoon all! Warm and humid here, SO NOT holiday weather! Oh well, eventually we’ll get some cool weather again before spring starts in February, I hope.

    That is simply appalling about the denial of travel to the US for that Muslim family – I’d really like to know who exactly made that decision? We’ll probably never know what the supposed reason was, but it sounds like total crap to me.

    I always feel vaguely guilty this time of year, as everyone else rushes around getting shopping done and stuff sent in the mail – I only buy a present for one friend, and I ordered my share of the holiday meal at our local gourmet grocery store, for pickup tomorrow, and reheating at Amy’s on Friday while she does the standing rib roast. She’s a wonderful cook, but she has been working really hard in her new job as assoc. dean this fall, and she has Parkinson’s on top of that, so I told her she was only allowed to do the roast and I’d bring the rest of the stuff. So, I’m playing WOW and listening to Christmas music on Itunes – I’m not a Christian but I used to sing in choirs, and I love classical Christmas music.

    Have a great day everyone!

    • I feel no guilt at all for those who are STILL running around buying gifts. My extended family is too large to buy gifts for everyone so I buy gifts for no one. My folks get a nice card with an up-to-date photo of my daughter. Done. We exchange very few gifts here: a new calendar for 2016 and now gift certificates instead of gifts because I have no idea what a teenager needs or wants.

      This time of year is for resting not for running around like a crazy person! That’s my story and I am sticking to it.

  11. Good morning, meese! Thursday …

    It is 33 in Madison, on its way up to 36. Cloudy skies are in the forecast. I was up at 2am with the winds. The major storm that wreaked havoc on the south manifested here as a line of thunderstorms that were pretty intense for about 45 minutes around 6:30pm or so. It ended quickly but the winds lingered. When I got up, the sustained winds were about 30 mph with gusts to 45. It is expected to continue until 6am.

    Most of my clients are off work today so I can work at whatever pace I want. PLUS none of them will be back until Monday … a nice long 3 day weekend. Next week will be pretty hectic as there are only 4 days and then we are done with 2015 and can kick it to the curb.

    News is light these days as people are on holiday or mailing it in with 2015 retrospectives. And the political season is, quite frankly, awful. I will be glad when the 90% white states finish selecting their presidential wannabees and we can start asking Diverse America who they would like to be the leader of the free world. I will quote Howard Dean – “Aiiiiiiiiiiiaaiiiiiii!”. Oh wait, not that, this, from 2000: “If you look at the caucuses system, they are dominated by the special interests on both sides on both parties. The special interests don’t represent the centrist tendencies of the American people. They represent the extremists. Then you get a president beholden to either one extreme or the other.”

    See all y’all later!!

  12. Good Morning Meese! It feels like spring here in the Catskills – 56 degrees and going up to 70! Bizarro!

    Well it is Christmas Eve and my gift – argh – was that hubby’s car fell apart and had to go to the mechanic to get it fixed to the tune of 800 bucks – we pick it up today and drop off my car which is making odd clanking noises. We are driving to Philly for our annual Christmas dinner tomorrow – but not leaving till around noon.

    I had two light music diaries submitted over at Orange one for tonight and the other for Christmas morning – and the one for tonoght got accidentally posted for about a half hour last night – much to my surprise. I will “replay” the heart of it here – it’s on flash mobs – which have become a tradition around the world – but started in my home town of NYC . Sharing a bit of it here for those who don’t do orange.

    Here’s the opening:

    The holiday season is a time for music. More and more often, that music is brought to you—unexpectedly—while shopping in a mall, eating in a food court, or visiting a museum—by a flash mob. Flash mobs of all kinds have been a worldwide cultural staple for over a decade. “The first flash mobs were created in Manhattan in 2003, by Bill Wasik, senior editor of Harpers Magazine.” Since that time, they have become a global phenomenon.

    YouTube has been tracking the viewership, and lists The 10 Most Viewed Flash Mobs of All Time.“ Not surprisingly, many popular flash mob videos have a holiday theme.

    I opened it with my favorite – which I think you will enjoy:

    The wonderful solo by Mark Joseph grabbed me – and the Loft Sessions from Berklee College of Music are well worth exploring.

    The diary will be posted (again) at 8PM tonight.

    For my dear friend Geordie who is an opera buff – here’s my favorite opera mob

    Be back after I’ve made a fresh pot of coffee

      • I think they bring joy to people – and we could all use a little more joy in our lives :)

        • I think the most delightful thing is watching people’s faces when they realize that there is music … and not just someone blaring their iPod but music done by accomplished singers and musicians! People love music and they really love being surprised by beauty, both heard and seen.

    • OMG those flash mobs are fabulous! Of course, I particularly loved the opera one (the famous “Libiamo” party scene from La Traviata, where Violetta and Alfredo fall in love – my brewmaster monk in WOW is named Libiamo – let’s drink! lol), but that young man singing O Holy Night is just wonderful as well! What a present for all of us, thanks Dee!

  13. Good morning, Meese! It’s already a sweltering 62 F. here on another dark grey rain-filled morning, going up to 75 F. We’re under a flash flood watch.

    Love your post, Denise, with the flash mobs! Jan, hope your weather doesn’t get worse.

    We went to the annual day care Christmas party yesterday evening. The tiny children, dressed as Christmas trees, sang and danced with the exception of Babylicious, who threw himself face-down on the floor and sobbed. Well, we must bear in mind that he’s only a bit past 18 months old. :)

    Getting nails done today and other than that, probably saying away from politics. Wishing a good Christmas Eve to everyone!

      • Neither red nor blue, Sis! They’re a pinky bronze, if that makes sense. A week ago I had the misfortune to shut the car door on one finger and it’s been awful. However, the nail technician managed to make that fingernail look respectable.

    • Our wind died down as predicted and it will just be cold. I cannot imagine 75 degrees at the end of December! Although once I remember a Christmas Day in Milwaukee where it was 60. Milwaukee is odd, though, because the huge body of water off to the east (Lake Michigan) has an effect on the temperature and can make it warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. And can also bring odd snowstorms that only occur within a few miles of the lake.

  14. Slept in — and mostly slept, mostly. Only plan for the day is to get in a long walk before church at 5:30. Could go to 10:30 service, but nah. Super warm here – 82 yesterday, warm again today. There are bluebonnets blooming on the UT campus & even roses at one shopping center. Cold front coming Sunday though – highs next week in the 50s.

    Eating breakfast, watching the news. Brain took mercy on me & is playing Bells of Dublin. Happy, pretty music. May not use my iPod for my walk, just let this play in my head, would make for a lively pace.

    • Best wishes for the Holiday Season, Portlaw! I hope you are well.

      Peace on Earth – sadly, while it is attainable it is not desirable to enough of the earth’s denizens.

  18. Good morning, 36 and raining in Bellingham, and we are enjoying a quiet sleepy morning. Our day will be busy as the family will be here for dinner tonight but the shopping is done and the cooking in easy. I did have some flower fun yesterday.

    Merry Christmas, 2015

    Best wishes to all!

  19. Greetings all! Wonderful music from Dee, a great way to start out the day! It’s grey and in the 80’s here, just awful for the season IMO, but at least it’s not storming or anything. Dee, so sorry to hear about the car – blaaahhh. My Volvo went through oodles of repairs early in its life, but I haven’t had to spend much at all on it the last few years, probably because I hardly ever drive any more particularly since I retired – my car will be old enough to vote next month and it has less than 95K on it. I doubt I’ll buy another car in my lifetime at this rate – it will outlive me!

    Have to go get dressed and go pick up my holiday meal dishes at our local Fresh Market – I have to be there by 1PM, so I’ll get going. Stay safe and be happy, everyone, this holiday weekend! Dee, drive carefully to Philly – at least you won’t have to deal with snow, I guess? Take care, all!

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