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 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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– Page One of Comments is HERE!
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Good morning, meeses! Wednesday …
It is 23 degrees in Madison with an expected daytime high of 30. Cloudy skies with snow expected tonight – it is not supposed to accumulate much. Mixed precipitation later in the week and into the weekend.
I quickly glanced at Twitter last night after I paused for breath after a busy day and I am glad that I did not visit it sooner! The news will be easy to digest for the next few weeks – ignore everything related to the impeachment “trial” and there is not a lot left! I can summarize it here: “Senate Republicans will be assholes, powerless Senate Democrats will harrumph, and House Democrats will embarrass themselves by making speeches (no one cares if you feel this is a sham, guys) and getting admonished by Chief Justice John Roberts who will continue his career of covering for the un-Constitutional excesses of his party.” Take notes, plan ads for the fall election where we beat Gardner, Ernst, Tillis, Collins, and McSally and take back the Senate. There is no fair process possible and getting overwrought about it is a waste of energy. November 2, 2020 – like a laser beam.
See all y’all later!
Good Woden’s Day morning, Moosekind! It’s yet another clear but freezing day, with a current temp. in Ashburn of 18 F. The high today will be 41 F., with—mercifully—very little wind.
Always one to seize any excuse for not exercising, I haven’t done serious walking in a week or so, although I do walk around the campus. I finally sent off the never-ending story, and now have a shorter one to work on.
Have an unpleasant morning of calling financial institutions to get them to send tax forms. I wish companies wouldn’t impose two-factor authentication without customers’ knowledge or consent. Now I can’t get in to some sites. It just makes me want to close the account. In fact I’ve already closed one of them.
We’ve planned lunch at the Pub today. One can only order fajitas at lunchtime now. Apparently when residents order them at dinner it sends the kitchen into a tizzy! OK.
Have not watched the Fools on the Hill because it would cause my blood pressure to soar. There’ll be enough excerpts on the blogs to keep me informed.
Wishing a good day to all at the Pond and praying for some good news, even a tiny bit of good news, for our side.
It’s one side or the other of freezing in Fay., AR. Actually even just on this block. Here on more or less the top of the rise the street is wet but no ice and the bird water is actually water. Not a full 100 feet from my driveway in either direction there’s still ice on the street. Not a lot but it makes walking iffy. But it’s gray, gloomy, and drizzling “winter mix” so I’m not planning on being out there much anyway. Yesterday’s lovely sunshine generated 8.75 KWHs which is not only the best so far this month (and year) but it’s the best we’ve done since the end of October. (Literally. On All Hallows’ Eve we got just over 9 KWHs and hadn’t gotten above 8 since until 3 days ago.) We’re standing at 116.43 for the month. And will be lucky to reach 150 considering the forecast. And the fact the panels are covered with snow. I hope we at least beat the 131 the 2.5K system did in 2015. sigh.
I’m hoping my fingers will get less stiff so I can at least attempt to do some mending today. A fire would help but I don’t want to run out of my wood bricks before we run out of wintry weather so while I will be starting one it won’t be until later this afternoon. That way I use 50% of the 6-pack and 20% of the 20-pack per evening and still get plenty warm enough to sleep. Presupposing my sinusitis/breathing will let me. Which it didn’t last night. sigh. We shall see what we shall see. As to the world – politics, environmental stuff, et all – we can’t do a damn thing until we are in power. We need to keep reminding ourselves of the importance, sure, but whipping ourselves into a frenzy over each new evil action/revelation is a waste of energy. I am staying away from even Twitter except for Aji’s page (so I can boost their stuff) and checking on folks. If they’re on Twitter at least they’re alive, in good enough shape to form coherent comments, and have internet access. Which means that other than chores, mostly dealing with cats, I’m playing a lot of FreeCell these days. Also word puzzles when my fingers will hold a pen that long. My hands have been too stiff to play my used-to-be-usual solitaire with real honest-to-heaven cards. But I’ll manage. I’m in so much better shape than my friends I feel guilty even complaining. oh well.
Off to get coffee. Healing/Helping Energy to everybody. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}
Good morning, 44 and cloudy in Bellingham. I finally put the Christmas Spode away yesterday, and replaced it with the Blue Italian dishes so Christmas is officially over. I want to clip some garden greens and buy some pussy willow and forsythia branches to fill a few empty vases today. The hellebore survived the snow and are blooming in the garden but I won’t clip those blooms because they last longer outdoors. Seeing them outside the windows and as as we come and go is a daily pleasure.
I kept the tv on in the background yesterday, and smiled when my son came into the kitchen and said “no more Watergate mamma.” He was a little boy when that happened and now he’s watching and worrying along with me :(
Time to get my day underway and as always, my best wishes to all.
Thursday Meese
10 degrees going up to 41 here in Saugerties Ny
Busy day ahead of me. Have to go get a new tail pipe on my car – it fell off while driving yesterday. This afternoon we are closing on the new house – which will be in Kingston (15 minutes away from where we are – but very different- for the first time in 20 years we will be in a city, with sidewalks and public transportation – we will no longer be ‘rural’)
The new house will be much easier for my husband who has been trapped in my downstairs office since his stroke.
The renovation work will get started in about a week – we have a crew of folks who will help clean, paint etc. Once we get electrical and minor construction done we will start moving in. Lucky for us, we don’t have to move in one fell swoop since my godson is buying this place and not moving up here till the spring.
Wish us luck.
Puerto Rico
Protests
Good luck on the new living arrangements, Dee! It is certainly more practical given your circumstances but quite a change. At least it is nearby so you won’t have to change doctors and grocery stores and pharmacies. It is good to hear that you won’t have to move all at once – that can be daunting!
Thanks Jan.
There is a great bagel shop a half a block away (important things – heh)
Where we live now you have to drive to get to anything. Will be great to be able to walk to stuff.
A coffee shop you can walk to is important! My next home will be somewhere that does not lash me to my car – a place where I can take public transportation or walk or take a cheap cab or Lyft if I need to get somewhere. I hate driving, I hate finding parking, I hate maintaining a car. My daughter is going to an urban school and the university gives students city bus passes and provides transportation to outings and an emergency pickup service for students who find themselves somewhere they don’t want to be. She has Lyft on her phone and can grab a cheap ride if she is too tired to walk back from somewhere she walked to. ;) It is very civilized!
Jan, my friends in Montreal get around by bus, walking, and Metro. When they do need a car, they just call up a Zip car. It makes perfect sense for city dwellers! There are places they can’t reach by public transportation (such as Costco), so a Zip car fills that need.
My friend Pascal grew up in the country so he can drive; his husband does not. My friend France used to own a car but says she never will again. She loves the savings she gets from not having a car and both sets of friends are happy to be able to walk to some places. Pascal walks to his job at the University every day during good weather and only takes Metro when it’s awful outside. It’s a 45-minute walk there and an equal time to his condo. Pascal is as skinny as a rake. Wish I lived in Montreal!
How lovely! I wish I could live in Canada but they do not want me – I have no value to them and I do not have the money they require to immigrate. If tRump gets re-elected and my daughter is forced to leave the United States because she is a non-white immigrant, she will definitely have skills attractive to Canada – maybe she can bring me with her as a dependent or hide me in her trunk as she crosses the border!
I just unfollowed Carmen also. I had been simply muting her for a month at a time but that smear is over the top. Instead of fighting the guy who is actively working to repeal healthcare for millions (and now has his sights set on Medicare!), she is going after a real Democrat and a guy who, while not perfect, represents our best chance right now of beating Trump. Yes, the Republicans and MAGAts have scared me into choosing an old white guy but at least he is an old white guy who is a member of the Democratic Party Wing of the Democratic Party.
I feel the same way. My vote will now go to Biden.
{{{Dee}}} I’m so glad you’ve found a good place – easier for your husband and easier for you. Equally glad you don’t have to move all at once (& aren’t cursed with real estate wannabe moguls jerking you around). All the luck in the world on things going smoothly. It’s nice to have sidewalks – and places to walk to. 👍😁💖 Healing Energy and moar {{{HUGS}}}
You have been very busy indeed Dee. Good to know you have a crew to help make the move happen.
Good morning, meeses! Thursday …
It is 28 degrees in Madison with an expected daytime high of 34. We got some snow overnight, at least an inch, and the forecast calls for light snow throughout the day. I have an errand I need to run at 10am and I hope that the streets stay cleared!
A quick scan of the headlines: no, Senate Republicans per se will not pay a price for rejecting the Constitution but individual Senators in purple states will; no, no one will care that tRump will go after Medicare because his base is self-loathing and zygotes trump everything – if right-wing christianists cared about humans, they would not be trumpers; yes, tRump will destroy the environment as payback to his wealthy supporters and goddess help them if anyone under the age of 30 votes for a Republican – EVER.
Back to the grindstone – I need to get some appointments scheduled for routine tests ordered by my doctor back in December and also schedule time for a shingles vaccination now that Medicare pays for it. That means getting projects under control so I can coast for about 5 days.
See all y’all later!
I’m staying home today, had to leave work again yesterday. We are always short staffed on Fridays so it is more important for me to be there tomorrow. If I don’t talk at all today, and drink lots of Throat Coat tea, maybe I can talk all day tomorrow. I watched the hearings last night. Adam Schiff is a rock star. Really great presentation, I hope some people who are peeling away from Trump saw it.
{{{ad}}} I hope you feel better soon. A throat drop like the Pine Brothers I keep searching for – glycerin based for soothing, not mentol based which does other stuff but isn’t really soothing – can be helpful. They’ve always helped me anyway. Austin being considerably larger than Fayetteville, you might even be able to find some there. Healing Energy & moar {{{HUGS}}}
In Fay., AR today looks to be a slightly warmer (heading for low 40s) repeat of yesterday. sigh. The PV system is on but that’s about it. We didn’t get a whole kilowatt yesterday and probably won’t today. We’ve got 117 for the month at the moment and if we don’t get more sunny days than currently forecast we’re gonna end January with lower generation than my original 25.K system did in January 2015. That’s not a first I really want coming to pass. Nothing I can do about it. This is part of global warming. More clouds and less rain. The warmer air holds the water. double sigh.
I’m not really paying attention to the pseudo-trial in the Senate. Anybody who knows WASP supremacist history at all knows how this will play out. Same kind of trial a white man would get for killing a n-word – with probably the same kinds of congratulations behind the scenes. IF we can keep the House and get the Senate back we might be able to do something about this. I hope. Meanwhile my friends are hanging in there with more or less degrees of comfort and success. And I’m not able to help anybody right now. sigh. Waiting on my W2 from the University to be able to do my taxes. If they work out like I think they will, I should be back on track once I get my refund. I hope.
Need coffee. Better sleep last night but not good. I need something to thin the mucus so I don’t choke on it trying to sleep but the Luden’s has so damned-many artificial colors and flavors I fight the headache every morning. sigh. So. Coffee. Healing/Helping Energy to everybody. Bright the day, Meeses.
Good Thor’s Day morning, Moosekind! It was hell on wheels getting here this morning. Every time I tried to log in I was greeted by a 404 message. I finally “quit Safari,” came back in, and simply typed “Motley Moose.net” into the Google search bar. Obviously I got back in, but the font is teeny-weeny. If I didn’t have Lasik, I’d have to wear glasses. I estimate it’s agate-font-size.
Have spent yesterday and will spend today wrestling with the devil. All the sites from which I retrieve my 1099s have imposed new security trash (without asking my permission), which means I have to have hour-long calls with young guys who have the patience of Job. Moreover, one of those sites—the only one that didn’t give me heartburn when I logged in—has provided a duplicate of one form, which means I have to call them.
My printer does not work because we cannot get to the source of the jam. Dearly wants to take it around to a repair place this morning. I’ve had it for 8 years and have been wildly happy with it, but if it’s going to cost more to repair it than to buy a new one, well…perhaps it is time. Hubby has been printing out the 1099s for me with his printer, which sounds as if it’s coughing up a storm. My printer utters mild sighs when it gears up to print, but doesn’t sound as if it’s sickening for something.
Oh, the weather: right now it’s 24 F. in Ashburn, going up to 41 F. The sky is mostly cloudy but there are a few gleams of sunshine. (Yikes, this tiny print is getting on one’s nerves big time.)
Glad to hear that Dee and Hubby are about to move much closer in and that it won’t be a traumatic move! Ours was, two years ago.
Anotherdemocrat and bfitz, so sorry about your health problems. January is a miserable month! Hope you’ll be able to get some relief soon. All we’ve got at the moment are allergies, which are fairly easy to cope with.
Wishing a good day to all at the Pond!
I just realized I am past due for a Cache clearing. I will do that in the morning and maybe that will fix the 404s. I should put the Cache clear on a pop up reminder but I have so many pop up reminders it will just be another thing to ignore!
Cache clearing done – I hope it helps!
Thank you, Jan! Yes, it has helped. I was able to log in this morning and the font size appears to be normal.
Thank Goddess!
The crazy thing is that I don’t even feel bad. The closest my throat comes to hurting is the strain I feel from pushing words out for too long.Sigh.
Sounds like that’s exactly what it is – strain from pushing words out for too long – rather than an infection or allergy. Alternating warm and cool liquids plus a throat-soothing lozenge of some kind is just about the only things that help. Other than not using your voice… Healing Energy & {{{HUGS}}}
Good morning, 55 and raining in Bellingham. Mornings are still so dark it’s hard to wake up and face the day. I’m just seeing the outline of maple tree trunks and branches against the grey morning sky.
Yesterday was busy but good day. Sue, my 2 x’s a month housekeeper was here so working together we got a project done as well as the house cleaned. I appreciate her support and enjoy her company. Today’s agenda is yet to be decided. I’ve got a couple of must do tasks and then I can choose. But now it’s time for coffee and as always, my best wishes to all.
Friday Meese.
21 here in Saugerties NY going up to 47.
Purchase went smoothly so we now own the new house. Headed there this morning to meet the locksmith and change locks. Found a bunch of interesting apps online that can help me measure rooms and figure out where my furniture will go.
Puerto Rico
Corruption from an Oklahoma based MAGAt-friendly company?? Unpossible!!!
Wow! The corruption thing involving Oklahoma does not surprise me. Oklahoma is a red state and Rethugs are the most corrupt people around. God approves of it, you understand.
Good morning, meeses! Friday …
It is 34 degrees in Madison with an expected daytime high of 36. Flurries then mixed precipitation then snow with some accumulations overnight. FINALLY, a day when I don’t have to go anywhere – fingers crossed that that has not changed.
I put a few news articles up in tabs to read later. I am enjoying reading about the Republican meltdowns and their discomfort. Hey, Republicans, be us for a while – we have been in pain since you forced tRump, a literal pile of human garbage, on us: a man who is destroying everything we love and the planet we live on. Sit down and STHU!!
I can see the light at the end of the tunnel for looming end of January deadlines so I will get back to it. My “one last trip” hope from Monday will turn into one more trip next week but I think that should do it.
See all y’all later!
So I’m at work. Spoke fewer than 10 words yesterday (my co-op has a $5 dinner on Thursdays, so I had that as my reason to leave the house), speaking voice was/is still raspy. Weird thing: I had music on in the car & without thinking, was singing along — and that was fine. Apparently moving to a higher pitch is the trick. Thank you Snow Patrol.
Good gray Friday morning, Meese! The sky is completely overcast and “they” are predicting rain by noon. Current temp. is 34 F., going up to 50 F. We’re expecting carpet cleaners at 10:30 so will have to light out of here with the dog after the person arrives. Monty will go into day care and we will go into Costco.
We still haven’t done anything about my printer. It’s horribly inconvenient to be without one. I haven’t started on my next article, haven’t started memorizing the script (I’m trying out for a play next week), and I’m behind on letters and exercising. Today I woke up at 5 a.m., which means the day will be even less productive.
Getting tired of porridge for breakfast but have to keep it up. Have a fasting blood test coming up next week.
Time to eat breakfast and drink coffee! The state of the world is too awful to mention. I want to be an ostrich.
Best to all at the Pond.
Is your printer wireless or wired? I find that wireless printers are very sensitive and avoid them like the plague. Often they can be coaxed into “speaking” by wiring them up to a USB port and reestablishing communications. If it is not wireless, it may be easier to toss it and get a new one (that actually might be the wireless solution also!). Printers are now commodities; I remember that I had an HP LaserJet 6 printer for 22 years, replacing various parts (including the fuser once) until finally the core of the printer failed and the repair would be more than the cost of a new printer. Since then, I am on my second replacement – the previous one lasted maybe 5 years and I am on year 4 or 5 of this one but it is falling apart and I have to be careful when I replace the toner that I don’t break the tray which is hanging on by a thread. I have other printers, though, so I would not be left printerless should it fail. Good luck!
Thank you, Jan! I have a Xerox Phaser 6010, which I apparently bought in 2012. It has worked like a dream until I stuck a piece of paper in it that I shouldn’t have used.
Apparently it’s not wireless. There’s a power cord that goes into it and a comm cord. On the other hand, perhaps it is wireless. It says Ethernet and USB on the top part. Goodness, that admission makes me sound clueless!
It is very inconvenient not to have a printer.
It’s 34-feels-like-26 in Fay., AR heading for 39. Maybe. Overcast enough the PV system is in night mode. sigh. Of course the light covering of frost/snow isn’t helping any. Yesterday we got 1.7 KWHs so more than double the day before but…sigh. We’re at 118.95 for the month. We might, maybe, inch over to 119 but we’ll have to get some actual light to even make it to 120. We’ve got 8 production days left in the month, counting today, and at this point we really might have a month where the 4K system generates less than the 2.5K system did. Not what one would call hopeful.
I’m trying to think of something cheerful and/or hopeful and not doing a very good job of it. Still. Dee has a new home, my friend has a new home – situations better and more comfortable for them – and this is good. Safe, comfortable, convenient lodging – such riches I have myself and wish on all my friends. And folks who aren’t my friends for that matter. Healing/Helping Energy to everybody. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}
Bfitz, are you saying that Amelia has a new home?
No. I wish. She’s still at the extended stay america motel – and is about to run out of month again. About which there is absolutely nothing I can do. But she’s got a social worker advocate helping this month so…prayers and invocations for her.
I was speaking of my friend who used to live across the street. She’s still not totally moved in, has a bunch of stuff stored in her garage still and some at my house that shouldn’t be stored in a garage. But she really likes the new place so that’s good.
Good morning, 50 and cloudy in Bellingham. I’ve been in such a deep resting mode this month I’m not sure of what day it is anymore and worse yet, I’m not sure it matters! I’ve watched more of the impeachment hearings than I planned on doing, and have played more solitaire games than I want to admit. The good news is that the in my pain joints is continuing to ease so if I can stay sane and lay low for a while longer I may be mobile again. Ron and I did go to Fairhaven for lunch yesterday so I’m not a total recluse.
Looks like we have a break from rain this morning so I’m going to spend a few quiet moments outside, and then my desk mess has to be contained. Best wishes to all on this January day.
Good morning, meeses! Saturday …
It is 32 degrees in Madison with an expected daytime high of 36. The snow will continue until noon and then it will be cloudy. I think, all told, the two day storm system will have dumped about 5 inches of snow – it is difficult to tell when it is removed in batches.
I have Rep. Adam Schiff’s impeachment “trial” closing argument up in a tab and I am told it is a barnburner. I think I will lead with that for today’s Fighting Back post – I hope to find a transcript to go with it. The Democratic Party Weekly Address is about a trip to Poland to commemorate the liberation of Auschwitz and the Democratic Party’s commitment to fighting anti-semitism. It is an important topic, it is shocking to me that Republicans are just fine with the anti-semitism of their base – to them votes are the only thing that matter and as their appeal to decent people shrinks, that is all they are left with: haters. I am hoping hate is not enough to fuel a re-election but Republican voters are great at cherry-picking policies they like and walling off the terrible optics of embracing nazis. In a just world, they would pay a prices for their choices – I hope to live to see the piper eventually being paid.
Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer announced who will be doing the State of the Union response:
Another rising star governor – I hope she does well! Even though 2020 looks like it is going to be “running in place” as far as progress goes, we need to get our next generation of leaders in front of the American people – we won’t always be facing an existential crisis.
I am gathering scraps of notes from my “too busy” week and putting them into to-do lists to try to get a handle on what I need to do next week, the last week of January. I have all my tax documents except one and when it arrives, I will freshen up the rough draft of taxes that I ran with estimates back in December. I remember last January when we were in the middle of a government shutdown and trying to understand the 2017 tax law’s first set of forms and procedures and TurboTax trying to catch up (and doing poorly). What a nightmare! This year’s taxes seem to be going more smoothly.
See all y’all later!
Here is the tweeted version of the speech:
Good on you for getting your taxes organized, Jan! I’ve got to start organizing mine as well. I mean, I’ve been putting all the forms in a sack just to collect them. I hope we get a refund this year. I’m against refunds but my husband thinks they’re like winning the Wheel of Fortune prize puzzle, so there we are.
Tee-hee! Thing will HATE the fact that the State of the Union response will be delivered by a gurrl, and the Spanish version by another gurrl.
Yesterday he addressed the “Women are sluts who should be punished for getting pregnant all by themselves” march across the river in DC. This is the guy who urged Marla Maples to have an abortion when he got her pregnant. She didn’t, so now we have Tiffany.
Saturday Meese. 26 here in Saugerties going up to 43 with rain.
I have a long day today. Headed over to new house this morning to assess repairs that need to be made before moving in. This evening I’ll be in New Jersey to speak after a film screening.
The film and Fred Hampton is the topic of my Sunday Sermon.
Puerto Rico
A special thanks to Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez – who has been relentless in fighting for the island
Good luck with your day, Dee! Sounds exciting!
Good Saturn’s Day morning, Moosekind. “They” got the weather forecast wrong, as usual. The rain did not start yesterday at noon and move off by 6 a.m. this morning. It started at 2 a.m. and is still going. Looking out the window at the woods across the way, I can see that the creek did git up, for once. It looks like a river!
It’s 45 F. right now and raining, going up to 49 F. with wind later.
Yesterday we put the dog into day care and ran errands in our former stomping grounds. We drove by our former house to see what the new owners have done to it: they’re systematically un-landscaping everything we did, including pulling out the flower beds that run underneath the windows. They cut down one of the apple trees but left the other one, evidently not realizing that there must be two apple trees of different varieties if you want an apple crop.
They’ve probably ripped up the raspberry canes and the strawberry bed too. We can’t see into the backyard.
Like princesspat, I’ve been in resting mode for several weeks. I just can’t cope with the awfulness of the outside world. Unable to do alcohol, pot, or opioids as a way to escape, I’ve been drowning myself in fiction. It certainly does take my mind off, but in the meantime I’m not getting anything done.
The man from General Services who showed up to clean the carpets yesterday did a TERRIBLE job. We politely left our apartment for hours and hours in order to give him free rein. There are still spots everywhere. I don’t think he did a damned thing while we were gone except sit down and play with his phone. I hope Dearly rings up General Services to complain about it.
That’s enough from me this morning. Wishing all at the Pond a nice, peaceful day with no bad news.
It’s 25 going up to 52 in Fay., AR today and while still overcast it’s getting a bit lighter. We’re supposed to have sunshine today. Which is good. We got 1.3 KWHs yesterday and the m-t-d is 120. Not so good considering we’re running out of month. Sunshine is also good for getting my mood out of the pit. Heaven knows there are things enough in the world to be upset about. I don’t need photochemical help.
I’m waiting for my son to come over. I need to do shopping today – kibble is getting low, everything else could wait but once I have the car I’ll do the whole lot of it just to get it done. He’s got a 9 am class (not sure in what – I expect he’ll tell me when we’re on the way) so he’ll be here soon. I’ll drop him off then go to PetSmart, the coop, the grocery store, then home. And pick him up at 4 pm. So if my money stretches further than I expect it’s gonna I might treat myself to take-out lunch of some kind.
Anyway, I’ll read online stuff until he gets here. Holding the Good Thought for everybody’s housing, health, and financial issues. And safety issues of course. Prayers and invocations. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}