Week-long Welcomings from Moosylvania: October 25th

October 24, 2020 JanF Community 88

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?

…

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, shown here with 3 pages of comments available.

…

COUNTING DOWN …

–

23 Comments

  1. Hi — sorry for the late check-in. I ran into the office 1st thing & took in the 17 finished new people so they can get welcome packets mailed out & start using the library. And I called one more while I was there & got him set up. Of course, back to calling from home & no one answers. This afternoon, I really am logging off at 4:30 & going for a walk/run. Yes I am.

  2. Good Friday mornin’ Meese. 33 degrees and raining here in Kingston Ny – which is going to change to some snow.

    Puerto Rico

  3. Good morning, meeses! Friday …

    It is 28 degrees in Madison with an expected daytime high of 41. Sunny skies are in the forecast.

    I did not get a chance to return online to check the news yesterday except what I was watching via Twitter in the late afternoon and early evening. tRump and Joe Biden were in Florida, making their last campaign pitches. Joe Biden promised to care about the issues that Floridians are interested in and tRump spent his time complaining about the guy who wrote the Anonymous editorial a few years ago and the New York Times for publishing it. He also nearly killed a dozen supporters who were standing in the 87 degree heat listening to the airing of his personal grievances. I tried to care that people in Tampa, and a couple of nights ago in Omaha, are becoming sick because of their support for a literal pile of human garbage. I can’t – choose better.

    What is going on in the courts is troubling. Another federal jurisdiction ratfked by Mitch McConnell, the 8th Circuit, has declared that they reserve the right to throw out any late ballots in Minnesota if it is a close race and their party’s boss is not declared the winner. SCOTUS already put North Carolina and Pennsylvania on notice that they will do the same. So all of us saying “you have really overreached, Mitch, and we will fix your ratfked courts when we gain power!!” are probably making him laugh his ass off as he knows that packing the courts with deplorables means we will never gain power. We desperately need some big red states like Florida and Ohio to go to Biden so that the smaller blue state counting lawsuits don’t make for another election decided by a Republican Supreme Court. The last one nearly killed us – this one will.

    Four more days of voting.

    See all y’all later!

    • Sis, that ad is so good that I’m going to be dancing all day! When I pass out ballots on Election Day, first here at The Home, then at Dominion Trail Elementary, I’ll be wearing my black Kamala t-shirt that bears the legend, “The first but not the last” along with a picture of her at age six, and my white Kamala hat.

      Thanks for this video!

  5. Good morning, all. I didn’t get my walk in yesterday, maybe this afternoon after I log out. Anyway, kind of a split day today because I’m logging out mid-morning to watch a U2 concert. It’s the drummer’s birthday & this year they’ve been doing things like that for birthdays. So that’s a neat thing for me. And still logging off work at 3:45.

    • Sigh. Pacific time always messes me up. The concert is at 1 this afternoon. I don’t know why I can never work that out.

  6. Good Friday morning, Meese! It was raining again when we woke up but it seems to have stopped now. The current temp. in Ashburn is 47 F., heading for a high of 50 F. with quite a bit of wind. It’s still cloudy, though.

    When I stepped on the scales, as I do every morning, I was so appalled at what I saw that I had an egg for breakfast instead of what I really wanted. Bummer.

    This morning I’m going for a pedicure. Dearly has decided we will not, after all, go away for a few days’ change with Younger Son and family. A charming young friend of theirs is flying out from San Fran to join them. We’ve met him before and he’s a doll, but…flying? From San Fran? And the Second Wave (or Third Wave, I can’t keep track) is coming? And, most of all, perhaps, is the fact that what can we do at the beach at this time of year? The boardwalk is closed. It’s too cold and ugly to walk along the water’s edge. Swimming is out of the question. So…?

    As much as I would have liked to spend time with Younger Son and family, not to mention time away from Monty, I just don’t think we can take the risk. We’re old. If we get IT, we’ll pop our clogs.

    On to more cheerful subjects—payday is coming early because the first is on Sunday. Some of it is already in Ye Olde Checkyng Account, the rest will be available on Monday. I’m always in a good mood on payday.

    I keep thinking about the old days, when the boys were growing up, and about my circle when the four of us loved to celebrate Samhain. We didn’t know then how happy we were and how dark the future would be.

    What gloomy thoughts. I’ll sign off now and wish everyone as good a day as possible. Keep thinking of Biden-Harris and the fact that HARRIS County in Texas has already passed the total of its 2016 vote!

  7. Finally the sun came back. (Yeah, I know it was only a couple of days but it feels like…) It’s cold – 29 – but heading for 65 and with the sun out that will feel comfortable. And will warm up the west end of the house a bit. The PV system is already on more than it was at this time Monday. That’s not saying a lot but it’s promising. Actually the clouds cleared off yesterday late afternoon but still early enough we got 3.3 KWHs. The m-t-d at 243 is now out of last place for October. Depending on what we get today and tomorrow we might make it to 3rd place over all. LOL.

    Things are getting more stressful by the minute. Yeah, there’s a reason the Rs have been packing the Courts with RWNJs every time they got a chance. And a reason for why they bought up both school boards (get rid of Civics) and media (establish a RW propaganda machine) before they got overt about it. We may be able to come back from the cliff edge if we win this election. Maybe. We may only be able to put it off for another 4 to 8 years. We shall see. I’m not nearly as worried about myself. Only taking my Social Security will hurt me personally. But I have so many friends who will be seriously harmed, possibly killed, by having the KKK/Nazis/fascists totally take over the country. So work. Prayers. Hope.

    The sun is shining. That’s a hopeful thing. We got the rain we needed. Aji got some snow they desperately needed. Holding the Good Thought. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}

  8. Good morning, 51 and cloudy in Bellingham. My entire family is trying to calm election nerves but we’re all feeling worried and coping as best we can. Heidi and her guy are going camping, Maggie and Milo will be with us while their family goes to Edmunds for Halloween, and I’ve filled a bag with grown up treats for my grown up grandkids. I shopped at Trader Joes yesterday and I haven’t been there for so long it was slightly disorienting. I’ve forgotten what “normal” is!

    Best wishes to all on, and may the leaves please fall from the trees so we can get the gutters cleaned :)

  9. Saturday Meese. it is a cold 26 degrees here in Kingston NY, going up to only 45. Brrrrr.

    Two new Biden campaign ads – targeting Latinos
    Listen to the Latina grandmothers

    Marc Anthony – Puerto Ricans – Vote Him Out!

    • The Abuelas are great!! Thanks for posting that.

      I was just thinking this morning that another benefit of killing the filibuster will be to pass comprehensive immigration reform. Congress killed President Obama’s bill (which had to be watered down to get Senate Republicans on board.) With a Democratic House and a Democratic Senate anything is possible.

  10. Good morning, meeses! Saturday …

    It is 28 degrees in Madison with an expected daytime high of 54. Mostly sunny skies are in the forecast. Tonight we can get an extra hour of sleep – or use it to toss and turn worrying about the election results!

    I am trying to avoid reading the post-election disaster hot takes because it is depressing. It is too bad that the first live test of voting during a pandemic – with a lot of mail-in ballots and with significantly fewer in-person voting locations – has to be for the most consequential election in our lifetime. If we get this wrong, if tRump ruined the Post Office just enough to delay the ballots (they started turning idled sorting machines back on in the Madison Post Office facility YESTERDAY under court order), if our people couldn’t find witnesses or didn’t understand how to do the ballot or didn’t know how to request a ballot, we may lose not because we want tRump for 4 more years but because voting in America is so damn difficult. When we regain power, the first bill up has to be the John Lewis Voting Rights Act. Without fair and honest elections, we can’t fix what is wrong. The Republicans hate democracy, they think it is messy and that the rabble need to be managed by their “betters” who will choose what they need. People who believe that need to become a permanent minority. Let’s make it happen.

    See all y’all later!

  11. Good morning. I had a good day yesterday, between the U2 concert & the surprise West Wing marathon. Today’s agenda: figure out what to make for lunch next week, then go grocery shopping.

  13. Good gorgeous Saturday morning, Moosekind! It’s 34 F. in Ashburn, going up to 50 F. It’s beautifully clear with a cool blue sky and sunlight—no clouds as of this writing.

    This morning when I took Monty to the courtyard at 6, there was a beautiful white full moon hanging low in the black sky. You all will understand how thrilled I was! I bowed to Her before Monty and I went back inside. This is the first full moon on Hallowe’en since 1944, the newspaper pointed out. It seemed a propitious omen for the next few days.

    I thought I might make Soul Cakes today, but I don’t have the required three pounds of flour. Anyway, I have other things to do.

    Yesterday Younger Son, DIL, and little Karl came round for a visit. They talked us into going to Ocean City with them in three weeks. The plan is to rent two two-bedroom condos, so the seven of us will have plenty of accommodation. Son and DIL will ask their San Francisco friend (he’s the son of one of DIL’s friends in Beijing) to take a COVID test before he joins us. He’s planning to visit friends in Philadelphia first, then to drive to this area. We’ll take most of our food with us as we refuse to eat in restaurants. We’ll still get doughnuts at the Fractured Prune shop, but that’s always been carry-out anyway.

    Regular (as opposed to mail-in ballot) mail appears to be operating normally in our area. I sent Halloween cards in orange envelopes to the three grandchildren and great-nephew who live in the local area. Karl told me that when he opened his card “two pieces of money” fell out. LOL! I wrote a little note on each card saying that although I couldn’t give them candy, I was enclosing a couple of dollars for their money boxes.

    Five-year-old Ethan told his mother that yesterday was the “best super fun day at school,” because they decorated pumpkins and made Halloween crafts. He created a bat in flight and colored it black. Then he came home to my card, which included decorative stickers to paste onto the blank pumpkins on the inside of the card. I do love all special days of the year!

    Hoping to get things done today but will not go into detail.

    Wishing a blessed Samhain to all at the Pond.

  14. Good morning, Meesefolk; 23 when I finally rolled out of bed (about 2 hours after waking!) and a sunny high of 43. I think I’ll be staying in most of the day. I’m also keeping the lights off later today when it’s time for the trick or treaters. I thought long and hard about coming up with an alternative that would allow me to safely participate, but there really wasn’t any way to do it. There was just no way to make the candy available while seeing to it that social distancing was maintained. So I’ll sit inside and eat a Baby Ruth (or “two”) in honor of the kids outside in the cold.

    I’ve watched more MSNBC in the past week than I have in the rest of the year, and it always gladdens my heart when I see our SoS, Jocelyn Benson, being featured. I fangirl over her more than I do over our governor. She’s a clear communicator and a steady hand at the helm, and she literally wrote the book on the role of secretaries of state w/r/t elections (https://smile.amazon.com/State-Secretaries-Guardians-Democratic-Election/dp/0754677451/ref=smi_www_rco2_go_smi_g4368549507?_encoding=UTF8&%2AVersion%2A=1&%2Aentries%2A=0&ie=UTF8).

    Time to start applying for jobs. I didn’t get anything done yesterday, because I got caught up in the West Wing marathon (thanks, anotherdem!). Today I have to do better. Good day to and for all!

  15. It’s 39 going to 62 and sunny. I caught a glimpse of the moon when I got up “in the night” but of course didn’t have my glasses on so didn’t see her clearly. I’m always happy to actually see the moon, whatever phase, as I seldom can. Only to the west, over the field next to my house, is there enough clear space for her not to be hidden by tree branches. It is auspicious, I hope, that she is full this Samhain. We got 8.4 KWHs yesterday, pretty close to what’s possible this time of year due to the oak tree still being leafed out. The m-t-d is 251. That’s 4th place for October production and likely to stay in that position as it would take 14 KWHs more to move it into 3rd. If we get double digits at all today, that will be a blessing. Getting 14 is stretching it a bit.

    Since Harry Reid first made the changes that allowed any Obama appointments at all, the Rs have pretty much been force us to start dismantling all the minority party protections. They dismantled more this time around but we “started it” – and they really don’t think they’ll be out of power, or out of power long enough, for us to use the new rules against them. Yes, we’ll have to finish the job – kill the filibuster – which will allow us to get a lot done that we couldn’t have with them blocking everything as they’ve been doing the last almost 3 decades. It will also allow them once they’re back in power to not only undo everything we’ve done but to make sure there’s no way to stop them in their steady trek to kill the constitution and turn this country into the fascist dictatorship they so adore. So our only hope is to keep them out of power once the deal is done. And that is…it so much has the potential to turn us into them…But we’ve got to stop this evil if we can. They are killing people, directly and indirectly while also destroying the ability of the earth to support us as a species. So. Work. Pray. Hope.

    We start a new year with Samhain, a week actually that includes election day. We may not be on our new path until almost Imbolc – but we will know whether the path we’re going to be on will be our desired, worked for, new one. Now’s a great time to ask the Ancestors for help in getting us there. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}

  16. Good morning, 38 and partly cloudy in Bellingham. I woke up to see the full moon shining in my window. I love seeing the reflection on the water and knowing it’s shinning on all of us at one time or another! My west coast day starts long after you all are up and busy with your days.

    Our son sent nice photo of Heidi on her soft bed by the camp fire. She is so old now I was worried about her going camping but she has her guy and her mobile kennel (the truck) so she’ll be fine. Hard to accept that her days with us are winding down.

    The moon is no longer visible, the sky is getting light, and it’s time to find my coffee. Best wishes to all on this quiet morning.

Comments are closed.