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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Good “morning”, Motley Meese! The week begins …
Morning low of 63 degrees in Madison WI with an expected daytime high of 70. Cloudy skies with a chance of light rain.
Have a great day, all y’alls!!
Sunday Meese. 61 going up to 77 here in Kingston NY- and it’s raining, which puts a big crimp in my plans today. Mu godchildren and friends are coming over to celebrate my Priestess initiation anniversary and we won’t be able to sit outside on the patio and in the yard.
Sigh.
I hope you have a joyous time even if you can’t sit outside on the patio. Many happy returns of the day. 💕💕💕
Puerto Rico
Sunday music
Good morning, all. I’m watching the news & Le Tour. They are having another super hot day. Plan for today: finish cooking for next week, do some stretching & light exercise for my back in preparation for tomorrow. Made a Moroccan-inspired dish for lunch. And taking chocolate yogurt for dessert, because I’ll need a boost.
It’s 68 heading for 78 and overcast. sigh. The breeze feels even cooler than 68. Chicken and taters in the oven. (The kitchen’s a nice warm 80 at the moment.) They’ll last me about 10 days. We generated 9 KWHs yesterday. We’d gained more than I thought though with the week of mostly sunny days. The 169 m-t-d is just barely not on track. We’ll lose more ground today but at least we’re starting closer.
I haven’t checked in on anybody yet. Holding the Good Thought nobody’s situation has deteriorated. Hoping things have improved. Even if we don’t know it yet. And there are things to rejoice in. Like Dee’s initiation birthday. So. Coffee and twitter and the rest of my Sunday chores. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}
Good morning, 60 and sunny in Bellingham. I enjoyed time in the garden yesterday and Ron had a great hunting and gathering day. He came home with fresh raspberries and blueberries and salmon. So raspberry wine is brewing, berries are ready to eat, and salmon tacos for dinner last night were delicious. Feeling grateful….
Best wishes to all.
Monday Meese. Pouring raining again today here in Kingston NY. Flash flood warnings – 62 going up to 78.
Puerto Rico
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Good morning, meeses! Monday …
It is 61 degrees in Madison with an expected daytime high of 75. Mostly cloudy skies are in the forecast.
I am not sure how to handle the hair on fire from just about everyone that the Biden Administration appears to not care that democracy is hanging by a thread. I understand the issues of voter suppression and that the Bernie Sanders Court has given a green light to any state that wants to completely ignore the Voter Rights Act. I understand the issues – more troubling because of the courts – related to election nullification. The administration can’t do much more without help from the Senate and that is simply not going to happen. It is not just Manchin and Sinema who won’t kill the filibuster, it is Feinstein, the two old white men from Delaware, probably Angus King and very likely Mark Warner. Old rich white people don’t get it because they have always had a government that cared about their issues – lower taxes and keeping the blah people out of their gated communities. They don’t see Republican congresses and presidencies as existential threats like the rest of us do. We literally have no way to pass a SCOTUS-proof voting rights bill and Merrick Garland’s lawsuits will be rejected by the Sanders Court when they make it there in 2023, too late to help us keep Congress. I have no idea what will happen but JHC it is not because of a lack of caring from the administration. I am not sure that another “fiery speech” from Joe Biden from Philadelphia is going to make any difference. Maybe he has a plan – I have no clue what more he can do. I hope I am wrong and that his people have a trick up their sleeve.
I woke up with plans to work on a specific project and – shockingly! – I actually worked on it. I am focusing on getting old computers recycled and I had one leftover Windows 7 computer that had software that only existed in one place and which I needed to use to look at an issue related to a current project. I now have what I need (and can recreate the issue without needing the old computer) so that computer can now be shut down, the disk can be cleared, and the box can be recycled. It was a good computer – I bought it in 2008 so it gave me 13 years of loyalty and even survived a lightning strike (only needed a new network card). It is my last computer with a diskette drive in it so I will have to be 100% sure that I have nothing on diskettes that is still valuable; I am pretty sure there isn’t.
See all y’all later!
Sigh. I loved Windows 7 Professional. That was a good computer.
Signed in on my phone because the work computer still won’t go to MM. Which is weird because it did just fine in B.C. times. Anyway, hi. I’m in the office all day today. Hope my back doesn’t hate it like it did last week. I set some reminders in my calendar to stretch and move.
It’s 64 heading for 79 and overcast. No rain showing and the clouds are supposed to move off this afternoon. I hope they move off sooner. Yesterday we generated 13 KWHs which wasn’t good but not as bad as I feared. The m-t-d of 182.6 isn’t on track but it’s not a lot short. It could actually be made up in one very good production day. Which we’re not going to have today. sigh.
Aji’s internet went down yesterday afternoon and apparently hasn’t come back up yet. Jill’s solar charger is worse than busted – it’s not just not charging, it’s actually sucking electricity back out of the batteries hooked to it for charging. If she gets to town today as she’s supposed to (& better because they’re almost out of water) she’ll charge her phone at the laundromat. Amelia’s still fighting the fatigue monster – and mostly losing. I haven’t heard from anyone else. There’s got to be good news in the world somewhere. At the moment I haven’t found it. But there is still thankful “news” – everyone I know has shelter right now, has food in the house right now. That is riches.
Hands hurt and have a rash on my leg. I have got to stop trying to do “that one little thing” in the yard. I get contact dermatitis from everything. Oh well. I can afford to hire it done. That’s more riches. Off to twitter. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}
Sorry about the hands and contact dermatitis, bfitz dear! I keep wanting to email you but then you’d answer, and I don’t want to cause your hands to hurt even more. Sending good thoughts your way.
{{{Diana}}} thank you. Email whenever you wish. Yes, I’ll answer as long as my fingers are working at all. But then you see, that will be proof that my fingers are working. It’s not pain, it’s loss of functionality (ability to press buttons or what have you hard enough for it to register). So if that’s bad, I can’t respond.
Healing Energy to you & moar {{{HUGS}}}
So this is weird for “good” news, but hear me out. The Texas House Dems fled the state to stop the really horrible legislation in the special session. They chartered a plane or planes – all 51 of them, so proud! And my rep, Gina Hinojosa will be on Lawrence O’Donnell’s show tonight.
Yay for the Texas legislators! I hear Beto is busy raising money to pay their hotel bills. I think it’s wonderful. If nothing else, it will cause people to pay attention to the travesty that is the Rethug-controlled legislature and executive offices. Has anyone ever thought of kidnapping Greggy and sending him to a different planet?
Good Monday moaning, Moosekind. Partly cloudy with tentative sunlight here in Ashburn, and 80 F. right now at 9:15 a.m. It’s going up to 93 F., says my weather widget, and there are thunderstorms predicted. We’ll see.
Think I’m getting better: I was actually hungry for breakfast and wanted more than the chilled cantaloupe I’ve been having for the last week. Had that, of course, but also granola with blueberries and a piece of whole-wheat toast. Now I’m as stuffed as a little piggy.
Took Monty out a 5 a.m., saw a very bright light high in the dark sky and started murmuring idiotically, “Bright star, would I were steadfast as thou art/Not in lone splendor hung aloft the night…” After we went back in I turned on the TV to get some weather news, and the forecaster said the space station was visible. H’mm, perhaps that’s what I saw! After all, there weren’t any other stars in the sky, which was rather peculiar.
Dee, hope your initiation anniversary went off beautifully anyway. Jan, glad to hear your downsizing is proceeding smoothly. Princesspat, how do you make raspberry wine? Asking for a friend.
Well, I woke up at 3, resisted getting out of bed until 4, went back to bed after getting up, couldn’t go back to sleep, and finally said, “Hail, I’m getting up.” I’m now going to have a little rest.
Wishing a good day to all at the Pond!
Diana, Ron has been making wine for years and what started as a hobby now has it’s own dedicated wine room in the basement. The raspberries become a dry red wine with a beautiful color and just a hint of raspberry. He also make a lovely rhubarb wine, a blackberry wine with beautiful color and depth, and grape wines from grapes grown in the eastern Wa wine country. It’s a serious hobby!
OMG, I’d offer to move there and become your housekeeper except that I’m forbidden alcohol. It sounds fabulous, though! Do you give bottles of Chateau Ron K as Christmas presents?
We do gift bottles of wine Diana, complete with labels featuring his photos :)
Good morning, 58 and sunny in Bellingham. I’m starting to wish for rain, so many days of sunshine just isn’t “right” in the normally damp PNW. Fortunately I enjoy watering the plants in the garden but I hope the big trees are finding water because I can’t do much for them.
Thanks to my daughter I’ve got a new series of books to read so that’s what I’ll do today. The Parasol Protectorate is easy fun reading and that’s perfect for me right now. Best wishes to all.
Good morning, meeses! Tuesday …
It is 66 degrees in Madison with an expected daytime high of 81. Mostly sunny skies with cloudy periods.
Foolish me thought that the pandemic was over because people could be vaccinated and their lives would return to normal. I guess for some people “normal” is bloody ignorant and happy to be on a ventilator. I have no sympathy for them and just hope that the government does not resist us oldsters getting a Pfizer booster if Delta keeps spreading.
Yay, Texas Democrats! Too bad Senate Democrats don’t care about democracy and want to put comity over everything. There is no one NO ONE who thinks that Mitch McChinless won’t kill the Senate filibuster when Republicans return to power. Our only hope to keep that from happening is to insure that we will have democratic elections in 2022 and 2024. Goddess help us.
Today is Joe Biden’s speech in Philadelphia on voting rights. I will wait for the transcript because while I love that Joe Biden is our president, his speeches are eye-glazingly boring. I prefer this over fresh-hell in the overnight Twitter threads every day but I can’t be forced to watch! ;)
I spent the morning on a project that is not on the critical project list but one that has been bugging me. I will be sorry later when clients start clamoring for their projects.
See all y’all later!
Tuesday Meese. 65 going up to 75 here in Kingston NY. Sigh. Rain all day. Again. And another thunderstorm.
Puerto Rico
Good morning, Sister Denise. Sorry about the rain.
I hope your celebration was warm enough to be still “with you” in spite of all the rain. And that you don’t get flooding or leaks. Healing Energy as needed. {{{HUGS}}}
Good morning. My back did not like being in the office. I put lidocaine patches on my lower back & shoulders last night, going to buy some more this morning. When I’m no longer in acute pain, I’ll do some stretches & exercises. I felt ok, maybe a little stiff, while I was working; it wasn’t till I got home that it really hurt. Anyway, working from home today. Watching the news & Le Tour. I’m surprised none are dropping out with respiratory problems, they’ve gone from 40s & rain to extraordinary heat and now back to crazy cold.
Good Tuesday morning, Meese. It’s a fantastically beautiful day starring the usual colors and the faintest wisps of white veiling off in the distance. Right now it’s 81 F. in Ashburn, going up to 94 F.
Uh, haven’t much to say, just rinse, repeat. Lousy sleep, awful symptoms (fading, but still present), and the same list of undone chores. Wishing all at the Pond a good day.
It’s 63 heading for 88 and sunny. Humidity supposed to be low enough for no heat index. I’m not sure I believe that. We generated 10 KWHs yesterday, not on track for day or month. Starting the morning at 192.6 for the m-t-d. That’s enough loss of ground to not be possible to make up in one day, but anything over 17 makes progress.
Aji’s internet is still down and may be down until Friday. Which seriously sux for folks running an online business. Jill did manage to get into town yesterday. Late so no laundry but she got everything else done. Her husband has pulled so much crap the hearing was pulled back to Wednesday (tomorrow) – virtual so he has no excuse for missing it & a bench warrant will be issued if he does. (So he’s managed to blow through both the “good ol’ boy escaping the bitch wife” AND the “dying man” cred the cops were giving him in the beginning.) Jill’s internet and transportation are both so iffy a Social Worker will pick her up and she’ll “attend” the hearing from an office at the DV shelter. Same ol’ same ol’ with everybody else.
Good for the TX Dems walking to block those evil bills. But it really shows the relative difficulties between passing anything and blocking anything. They can’t stop those bills except by denying a quorum, so that’s what they’re doing. Something we couldn’t do in AR because the Rs here have such a supermajority if they all walked there’d still be a quorum and the Rs would do what they were going to do plus use Dems walking against them in the next election to get an even bigger supermajority. Sigh. And of course this only temporarily shuts down government ability to pass laws. Dems at the federal level have the slimmest of majorities and are trying to pass laws, not block them. sigh. Holding of Good Thoughts they figure out how considering the problematic folks on our own team won’t go the simplest way.
I found a driver’s license in the road when I took out trash today. It’s late enough to call the police non-emergency number and report it. (Address is Jonesboro so probably a student but I don’t have access to the university records any longer to check.) Then off to twitter. Well, more coffee first. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}
Good morning, 63 and sunny in Bellingham. I have a Dr’s appointment this morning and I think we’ll find an outdoor dining spot for lunch. We live in a vacation area so we may as well enjoy it with or without summer visitors.
Best wishes to all.
Good morning, meeses! Wednesday …
It is 70 degrees in Madison with an expected daytime high of 84. Chance of thunderstorms.
It is disappointing that Joe Biden’s speech was not important enough to make the New York Times morning news email. I understand that it is not exactly “news” – he did not announce any new initiatives to protect the vote – but there were a couple of points that he made that should have been repeated. He sounded the alarm and spoke pretty harshly about The Former Guy and his party of sycophants – it sounds like he is going to go right at them. I am going to put the speech video and transcript up in a post later this morning to highlight those things.
I want Gregg Abbott to send the Texas Rangers to Washington DC to “arrest them Democrat varmints.” And I want Mayor Muriel Bowser to be standing there on whatever main thoroughfare they would arrive via with a “don’t you dare come into my house” look and make them go home whimpering.
I shall observe Bastille Day by thinking about how the haters of French democracy were treated in 1789 and hoping that the scoundrels in America, 2021, will be cast out.
Au revoir!