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, meeses! Wednesday that for some reason feels like a Saturday …
It is 9 degrees in Madison (feels like -8) with an expected daytime high of 21. The freezing rain and snow ended yesterday afternoon but it is probably not going to be great trying to get around – there will not have been any melting and there will be no melting today. Schools were closed yesterday.
US Soccer and the women soccer players have settled their lawsuit. The women lost in court in the first round and appealed so this is a good outcome – this avoids having it tied up in the courts and risking that the Alito Court would have a chance to decide a women’s rights issue. Gak! It was rude and disrespectful of US Soccer to assert that the elite female athletes – who actually win games and medals and generate TV revenue – should be paid less than the mediocre men simply because of gender.
I listened to Biden’s speech and the Blinken press conference and a few pundits. I agree with fromer Russian ambassador Michael McFaul – the sanctions will not deter Putin, the die is cast – but strong sanctions are the morally right thing to do. Putin has declared that Ukraine belongs to Russia and that it has no right to exist as a sovereign nation. There should be no country who agrees with that and Russia, as long as Putin is in charge, should be treated like a pariah. Sorry, Russian people, sucks to be you – again.
My to-do list keeps growing instead of shrinking (some of the projects seem to beget other projects!) so I better get back to it. I did get taxes done and will mail them today. The state returns costs $50 to eFile so they get mailed and since the IRS lost my 2020 return, I can’t eFile my federal return because they will be unable to match to last years AGI. This year, though, I will send the return certified with a signed green card sent back to me. I wish I had done that last year.
See all y’all later!
Hi, Jan. Oh, dear, my heart sank when I read the IRS lost your 2020 return. When I was a freelancer I took to always mailing my return by certified mail. They weren’t going to get a chance to accuse me of not filing!
Anyway, good luck, and here’s hoping for the best.
I received a letter in December saying that they had no record of my filing a return and I spent hours getting an IRS account so that I could see what was going on. They did cash my ATTACHED check so I am not in arrears but until they enter the return into the system (I submitted a copy per their request, this time getting the signature), 2020 is in limbo. I am 99% certain that the eFiling process matches to the AGI on the prior year’s return (why else would they ask for it?) so an eFile would be rejected. I hope they find it by next year.
Wednesday Meese. 54 going up to 60, here in Kingston. Weird. I see we have snow coming on Friday.
If you can – please see PBS doc on Ms Fannie Lou Hamer
Puerto Rico
The Women’s Intermediate Home in San Juan served as a transition home for pregnant inmates, or with children under 3 years of age, who do not have family resources for their care. The Board ordered its closure. Austerity for the most vulnerable.
During the 1500s, enslaved West Africans were sent to Puerto Rico by the Spaniards. By 1530, half of the Spanish territory’s population was from Africa. Over time, the number of West Africans enslaved on the island grew, with many working in sugar plantations amid the region’s indigenous Taino people.
Along the way, Bomba was what these enslaved Africans created to express themselves. The traditional dance and music “provided a source of political and spiritual expression” for the enslaved. As Bomba evolved, it became an expression of culture and resistance.
I have read that the life span of an enslaved person on a sugar plantation was seven years.
Heartbreaking.
Good Wednesday morning, Moosekind!
It’s cloudy today and they keep mentioning showers. We already have 61 F. and it’s going up to 71 F., so they say. At some time during the night temperatures will plummet and we’ll be greeted by sleet tomorrow morning. Thank Goddess we do not have to drive anywhere Thursday. I implored Younger Son to be careful during his commute, but perhaps there’ll be a delayed start. Friday morning we’re supposed to have ice.
Had a decent enough night’s sleep, owing to the rowing I did yesterday. Apparently I have to exercise the muscles in the derriere to have enough stamina for a half-hour row. My gym buddy is something of a rowing expert. She rowed on the Potomac with a crew and also used to teach gym in the public schools. It’s great to get her advice.
Not much news except that yesterday I discovered there is no way in hell that I can write about 10 people in 600 words. I’m going to tell that to the biggies on the Committee. They gave one guy a whole issue to write about residents’ WWII experiences in the military. Why can’t I have a whole issue for the Peace Corps? Fat chance.
Anyway, it’ll be a morning of hard work, then rushing out to get my hair done before the rain and pick up a few groceries. Hope everyone at the Pond will have a good day!
Good morning from really cold Austin. Yesterday at this time, it was in the 60s, this morning, it’s 38. Temperature dropping through the day. I’ll log off work early to cover my plants. Glad today is wfh so I can do that easily. But wow it is really cold.
It’s 18 heading – maybe – for 26 in Fayetteville, AR. Overcast and supposed to start “wintry mix” at any minute. For most of the day. The lights are on. So, by some miracle, is the PV system. Generating just about enough to run the lights I have on. (But not the computer, refrigerator, furnace fan, or anything else that might be drawing power.) Yesterday we got 3.4 KWHs bringing the m-t-d to 145.8 – if we can just get 2 today we’ll at least edge out the 2.5K system’s total.
I don’t see any way out of war. Putin wouldn’t have started this if he hadn’t thought he could get away with it. He’s pretty sure he’s got the R party on his side. He’s done enough interfering with our elections to be pretty sure the Rs will have Congress as of Jan. 2023 – and possibly the White House in Jan 2025 – and that’s pretty much all the cover he needs. He doesn’t care if his people starve and freeze for a year of sanctions. He figures they’ll be lifted before they do too much damage. Meanwhile. . . pandemic is about to get going again as all the (not always enforced) protocols for stopping it get lifted.
Everybody’s tired. And that’s on top of most of my friends’ chronic fatigue to one degree or another. Including me. sigh. Anyway, this is day 7 for the anti-virals and hopefully the shingles won’t get a new life once that’s done. The rash is backing off. Last to show up (right ankle) seems to be the first to go. None of it is “angry” any longer. But it’s still not comfortable. Especially the back of my thigh/upper leg. Sitting on it is still uncomfortable. Sitting so I don’t sit on it stresses other things that become uncomfortable. But the Ibuprofen/Tylenol seems to the ameliorating that discomfort so I can actually do it. So. Progress. I’m getting better. Not good yet, but better.
It’s still a day and we’re still here. I’m gonna bake oatmeal walnut cookies later today. For now, off to twitter. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}
Good morning, 31 and sunny outside me window today. I didn’t do much of anything yesterday and was awake in the night so I’m both restless and sleepy this morning. My legs need another easy day so I’ll try more active resting today. As always, my best wishes to all.
Abbott & Paxton (my governor and attorney general) are literal, actual devils.
Isn’t Paxton under investigation for some crime or other?
Bastids. I hope all the assholes leaving California and moving to Texas because of low taxes like the bargain they made.
Good morning, meeses! Thursday …
It is 14 degrees in Madison with an expected daytime high of 27. Snow flurries now, more substantial snow arriving tonight.
War. :::sigh::: It is a test of the will of the west to support democracies. And if the NATO allies fail this test it means Russia has no guardrails. I predict Putin annexes the breakaway Ukrainian regions, declares a victory, and dares the European Union to try to live without the oil and gas Russian provides. Just like Crimea in 2014, the west blinks, the map changes and we will all sit and wait to see what the next chunk of Ukraine to fall will be. I am not advocating that we get into a shooting war with Russia, I just wish that the world had more than the attention span of a toddler and would commit to real, long-term sanctions that would cripple the Russian economy.
I woke up this morning with plans to be productive and discovered that the Office upgrade I had been putting off as “too disruptive” has now been forced on me. Well, not really forced on me – I could go without email or get sort-of email on one of my other devices. So I need to test that the key features of the other products in the version of Office I am using (and have been using for the past 12 years) are not lost and then bite the bullet and upgrade. My daily productivity is about to take a big hit as I learn the new ways. :(
See all y’all later!
Bummer about the productivity hit, Jan!
Good moaning, Meese! What day is this? What planet is this? (Yawns) Did not sleep well last night, so am feeling quite stupid this morning.
Our ugly day yesterday transmuted into blue skies, sunshine, and a high of 77 F. That’s probably why we won’t have rain and sleet this morning, despite the fact that it’s now 35 F. and not going to get much higher.
Well, the Managing Editor said I could break the Peace Corps story into two sections and one can run in the summer issue. I have very little time left to write this thing.
I’ve stocked up with everything we’re likely to need except chocolate, so Dearly and I can just chill and hope for the best for poor old Ukraine and the worst for Putie, who is a vicious, evil killer and always has been.
Wishing a good day to all at the Pond.
Good (or not so good) Thursday morning Meese. Up all night watching events in Ukraine. Snowstorm on the way here this evening.
Meanwhile – ugly events are taking place in the Dominican Republic
Late start today, school districts are on 2-hour delay because of the ice & cold, so my agency is, too. I’m watching the news, hoping they’ll delay even further. Also, watching local news, even with all the wrecks and weather chaos is better than national/international news. Though yesterday there was a lot of news here: the former head of the electric grid testified that Abbott ordered them to do stuff that ended up in surcharges that people will be paying off for years. More than one electricity co-op declared bankruptcy because of the surcharges. So, to distract from that, Abbott announced a horrifying anti-trans policy. Requiring teachers, counselors, medical people and others to report any gender-affirming treatment being given to a kid. Ugh.
It’s 21 heading for 32 – maybe – overcast with off and on snow and/or freezing rain. Generated 1/3 KWH yesterday and we’re stuck at 146 until the snow/ice melts off the panels.
So. War. I hope our people remember what Hitler did after he “annexed” the Sudetenland in 1938. Europe certainly does. But if we bail on our allies now, well, we become an ally of Russia. And so much for democracy. Of course America has really never given a damn about that. The Magats of their day were on Hitler’s side. And wouldn’t have “come together” in patriotic fervor if Japan hadn’t attacked something we claimed as our own. I doubt Putin will make that mistake. We’ve got more nukes than he does.
I’m doing better. Not great but better. My “folks” are pretty much same ol’ same ol’ – but at least they’re not worse. Off to twitter and Dee’s diary. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}
Good morning, 25, light clouds and about 2″ of snow outside my window today. I’ve scanned the news and feel overwhelmed with worry and frustration, so I’m going to try to find a simple project to do. I have an old and very worn quilt my great grandmother made so today might be a good day to see if I can make some repairs and give it a new life. Best wishes to all.
Good morning, meeses! Friday …
It is 12 degrees in Madison with an expected daytime high of 25. Mostly cloudy skies are in the forecast. We were “scheduled” to get 2-4 inches of snow yesterday evening and into the night – just eyeballing it, it looks like about 2. I think east of us got significantly more. The weekend will start a warm spell with highs in the 30s and 40s.
I am watching and reading punditry looking for some hope for Ukraine’s future. The Ukrainians did the worst thing imaginable in Putin’s mind – they rejected the Russian puppet he installed and voted for democracy. A column by Eugene Robinson suggests that the invasion is not just to install a new puppet but to warn Russians (and other nations on Russia’s borders) what will happen if they were to embrace western-style democracy. I am not sure it matters that his army can’t subjugate an entire population, he will wreak bloody hell trying and probably Ukrainians will give up rather than die. One wonders what might have happened if instead of the United States foreign policy under tRump being to undermine Ukraine, it had been to laud democracy there and provide military and economic help? The tragedy unfolding there now is just another horrific failure that can be laid at the feet of TFG.
Rumors are that President Biden will make his Supreme Court announcement today. All signs point to Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson. She would be the best pick, the most reliable for all important Democratic priorities. It would also give Biden another pick for the DC Circuit – the other two front-runners would be leaving a state seat and a district court seat. I think the judge in South Carolina that Lindsey Graham likes (RED FLAG!!) is on the short list for a Circuit Court seat, in any event. I hope the pick is today, we need some cheering up.
I feel badly for young people coming of age now – they get a deadly pandemic, an economy in tatters, a housing crisis and now a world war. Really, since 2001, other than off and on during the Obama Administration, things have pretty much sucked for young people. I hope we can break the cycle of suckage and keep Congress in the midterms and expand our Senate majority. I have a fixed but reliable income and will muddle through but I want a brighter future for my daughter.
Busy day today with my next phase of downsizing beginning in earnest. Today’s project will clear some space for staging the sorting, scanning, shredding, re-storing of the things in my office that are no longer needed. We hang onto too much stuff, really.
See all y’all later!
Friday Meese. 21 and snowing here in Kingston NY. Watching Ukraine. There are no words.
Puerto Rico
Funds for PR plus the other colonies
For those of you who love to cook:
Good foggy Friday morning, Moosekind! It’s 33 F. at the moment. Yesterday it rained all day. Although it was gloomy, I’m not complaining as we need the ground to soak it up in preparation for a dry spring and arid summer. It’s supposed to be sunny, windy, and 50-ish this afternoon.
I have to quickly get ready to go with Dearly to take Monty for his checkup, Borditella jab, and replenish his flea and tick meds. I’m still working on the PC volunteer story, but this morning we have to go to Apple to activate the new-to-us phones. Altogether it’s too busy today.
Good luck with the downsizing, Jan, and wishing a good day to everyone at the Pond.
Cold again but at least no ice/rain. Working in the office today, yesterday was exhausting. Several people didn’t come in at all, but at least the call volume was light. Anyway, in the office, eating breakfast and catching up on the news. Have I mentioned lately that my governor and attorney general are monsters?
It’s 15 heading for 35 and sunny! The PV system managed to trickle another 1/3 KWH yesterday. We’re still not to 147 for the m-t-d but we’re closer. Some light can actually get through ice which is what we have most of even though it looks like snow.
Well, the MSM pays attention when the wars involve “white” nations and “super” powers who have nukes. Even though they’re no more evil than the wars on other continents – or even just islands – involving people who are not white. Since there’s nothing in Putin’s lust for power plan to hand world dominance to China, he’s not going to use those nukes on us. Mutually Assured Destruction isn’t just a saying. But that doesn’t mean he won’t use them on somebody else if the Rs get back into power. (Even the America Firsters of the 1930s would be appalled that America is now willing to become a 2nd-fiddle “Me Too, Mussolini” to Russia.) All I got is prayers.
Prayers are pretty much what I got for everybody else, too. But then that’s always been true. I gave money when I had it but I’ve never had much so that ran out fairly quickly. And of course on Twitter there’s way more need than I can even do a $10 each as I used to do back on DK before I got seriously involved in fundraising. Nothing but prayers is gonna help Jill’s son – whose tank-driver training got moved up a week. But to get at least the females fixed, to replace the RV fridge, things like that, that takes money. To get Lisa sort of safe monthly at the motel takes a lot of money and to get her really safe would take a whole lot more money. To get Aji’s well and irrigation system put in so they can go back to growing all their own hay and half their own food in this drought takes a whole lot of money. It’s not right, but it’s what is. sigh.
I’m doing better – at least as far as the shingles is concerned. Sinusitis is still flaring. So are my hands – but they’re easing up too. I got one of my tax refunds in yesterday and bought a non-electric treadmill on Amazon. I should get it Wednesday. Then (once I’ve got it assembled) we’ll see how many of my issues have been lack of exercise these last several months.
Off to twitter. Bright the day, Meeses. {{{HUGS}}}