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 …
It is 59 degrees in Tucson 🌵 with an expected daytime high of 90. Sunny skies are in the forecast. I saw the nearly full moon over the mountains yesterday evening – she will be full here tomorrow morning at 6:53am MST but we won’t see her until after 7pm so tonight’s moon will be the fullest we will see in the dark skies.
Chuck Schumer plans to tee up a vote on birth control access to make sure that everyone in America knows that Republicans do not want to stop at restricting abortion, that they want to turn us into a nation where women are just incubators for “every sacred sperm.” So, for the women who are on the fence about abortion rights, there will be a bright white light shining on the right-wing’s plan to control their bodies for the entirety of their reproductive years.
We are having a nice run of excellent May weather and my earlier morning walks are in very pleasant temperatures. Unfortunately, the walks cut into time available for my early morning client projects so that is going to shorten the time I have to read the news and catch up with meeses.
See all y’all later!
It’s 63 heading for 75 and raining. Also dark enough the lights are on and the PV system isn’t. The clouds moved in yesterday around 1:45 (i.e. the beginning of peak production time) and we only generated 13.1 KWHs. The m-t-d at 312.6 is still on track for 450 but losing ground. And it’ll lose more today.
I talked to Fineena for a short time last night. Nothing conclusive and nothing good. The oncologist said none of the treatment possibilities he checked into since her last visit are going to work and he’s got no treatment options for her at her stage. The hospital wants her out today and they don’t care where she goes as long as it’s away. Her 2 friends in Charlotte are scrambling around trying to find a place for her to go because back to the apartment is not viable. One of her friends “went off” on one of the hospital staff – possibly front office person, possibly social worker – on that point. Fineena’s PCP and all her specialists say she is not to leave a medically supported and supervised situation. Only the Matthews staff doctor prefers she die and quit bothering him. So. That’s where things were last night when somebody came in with her meds and she had to get off the phone.
My laundry was barely dry when it started clouding up yesterday but it was dry and I brought it in. The lawn people came a day early and did the yard because they wanted to do it while the ground was dry. Probably wise. It’s certainly not dry today (their scheduled day). Anyway, I’d best be about my boosting. Holding the Good Thoughts for everybody. {{{Meeses}}}
The American Health Care system. My Goddess!
Good morning, 49 and partly cloudy outside my windows today. Yesterday was a chilly pouring rain day so after my haircut I just rested the afternoon away. I’ll work at my desk this morning and do something in my sewing room this afternoon. Best wishes to all.
Good afternoon, Moosekind! It’s another beautiful day in Ashburn. At 2:22 p.m. the temperature is 83 F. I still have lots of editing to do, but will go to the gym before rain threatens.
Yesterday my phone told me I had done more than 10,000 steps, which works out to 4.2 miles. I walk and walk and walk, but nothing ever happens: it’s supposed to lower your weight, bp, and cholesterol. Oh, well, whatcha gonna do.
Wishing a good day to all at the Pond.
Thursday Meese. We had a power outage due to heat last night. Thank goddess for the back up generator.
Today is #WorldTurtleDay – will be covering in Caribbean Matters.
Puerto Rico
Good morning. Walk done, it’s ten million degrees already (77 degrees with high humidity before sunrise is just wrong for this time of year — that’s July/August weather). Anyway, here I am, in the office. Another super short-staffed day, several people taking off early for the long weekend.
We have another 5 days of very nice weather (cool morning, warm afternoons, abundant sunshine and low humidity) then we get a reminder that June is next week and our triple digit days start. Each year is different, though, but the one constant is “hotter overall”. We are a stupid people to have allowed our planet to burn up.
Good morning, meeses! Thursday …
It is 59 degrees in Tucson 🌵 with an expected daytime high of 91. Sunny skies are in the forecast. I saw the 99.9% illuminated moon last night rising over the mountains right before sunset and then high in the ESE sky throughout the evening. She became completely full while she was out of my sight about an hour ago.
Biden and his Senate majority confirmed their 200th federal judge yesterday. I wish Democratic voters cared about the courts as much as Republican voters do – they are willing to vote for imperfect candidates in order to get the Supreme Court that they wanted to overturn progressive legislation and repeal the rights of voters, minorities and women. Voters in 2024 should not ask if Biden and his policy choices are perfect but should imagine a Supreme Court where white nationalists are given the power to declare a president a dictator with permission to round up anyone who looks like an immigrant and expel them from the country. Bernie Sanders gave the left-wing permission to make “principled” votes and sit out 2016 in a peeve while Republicans told their supporters that while tRump was a disgusting pig, he was their disgusting pig and would fill the courts with people who would create a christian theocracy in America. It is past time for Democrats to learn how to fall in line and vote AGAIN – for crying out loud! – for democracy.
A lot of people will be gone tomorrow to get a head start on the long weekend so I need to get some things into their inboxes and to get information I need to set up a long weekend of client work.
See all y’all later!
Posted:
It’s 69 heading for 82 and sunny at the moment. According to the widget it’s not supposed to be sunny at all today so I’m happy that I’m getting any sunshine. After dumping 1.6″ of rain the sun did finally come out yesterday. But only enough to generate 10 KWHs. We ended yesterday/started today with the m-t-d at 322.9 so still on track for 450. Barely. We’ll have to generate at least 15 KWHs to stay on track.
I talked to Fineena last night. Everything’s still up in the air. She’s still at Matthews, still supposed to leave ASAP, still doesn’t know where she’s going, still under doctors’ orders to be in a medical facility of some kind. She does know she’s been denied for Medicaid (that would at least allow her to stay in Matthews) for the 3rd time although nobody knows why she’s being denied. She has no property, no savings, and her only income is her Social Security. Since she retired at 64 she’s not even getting the max benefit on that. AND she’s terminally ill. She needs to be in a Hospice facility but so far if anybody’s looking for one for her, they haven’t found one. Sigh.
Well, bluesky finally got direct messaging as of yesterday. Only they call it “chat” rather than messages. That’ll probably mean a bunch of folks who’ve been staying at Xitter because of the DMs will migrate over today. We shall see. Meanwhile I need to get to my boosting. Holding the Good Thoughts for everybody. {{{Meeses}}}
Good afternoon, 56 and partly sunny in my garden today. I have a few violas to plant in a pot at the top of the back steps but first I need to clear out the evergreen fuchsia that didn’t survive the winter and RonK will need to help me do that. The no lifting and/or standing guideline is limiting but oh well. It’s better that non stop pain so I’m trying to be patient. Best wishes to all.
Friday Meese. Will have a bright sunny day here in Kingston today. Looks like we will have 3 days in a row with no rain.
Puerto Rico
I have family and friends in the South Bronx. Glad to see the pushback
Good morning. Tackled a hill on my walk/run this morning — just one block of it, but I ran it twice. Wondering how few people will show up today. Hoping people think we’re closed.
Good morning, meeses! Friday …
It is 59 degrees in Tucson 🌵 with an expected daytime high of 93. Sunny skies are in the forecast. The weather people said that the 50 degree mornings will soon be a thing of the past; I just hope the 60 degree mornings will hold on for a while. Last year we had already seen our first 100 so there is that.
Good lord, tRump is considering Traitorous Tom Cotton, poster child of the white supremacist movement, as his VP. That will leave no doubt in anyone’s mind that the plan is to gain power and dissolve the government in favor of a dictatorship. HE will not stop and ask people if what he is doing is legal, he will just do it if it favors Republicans. I hope our side has clips of some of his more awful statements including the recent one that declares that Israel has the right to kill every Palestinian civilian. Goddess help us if he gets any closer to the levers of power than he already is.
More polls and New York Times Biden Hate to ignore – it is getting more difficult to do and may soon require not opening my news feed.
I have a busy pre-holiday work day here. See all y’all later!
Tom Cotton is more dangerous than Trump. Just less “charismatic”.
It’s already 75 heading for 80 and I need to close up the house as soon as I post this. Sunny at the moment but clouds & rain are supposed to move in before noon. sigh. I hope the widget’s wrong on that. Yesterday we generated 18.6 KWHs and at 341.8 the m-t-d is on track for 450 and gained a little ground. We shall see if we keep it.
Everything with Fineena’s up in the air. I’m not sure who “they” is but “they” have appealed the Medicaid denial and she’s still at Matthews while it’s pending. I hope “they” get around to finding out why she’s being denied. My bet in an incorrect code somewhere because she certainly qualifies for it. She sees her neurologist today. I’ll try to connect with her again tonight.
Been to the grocery store. It’s that time of year when the earlier the better. Especially if I’m getting frozen food. As I usually do. (Including ice cream this time in case my company who will be here Monday afternoon/evening wants some. 😁) So. Close up the house, then start my boosting day. Holding the Good Thoughts for everybody. {{{Meeses}}}
Good Friday morning, Moosekind! We have some sunlight with blue sky trying to break through the haze of white veils overhead. There’s enough blue to patch a Dutchman’s trousers, so I think we’ll have a clear day a bit later.
Yesterday we received the long-threatened rain with lightning, so the weather forecasters cheered up. So did we. However, the clouds hung around long enough that I couldn’t see the Flower Moon. Sigh. However, so many people have so much worse problems that I shan’t complain. Right now it’s 71 F. in Ashburn.
My office is adrift in paper. I’m busy editing the high-priority pieces right now. Later, when the guy who’s honchoing the project is on a ship cruising the remote Northern latitudes (Faroe Islands, anyone?), I’ll edit the less high-priority offerings. I’ll be glad to have him away for three weeks: he doesn’t like me and he has a very bad temper.
But enough of that. We’re going to have our sixth rainy weekend in a row. Toldja the weather here is awful, didn’t I? Just found out that a man I frequently saw at the gym DIED on May 18th! He was such a nice old guy: rowed in the morning and did the bicycle thing at the gym in the afternoon. I’m going to the Day of Remembrance service tomorrow and if there is no one there to put a rose in the vase, I’ll do it.
No other news except the flights to Japan were so full that our would-be travelers can’t go yet. Dearly is too old to travel and I’m getting to the age where I don’t want to move out of my own light, so there we are. We can always pop a Rick Steves video in the DVR if we want to see what Portugal looks like.
I keep falling asleep in my chair after dinner, so I haven’t called anyone. Will do my best to stay awake tonight so I can do that. Wishing a good day to all at the Pond!
Good afternoon, 56 and raining in Bellingham. The annual Ski to Sea Festival happens this weekend but it seems unusually quiet this year. We haven’t gone to the parade, carnival or the end of the race street festival in Fairhaven for years but we usually know what’s going on. Oh well, it’s going to rain all weekend so we’ll just stay home like normal. I’ve had a quiet day but will do a few housekeeping things soon. Best wishes to all.
Saturday Meese. Going to spend some time with friends today at a BBQ and pool party. It will be 84 and sunny.
Puerto Rico
The government knows what to do
Sorry – one of my other toons slipped in (from the UK) and I can’t edit the comment
Sorry! I was never able to get the replacement Comment Edit add-on to work (we lost our best one after an upgrade made it stop working). I am hoping to have better luck trying it from the new web hosting.
BBQ with friends is always good. {{{Dee}}}
Good morning. Slept in, will go to the gym this afternoon. Don’t have to cook, so I can be lazy.
It’s 67 going to 87 and sunny at the moment. We shall see how long that lasts. Yesterday we generated 11.3 KWHs so we lost ground but the m-t-d at 352.95 is still, barely, on track for 450.
I didn’t manage to connect with Fineena yesterday so I guess everything is still up in the air. Basket’s in MS for the old-time piano competition. He plays today at least and if he goes to the semi-finals he plays again tomorrow. Either way he heads for my house Monday. It will be so very good to see him again. But that’s Monday. Today is Saturday and there’s a lot of boosting to do. Holding the Good Thoughts for everybody. {{{Meeses}}}
Bfitz, so glad Basket is coming to visit!
Good Saturday morning, Meese. Outside the weather is a bit iffy, just like yesterday: it can’t make up its mind whether to be sunny or dim. Anyway, at the moment it’s nice enough, 76 F., and going up to 80-something.
Have a pile of editing to do. Am up to my ears in it, in fact. I need to get it done before Snippy departs on his cruise on June 6th. This reminds me of the days when I had to go out editing for a living.
Next week is very busy already. Tuesday, I have a tiresome eye doctor appointment in the morning, getting hair done in the afternoon, then dinner with the UUs. Wednesday I’m meeting one of my writers at the Clubs Fair. I want her to join the Drama Club, which I know from experience can take over a person’s life. She has a situation in her private life that is not capable of being solved and she’s brooding about it.
On Thursday the Sales Department wants to pay for my lunch if I’ll impart the details of running a Writers’ Group to an incoming new resident. It would please me very much if someone started up a third writers’ group. My group is full and we have such a peculiar, intense bond that we just can’t admit anyone else. There isn’t room, anyway.
Let me just say, before I forget, that I have come to enjoy life here. It’s nice to walk down the hall and be greeted by neighbors; it’s nice to stroll around Great Oak Common for my postprandial perambulation and say hello to people I know from the Drama Club, or my Writers’ Group, or from the Progressives. When we lived at home I had plenty of babies and grandchildren around, but they’re terribly grown up now and have sports or boyfriends on their minds.
I’d better get on with my work. Hope everyone at the Pond will have a blissful day!
I’m so very glad you are having an enjoyable life where you are. One that’s for you. It’s time for the kids and grandkids to make their own.
Having a big house for family gatherings is nice but eventually the gatherings become fewer and fewer (only the BIG holidays as people don’t feel obligated to be there for everything) and the work it takes to host gets more and more difficult. My mother used to host everything but as she got older and more frail the big family gatherings moved to her children’s houses so she just had to get herself there and someone else did the cleanup. :)