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. I voted yesterday, turnout was pretty good for mid-afternoon on a weekday. Busy day today: early lunch to do kickboxing, then noon Ash Wednesday service and after work I’m going to my Dem club’s meeting mostly because I need to ask for donations to the AIDS Ride. Next Thursday there’s a donation match, so I’ve written up little slips to hand out.
It’s 59 heading for 75 and sunny at the moment. PV monitoring system finally fixed their “terms of service” and “terms of privacy” boxes so I could actually check that I accept them, which I did because no choice – I accept them or lose access to the monitoring service – and I can now get to my monitoring portal. At the moment they’re apparently working on something else as it’s only showing the day’s usage with no options to look at anything else, but at least I’m in. (And don’t have to walk out to the inverter in all weathers to get the day’s data.) Yesterday we generated 8 KWHs and the m-t-d at 148.1 is still on track.
I cannot shake this cough. Everything else is back to normal. Or as normal as can be with as much gunk in the air. I’ll be running errands today and I’m going to get some plain cough syrup. The generic Nyquil is a multi-symptom concoction (that tastes nasty – artificial raspberry flavor) and I really don’t need all those chemicals hitting my stomach.
After reading Anne Louise Avery’s “Pancake Day” in her Patreon yesterday we ended up having pancakes – more like crepes really – following the recipe in the post. They were quite good but about 3x the amount of bread I normally eat in a day. LOL. I did eat all the pancakes but couldn’t manage all the fillings. So. Duly pancaked and a shriven as I can manage, going into Lent doing pretty much my normal not-quite-minimalist routine. And boosting of course. Holding the Good/Healing/Protecting Thought for everybody. {{{Meeses}}}
I could not find any over the counter cough med that worked and that just did coughs (they all wanted to address multiple symptoms which I did not have). The only thing that has ever worked for me is B&T Cough and Bronchial syrup. It is expensive but I needed to calm down my cough to sleep.
The store pharmacy I was in today didn’t have much. Robitussin at 4x the price of the generic which is raspberry flavored. And one other thing she gives her kids. Delsym – I’d never heard of it but it’s slightly less expensive than the Robitussin and grape instead of raspberry. We shall see what we shall see.
Good morning, 33 and cloudy in Bellingham. We’re both slow and sleepy this morning but that’s ok. Coffee and solitaire got me and a crossword puzzle for Ron will get our day underway. Best wishes to all.
Good afternoon, meeses! Wednesday …
It is 55 degrees and sunny. The wind is keeping it cool. I have some repair guys here so I can’t really do anything but hang around and wait for them to finish. It was supposed to be two hours but we are now working on hour three.
See all y’all tomorrow!
Good gray Wednesday afternoon, Moosekind! It looks as if it would just love to rain any minute now, so all we can do is keep our fingers crossed. It’s 56 F. at the moment in Ashburn. I had to fly out of the flat, un-made-up, unbreakfasted, and slightly cross-eyed at 7:15 this morning, up to the Village to get the car inspected.
The guy told me it would be an hour, and did I want to wait in my car or in McDonald’s? I chose the latter and spent a few minutes, once inside, pondering the choices and picking the least caloric. In the end I asked for a stack of hot cakes with jam, not syrup, and a French vanilla latte. Both were too sweet for my taste.
Once home I felt so sleepy that I had a nap. I suppose I’d better go back to sleeping almost sitting upright, with three pillows, instead of making do with only two. I don’t cough as much when I sleep on my back sitting almost upright.
The party yesterday was rather dull. I made an apple crumble and baked baby pizzas from Trader Joe’s, since it was a “bring a dish to share” party. The babies went quickly and when I went to pick up the serving implement for the apple crumble, there wasn’t a scrap left! Glad people appreciate apples. I wore my Zodiac dress, which people seemed to like.
Ah Got Mah Social today! Wildly happy, of course, as I’m never quite sure whether Mango Mussolini or Goebbels will declare that we oldsters don’t deserve to get Social Security, and should starve.
I’m not feeling like working or studying this afternoon. Bad me! I just want to relax, look out the window at the grayness, have a cup of tea, and eventually get ready for my dinner date. We have to leave at 4:55 to walk through the buildings to the restaurant.
No more news, except that there was a touching tribute to Jesse Jackson from Michelle Singletary (who writes a family financial advice column) in this morning’s Washington Post. I almost cried. His words changed a little girl’s life.
Hope everyone at the Pond is having a good day!
Good morning. My stomach is not happy, but I got my mile in and I’m at my desk. U2 put out a protest song yesterday, American Obituary. It’s actually not depressing despite the title. The former prince has been arrested. I hope he spills all the beans.
Good morning, meeses! Thursday …
It is 45 degrees in Tucson 🌵 with an expected daytime high of 59. It is overcast now and apparently rained overnight – the sun should make an appearance this afternoon. I have not been able to see the thin waxing crescent moon yet and will not likely see her today. But I am grabbing her waxing energy for pending projects!
One wonders if the rotting maggot infested pumpkin is planning a war to bolster his sagging ratings and to take attention off what his gestapo is doing? It has worked for other Republican presidents. I am not sure about this guy – he has not made the case that any of his international dealings have anything to do with US security versus his own personal enrichment or a way to strike terror in our country’s allies. I guess we shall see.
I started today by sleeping in after a stressful day of “repair guys taking longer than expected to finish projects”. It felt good! Now I will dig in and get the most important tasks done first and try to pare down the to-do list to be more manageable. The USA Hockey Women’s Olympic team will play for the Gold at 11:20am MST and I want to be eyes forward in front of my TV.
See all y’all later!
It’s 61 heading for 72 and sunny at the moment. I at least have access to the PV monitoring system now but the techbros are still up to something because I can only see the day’s production. Even once it’s actually fixed I think I’m going to continue my own spreadsheet. For the next time the bros get a bright idea that takes weeks to fix. Anyway, we generated 12.24 KWHs yesterday and the m-t-d at 160.3 is solidly on track.
I’m not sure the Delsym cough syrup is making any difference. Sometimes I think I’m coughing less, sometimes I don’t. I’ve had two doses as of 6:30 this morning and I’ll take at least a couple more on the chance that it’s a drug that has to build up in the system. Meanwhile my side is starting to hurt from all the coughing. But I’ve still got no fever, no body aches, no more queasiness than I’d expect from the amount of mucus I’m swallowing (& the artificial colors & flavors in the OTC drugs I’ve been taking) – basically no signs that I’m dealing with a viral or bacterial infection. Just the cough from breathing all the irritating gunk in the air. Sigh.
Well, coughing or not, I still need to be about my boosting. Holding the Good/Healing/Protecting Thought for everybody. {{{Meeses}}}
Good misty, moisty, Thursday morning, Meese! ‘Tis 41 F. at the moment, heading for 43 F. later—big deal.
The most enjoyable part of the day is checking in at the Pond every morning to see what everyone’s doing. Yes, Mango is starting a war (actually, only Congress can declare war) against Iran to distract everyone from Epstein and the lousy economy. Gods, war with Iran! I remember when Dubya declared, “Ah’m a WORE prez-dint.” Jeez.
I read the book about the former Prince Andrew, Entitled, and decided that he and Fergie are the biggest waste of space on the planet. Their indulgences! Their lack of education, their lack of concern for the world at large, or anything other than their own aggrandizement would be awe-inspiring if it weren’t so reprehensible.
In other news, now they’re thinking Nancy Guthrie was taken to Mexico. I’m thinking she must be deceased, if her health was as precarious, even in the ideal circumstances of her home, as has been reported. Poor lady. What did she ever do to have this happen to her? One could ask the same question about all the innocents slain by ICE.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, it’s supposed to rain today. Hurrah1 Hope it gets rid of the last of the snowcrete. Busy day today: lunch with a good friend, actors’ workshop this afternoon, Nora arriving around six for dinner at the Pub with moi. This morning I HOPE to inject some pizazz into my diabetes article. It is distinctly lacking in that quality at the moment.
Wishing a good day to all at the Pond!
Thursday Meese. One of my doggies is at the beauty parlor getting shaved and trimmed to get rid of his mats. His litter brother is sitting here howling because he didn’t get to go. I need ear plugs.
Puerto Rico
Hurricane Melissa
Good morning, 30 and cloudy with a chilly breeze in Bellingham today. I enjoyed being in my sewing room yesterday so I’ll do some more clean up today and then I can start a new sewing project. I want to restore one of my grandmother’s quilts so I’ll see if I have the fabrics needed for mending the star pattern and rebinding the edge. The hand stitched quilting pattern is fairly simple so I think I can replicate her stitches. Best wishes to all.
Good morning. Listening to the new U2 music. Awesome songs about terrible things. Happy Friday.
It’s 26 heading for 53 and sunny at the moment. Finally the PV data monitoring is back to as normal as it get since the techbros started playing with it. I have access to current, cumulative, and comparative data again. I am going to transfer some of that historic data to my spreadsheet later today. Because you know there will be a “next time” to deal with. Yesterday we generated 12.04 KWHs and the m-t-d at 174.84 is definitely on track.
The cough seems to be better. I took another dose of the cough syrup this morning and probably will again this evening. But I want to get off this crap as soon as I can. Artificial grape is better than artificial raspberry by a long chalk but my body doesn’t really like artificial anything. Had a sinus headache overnight that almost morphed into a migraine. Between the Ibu, caffeine, lavender, and oatmeal for breakfast it’s easing off now. Just a bit queasy (part of which is the artificial flavorings I’ve been ingesting the last 5 days) and my eyes are bothering me. Haven’t had one of these in years and hopefully won’t again for more years. Meanwhile, there’s boosting to do so I’d best get to it. Holding the Good/Healing/Protecting Thought for everybody. {{{Meeses}}}
Good damp Friday, Moosekind! It’s gray and 38 F. in Ashburn this morning. When I got up it was raining heavily in a most satisfactory manner. We receive so little rain in Data Center Land that when it does rain, I feel like dancing!
Pedicure at 11, Diabetes Support Group at 1, Mardi Gras party at 1 also, but I’ll have to leave the support group early so I can run home and change. Tonight, dinner with fellow actor, followed by rehearsal at 8. This play is so difficult. Besides that, all of us actors are really old and kinda stoopid, so we’re just not getting it. Never mind.
They had better NOT pass the SAVE Act. Rethugs will lie, cheat, and steal to rig the election. I don’t trust any of them.
Why doesn’t he choke on a hamburger? Other people have. That’s not kind, but then, neither is he.
Wishing a good day to all at the Pond!
{{{Diana}}} FYI – according to Aji’s Patreon today her people (Great Lakes region tribes) call the February moon the “Black Bear Moon”. Moar {{{HUGS}}}
Thanks, bfitz! Is that because they wake up and start feeling hungry? I saw green fuzz on some trees today and felt quite happy!
Could be. She didn’t say why her people call it that, just that they do. I’m seeing some green stuff around here as well. Which isn’t good because it’s way too early & it’ll probably be killed by a hard freeze in March. Or April. But it’s pretty so I guess enjoy it while we got it. {{{Diana}}}
Good morning, 28 and cloudy in Bellingham today. I will stay indoors today because my old joints really feel the chilly breeze. I have a “gardening while 80ish” plan forming so I’m nearly ready to shop for the perennial plants I want to use to fill the pots, then I can just add a few seasonal flowers. It’s been hard to change my thinking from the complex plantings I have enjoyed doing, but life changes and now it’s time for a more simple plan. I’ll use as many native plants as I can so that will keep the new plan more interesting. The windows in my sewing room look out into the garden so I can think about being there while staying warm indoors. Best wishes to all.
Good evening, Meeses! Friday …
It never got above 57 today but at least the sun came out. I saw the pretty little waxing crescent supine in the western sky last night. It was nice to see her, it had been a while.
I desperately need this weekend to get caught up. I had three projects insert themselves into my schedule this week and I lost a day and a half because of the repair guys. Next week I have only one thing I need to leave the house to do so that should help me stay on track.
See all y’all tomorrow!
Saturday Meese. 31 here in Kingston, going up to 42 and we are under a winter storm watch.
Remembering:
John Lewis
Malcolm X
Barbara Jordan
(February 21, 1936 – January 17, 1996)
We can thank them for the words and the examples they left that can give us the courage to resist. Decent people knew that slavery was wrong, decent people knew that denying basic rights to Black Americans was wrong, and decent people know that unleashing an uncontrolled federal police force on the people living in our country, citizens and non-citizens alike, is wrong. John Lewis would say that protesting and resisting ICE would be Good Trouble.
Good morning, meeses! Saturday …
It is 43 degrees in Tucson 🌵 with an expected daytime high of 64. Sunny skies are in the forecast.
Well, the Constitutional crisis everyone has been waiting for has arrived. The Supreme Court finally found a bridge too far for their party’s leader and stopped Mad King Donald’s tariffs. Of course they really didn’t because, as they say, the Supreme Court has no enforcement mechanism and has to rely on the party’s who lost to accept the ruling and comply. So the first thing the rotting pumpkin does is slap a new global tariff on all products. I am not sure what happens next because in MAGAt America, there is no Republican Party capable of fixing what they allowed to happen. Well, 250 years, it was a nice run.
I have many things to do today and I had a good night’s sleep and a cup of coffee and a plan.
See all y’all later!
Good morning. I’m up & heading to kickboxing. I find that if I exercise first thing, I’m more likely to actually do it. Anyway, hi.
It’s 40 heading for 50 and cloudy at the moment. Yesterday we generated 12.95 KWHs – highest to date for month & year – and the m-t-d at 187.75 is definitely on track.
The rain they were predicting turned out to be 2 flashes of lightning, 2 claps of thunder, and 3 grumbles off in the distance. Sigh. My cough’s somewhat better but certainly not gone. The queasiness is better since I quit taking the cough medicine. The sinusitis is the same as it usually is when there’s a lot of gunk in the – no good. Neither is the lack of sleep that comes with it. Double sigh. But I’m here and I’m still much better off than most of my online friends. So I’m grateful. Meanwhile I’d best be about my boosting day. Holding the Good/Healing/Protecting Thought for everybody. {{{Meeses}}}