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Week-long Welcomings from Moosylvania: Feb. 15th thru Feb. 21st

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Welcome to The Moose Pond! The Welcomings diaries 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.

In lieu of daily check-ins, which have gone on hiatus, Welcomings diaries will be posted at the start of each week (every Sunday morning) and then, if necessary due to a large number of comments, again on Wednesday or Thursday to close out the week. To find the diaries, 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?

…


Categories: Uncategorized.

/ 200 Comments

200 comments

  1. JanF

    It is -7 degrees in Madison WI, on its way up to +9. The wind chill right now is 21 below and there is a wind chill advisory in effect until 11am. Morning sun and afternoon clouds are in the forecast.

    Have a great day, all y’alls!!

  2. JanF

    When we get closer, it will take on a bit more urgency because we will get anxious about one of those yahoos getting too close to the reins of power.

    One thing that I have been noticing is that all of the Republicans are running the 2012 campaign, acting as though their opponent is President Barack Obama. It seems a bit risky to run against the successes of his administration, especially in how he reset foreign policy to have the U.S. become more of a partner and less of a dictator (the daddy party hates that). That works for those drawn to Rand Paul but not the McCain-Graham wing of the party. And I think most Republicans are for a boots-on-the-ground, ships-in-the-Gulf kind of foreign policy. Doyle McManus:

    Ever since President George W. Bush’s long misadventure in Iraq, his Republican successors have been struggling to refashion conservative foreign policy in a way most voters would embrace.

    “I don’t think the debate exists because Rand Paul is there; Rand Paul is there because the debate exists,” said Danielle Pletka, a foreign policy scholar at the conservative American Enterprise Institute. “He represents people who are uncomfortable with American global engagement.” […]

    Three rough camps among potential Republican candidates can be discerned. There are interventionists, who want the United States to do more. There’s the lone anti-interventionist, Paul. And, in between, there’s a big group of straddlers who say they would be tougher than Obama but, when pressed, don’t offer much in the way of specifics.

    I am anxious to hear where our nominee comes down on this. He or she has a perfect opportunity to continue policies that rebuild the reputation destroyed by the Bush-Cheney regime because the Obama Doctrine of “don’t do stupid sh-t” is working. There is no need to abruptly shift gears.

  4. Portlaw

    of the Pond.

    In a quick scan of the news, it looks as though there is lots of banging of the drums of war, lots wanting another Crusade. Not one seems to get the fact that the much of the current trouble was caused by our previous interventions.  It’s very scary. It’s also disgusting.

    Hope all the ailing Meese are feeling much better today. Will check in later.

  5. princesspat

    No complaints about the weather though…..fog comes and goes but the cold temps for WI and NY seem to last forever.

    The Camilla that last was damaged by snow last winter has recovered and is blooming, the moss is a vibrant green on all the rocks and pathways, and I’ve got primroses on my mind…..time to find a helper and plant some!

  7. Diana in NoVa

    It’s 14 F. and sunny here in Northern VA, with the wind wailing like a banshee around the house. Ugh. I’m sticking a toe in the Moose Pond to escape TurboTax for a little while.

    Haven’t had time to read the news because of doing taxes but hope Denise has managed to post the Jefferson-Carter piece over on Orange. I’ll head over there in a little while.

    Yeah, the Rethugs want war–as long as their fat bohunkuses aren’t on the line, under fire! Disgusting.

    Time to make lunch–hope everyone has a warm, safe day!

  8. anotherdemocrat

    I finished! Not the best race ever, I was so slow they were taking down the barricades as I passed. And at one point, there was no signage at all — like nothing. I freaked out and called my coaches, but they were both still out on the course. So I walked back to where I knew where I was & picked up the race from there. So my Map My Walk does not show 13.1 miles. But I think that is totally their fault.

    My feet are furious. Got a massage this evening. Going to take a nap now.

  9. bfitzinAR

    (as is right for a Sunday – heh) but the clouds moved in about an hour ago and the temps are dropping from the already not very high for around here 40.  We’ve got an 80% chance of “wintry mix” precipitation starting around 9 pm when I firmly expect to be in bed reading my nightly chapter before going to sleep (if I’m lucky).  Not really supposed to let up until 8 am so we may – or may not – get a snow day.  It will depend on what the roads are like when the school buses are supposed to roll out.  

    Dodged over to teh Orange to read Denise’ FP article – very good, as usual.  I didn’t leave a comment as there were over 400 already.  I did know who Carter was and yes, he’s the one who should be getting the praise and respect that Jefferson does.  Jefferson’s words are good – and the way they are written they can be/should be applied far more universally than he apparently meant them to be – but that’s about all you can say for the man as a founder.  A serious case of “do as I say, not as I do.”

    Hope everybody stays safe and warm.  {{{HUGS}}}

  10. Portlaw

    Boehner also defended his decision to invite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to speak to Congress without first consulting the White House, a decision many Democrats have slammed as a breach of protocol. A number of Democratic lawmakers have announced plans to skip the speech, or called for it to be postponed.

    “We have every right to do what we did. I wanted the prime minister to come here,” Boehner said.

    Boehner made the invitation without telling the Obama administration because he “wanted to make sure that there was no interference,” he said. “There’s no secret here in Washington about the animosity that this White House has for Prime Minister Netanyahu. I frankly didn’t want them getting in the way and quashing what I thought was a real opportunity.”

      bold mine

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/…

  11. JanF

    It is 12 degrees in Madison with an expected high of 19. Partly cloudy skies in the forecast.

    I started scanning the news and came across the Marco Rubio presidentin’ book and started laughing: “American Dreams: Restoring Economic Opportunity for Everyone. Indeed! “Everyone”. Except the blah people and the brown people (especially young people who “snuck” across the border as infants) and people who live in red states or purple states where state government is destroying education to keep rich people’s taxes low. Aha, now I get it!! Restoring the  opportunity for the top .1% (everyone Marco Rubio cares about) to buy more car elevators!  

    I really don’t think the new GOP branding as the party intent on addressing economic inequality and wage stagnation is going to work. You simply cannot Etch-a-Sketch away that much anti-worker rhetoric.

    See all y’alls later!

  12. DeniseVelez

    The wind chill is about 30 below

    I’m downstairs making coffee – then retreating to the warm second floor before time to head out to school

    This is fricking AWFUL!  

  13. Portlaw

    degrees here.  The news around the world is not good.  Will make more coffee and reassess.

    Looks as though large parts of the Moose Pond are frozen today. Be warm and safe.

  14. Portlaw

    Denise’s great recent diary


    AMID the car and mattress sales that serve as markers for Presidents’ Day, Black History Month reminds Americans to focus on our common history. In 1926, the African-American historian Carter G. Woodson introduced Negro History Week as a commemoration built around the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. Now February serves as a point of collision between presidential celebration and marginalized black history.

    While Lincoln’s role in ending slavery is understood to have been more nuanced than his reputation as the great emancipator would suggest, it has taken longer for us to replace stories about cherry trees and false teeth with narratives about George Washington’s slaveholding.

    When he was 11 years old, Washington inherited 10 slaves from his father’s estate. He continued to acquire slaves – some through the death of family members and others through direct purchase. Washington’s cache of enslaved people peaked in 1759 when he married the wealthy widow Martha Dandridge Custis. His new wife brought more than 80 slaves to the estate at Mount Vernon. On the eve of the American Revolution, nearly 150 souls were counted as part of the property there.

    It gets much worse but if you can get through the pay wall it’s worth it. The article is by  ERICA ARMSTRONG DUNBAR

    Here’s another snippet


    the Washingtons relocated first to New York and then to Philadelphia. Although slavery had steadily declined in the North, the Washingtons decided that they could not live without it. Once settled in Philadelphia, Washington encountered his first roadblock to slave ownership in the region – Pennsylvania’s Gradual Abolition Act of 1780.

    The act began dismantling slavery, eventually releasing people from bondage after their 28th birthdays. Under the law, any slave who entered Pennsylvania with an owner and lived in the state for longer than six months would be set free automatically. This presented a problem for the new president.

    Washington developed a canny strategy that would protect his property and allow him to avoid public scrutiny. Every six months, the president’s slaves would travel back to Mount Vernon or would journey with Mrs. Washington outside the boundaries of the state. In essence, the Washingtons reset the clock.

    . http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02…  

  15. Diana in NoVa

    winter has finally arrived here and we’re gonna git it. A whopping 8 inches, or so they say. Currently it’s 7 F. going up to 22 F., sky now overcast. Snow will begin after tea today, intensify during the night, and keep doin’ its thing until noon on Tuesday.

    This means I can’t go to the doctor tomorrow. I’m not supposed to drive until he’s said that I can. Guess I’ll have to ignore that on Wednesday morning.

    Looked at the TV news–why do I do this before breakfast–feeling sickened about ISIL’s murder of the Egyptians, distressed by increasing attacks against the Jewish populations of France and Denmark, and sorry for the poor old Bostonians. Talk about getting slammed!

    However, today is Miss Pink Cheeks’ actual birthday. She’s six, and of course her grandmother is very proud of her. And I finished the fiendish income taxes last night! Yay!

    Hope everyone will have a good day and avoid the traffic as much as you can!

  16. anotherdemocrat

    Thank goodness for holidays. Slept in, lazily watching the news & eating breakfast. Still sore, feet not screaming but really not happy. Got another massage scheduled this afternoon. Gotta do 4 lunches – got some leftover potato salad from last week, and some breakfast, too so I may only have to do 1 day of food.

    We had a front come in overnight. It’s 41 outside. Glad I’m inside. Wore sandals yesterday afternoon. Looks like sandals again by the end of the week. But before then — we might get snow in the morning. Not enough to cancel school/work, just enough to be pretty. Weird that last year we had more snow days than ever, and this year, none.

  17. bfitzinAR

    like between the snow on the solar panels (would like to get up there and brush is off – but don’t worry, I won’t) and the overcast we’re at zero production right now (we hit 102 KWHs for the month yesterday before the clouds moved in).  Considering I can see the dead grass through the snow I know some of you are shaking your heads in disbelief that we’ve closed the schools – but it’s not really the inch or so of snow but the 1/4 inch of ice on most of the roads and 1/2 of ice on the bridges that did it.  My computer is in my living room which is very cold so I’m logging back off and heading for the den where my woodstove is.  (Yes I have a gas furnace.  No I don’t run it high enough to keep the living room warm.)  Hope you folks are all somewhere warm and dry.  {{{HUGS}}}

  18. princesspat

    I slept in this morning so I’m even later than usual checking in. All my rest and recovery naps are starting to scramble my 24 hr clock, so it will be good to get back to a more normal activity/sleep schedule.

    We’re planning on lunch at the book store cafe with our sons and grand girls today, unless work and selling a car interfere. The boys are busy but Ron and I have lots of time.

    Stay warm and safe everyone!

  19. JanF

    It is 15 degrees in Madison with a daytime high of 15. Cloudy skies with a chance of light snow. The bitter cold comes in tonight.

    It is Spring Primary Election day here. Any race slotted for the Spring 2015 Election (in April) that has more than 2 candidates will have a primary today to winnow the field.

    I hope nothing happened yesterday! I have no time to read the news until I get some projects done and out the door.

    See all y’alls later!

  20. Diana in NoVa

    going up to 29 F. today. Fairfax County schools are closed, parents will be teleworking. I rescheduled my appointment with the doctor this morning, will go on Thursday instead.

    Had a blissful day of writing yesterday. Also had a nice surprise–went to Amazon and saw another review of my book! The reader in California appears to have really liked it (she gave it five stars) and said she plans to read it over and over again. Feeling very pleased about that.

    It’s to be hoped this will be another day off so I can clean up all the paper that now sits on the floor of my office. Letters to write, couple of fiction projects to work on. Haven’t seen the news yet–do I want to? Think I’ll go downstairs, turn on the telly, and make a cup of tea.

    Jan, do your weather conditions permit people to vote in a primary today?  Or do you think most people will stay home?

    Will pop in later to say hello to everyone.

  21. DeniseVelez

    More snow in the forecast for later today and tomorrow.

    🙁

    Will be cross-posting Tuesday’s Chile here later after I get back from school.

    Now to get coffee to warm my insides and freezing fingers!

  22. anotherdemocrat

    We are supposedly having snow flurries. I didn’t see any. It is really, really cold (for Austin). Sweater, cloak, hat gloves, wool socks.

    Still a few aches & pains from Sunday. And wow am I sleepy. Lucky my earworm is Big Girls Are Best – loud, happy, rowdy – sounds like it was recorded at a party in Brazil.

  23. Portlaw

    coming down on the several inches that fell in the night. It looks great because the new snow is covering all the dirty packed snow and ice of a few days ago. Off to the news. Slow start today and much to do. Hope it’s a good day in the Pond and the world.

  24. bfitzinAR

    which is good as it takes sunshine to get rid of snow on the solar panels at these temps.  I got a whole 200 watts (.2 KHW) yesterday – some light manages to get through the snow and I’m generating at 50 watts right now.  We did late opening today (started at 10) and I’ve got a boat load of emails to deal with since I was out yesterday.  Hope everyone manages to stay safe and warm.  {{{HUGS}}}

  25. princesspat

    My good friend is getting a new puppy next weekend so we’ve been sharing pictures and having fun talking about dogs this morning. She’s my age, has a new grand baby to care for, and now a puppy…..life does get busy!

    Her beloved old poodle died several months ago and she’s been mourning so it’s good to hear the excitement in her voice.

  27. JanF

    It is 2 degrees in Madison with an expected high of 4. Right now the wind chill is -11 … it will get to -18 later this morning. Mostly sunny skies. We will have this weather for two days!

    Lots of big stories in the news. 11.4 million people have signed up for insurance under the Affordable Care Act through February 15th. Some of those people’s lives will be saved because they will be able to afford treatment for illnesses that they were denied under the old insurance laws. For the first time ever, a YouGov/Economist poll shows that  50% of Americans support the health care law. The repealicans are now at 40%. I hope the GOP runs on that.  

    A hacktastic judge in Texas ruled that the president is not premitted to direct the Department of Homeland Security to use prosecutorial discretion related to deportations. The president has put the first phase of his order, an expansion of DACA, on hold until the government can appeal the ruling. Settled case law suggests that the hacktastic judge is a hack but it has to wind through the courts. WaPo has a helpful article on why this is not a cause for alarm and also why this is NOT good news for John Boehner and Mitch McConnell, who must figure out how to back down from the DHS funding fight without losing face:  

    Today Republicans seized on the Texas court ruling to call on Senate Democrats to drop their filibuster. Their focus is on a handful of moderate Democrats who have previously expressed discomfort with Obama’s executive actions, but have nonetheless voted to sustain a filibuster of the GOP effort to tie their rollback to Homeland Security funding. But Democratic leaders have been in touch with some of these Senators and see no signs they will change their stance in large enough numbers to matter, aides say.

    “This doesn’t change anything,” one Senate Democratic leadership aide tells me. “Everyone knew this judge would rule this way, and initial calls reveal no wobbliness whatsoever.” This aide adds that the GOP strategy of calling for yet another vote on this next week – after forcing three previous votes on it – is only further “entrenching our members.”[…]

    “We’re several layers of the onion away from a final court ruling,” this aide says. “You do not tie fights over policy to agency funding – period. That’s not a game our guys are going to play.” The aide adds that moderates “have been with us every time on this because they believe ransom for keeping the government open is not a game they will play even if they are not crazy about the underlying policy.”

    See all y’all later!

  28. DeniseVelez

    it did 🙁

    The temperature (not the wind chill) here is 3 below zero.

    I’ve retreated to the upstairs, periodically going downstairs to check the pipes.

    I hope people hit hard in the south get their power back quickly.

    I see more snow and cold in the forecast.

  29. Portlaw

    19 degrees. It’s so much colder up the Hudson where Denise is. Off to acupuncture, news and more coffee later. Will check in again to see what you all have to say!

  31. anotherdemocrat

    Cold this morning – 30s, but today starts the upswing of the rollercoaster & it’ll be in the lower 60s by the time I leave work. 70s tomorrow through Saturday — and 40s on Sunday. giggles madly

    The County Clerk says she can’t issue marriage licenses yet, but that yesterday’s decision is “one more domino” on the way to equality.

    On the phone with the insurance company for 3 minutes & I’m ready to kill. Sigh.

    earworm (despite the classical music on their transfer hold) still Big Girls Are Best, but Blackeyed Peas’ I Gotta Feeling is also nudging in.

  32. Diana in NoVa

    going up to 32 F. today. Snow flurries, perfectly timed to ruin evening rush hour, are going to hit between 4 and 6. Thank Goddess The Little Family is staying home today–well, 3/4 of it, anyway. Babylicious is taking a nap at the moment, so my son will bring him over when he wakes up. The schools are closed again today, but Miss Pink Cheeks will occupy herself with reading, drawing, painting, and sometimes coding on her school Web site. The other day she informed me scornfully that cartoons on TV are for “preschoolers.”

    As Portlaw has mentioned, the best news is that a BEAGLE won at Westminster last night! Let it be known to all present that beagles are my favorite breed. They are just so cute, dressed up in their little black and white suits with accents of tan. I informed Monty Beagle of the news this morning and he seemed ever so pleased. He ran around the whole downstairs waving his furry toy snake and making it squeak.

    Got some writing done yesterday on a massive blog I’m working on and began writing “The Lost Dogs of Morgantown.” It’s weird how titles come into my mind, like anotherdemocrat’s earworms, and agitate there until I think of a story to go with them.

    Hope everyone will have a good day and stay warm!

  33. bfitzinAR

    not going to have much production but hopefully it will get the snow off my solar panels so I can get generating again.  (Monthly total was 102 KWHs on Sunday – it’s now 102.73 KWHs – sigh.)  Got a pile of paper on my desk that I hope to process today.  We shall see.  At least we’re back on normal work/class schedules.  Hope everybody is safe and warm (and healing, if that’s an issue).  {{{HUGS}}}

  34. princesspat

    Our winter has been so moderate in comparison to the rest of the country, and now signs of spring are coming every day. I wish I could send a camellia bloom to all of you shivering in the snow!

  35. JanF

    It is -9 degrees in Madison with a windchill of -22. The expected daytime high is 5 under mostly sunny skies.

    SHOCK!!! Jeb(!)’s foreign policy advisers are the architects of the war on Iraq. If there were no other disqualifications to his candidacy, that should do it. I hope it moves our candidate to the left on the use of force.

    SHOCK!!! The right wing is up in arms because the president refuses to call the war on violent extremism a war on Islam. They want a holy war because it is easier to gin up support if you get warmongering entertwined with religious extremism. Wait. That’s what ISIL is doing. Interesting.

    See all y’alls later!  

  36. DeniseVelez

    and my tenant came by last night – her furnace stopped working..called plumber (they charge triple to come at night) but before they arrived it had kicked back on.

    Now sitting here trying to figure out what to do.

    Sigh.  

  37. anotherdemocrat

    Had a really awful night’s sleep, glad I’m leaving early for a doctor appointment. Very few thoughts. Strangely, earworm is Snow Patrol’s Weight of Love, which I haven’t heard in days.

    I had to wear a coat & gloves this morning, but it’ll be 70 this afternoon. Probably sandals tomorrow. And for our out of town guests – 80 on Saturday. If you’re staying till Sunday, though, keep your coat because a front Saturday night will make Sunday blustery & mid-40s. Welcome to Texas.

  38. Portlaw

    is the start of the Year of the Goat.  Many Chinese restaurants here have special New Year’s menus and went out last night to celebrate because tonight is going be be very cold. Am now getting ready to go stand in line at the post office to mail some stuff. The lines here are terrible so will stop at Starbucks and get a coffee to go to.  I hate drinking coffee out of a paper cup (most Starbucks will give me a ceramic cup if I drink it there) but am going to need something for that line even if it tastes like paper!  Hope it’s a good day and year for all.

  39. bfitzinAR

    day this month.  Hopefully the sun and above-freezing temps will clear the rest of the frozen snow off my solar panels and I can get some generation – Sunday I reached 102 KWHs for the month, I’ve added just over 1-1/2 KWHs in the last 3 days.  Those panels have got to be clear for me to beat Nov’s 114 KWHs.  Hands and feet are giving me problems with the cold.  By the time we got from the car to our building I was more tottering than walking and I was inside a full 5 minutes before my fingers would work well enough to unbutton my coat.  Mostly I like getting older, but sometimes it sux.  Stay safe and warm.  {{{HUGS}}}

  40. princesspat

    February is a busy month for us. With birthdays and Valentines Day we have lots of reasons to enjoy a nice lunch or dinner out. Today is my day and it’s a relief to finally just be 70 yrs old. Worrying about becoming 70 was getting on my nerves!

    I told Ava I was now old enough to just act the age I feel like being and that on somedays I might be 7 yrs old again…..her “oh Grammie” look was priceless. She knows all to well how naughty a 7 yr old can be!

  41. Diana in NoVa

    about, going up to a whopping sweet 16 F. today. I’m late to the party this morning, with shocking news: I’m OLD!

    OMG, went to the doctor and discovered that I have to be on bp medication as well as a statin, aspirin, and one other too horrible to mention. Imagine that! I always thought I was about 21 physically but it seems that since last March, when I turned 70, I started falling apart like an old car. Every week there’s a fresh little misery to be discovered and mocked.

    Enough about that–I don’t want to be one of those dreary old bats muttering about her meds. Next thing you know I’ll dye my gums blue and join a senior citizens’ vegetarian graffiti gang.

    Dearly and I drove our Princess Pink Legs to school this morning and dropped her off as close to the front door as we’re allowed to. She refuses to  wear trousers, ever, so knitted tights were the only things keeping those little legs warm. Baby is in day care today, which means I might just possibly get some writing done. And it’s Thor’s Day!

    The news–read an account Dana Milbank wrote about Jeb’s speech. Great Goddess, he’s as hopeless as his brother regarding the English language! If he gets elected POTUS (Goddess forbid), we’re in for 4 to 8 more years of “nucular.”  

    Everyone stay warm and safe, please! And have a good day.

  43. JanF

    It is -6 in Madison with an expected high of 22. Wind chill advisory until 10am then it will start snowing.

    Unpleasant people in the news have me gritting my teeth. So I am going to think of pleasant things like new national monuments and how lucky we are to have a president who cares enough about our country and her people to ensure that future generations don’t lose the history and the beauty.

    See all y’alls later!!

  44. DeniseVelez

    it is now 1.

    Snow tomorrow.

    Sigh.

    Trying to follow Jan’s example and look for good news.

    heh.

    Still looking…..

  45. Diana in NoVa

    Schools are closed but Babylicious will be delivered here in an hour, so I’d better get cracking–still in my dressing-gown and slippers.

    I’m jealous of everyone who lives in Austin. Not only is the weather better, but some very interesting people are going to be meeting there this weekend. Too bad they’re not broadcasting it on TV. I’d rather watch the Kossack meetup than the “All Caucasian, All the Time” Oscars. I’ve always found the Oscars dead boring anyway, the exception being the years that Billy Crystal emceed it.

    Off I go to have breakfast and the first of my innumerable pills. Hope everyone will stay warm and have a good day!

  46. anotherdemocrat

    I wore a jacket & gloves yesterday — sandals this morning. It was a little cool for them, but still. It’ll be 80 tomorrow. 80. Then Sunday the high will be 45 & it’ll be trying to rain. Craziness.

    Earworm is If There’s a Rocket Tie Me To It, which despite the crazy title is actually a sweet love song.

    Speaking of love, our awful Attorney General is seeking to have yesterday’s marriage invalidated. Because it goes against his values. A couple together 31 years, who have raised 2 great kids. I suppose the fact that they aren’t on their 4th marriage or that the well partner hasn’t started cheating on the one who has ovarian cancer is what goes against his values? (the ovarian cancer thing has me thinking of Newt Gingrich). Ugh. So I will now play my earworm much louder in my head.

  47. bfitzinAR

    and overnight.  Since most of the frozen snow is off my panels, I’m hoping we’ll get at least a little sun before the rain moves in.  The ice we were supposed to have this morning went around us – dumped itself in forests and on farmland, both of which can use any precipitation they can get in any form they can get it.

    Hoping to get some work done today – the piles on my desk are keeping me from getting to the piles on top of the filing cabinet.  C.C. willing I’ll process most of both lots and get them safely inside the file cabinets!  At least my fingers are working better.  Amazing what a 20F increase in the walking-out-the-door temps will do for one’s hands this time of year.  🙂  Stay safe and comfortable.  {{{HUGS}}}

  48. princesspat

    Yesterday was a fun day…..visiting with family and friends in the morning, lunch with Ron at the bookstore cafe, a lab test ( my blood levels are back to the good side, yay!), a rest (and nap), and then dinner and music at The Green Frog.

    The music blew the birthday/recovery blues away, but I’m really tired today. The refrigerator repair man is coming soon and a friend is taking me to lunch, then it will be back on the sofa with the hope that with naps and some activity increased stamina will build.

  49. JanF

    It is 20 degrees in Madison going up to 30 for a daytime high. Cloudy skies in the forecast. We get about a 36 hour reprieve then head back into the deep freeze.

    There were lots of weather complaints (and some amazing photos from Boston!) on my Twitter feed yesterday; apparently Washington DC broke a 120 year record for low temperatures.

    There is not much news: Rudy Guiliani is STILL a racist and the people in the GOP who are not calling him out are just as bad as he is. Washington pundits were slobbering over what they called the pitch perfect tone of Marco Rubio:

    I don’t feel like I’m in a position to have to answer for every person in my party that makes a claim. Democrats aren’t asked to answer every time Joe Biden says something embarrassing, so I don’t know why I should answer every time a Republican does. I’ll suffice it to say that I believe the President loves America; I think his ideas are bad.

    Er, no. Rudy Guiliani made those comments at a Republican gathering that he was invited to speak at. And it wasn’t a “claim”: it was a vicious personal attack tinged with racism (“those people did not grow up like white people we did, loving America”). You can’t walk away from making a comment about the speaker of the words as well as the words themselves. And I call bull on “Democrats aren’t asked to answer every time Joe Biden says something embarrassing”. They are. Over and over and over again.

    Europe blinked in the Greece debt reset. The can was kicked 4 months down the road.

    But the heck with politics and the world in dissarray … my biggest concern is this: WHERE IS PORTLAW!!??!! Last sighting, Thursday at 11:58 Eastern.

    See all y’alls later!

  51. DeniseVelez

    “Scott Walker, the goggle-eyed homunculus hired by Koch Industries to manage their midwest subsidiary formerly known as the state of Wisconsin”

    zing – as always 🙂

    http://www.esquire.com/news-po…                                              

  52. Diana in NoVa

    by freezing rain. The midmorning snow puts paid to my lunch plans. Was really longing to see my Circle sisters at our favorite restaurant, La Madeleine.

    Poor old Dearly has to go to the lab for tests, so he was deprived of both early morning tea and breakfast. It’ll be my turn two weeks from now.

    Tee hee, today is Saturday so I get to do what I want. And what I want is to come back at coffee time to follow up the links you’ve provided. I’m still feeling faint because Giuliani’s incredible remarks.

    Received an email from my conservative cousin in Texas (how on earth did he get my address, I wonder), but thankfully, it was not about politics. It was about his son, my second cousin, who’s about to make a 25-minute short film in Hollywood. It’s called “Chew” and will be shown at Cannes and Toronto, apparently. Hunter will play the part of Dan, a paraplegic.

    No other news except that if I can’t go to lunch, I can jolly well work on the March offering for the Fiction Cafe on my Web site. March 1 will be here before we know it! Back later, Meese!

  53. Portlaw

    Always on the hunt for good news since the headlines are never good. Found that this weather is great


    Cold weather can be good for what hurts you.

    In some countries, the use of cold temperatures for medical purposes is taken quite seriously. Finnish researchers reported the results of a study of 10 women who took cold-water plunges (20 seconds in water just above freezing) for three months and submitted to whole-body cryotherapy sessions. The women’s blood showed a two- to three-fold jump in norepinephrine levels after exposure to the cold water. Norepinephrine is a chemical in the nervous system that wears many hats, including having a role in pain suppression, according to the Harvard report.

    While being outside in cold weather is different than whole body cryotherapy (and may not have the same effect), in Japan, this “cold” therapy has been used to treat pain and inflammation from rheumatic and other medical conditions for about 30 years. Patients typically spend up to three minutes in a room cooled to 166 degrees. Even post50 celebrities like Demi Moore have tried it.

    Think about it: Ice has long been considered nature’s anesthesia. It numbs our injuries and reduces swelling.

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/…

  54. anotherdemocrat

    gonna be 80 today (45 tomorrow, but we’ll worry about that tomorrow)

    Got my last bit with my training group this morning, then the meet up. I may even skip the breakfast tacos after so I can run home & put in my contacts.

    Watching Up & eating a little breakfast.

  55. princesspat

    Ron is leaving soon for a photography class with an excellent local photographer. He is not a skilled teacher in a class room setting but this is an outdoor “take photos and talk about them” session, so Ron’s excited.

    I’ve got some desk work to do and I want to spend some time in my sewing room. My mind has been but I still can’t lift much so I’ll just poke around, find some fabrics, and do the paper work part of making some table linens and a quilt top.

    I like to draw what I hope to make, then do all the math so it will be the finished size I want it to be, then write a cutting list, and then I move to working with he fabrics. And yes, I have quite a file of projects still in the paper stage!  

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