Good morning! Happy Thanksgiving. Ready for some turkey? The last time we had Thanksgiving on the 24th was back in 2011. Relatively early. Gives us two extra days before Christmas compared to some years. I’m watching the Thanksgiving parade from my bed. 

Right now, there is light snow coming down and 36 degrees in Delmar. At least around here, the roads should remain fine. Calm wind. We are in a bit of a period of chilly, unstable weather. The skies will clear Sunday around 7 pm.

Thanksgiving Day will have  a chance of rain and snow between before 11am, then a chance of rain after 11am. Cloudy, with a high of 39 degrees at 1pm. Five degrees below normal. Calm wind becoming southeast around 6 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 50%. Little or no snow accumulation expected. Last year, partly sunny with a high around 44. The record high of 70 was set in 2014. There was 8.8 inches of snow back in 1898.

The sun will set at 4:25 pm with dusk around 4:56 pm, which is 33 seconds earlier than yesterday. Tomorrow will have 9 hours and 24 minutes of daylight, a decrease of 1 minutes and 40 seconds over today.

Tonight will have a chance of light rain before midnight, then a chance of drizzle after midnight. Cloudy, with a low of 33 degrees at 6am. Four degrees above normal. Light southeast wind. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. One year ago, mostly clear with a low around 24. The record low of 2 occurred back in 1938.

Today in 1856, Charles Darwin publishes On the Origin of Species. The book, controversial at the time, would revolutionize how people viewed the natural world.

Back in 1971, during a severe thunderstorm over Washington state, a hijacker calling himself Dan Cooper (aka D. B. Cooper) parachutes from a Northwest Orient Airlines plane with $200,000 in ransom money. He has never been found.

I keep waking up around 5 AM each morning but that’s because most nights I’m in bed by 9 PM. Right now because it’s so cold and dark I’ve mostly returned to bed and just played on my phone but I figured when I need to get up, it’s good to be up and going. 

I ordered the laptop. They have several in stock but I want to get one before they sold out locally. I will pick it up sometime around nine or ten tomorrow, as that’s when the Internet recommends for avoiding packed stores on Black Friday. Some people get up early for the door busters but apparently by around nine AM crowds and thin out. If there is traffic delays – which I doubt based on the store I’m picking it up at – then so be it, I have a full tank of gas. It’s almost close enough to my house to walk. I guess if traffic is too bad, I can park and walk. I’ll have my phone with me to keep entertained in the store, although all I think I will have to do is find a clerk, show my ID, have them get the laptop from out back and off I’ll go. 

I’m glad I’ve made a decision and forward I will go. Now once I get the laptop I got to get xubuntu Linux up and running on it, get LAMP and GIS software running and the files I actually use moved over to it. That’s the plan for Friday. A lot of using the apt-get at the library because I don’t have Internet access at home. I look forward to being able to make maps, process videos and edit blog code again. 

I’m having an issue with the accessory battery draining down too low from accessories when the truck is parked too long. I found a fairly inexpensive ($50) and easy to install automatic low voltage battery disconnect from Cabella’s that will disconnect the battery from the accessory load when the voltage slips below 12.1 and automatically reconnect when the voltage goes above 13.5 volts for 30 seconds when the engine is restarted. I’ll probably yet again end up replacing the accessory battery again in the process, but with the low voltage disconnect set at 12.1 volts I expect it will last much longer as the battery won’t see those regular destructive low voltages. Not sure when I will do this, it might wait until camping season this springtime. I also need to get to a shop that can make me up a cable to wire up the low voltage disconnect. 

I also will be getting a casual winter coat, probably on Cyber Monday. Probably just a Carhartt jacket but one in a darker color. I never bought a winter jacket last year but the way this year’s forecast is shaping up and because I want to do more camping, I need one. For work I have that wool overcoat but that’s something that I can’t really wear in the woods. 

It’s going to be a lot of money over the next few weeks, but I have some extra in my account to make these things happen. Also need to retire debt from vacation. 

Later on this afternoon, heading out to dinner at my parent’s house. They make a really good Thanksgiving dinner. Maybe going for a walk midday assuming that the rain holds off.