May 15, 2017 Night

Good evening! Partly clear and 59 degrees in Delmar. There is a northwest breeze at 15 mph. The dew point is 47 degrees. With that breeze it actually feels a bit chilly but Wednesday and Thursday that won’t be the case. 

Tonight will be mostly clear, with a low of 48 degrees at 4am. One degree above normal. West wind 8 to 15 mph. In 2016, it got down to 39 degrees with rain and mostly cloudy skies. The record low of 33 occurred back in 1980.

Waning Gibbous Moon tonight with 67% illuminated. The moon will rise around 10:35 pm. The Last Quarter Moon is on Friday night with partly cloudy expected. The Full β€œStrawberry” Moon is on Friday, June 9th. The sun will rise at 5:31 am with the first light at 4:59 am, which is one minute and one second earlier than yesterday. Tonight will have 9 hours and 19 minutes of darkness, a decrease of 2 minutes over last night.

Tomorrow will be sunny, with a high of 74 degrees at 5pm. Four degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 48 at 6pm.  NNorthwest wind 7 to 9 mph. Should be a nice day. A year ago, we had rain, mostly cloudy skies and a high of 59 degrees. The record high of 89 was set in 1991.

Right now, the weekend looks nice but watch for thunderstorms on Sunday. Saturday, mostly sunny, with a high near 72. Maximum dew point of 47 at 7pm. Sunday, a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 70. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Maximum dew point of 53 at 7pm. Typical average high for the weekend is 71 degrees. I wish I had the weekend off but hopefully this is a good omen for the following week. 

In four weeks on June 12 the sun will be setting at 8:33 pm, which is 22 minutes and 25 seconds later then tonight. In 2016 on that day, we had rain, cloudy skies and temperatures between 69 and 52 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 77 and 56 degrees. The record high of 94 degrees was set back in 1949.

Looking ahead, Memorial Day is in 2 weeks, Cow Apprechiation Day (Moo?) is in 2 months, Mutts Day is in 11 weeks, Strugeon Moon is in 12 weeks, Altamont Fair Opens is in 3 months, Labor Day is in 16 weeks, September 11th is in 17 weeks, More Night Then Day in Albany is in 19 weeks, Columbus Day is in 21 weeks, Average High is 60 is in 5 months, Christmas is in 32 weeks, January 1, 2018 is in 33 weeks and 35th Birthday is in 37 weeks.

This past Saturday was the graduation ceremonies at SUNY Plattsburgh. It’s kind of remarkable that it’s been ten years since college. How fast time comes and goes. June marks 16 years from High School Graduation and Columbus Day marks 10 years at my current job. So many more gray hairs this day. But then again, in two and half years, it will be 2020. I am pretty sure they wrote songs about the year, 2020 or maybe 2525. Still it’s a pretty cool number in the future.

Like most nights, I went down to the park for a while and read a book for a bit. It was a good evening but with the breeze was a bit cold. Came home and was going to watch the PBS Newshour but that was not to be as for some reason it did not record. I’ll have to check to see if the unit is plugged in. I could stay up to ten but I think I’d rather retire early and get some sleep. Still sitting out back, typing this note, watching a video I had saved to my laptop earlier. I’ve been feeling sick lately and I know how a good night’s sleep can really help things out a lot. 

Ten more work days until Memorial Day Weekend. I’m looking forward to that long weekend, especially after the long work week, downstate part of the time. Vermont will be nice and if weather is bad it’s a short haul home. Planning for the long fourth of July weekend to go to Moose River Plains. Should be nice up there once the black flies are gone. 

Good night. 

Giving it Your 100%

People who give it their 100% burn out too quickly. That’s why I never give more than 50% at anything that I do, as I know I will last ten times longer before I burn out.

Is it working? Using wildlife surveys to monitor the effectiveness of restoration efforts

Albany Pine Bush Comission – Science Lecture Series: Is it working? Using wildlife surveys to monitor the effectiveness of restoration efforts

Restoration is hard work and it doesn’t end when the structures are removed and appropriate vegetation is planted. The real success occurs when the wildlife respond. With the latest expansion of the Albany Rapp Road Waste Management Facility, comes the restoration of 250 acres to Albany Pine Bush Preserve habitat. Join us this evening for a lecture from Michael McGraw, Wildlife Biologist/Ecologist with Applied Ecological Services, as he details the results of wildlife surveys in the restoration area. Join us for snacks and discussion at 6:30pm, the lecture will begin at 7:00pm. Ages 15+. Free!