May 23, 2017 Night

Good evening! Partly cloudy and 61 degrees in Delmar. Calm wind. The dew point is 52 degrees.

Tonight will have patchy fog after 2am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low of 53 degrees at 4am. Three degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 52 at 10pm. Calm wind. In 2016, it got down to 53 degrees with rain and shallow fog and cloudy skies. The record low of 29 occurred back in 1963.

Waning Crescent Moon tonight with 12% illuminated. The moon will rise around 3:34 am. The New Moon is on Thursday night with showers is likely expected. The Full β€œStrawberry” Moon is on Friday, June 9th. The sun will rise at 5:24 am with the first light at 4:51 am, which is 46 seconds earlier than yesterday. Tonight will have 9 hours and 4 minutes of darkness, a decrease of one minute and 39 seconds over last night.

Tomorrow will have patchy fog before 8am. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high of 77 degrees at 3pm. Five degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 52 at 9am. Light southeast wind. A year ago, we had rain, shallow fog, cloudy skies and a high of 67 degrees. The record high of 92 was set in 1964.

Right now, a split verdict on the weekend. Saturday, mostly sunny, with a high near 76. Maximum dew point of 54 at 4pm. Sunday, a chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 75. Chance of precipitation is 50%. Maximum dew point of 59 at 1pm. Typical average high for the weekend is 73 degrees.

In four weeks on June 20 the sun will be setting at 8:36 pm, which is 17 minutes and 16 seconds later then tonight. In 2016 on that day, we had partly cloudy skies and temperatures between 91 and 64 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 79 and 58 degrees. The record high of 97 degrees was set back in 1953.

Looking ahead, 8:30 PM Sunset is in 2 weeks, Independence Day is in 6 weeks, August 1st is in 10 weeks, Altamont Fair Opens is in 12 weeks, Last Day with Average High of 80 is in 3 months, Friday the 13th (October) is in 19 weeks, Election Day 2017 is in 24 weeks, Average High is 40 is in 25 weeks, Thanksgiving is in 6 months, Election Day 2018 is in 76 weeks and Election Day 2020 is in 180 weeks.

I’m thinking about going to the grocery store on Wednesday night and then I realize I forgot anything go on Thursday or maybe Friday morning. I want to leave straight from work for the Green Mountains. I’m not leaving early on Friday, although maybe I should do so to get the best campsite. I shouldn’t hit much traffic going through Sand Lake then to Cropseyville, then NY 2 to NY 22 to NY 7 to VT 279 and US 9.  I will avoid the horrors of Hoosick Street in Troy which is a cluster even on a good day.

Despite my promises to do as such, I’ve done absolutely nothing in preparation to start packing for the long weekend, although honestly there isn’t that much that can’t be done the night before. Maybe tonight I will start doing some, although honestly it’s hard to get packed too early. I did take my flag down from outside, because I didn’t want to leave it up in the rain or cloudy days.

I was reading yesterday about how they are planning to change around the HDTV channel format again, so they are saying I need to buy yet another converter box in a few years. I think it’s just stupid. I was also looking at the low cost pocket projectors again and they seem neat, especially those that can read an SD card with video files. I think it could be fun for projecting something like a flag or an interactive image on a sheet from a video that I made up. But they still seem a bit out of reach for my budget at this point. I’m sure prices will come down. Maybe someday.

Watching the PBS Newshour. Didn’t tape again because the flash drive wasn’t in the recorder but I’m watching the 10 pm rebroadcast. I’m tired and heading to bed shortly. 

Karner Road

The pitch pine experience, without even having to start up your fossil fuel burner.

Short-Term Energy Outlook

Short-Term Energy Outlook

"For the 2017 summer driving season (April through September), U.S. regular gasoline retail prices are forecast to average $2.39/gallon (gal), compared with $2.23/gal last summer. The higher forecast gasoline price is primarily the result of higher forecast crude oil prices. The annual average price for regular gasoline in 2017 is forecast to be $2.34/gal, which, if realized, would result in the average U.S. household spending about $160 more on motor fuel in 2017 compared with 2016."

As Store Layoffs Mount, Retail Lags Other Sectors In Retraining Workers

As Store Layoffs Mount, Retail Lags Other Sectors In Retraining Workers

"Many retail workers are undergoing what economists call "job displacement," meaning they are losing their jobs largely because of major technological shifts. Layoffs in traditional retail have accelerated sharply this year, with hundreds of store closings and nine U.S. chains filing for bankruptcy so far in 2017."

"Most of those losing their jobs are low-skilled, entry-level workers, while retailers look instead to bolster the e-commerce sides of their businesses, hiring for higher-skilled positions such as logistics and warehousing. Whereas some industries invest to retrain their workers with new skills for new times, to date the retail industry has not successfully done that."

May 23, 2017 Morning

Good morning! Happy Tuesday. Two weeks until the 8:30 PM Sunset. If that doesn’t mean summer then what does?Partly sunny and 54 degrees in Delmar, NY. Calm wind. The dew point is 46 degrees.

As we creep towards the Memorial Day Weekend, look for mostly sunny conditions, with a high of 74 degrees at 4pm. Two degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 49 at 6pm. Northwest wind 3 to 5 mph. A year ago, we had shallow fog then later mostly sunny skies and a high of 81 degrees. The record high of 93 was set in 1964.