June 7, 2017 Night

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Some may come and some may go
We shall surely pass
When the one that left us here
Returns for us at last
We are but a moment’s sunlight
Fading in the grass

The summer of 2017 marks a half century since the Summer of Love, indeed on a warn summer night like tonight you might have heard this song by the Young Bloods on the AM radio and paused to look up at the stars and the moon, listened to the spring peepers or the fireflies flying in the farm fields. It’s nice that summer has finally shown itself over the land. Summer is such a short but beautiful season, something that is but a brief moment to treasure before winter returns. Two weeks until the official start of summer. 

Delightful evening after a crazy day that really wasn’t that bad except for the insanity of it all! Clear and 62 degrees in Delmar. Calm wind. The dew point is 50 degrees. I’m sitting out back, watching the flicker of the laser light on the grass and the trees. 

Tonight will have patchy fog after 1am. Otherwise, mostly clear, with a low of 50 degrees at 3am. Four degrees below normal. Calm wind. In 2016, it got down to 52 degrees with drizzle and mostly cloudy skies. The record low of 38 occurred back in 1951.

Waxing Gibbous Moon tonight with 92% illuminated. The moon will set around 5:36 am. The Full “Strawberry” Moon is on Friday night with partly cloudy skies expected. The sun will rise at 5:17 am with the first light at 4:42 am, which is 15 seconds earlier than yesterday. Tonight will have 8 hours and 45 minutes of darkness, a decrease of 50 seconds over last night. Those nights are definitely short this time of year. 

Tomorrow will be mostly sunny, with a high of 79 degrees at 3pm. Three degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 55 at 12pm. Calm wind becoming southeast around 6 mph in the afternoon. Another wonderful summer day. A year ago, we had drizzle, mostly cloudy skies and a high of 65 degrees. The record high of 93 was set in 2011.

It’s going to be a wonderful weekend. Saturday, scattered showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 11am. Partly sunny, with a high near 79. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. Maximum dew point of 60 at 6pm. Sunday, mostly sunny, with a high near 87. Maximum dew point of 65 at 6pm. Typical average high for the weekend is 77 degrees.

I am definitely heading up north but to where depends on how much I need to be on the grid for work. I mean in ways the weather screams potholers but if I need good cell reception that might not work. Maybe I can make it work. Going to be hot return to Albany on Sunday for sure. I might camp out at my parents house on Sunday. I want to get to the Gas Up but I don’t think this weekend. But come Monday it’s back to work but it will be fine with all the air conditioning in the office and the late hours I generally end up working this time of year. I will be glad when session is over in two plus weeks. No elections this year so I will mostly have my summer and fall to myself. 

Because I love colors, I really like that gay pride flag. It’s a screen printed flag like my Gadsden and Earth Flags but I really like the brilliant colors of the pride flag. Celebrating diversity is important – while I may not be thrilled with everything the LGBT community does, I know a lot of people that fit in that category and most are good people. The way I look at it, you do your thing, I’ll do mine. I never really understood the whole controversy. And heck I approve of them far more than some aspects of the Tea Party. 

Speaking of colors, I got the colored controlled lights mounted in the truck cap. I do need to get them hooked up permanently to a switch but for now I will leave them hooked in using the 12 volt outlet. Maybe next week when I get back from camping. I want to make sure I do the connections right, so I didn’t want to do it with the setting sun this evening. I really like all the color options to suit my mood – eight color modes plus several random color switching mode including one that cycles through all the colors slowly. That’s quickly become my favorite option. 

It’s been a hell of a day. Going to work I accidentally left my wallet on the bus. I called the CDTA lost and found, the dispatch radioed the driver, he got my wallet and he gave it to me on his return trip to the suburbs. Realized only seconds after I got off the bus. I have these damn suit pockets that are shallow and I always check my wallet but today I forgot it. I got it back. Second time this has happened, and to be more embarrassing it was the same driver. I got to get a wallet chain when I’m wearing my suit to be safe. My luck will run out at some point. At least it was a nice day standing out for the returning bus trip, and I got my wallet back. I don’t know how I could have screwed it up again. It both frustrating and embarrassing at the same time. Oh well. I want to put that behind me. 

Got a great picture of me and a man in a cow suit today at Dairy Day at the Legislature Office Building. That’s always one of the more fun receptions they have at the Capitol. Lots of good ice cream and pizza, cheese and milk. That had to be the highlight of my day. And it got a shit ton of likes on Facebook. I needed that today. 

Then shortly when we got released from work, the fire alarm went off in the building and the fire marshall said we couldn’t leave until we got the all clear. The fire trucks came and left but nobody was there after hours to reset the system, despite calling down to the front desk. I ended up walking down 17 flights of stairs and using the alarmed door to get out of the building. It just capped off a crazy day. The bus ride home was pretty ordinary but I made sure my wallet was securely in my pocket. 

Looking ahead, Flag Day is Next Wednesday, Summer is in 2 weeks, Strugeon Moon is in 2 months, Last Day with Average High of 80 is in 11 weeks, Harvest Moon is in 13 weeks, 6:30 PM Sunset is in 17 weeks, Election Day 2017 is in 5 months, Coldest Day of Year (Avg. 14-30 degrees) is in 31 weeks and Inaugeration Day 2021 is in 189 weeks.

It’s so nice out back but I better head in because it’s getting late and I need to get up for work tomorrow. 

NY 22 at Dusk

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Pretty how the light filters onto the hills along NY 22 at Dusk.

June 7, 1965 – Griswold v. Connecticut Decided

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June 7, 1965 – Griswold v. Connecticut Decided

"Griswold v. Connecticut, 381 U.S. 479 (1965),[1] is a landmark case in the United States in which the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that the Constitution, through the Bill of Rights, implies a fundamental right to privacy. The case involved a Connecticut "Comstock law" that prohibited any person from using "any drug, medicinal article or instrument for the purpose of preventing conception." By a vote of 7–2, the Supreme Court invalidated the law on the grounds that it violated the "right to marital privacy", establishing the basis for the right to privacy with respect to intimate practices. This and other cases view the right to privacy as a right to "protect[ion] from governmental intrusion."

Although the Bill of Rights does not explicitly mention "privacy", Justice William O. Douglas wrote for the majority that the right was to be found in the "penumbras" and "emanations" of other constitutional protections, such as the self-incrimination clause of the Fifth Amendment. Justice Arthur Goldberg wrote a concurring opinion in which he used the Ninth Amendment in support of the Supreme Court's ruling. Justice Byron White and Justice John Marshall Harlan II wrote concurring opinions in which they argued that privacy is protected by the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment."

June 7, 2017 9 AM Update

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On this Hump Day, it’s starting to clear up and the mercury is at 56 degrees on our way up to seventy two. Hello, Mr. Sunshine, you have been missed. Going to be pretty nice through the weekend. Getting hot next week. By Tuesday afternoon next week, I fully expect we will tie the 2014 record of four days above 90. That summer was exceptionally cold, we’ve had summers like in 1955 when we had 34 days above ninty. Usually it’s more like 14.
Nice enough weather that I feel like I should put out the flag. Maybe tomorrow. The windows are fully open to allow the breeze to come in. I’m glad that the nice sunny and warm weather of summer is returning, although I expect with the humidity and heat the beginning of next week it will feel quite oppressive. That said, I work late this time of year, so by the time I get home the heat will have declined and after having a few beers I’ll crawl into bed next to the fan. 

The sun will set at 8:31 pm with dusk around 9:05 pm, which is 38 seconds later than yesterday. At sunset, look for mostly clear conditions and 65 degrees. The dew point will be 51 degrees. There will be a calm wind. Today will have 15 hours and 13 minutes of daytime, an increase of 53 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will have patchy fog after 4am. Otherwise, mostly clear, with a low of 49 degrees at 5am. Five degrees below normal. Calm wind. In 2016, it got down to 52 degrees with drizzle and mostly cloudy skies. The record low of 38 occurred back in 1951.

On this day in 1965, the Supreme Court of the United States hands down its decision in Griswold v. Connecticut, effectively legalizing the use of contraception by married couples. Happy Griswold Day! 

I am looking forward to the weekend. I got to put the kayak racks back on and secure the color changing LEDs but I’m sure it will be a nice weekend. Looking forward to getting back up north, hopefully after the worse of black fly season. Maybe do some fishing and kayaking. Plus long nights by the campfire. 

As previously noted, next Wednesday is Flag Day when the sun will be setting at 8:34 pm with dusk at 9:09 pm. On that day in 2016, we had mostly sunny skies and temperatures between 77 and 47 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 78 degrees. We hit a record high of 96 back in 1892.