As the Ides of March made famous 54 years ago… “Hey, well, I’m the friendly stranger in the black sedans / Woncha hop inside my car / I got pictures, I got candy, I’m a lovable man / And I can take you to the nearest star.” What a silly song, almost pornographic with the album cover, it’s great listening for the Ides of March. Sunday is Saint Patrick’s Day, better be prepared to be home before the drunks are on the road.

Good morning! Happy Friday. Cloudy with rain showers this morning and 46 degrees in Albany. 🌧 The next best chance for below freezing weather looks like to be early Tuesday morning, though it will poke around the freezing point on Monday AM so I’ll probably want to close the windows before then.

Today was my teeth cleaning which was originally scheduled for 7 am but my dental hygienist had a conflict 🦷so I have a substitute one — the mean one who spent a half hour berating me for how bad I do at brushing my teeth, 🪥 threatened to make me come back in two weeks for a cleaning, told me I’m wrecking my gums by eating too much hot food, and then complained some more that she didn’t have time to properly clean my teeth but by the time it was chewed out about that. She still wants me back in two weeks to see the doctor because I burned my mouth on food and that could cause mouth cancer, but there is no way in hell I’m coming back in two weeks to be checked by a doctor, lol. 🤣 I’m so canceling that appointment as soon as they text me about it.

This afternoon will continue to have scattered showers, mainly before 2pm. Mostly cloudy, 🌧 with a high near 52. North wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. Seems like a kind of gray day. But still mild, that’s seven degrees above normal, which more like March 31st then mid-March. Record high is 72 set in 2019. Almost as warm as yesterday.

Last night as you can see I got really frustrated for a while 😠 after looking at Landwatch and coming to the sad realization that it’s going to be hard to find remote land with ample acreage and no nearby neighborhoods, and still be a short commute to work. I concede I might have to compromise, but I don’t want to compromise too much or whole venture of owning a house becomes kind of pointless. 🤷 I might as well keep renting my dumpy apartment or another similarly dumpy unit if I get evicted. Or maybe I might just have to accept a longer, more painful commute then is ideal, and sometimes calling in on bad weather days. ☃ The thing is I’m getting old at this point, and I don’t want to lose my dreams due to old age. I’m in great physical health currently 💪 but there is no guarantee in 15 years from now I’ll be the same way.

Tonight the rain stops and it will be mostly cloudy, with a low around 38. ☁️ North wind 6 to 8 mph. 12 degrees above normal, which is like April 2nd. Record low is negative 1.  Sunset is at 7:03 PM with dusk at 7:29 PM. That time change is nice, though with the rain it’s going to get cloudy early.

Besides doing more research at the library on land, 🚜 I finished up my taxes 🔢 and submitted them to the state and federal government and got a stack of books 📚 about buying land and building green. One book is on modular buildings used as cabins — there are a lot of options out there besides stick built, sheds, very conventional modular homes. The thing is I want something simple, but it needs to be durable and comply with all state codes. 🛖 And I want to do it on a budget to a certain extent so I can spend more on land. I also got a book about the residential building code, and one on buying land. Not everything I read will be relevant, but learning is important.

Saturday looks quite nice. 🌞 Partly sunny, with a high near 56. West wind around 8 mph. That’s going to be a nice day for cruising the back roads of Rensselaer County looking at land. While in some ways, Rensselaer County makes more sense for the proximity or rural land to where I work, the roads in Rennselaer County tend to be much more congested, as there is a lot more sprawl around Troy, Brunswick and the Greenbushes. And NY 7 is a cluster-fuck. 

But I also want check out the campsites at Tibbits State Forest to see if they are drive-in. I would do an overnight in the Green Mountain National Forest, but even if some of the roads are open — I’m not sure if they are — they’re bound to be muddy. 🏕 I know certainly north of Stratton Airfield will be gated until mid-day. Even if it’s not all looking at specific properties, I want to have a better mental map of Rensselaer County in case I see something of interest.

One of the most important things is to understand the communities I’m interested in. 🔍 I think I know a bit or two growing up Westerlo, but things have changed. I really don’t know much about the local culture in Rensselaer County, although I know the county’s politics is much more conservative then Albany, and it has a tradition of real colorful characters in politics, for good or bad.  👩‍🌾 The hill towns of Albany County are easier in that sense — I grew up there so I’m a lot more familiar with the back-roads and local culture. Plus I’ve spent a lot of time in back roads of West Virigina, Allegany County and Madison County, NY though most of the time it was camping, so maybe I didn’t spend that much time visiting local watering hoes.

Sunday looks to be wetter but still mild. Showers likely, mainly before 3pm. 🌦 Partly sunny, with a high near 54. Southwest wind 10 to 17 mph becoming west in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.