Search Results for: photo well shit

The thing I’m learning about looking at houses is there two kind of places, mold and mouse-infested with paint peeling and marble countertops and swanky shit. 🏘

The prior the intention is to get an FHA loan, tear out all of crap and send it to the landfill and replace with Home Depot cheap swank features, while the later is already covered with that marble crap and swank features, and already has had that tear out done. In some ways it makes me feel good knowing that I’m not totally responsible for trashing my apartment, as shit wears out if you not constantly repairing it. Things have a lot shorter lifespan and are designed to be sent to the mound on the outskirks of town much sooner then you might think. Maybe I’m too much of a horny buck goat myself, who sprays his beard with urine because it smells so good at least to a horny buck goat, and even though I don’t spray my own beard with urine, I find those to be such a spirit animal.

Good morning! Monday’s come back around again. Mostly cloudy and 35 degrees in Delmar, NY. ☁ There is a south-southeast breeze at 8 mph. πŸƒ. Temperatures will drop below freezing at around 10 pm. β˜ƒοΈ

I was listening to this audio book, Jennifer McGahan’s Flat Broke with Two Goats, 🎧 last week which of course had too many descriptions of goat sex and all things smelly and dirty about owning buck goats, listening while I ride to work, probably as I pass through the Delmar suburbs and the poverty South End, and people are horrified overhearing the audio with the often very descriptively smelly parts of goat farm life. But shit’s real, unlike those marble countertops they keep trying to push me towards when I look at Zillow ads. And vinyl siding. Have you ever seen how black that vinyl siding shit burns, like my childhood neighbors did with the scraps when they got their then new double-wide manufactured home? πŸ”₯ Yuck. I’m cool with people burning shit out in the country, but vinyl siding is so toxic and nasty to burn. ☠

Today will be mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny ☁, with a high of 52 degrees at 3pm. 13 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around March 31st. South wind 5 to 9 mph becoming north in the afternoon. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies in the morning with some clearing in the afternoon. The high last year was 39 degrees. The record high of 63 was set in 1976. 8.4 inches of snow fell back in 1972.❄

Going to be a great day for riding to work. 🚲 And maybe also at lunch time. That’s one of advantage of living in city, well the suburbs for now. Figure might as well take advantage of it while it’s a thing. πŸ˜€ Plus it’s a great cure for my anxiety. πŸ€ͺ Yesterday, I had multiple anxiety attacks as I’ve been incredibly stress about taking over management of the Data Services division πŸ’» all by myself this week, the whole situation about the rent check πŸ“œ, even though I know it will be fine as I mailed the paper check to my new landlord, as much as he doesn’t want a paper check, he has to accept it, 🀷‍♂️ and he pretty much agreed to it in writing. It should be in box by tomorrow at the latest, which is three days before it’s required. I know things will work out, but it’s really a tough time in my life, as I’m pulled in forty different directions. ◀️ ▢️ I am no longer in my twenties and thirties, the days of rambling in the wilderness 🌲 are probably coming to an end. But maybe becoming a hobby farmer is next, and heating with wood and having bonfires πŸ”₯ out back in next.

Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:09 pm with sun having an altitude of 38.5° from the due south horizon (-32.3° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 7.5 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour πŸ… starts at 5:03 pm with the sun in the west-southwest (252°). πŸ“Έ The sunset is in the west (259°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 5:41 pm after setting for 2 minutes and 58 seconds with dusk around 6:08 pm, which is one minute and 15 seconds later than yesterday. πŸŒ‡ The best time to look at the stars is after 6:42 pm. At sunset, look for mostly clear skies πŸŒ„ and temperatures around 48 degrees. There will be a north breeze at 8 mph. Today will have 11 hours and 7 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 49 seconds over yesterday.

I was really hoping to meet my friend from Boy Scouts yesterday to learn more about he financed and secured his 10-acre homestead outside of Greenville 🐐 but he got stuck working late. He works really long hours, but then again I had to do some work adding accounts for the data system on Sunday too. Everybody is quite busy. Started to go through the list of properties in the hilltowns with back taxes owed to county, studying acreages, aerial photos, and LIDAR to glean what knowledge I can. πŸ” I am not saying this guarantees I’ll find the right land for me for cheap, that frees up funds for building the homestead of my dreams that smells like horney buck goat or hogs 🐷 and isn’t afraid of some mud, πŸ‘ƒ but pushing the paper — well actually the GIS databases and property tax information can provide insight into who to send certified letters in hopes I might find a willing seller for a reasonable price. 🀝

I’m not afraid to haul some garbage and tires for the perfect property without the marble counter tops that I have nothing but disdain for. 🏚 Maybe next weekend I can get together with him, I think he has a lot of good ideas I need to learn about, because I don’t think a real estate agent will be pushing me to the right property. I’ve also started reading a e-book πŸ“– from Libby about the process of building your own home, 🏠 or restoring an existing property. I can haul garbage but I don’t trust myself with a hammer, πŸ”¨ especially anything structural or supposed to look the least bit purty, not that I give a duck πŸ¦† about being purty but functional. I am also studying possibly having a cabin built to my specifications — there is lots of acerage available locally but so many of homes for sale have marble countertops and probably aren’t appropriate for raising hogs or burning shit out back without the neighbors calling the jack-booted thugs on you. πŸ‘©‍πŸš’ As my farmer friends like to post, happiness has a smell and it smells like barnyard. πŸ‘¨‍🌾 Silage can be so pungent.

Tonight will be partly cloudy 🌀, with a low of 28 degrees at 2am. Seven degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around March 21st. North wind around 6 mph becoming calm in the evening. In 2023, we had light snow in the evening, which became mostly clear by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 23 degrees. The record low of -13 occurred back in 1940.

Awesome weekend on tap, with temperatures running 16 degrees above normal. 😎 Saturday, mostly sunny, with a high near 53. Sunday, partly sunny, with a high near 59. Typical average high for the weekend is 40 degrees. Maybe I can go camping. πŸ• I need some time in the wilderness. Nothing like a good ol’ fire to soothe the soul πŸ”₯ especially if we get some rain this week and it lowers the fire risk. March camping might be a challenge if we’re under red-flag conditions much of the month, especially if it’s windy as much of the spring often is. Honestly, I don’t mind a bit of snow in March, but hopefully at least we will get some needed rain. 🌧

Looking ahead, there are 5 weeks until April Fools Day 🀑 when the sun will be setting at 7:23 pm with dusk at 7:50 pm (Daylight Savings Time). Day after Easter. 🐰 Early this year. On that day in 2023, we had rain and temperatures between 74 and 41 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 52 degrees. We hit a record high of 77 back in 1986.

Mohonk Mountain Overlook

Well that was an epic poop to close out the month πŸ’©

As they say, it’s best not to bring your shit into the new month. All that fiber in one’s diet plus coffee can really make a good log that requires a plunger to flush down the toilet.

Good morning! January is almost done. Cloudy and 30 degrees at the Elm Ave Park and Ride. ☁️ There is a south breeze at 6 mph. πŸƒ. There are 3 inches of snow on the ground. β˜ƒ ️Things will start to thaw out at around 9 am. 🌑️

Bathroom 🚽 humor beyond me, I’m catching the express bus 🚍 downtown. Another busy day ahead. I went out for an early morning bike ride and had johnny cakes for breakfast πŸ₯ž with lots of spinach and peppers topped with cottage cheese. It’s busy learning so much in my new position. πŸ–₯ Probably I’ve been watching too much Brappie on YouTube lately. Silly cannuck redneck shit. That said, eating lots of fiber is essential for healthy living.

Today will have some scattered flurries before 9am. Mostly cloudy β˜ƒοΈ , with a high of 38 degrees at 3pm. Five degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around February 21st. South wind around 6 mph. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies in the morning with a few breaks of sun the afternoon. The high last year was 30 degrees. The record high of 58 was set in 1913. 6.9 inches of snow fell back in 2000.❄

Wasn’t a half bad morning for the ride. 🚲 With the clouds a bit dark but not terrible. Tomorrow I’ll probably ride my bike to work. The rail trail looks like it’s mostly clear of snow 🌨 and I don’t have to dress up for work tomorrow. Friday also looks like I’m likely going to be able to ride in to work. ☺ That puts a smile on my face.

Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:09 pm with sun having an altitude of 29.9Β° from the due south horizon (-40.9Β° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 10.4 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour πŸ… starts at 4:25 pm with the sun in the west-southwest (240Β°). πŸ“Έ The sunset is in the west-southwest (247Β°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 5:07 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 10 seconds with dusk around 5:36 pm, which is one minute and 18 seconds later than yesterday. πŸŒ‡ The best time to look at the stars is after 6:11 pm. At sunset, look for mostly cloudy skies ☁ and temperatures around 35 degrees. There will be a south breeze at 5 mph. Today will have 9 hours and 59 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 17 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will be mostly cloudy πŸŒ₯, with a low of 27 degrees at 1am. 12 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around March 18th. South wind 3 to 5 mph. In 2023, we had cloudy skies in the evening, which became mostly clear by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 12 degrees. The record low of -20 occurred back in 1920.

A picture perfect weekend on tap. 😎 Saturday, sunny, with a high near 37. Sunday, sunny, with a high near 36. Typical average high for the weekend is 33 degrees.

As previously noted, there are 2 weeks until Valentines Day ❀️ when the sun will be setting at 5:26 pm with dusk at 5:54 pm. On that day in 2023, we had partly sunny, mild and temperatures between 50 and 30 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 36 degrees. We hit a record high of 63 back in 1946.

Facing Kaaterskill High Peak

Well that pizza crust reminded me of inexpensive Walmart whole wheat sandwich bread that was a bit soggy πŸ•

Well it was an experiment but probably rushing it, making it undercooked with the wetness from the thawed 3/4 lb of frozen spinach and pulverized tomatoes left it soggy. I’m not saying it was bad as I eat all up but needs refinement. On that note…

Good morning! Clouds after the rain storm and 68 degrees in Delmar, NY. ☁️ There is a south breeze at 5 mph. πŸƒ. Some good bolts of lightening as I cooked breakfast with rain but then it stopped.  β›ˆ The dew point is 66 degrees. The skies will clear around 11 am. Probably within a few hours I’ll need to drop the shades in my office so I can see my monitor. I don’t mind the sunlight, especially on a cooler day today.

I ended up deciding to ride to work after realizing I was too late to catch the early express downtown 🚡, as it wasn’t too wet this morning, after the storm pulled away and the radar showed all clear. But if we get rain this evening or it’s too hot, I can always throw Blackie back on bus and take it home — but it’s rather ride, burn the 500 calories and save my buck thirty. 🚌 I figure in most cases when it’s nicer out, it’s best to take Blackie at least one way, as before you know it there will be snow on the ground, I’ll have to dress up for work, or actually have a good excuse for not riding in. That said, I’m kind of looking forward to moving over to the new office in North Albany, as Erie Boulevard is a much easier, flatter ride then the Madison Street hill, past Hill Cafe. Plus none of the serious traffic like on Madison Avenue. Won’t get rid of the Normans Kill Gorge climb in the evening commute, but that’s part of the calorie burning exercise.

Got my 36 inch jeans on πŸ‘– and they fit pretty darn nicely. I almost could have gotten 34s, but these will do for now, as who knows where things will be in a few months. With some of those nicely-fitting shirts I got from the Salvation Army, I look pretty sharp compared to the baggie jeans and oversized t-shirts I often wear, though I’m getting more fitting clothes, but most of that currently is just shorts and hand-me-down t-shirts from dad. πŸ‘• I think now that I have better fitting clothes, it won’t look like I’ve lost an excessive amount of weight, and that will hush up the critics. Now the key is just keeping off the pounds, though I think I’ve learned enough about food and nutrition in recent months that I’m unlikely to go back to my old ways. Yet, it will be harder to ride to work when the snow flies ❄️ as eventually the rail trail will be impassible due to snow. Plus when I move to the Erie Boulevard office, I won’t have the 18 flights of stairs to climb or that hard climb up the Madison Street, not that I’ll necessarily miss the later especially with the traffic.

Today will have showers and thunderstorms before 11am, then a slight chance of showers between 11am and 2pm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. 🌦 High of 77 degrees at 2pm. Two degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around September 5th. Maximum dew point of 68 at 9am. πŸ–οΈ South wind 5 to 13 mph becoming northwest in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies in the morning, which became light rain by afternoon. It was very sticky. The high last year was 90 degrees. The record high of 98 was set in 1953.

I think yesterday’s pizza would have been better, πŸ• had I baked the crust even further — more then 8 or 10 minutes before adding the spinach and sauce, and maybe boiled down the pulverized tomatoes πŸ… before applying them as sauce. I didn’t think the crust was a garlicly as I had hoped, and maybe I could have added more olive oil to the mix, though I didn’t want lard it up with too much saturated fat or calories. The loads of spinach were good, and the cottage cheese added flavor, and it was good to use up many of the tomatoes I had where starting to get soft and in some cases moldy in part of them. I think next time I’ll try preparing in advance with the addition of yeast, 🍞 maybe a little of Stevia for sweetness and maybe less oil. And make sure the crust is fully baked before adding toppings, and as then boil down the sauce in advance to make it thicker. Definitely felt full after this meal though, and I went for a five mile bike ride 🚴‍♀️ after eating, around the Nature Trail in the park, 🐸 then down Glenmont Road to the other part of Elm Avenue and back home before it was completely dark out at eight. πŸŒƒ

Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:57 pm with sun having an altitude of 56.4° from the due south horizon (-14.4° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 4 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour πŸ… starts at 6:58 pm with the sun in the west (277°). πŸ“Έ The sunset is in the west-northwest (283°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 7:36 pm after setting for 2 minutes and 58 seconds with dusk around 8:03 pm, which is one minute and 41 seconds earlier than yesterday. πŸŒ‡ At dusk you’ll see the Full 🌝 Moon in the east-southeast (110°) at an altitude of 3° from the horizon, 226,455 miles away. πŸš€ The best time to look at the stars is after 8:40 pm. At sunset, look for partly clear skies πŸŒ„ and temperatures around 70 degrees. The dew point will be 60 degrees. There will be a west-northwest breeze at 13 mph. Today will have 13 hours and 18 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 2 minutes and 45 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will be partly cloudy πŸŽ‘ , with a low of 57 degrees at 5am. One degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around September 3rd. Maximum dew point of 61 at 6pm. Going to sweat this evening on the bike ride home, especially with long-sleeved shirt and jeans but I’ll take my time. 🚲 Northwest wind 8 to 10 mph. In 2022, we had light rain in the evening, which became cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It was somewhat humid. It got down to 66 degrees. The record low of 37 occurred back in 1965.

I put some red lentils to soak in the refrigerator today, πŸ› this evening I will drain, and try running them through the food processor again with some sea salt, for a second attempt at making red lentil wraps. I have generally avoided wraps as I think they’re extra calories and carbs for no reason, but I could see different things I could make up with them too. Somehow I don’t have turmeric in my pantry despite shopping at Farmer’s India Market on Saturday, but I should get some so I can make dhal up as it’s an healthy option. I need eggs, πŸ₯š I could get them with the Turmeric this afternoon commute, though I’m a bit hesitant to buy eggs and then ride home with the bumps, 🐣 as often it’s a bit rougher riding in the basket then in an an automobile. Plus if I wait until Friday I can get farm-fresh eggs at Samdil Farm, which I was surprised are only selling for $3 a dozen, probably because they mill their own chicken feed from farm-grown grain that is primarily for their dairy operation. πŸ“ But then again, I don’t really need any more food, my refrigerator is full and I don’t want things to start going bad. Maybe next week when I back from camp I can try dhal.

Tonight I’m going to start packing for the Labor Day Weekend. πŸ• There is only so much I can do this soon but the more I have ready, the less to do tomorrow, and then I can get to bed early πŸ›Œ and be up and on the road before seven come Friday. Then to Samdil Farm early, which is a bit out of the way but worth it, Johnstown Walmart for any other miscellaneous supplies and hopefully to that campsite I want by nine. πŸŽͺ

Then when I get up to camp, by mine, the plan is clear: πŸŽͺ Set up the tent, then chill, as I have day off and I’m not remote working. 🚲 Spend the afternoon riding dirt and gravel, see how many bears 🐻 and wildlife I can see along the way. Cook up some shrimp, squash and other goodies, eat sweet corn. 🦐 🌽 Hammock time, and kayak and swim time, especially come Labor Day. No need to rush home on Labor Day, as I’m not visiting my parents this weekend though I want to be home by 8 PM so I’m not driving home in the dark. But that leaves a lot of day to poke around and have fun in the greater Speculator-area.

A picture perfect Labor Day Weekend on tap. 😎 Friday, sunny, with a high near 77. Light north wind. Max dew point of 53. Very nice. Saturday, mostly sunny, with a high near 80. Maximum dew point of 60 at 4pm. Sunday, mostly sunny, with a high near 85. Maximum dew point of 66 at 4pm. Monday, sunny and 89 degrees with a maximum dew point of 69 at 4 pm. A bit sticky for sure. Typical average high for the weekend is 79 degrees. πŸ‚ That said, it won’t be long before we start seeing a lot of color up north. Not sure, I could be back up there in three or four weeks to take in autumn’s colors.

On this day in 1967, Thurgood Marshall is confirmed as the first African American Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. βš– Had to have been quite the step forward in the country at the time, but now seems so long ago, with Justice Clarence Thomas long ago now replacing him. And in 1974, a powerful bomb explodes at the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries headquarters in Marunouchi, Tokyo, Japan. πŸ’£ Eight are killed, 378 are injured. Eight left-wing activists are arrested on May 19, 1975 by Japanese authorities. Usually it’s right wingers these days blowing up shit. But who knows if Trump is reelected not that I think it’s likely to happen at this point.

Looking ahead, there are 4 weeks until More Night then Day 🌌 when the sun will be setting at 6:46 pm with dusk at 7:12 pm. On that day in 2022, we had partly cloudy, rain showers and temperatures between 68 and 50 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 70 degrees. We hit a record high of 89 back in 2017.

Pond

Kind of a shitty weekend again πŸ’©

The poop emoji is a good way to understand this weekend. Elon Musk’s favorite emoji. Cloudy and humid, might get hot out when the sun comes out later.

Good morning! Mostly cloudy and 70 degrees in Delmar, NY. ☁ Calm wind. The dew point is 68 degrees. The skies will clear around 9 am.

It’s getting closer to nine πŸ•’ when I’m out doing my morning walk 🚢 as I decided to have breakfast 🍳 and coffee β˜• before walking. Just doing the two mile superblock around the High School now, I’ll get some steps in at the store 🏬 and later on walk down to the library πŸ“š or do an evening walk around dusk πŸŒ† when it cools down.

I was going to have banana pancakes this morning 🍌 but I had too many bananas yesterday in my office, so I decided to stay away from the sugars in favor of using up the remaining frozen spinach I had, fried up along with broccoli, peppers, onions, jalapenos and eggs run through the food processor to make a quiche like scrambled egg breakfast. It’s a good way to start the morning with a lot of fiber and protein, though eggs are really high in saturated fat and cholesterol. πŸ₯š Eggs though are cheap these days. Greek yogurt is slightly better on a ratio of protein to calories though.

I’m moving slowly this morning πŸ› as I woke up around 4 am and didn’t get back to sleep until 5. I don’t sleep as well as I once did, though usually a few nights in the woods helps a lot with that. β›Ί Sucks the weather is so bad this weekend but it rained heavily a lot of last night, and will be raining more come Saturday into Sunday with potentially heavy rain on Sunday. β˜” Not worth it to drive out to Schoharie.

I am sweating like a pig 🐽 out walking this morning, it’s so humid. Not going to be a nice day too do much outside, maybe poolside wouldn’t be bad as the sun comes out, but I am not sure how long we have before the thunderstorms come rolling through.

Today will be partly sunny 🌞, with a high of 87 degrees at 3pm. Three degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 72 at 12pm. South wind 3 to 7 mph. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies in the morning, remaining cloudy in the afternoon. The high last year was 86 degrees. The record high of 96 was set in 1997.

Working on my grocery list πŸ“œ πŸͺ for the weekly shop once I get home and shower. 🚲 But first I will stop by the bicycle shop and see what is going on with my Marlin 6 bike. I hope it’s ready and somehow they didn’t call me or I lost the message somehow on my phone. Or at least find out when I will be able to take delivery, and if needed test ride the Marlin 5 bike in my size and figure out where else I can order the Marlin 6. I have a fairly long grocery list, as I only got a few things at Price Chopper last week. This week I want to shop at Walmart as there is certain things Walmart only has or at least has at a price I’m willing to spend. 🍏

Solar noon 🌞 is at 1:02 pm with sun having an altitude of 68.9Β° from the due south horizon (-1.9Β° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 2.3 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour πŸ… starts at 7:51 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (294Β°). πŸ“Έ The sunset is in the west-northwest (301Β°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:32 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 22 seconds with dusk around 9:05 pm, which is 37 seconds earlier than yesterday. πŸŒ‡ The best time to look at the stars is after 9:49 pm. At sunset, look for rain 🌧 and thunderstorms 🌩 and temperatures around 81 degrees. The dew point will be 72 degrees. The heat index around sunset will be 71. β›± There will be a south breeze at 6 mph. Today will have 15 hours and 3 minutes of daytime, a decrease of one minute and 27 seconds over yesterday.

This afternoon I’m keeping open. πŸ“š The library is a good place to cool off but I’ve also thought about taking a drive up to Guilderland to check out some thrift stores to see if I can get some clothes that now fit me at a reasonable price. πŸ‘– I don’t want to spend too much as I don’t know what my final weight will end up being, though I’m quite committed at this point to healthy eating, πŸ₯¦ and I think I have a plan that will let me continue being the healthy weight I now am. πŸ’ͺ Yet, I am constantly reminded of the temptations and how hard it is to be healthy with peer pressure. 🍰 But at least I live single and don’t have a TV so I don’t have quite as much pressure as some folks do. Camping without junk food is hard but I’m learning how to make that quite delicious minus the junk, which I no longer buy. Then maybe go to the Pine Bush 🌲 or visit John Wolcott. πŸ‘΄ It would be a surprise visit as I hadn’t planned it. Alternatively, if I get the bicycle today, 🚲 ride out to Voorheesville.

Tonight will have a chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 3am. Mostly cloudy πŸŒƒ, with a low of 72 degrees at 6am. Nine degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 72 at 6pm. South wind around 7 mph. Not good sleeping. Very much lay by the fan all night long, sweating kind of night. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. In 2022, we had mostly clear skies. It became somewhat humid as the night progressed. It got down to 60 degrees. The record low of 44 occurred back in 1946.

Then I want to soak the red kidney beans 🍽 and if I can find space the chickpeas for cooking tomorrow. I want to get lemons πŸ‹ and try again at making hummus, this time putting the ingredients together correctly and pulverizing the chickpeas better. That said, I like chickpeas in with my lunch roasted, or roasted mixed with blueberries, strawberries, raspberries and walnuts. I’ve gotten into cooking, though not in the 10,000 ingredient perfectly portioned fatty-sugar-salty cooking recipe ways popularly promoted on the color television and internet forums. πŸ“Ί If it needs a recipe, in my book, it’s not worth cooking. I am also going to get stevia to make lemonade, minus the sugar and calories, and maybe plain Gelatin to make lemon or other fruit jellos using frozen fruit πŸ“, the food processor, and some stevia. I have an orange juice squeezer I can use on the lemons and run through the food processor to recover not only the lemon juice but the all important fiber for health. Can’t under estimate the importance of lots of fiber in one’s diet. Americans don’t eat enough fiber, period. Just looking for something cold and sweet without tons of calories, besides my now favorite plain, no-fat Greek yougurt with frozen fruit (or fresh fruit up at camp).

On this day in 1959, the Steel Strike of 1959 gets underway, forcing contractors to either import steel or delay construction projects. πŸ—οΈπŸ‘· Many chose to import lower-cost steel, with the result being the US Steel industry never recovering. Demand was strong with the interstate highway program but with inflation and the winding down of the peak road construction in the 1970s, a lot of the outdated American mills would be shut down for good.

Looking ahead, there are 3 weeks until Work Like a Dog Day 🐩 when the sun will be setting at 8:12 pm with dusk at 8:42 pm. Plunge into darkness time of the year as September approached. Always happens that way. On that day in 2022, we had hot and humid weather, it was partly sunny, patches of fog and temperatures between 93 and 71 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 83 degrees. We hit a record high of 99 back in 1955.

Corn in Jefferson County

Why I Built a Bucket Shitter

Many of the campsites I’ve camped out in the woods over the years have lacked outhouses. So I’ve brought my trusty little trowel, dug a little hole, squatted and did my business. I usually would bring a bag and toss the toilet paper in there, put it in with the burnable garbage and bury the shit. It worked, it wasn’t a big deal. I didn’t really like burying toilet paper, as I thought sometimes it would get dug up, especially if I wasn’t digging really deep holes, every time I took a shit.

For years and years, that’s what I did. But I really didn’t like squatting in woods, especially now that I’ve gotten older and like spending more time in the bathroom doing my business. Squatting is kind of a quick business, and even if it’s theoretically better for your health, it kind of isn’t as nice as being able to sit and relax while you get it done. Sometimes I even bring reading materials into the bathroom. I’m one of those guys.

So for a while I’ve seen bucket shitters described online, like this one shown on Wide Open Spaces. Honestly, I thought it was kind of a silly concept. Who wants to have a shitty, smelly bag of garbage to dispose of later. I had a friend who offered to give me his camp toilet, but I really didn’t want to deal with having to clean it.

But sometime last month, my views started to change. I really liked the convenience of outhouses, especially the ones at Moose River Plains that have been recently renovated and replaced. I found out buckets are like $2 a piece at Home Depot, and I could get bright orange buckets that I could find in the woods at night. I only had one 5-gallon bucket at the time, and I figured I could use two more for at camp. One could be dedicated for aluminum cans and recycling, and one for burnable garbage. If the bucket shitter idea didn’t work out, I could always use the other bucket for tying down ropes (filled with rocks or water), or storing water at camp for putting out fires, etc.

So I had my bucket. Next I had to get one of those pool noodles that the video and images on the internet recommend. I figured they’re like $2-3 bucks, so if they didn’t work, the remaining parts could be used in creeks or turned into firewood. They are after all just styrofoam and like 95% air. Not a major investment at any rate. I had garbage bags, that I use for garbage and dirty clothes while camping. I bit the bullet and made my bucket shitter.

The first version of the bucket shitter I built used the pool noodle. Right away I saw problems with the pool noodle not being able to properly bend around the bucket. As soon as I cut the noodle and put it over the bucket, it was difficult to bend and started to crack. After a weekend worth of use, the noodle cracked and was nothing more then some small pieces of styrofoam. Maybe small pool noodles fit better.

Other problems I discovered with this was the need to keep the poop covered to control the smell and flies that were naturally attracted. At first the solution was to stick a bucket lid on the bucket, which worked to control the flies but not the smell when I had the top off. My second idea worked better — tossing leaves on top of the waste. This seemed to control the smell and the flies pretty well, when combined with using a lid (and later a closed toilet seat) when I wasn’t using it.

After the pool noodle idea failed, I came up with a new idea. I would go to Walmart and pick up a $5-10 dollar plastic toilet seat. I think I ended up getting a $7 model. I tied the toilet seat to the bucket handle with a bungee cord, so it wouldn’t fall off. The plastic toilet seat was as comfortable as home, and provided much better place to do one’s business then the pool noodle, which never worked right. One other change I adopted, is I now using a double garbage bag in the bucket to ensure nothing leaks. The top garbage bag is discarded (put in with the burnable trash and burnt), every few days when the bucket has to be emptied.

To empty the bucket, I find a place in woods where I dig a hole and dump the waste, about 200-300 feet away from the campsite. Mixed with the leaves and covered with dirt, the waste can breakdown quickly in the forest. As I can dig a deeper hole, only once, it ensures the toilet paper will remained burred and well away from the campsite, versus what sometimes happens when you have to go out and dig a hole every time you have to do your business.

In the day time, I move the bucket shitter away from the campsite, somewheres in woods where there is heavy leave cover to provide good privacy. At night, I bring it into the campsite, so if I have to go, I don’t have to be wandering in the woods in the dark. It is nice having a comfortable seat to do your business in dark, and not have to worry about digging a hole in the very dark woods.

So that’s why I built a bucket shitter. It’s still a relatively new thing, but so far it seems to be working out just fine.

My experience and reasons for building a business bucket or as I call it in my more obscene tone, a bucket shitter ...

Going to be a beautiful Saturday for a drive out in Rensselaer County πŸ›»

Get your motor running, head out on the highway, looking for adventure and whatever comes my way.

Good morning! Happy Saturday. Going to be a beautiful start to the weekend for doing some driving around. Partly cloudy and 39 degrees in Delmar, NY. β›… There is a west-northwest breeze at 6 mph. πŸƒ. Temperatures will drop below freezing at Monday around 2 am. β˜ƒοΈ I do wish I could go out camping, but things are going to be muddy after the rain, plus I’m thinking a week from next Thursday of heading up to the Adirondacks for a three-day weekend, assuming they don’t get a shit ton of snow up north in the meantime or it’s pouring rain all Easter weekend. πŸ‡

Things are going better since I’ve been doing more research πŸ›– on housing options, and realizing I have to be more flexible on my thinking — even if it means a longer commute then is ideal to live rural. πŸ‘¨β€πŸŒΎSpending a lot of money on gas ⛽️ and burning through cars πŸš— every 8-10 years ain’t fun, but I may have to push closer to 35 mile commute rather then the less 30 mile commute I was going for. The thing is in 8 years from my next car purchase in 2025, I’ll have built up my solar system and there will be far more options for electric vehicles. πŸ”Œ I really like some of the options for modular cabins, especially the smaller ones built to code for residential use at a factory and delivered to the site with full interior built. Right now I’m quite enthralled by the Zook Settler and similar style small-one floor code-compliant pre-built residential cabins. I am thinking one floor, no basement, smallest size for a smallest possible electrical and heating demand. I like the wood-walls, that won’t sure the dirt like drywall, and the metal roof for fire safety and insurance savings, lest an ember fall on the roof.

Then get an EPA-certified, efficient wood stove and a small heat pump and use one of the bedrooms as a mechanical room — for batteries, split-phase inverter, well pressure tank, and maybe eventually a washing machine and computer equipment. πŸ”‹ If I get serious about the map making business, I might eventually get an used plotter. I am thinking the heat pump can be used when I’m not there to keep things from freezing in winter. ♨️ Wouldn’t run much though, as I’d keep the temperature low on the heat pump in the winter, 🌨️ and the thing is a cabin built to 2018 federal energy standards, as required by NY State, passing blower efficiency tests, 🌬️is going to have minimal heat loss. I am going to need a quality gasoline generator like a Honda, which will have remote start, which can be triggered off inverter on low battery, which can keep things from freezing up in winter if I’m away for an extended time. Plus as much as I personally loathe air conditioning, the climate is warming 🌎️ and it sure would be nice to come home to on that sultry summer nights, especially when the batteries are full and it makes sense to be keeping the cabin cold rather then wasting the solar energy. 🧊 Use a standard electric refrigerator and probably a gas stove converted to use propane — and in winter, sometimes use the wood stove to atop. If I’m only using propane for the stove, I can get away with 30 lb propane tanks, that I can throw in the pickup and get filled at any propane retailer rather then paying a big truck to come out there and be dependent on one supplier. That said, it’s going to be a lot of money, but I’ve saved for a long time, done well in the markets. What I’m building is far smaller then your typical suburban home and will consume far less energy, especially fossil energy.

Today will be partly sunny 🌞, with a high of 54 degrees at 5pm. Nine degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around April 5th. West wind 5 to 8 mph. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies in the morning, remaining cloudy in the afternoon. The high last year was 51 degrees. The record high of 82 was set in 1990. 13.4 inches of snow fell back in 1956.❄

At any rate, that’s all fun and games, πŸ•ΉοΈ though first I have to find land that I love ❀️‍πŸ”₯and is a good fit for me. The commute thing sucks, but I want to find a place that feels like and will be my home for the rest of my life.Β  πŸš— I am exploring Rensselaer County today, not because that’s necessarily where I will move, as I’m biased towards the Hilltowns of Albany County, but as far as birds eye distance goesΒ  🦜 there’s more remote country, closer to work then in the Hilltowns, being that work in Menands. 🐐 The roads kind of suck and traffic in Rensselaer County, (Hoosick Street and NY 7) but as a property owner, the conservative politics of land of Joe Bruno would suit me well. πŸ˜ƒ What’s good for my business, as I like to say, might not necessarily always be good for myself. Not only do I want to look at a list of parcels I’ve seen listed in Hoosick Falls, Petersburg and Grafton, I also want to explore some of Petersburg State Forest for mountain biking, hiking and camping πŸ•οΈ πŸ₯Ύ in the future. It’s fun to drive the back roads.

Solar noon 🌞 is at 1:05 pm with sun having an altitude of 45.9Β° from the due south horizon (-25Β° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 5.8 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour πŸ… starts at 6:26 pm with the sun in the west (263Β°). πŸ“Έ The sunset is in the west (269Β°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 7:04 pm after setting for 2 minutes and 53 seconds with dusk around 7:31 pm, which is one minute and 10 seconds later than yesterday. πŸŒ‡ At dusk you’ll see the First Quarter πŸŒ“ Moon in the southwest (215Β°) at an altitude of 73Β° from the horizon, 239,018 miles away. πŸš€ The best time to look at the stars is after 8:05 pm. At sunset, look for partly clear skies πŸŒ„ and temperatures around 50 degrees. There will be a calm wind. Tomorrow will have 12 hours and 4 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 54 seconds over today.

For the Easter weekend, 🐰 as I was noting, I really want to get out of town to go to the Adirondacks. The burn ban doesn’t apply to small campfires, and I don’t think it’s going to be bone dry up north at that point based on the forecast. πŸ”₯ Plus I really want a good fire to help myself sleep betterΒ  πŸ›Œ and burn up some of the accumulated papers. I have nothing but disdain for the burn ban, but I understand the fire risk this time of year, as I know how easy it can be set your yard on fire, and as a future property owner I don’t want that to happen. 😐️ You can say what you want about New York State, but it pays my bills and it’s my home. Building standards mean I will end up with a quality, energy efficient building even if I have my views on the gun laws and open burning restrictions. Happy March 16th.

Tonight will have showers, mainly after 2am. 🌧 Low of 41 degrees at 6am. 14 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around April 22nd. Light southeast wind becoming south 6 to 11 mph in the evening. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. In 2023, we had partly cloudy skies. It got down to 32 degrees. The record low of -1 occurred back in 1916.

One month πŸ“… from now will be Average High is 60 🌷 when the sun will be setting at 7:40 pm with dusk at 8:08 pm.

Snow and Ice Covered Truck Trail

The Long Commute 🚘️

One of the things I don’t like about owning land is the long commute. Everybody warns me about it, but it’s not like I’m unfamiliar with it having lived in Dormansville for many years growing up and commuting various jobs in the Greater Albany area. I haven’t driven to work in many years, but I do remember those days well. I also drove from Dormansville up to Hudson Valley Community for two years, five days a week. That was about 30 miles each way.

Some people do long commutes to get more affordable property. Other people do it because they like the rural lifestyle, they want acerage, land they can call their own. That’s the camp I fall into. I have determined that a 30 mile commute — 45 minutes each way or an hour and half total is a reasonable trade off for a rural lifestyle. Especially if much of that commute is on fast-moving, 2 lane rural highways, it’s something I can live with even if it’s a pretty big nuisance.

Things have changed in my life — working in the suburban office with acres of parking, and a 9-5 schedule. Except for those dark days in November, December, January and early February, most of the time I will be driving in the daylight. It’s much different then when I was working the late nights, in a downtown office, where the only option for parking was off-site in a large parking garage.

At roughly 350 miles a week (assuming up to 10 miles per day side trips), it’s a lot of driving and it’s tough on cars. As much as 18,200 miles a year. Each week 7 1/2 hours spent motoring if it’s 45 minutes each way. Then again, I guess the flip side is that’s about what I spend on bus between the time getting out to the stop, waiting for the bus to arrive and head home. But a whole lot more expensive. And that’s time I can’t spend exercising or doing other things, though I can certainly stream podcasts and audio books as I drive.

I can figure on using a tankful of gas each week. Probably not an $80 or $100 tankful, as I don’t think my big jacked up truck has all that much useful life in it, but certainly $50-75 a week in fuel, especially if I end up something like a 4×4 compact pickup like a Toyota Tacoma. Probably going to need something with four-wheel drive out in the country for the winter and mud season. When fuel prices inevitably go up to $5 or $6 it will become a bigΒ  pain the but though my budget and salary can absorb it. Plus replacing the vehicle every 8-10 years due to the mileage more then the age. Again, I’m sure I can afford it but do I want it?

I don’t know, I kind of like living in the city and busing and biking it to work. I don’t have to worry about weather or breakdowns. But the flip side, is I like being out in country, having fires, burning things, listening to frogs and howl of the coyote and the idea of owning my own land, and not being a pawn at a landlord’s game. Where I have a real home, not a moldy shit shack where I get my mail and plan my next escape to the wilderness. It’s where my roots are. I really struggle to know what’s right but I’m deeply unhappy with the my current situation.

Pickup with Ice