April 26, 2020 Night

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Good evening! Heavy rain and 40 degrees in Delmar, NY. ☔ There is a north-northeast breeze at 13 mph. 🍃. No snow here but I heard they’ve gotten a half foot already in Summit in Schoharie County up where I like to camp in Schoharie County. The skies will clear Tuesday around 4 am.

Today was rather cold and rainy ☔ so I stayed home and did some cleaning 🚿 and then went to the car wash and cleaned the salt off Big Red, 🚘 went to Walmart (out of socks!) 👘and gased up the truck. ⛽ I’d like to get back to the Adirondacks this weekend for camping ⛺ and fishing 🎣 but it depends a lot on the weather. Might still be snow up north – all week is expected to be quite cold and rainy with a few exceptions.

I still think it wouldn’t have been a good week for camping ⛺ with the rain today ☔ plus besides my hikes on Saturday I had other things that kept me busy this weekend. It was nice walking at Partridge Run but some of the places I hiked were crowded 👪 when normally when I go up there I don’t see any one at all most times. Maybe I just picked a bad route to hike but it also was an extraordinary nice day except for the bugs which despite the DEET were atrocious. 🐜I’m surprised that they were so bad when it was quite dry up there from the leaf litter to the low flow on most of the seasonal creeks and even in the Switz Kill.

That said, no risk of snow or ice locally. We will be well above freezing. Tonight will rain. 🌧 Low of 38 degrees at 10pm. Three degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around April 18th. North wind 11 to 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible. Hopefully more rain or snow out in the hilltowns – really dry out that way. In 2019, we had light rain in the evening, which became clear by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 40 degrees. The record low of 26 occurred back in 1963.

Tonight will have a Waxing Crescent 🌒 Moon with 14% illuminated. At 8 PM, the moon was in the west (269°) at an altitude of 36° from the horizon, some 242,245 miles away from where you are looking up from the earth. 🚀 At the state speed limit of 55 mph, you’ll make it there by October 27th. Buckle up for safety! 💺 The moon will set in the west-northwest (302°) at 11:34 pm. The Flower 🌷 Moon is on Thursday, May 7. The darkest hour is at 12:54 am, followed by dawn at 5:27 am, and sun starting to rise at 5:57 am in the east-northeast (71°) and last for 3 minutes and 4 seconds. Sunrise is one minute and 27 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌄 The golden hour ends at 6:36 am with sun in the east-northeast (77°). Tonight will have 10 hours and 4 minutes of darkness, a decrease of 2 minutes and 35 seconds over last night.

Tomorrow will rain some more and be quite cold. 💦 But fortunately no snow locally. Otherwise, cloudy 🌧, with a high of 48 degrees at 1pm. 15 degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around March 25th. North wind around 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. Farmers are planting in the Genesee Valley already, so they certainly don’t want frost. A year ago, we had light rain in the morning with some clearing in the afternoon. The high last year was 50 degrees. The record high of 91 was set in 1962. There was a dusting of snow in 1946.❄

Between wearing the bandana over the face 😷 to product shortages to the nuts around social distancing, shopping is so miserable these days. I find it hard to see and hot under the bandana a little bit Walmart. I thought I would be in Walmart at a low traffic time around six o’clock on Sunday evening but I was wrong. I probably would have gone somewhere besides Walmart but I was hoping to get socks and a shower curtain, the prior which was no in stock. My socks are wearing out, I may have to order online. Hopefully it won’t take Walmart two weeks to ship 📦 like it did with the boots 👢.

That said, I’m quite happy with the lower fuel prices ⛽ but I’m sure they won’t last. But it’s so freaky about touching everything these days and then spraying rubbing alcohol everywhere until you skin cracks and bleeds. ⭕And then getting home and rushing to the sink. I do miss the old routines a lot and look forward to once again putting the suit and tie on and going down to work on the bus 🚍 everyday. And hopefully the Coronavirus Uncle Police 🚨 will crawl back down their rat 🐀 holes and leave us alone again. I’m still not convinced that much of this all isn’t super political in the presidential election of the geriatrics, not that the candidates were spring chickens 🐔 in 2016.

In four weeks on May 24 the sun will be setting in the west-northwest (300°) at 8:20 pm,🌄 which is 29 minutes and 45 seconds later then tonight. In 2019 on that day, we had partly cloudy and temperatures between 70 and 52 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 72 and 50 degrees. The record high of 92 degrees was set back in 1964.

Looking ahead, Mothers Day 👩‍ is in 2 weeks, Pack Rat Day 🐀 is in 3 weeks, Strawberry Moon 🌕 is in 6 weeks and Fathers Day 👨 is in 7 weeks.

🇺🇸🦅Only 26 days remain until the start of Memorial Day Weekend!🦅🇺🇸

Photo.2013.04.28 12.00.50

The Cheapest Gun You Can Buy!!! and why it’s not horrible…

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https://youtube.com/?v=F7291bGZEXY

This is an interesting firearm, while probably not legal in New York even with a pistol permit, it so simple and stripped down and reminds us the basics of how firearms actually work. It actually reminds me a lot of the single shot pellet gun I own, except this is a very much a firearm that shoots 9mm bullets like an ordinary handgun but only mechanically simpler.

Washed my truck today at the car wash. 🚘

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Washed my truck today at the car wash. 🚘

I was a little freaked out having to handle the pressure washer and foaming brush handle after countless other have inevitably handled it throughout the day but I did spray my hands 👐 down good with 91% rubbing alcohol when I got back in my truck and then washed them good when I got home. I was surprised how much salt I found on the truck so it was overdue for a good wash down. 🚿

I do debate whether or not I should have worn my bandana as a mask while washing the truck – a lot of water splashes 💦 around with the pressure washer but it’s not like I was standing next to somebody else at the car wash – I was the only one there at the time. It seems like Coronavirus is mostly being spread these days by breathing 😮and I’m not sure how many sick people are at the car wash but I knew if I didn’t wash my truck the tin worm 🐛 would certainly be eating it all week long.

Westmere Residents Challenge Pyramid and Guilderland’s Violations of Law in Federal Court 🌲🌲🌲🌲

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Westmere Residents Challenge Pyramid and Guilderland’s Violations of Law in Federal Court 🌲🌲🌲🌲

For Immediate Release: April 26, 2020
For Further Information, please call: James Bacon, Esq. (845) 419-2338
Westmere residents announce the filing of a lawsuit yesterday in the Northern District of New York to prevent Pyramid’s further construction of Costco. Pyramid cut down more than two acres of woodlands that could have provided habitat in the coming months for endangered and threatened species. The clear cutting violated significant provisions of federal and state law, including the Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act and
especially, the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA).
Kevin McDonald, resident of Westmere Terrace adjacent to the development states: “[i]n doing this the town has clearly shown that it will grant permits to the project as proposed despite the fact that the review process has yet to be completed. One major element missing from the review process is a review of alternative, less impactful designs, the sort of thing that could comply with the TOD overlay district which was supposed bring neighborhood scaled
mixed use development to our area. The TOD is the zoning that was commissioned
and accepted by the town to promote responsible development around Western Avenue. Rather than demanding alternative proposals as required by law, the town allowed Pyramid to clear cut thus unleashing a “bureaucratic steamroller” that predetermines the outcome of the permitting process.”
Steve Wickham, volunteer with Save the Pine Bush and chair of the Guilderland Coalition for Responsible Growth steering committee attempted to stop the clear cutting by sitting on the blade of the tree-cutting equipment during a spontaneous act of civil disobedience on
March 26th. Wickham says, “The residents of Westmere are fed up with broken promises and Pyramid’s acquisition of property over the years with secret plans to destroy the Lawton Terrace neighborhood, urbanize the area surrounding Westmere Terrace and negatively impact the lives of everyone in Guilderland forever.”
Lynne Jackson, volunteer with Save the Pine Bush, observed “[t]he Town of Guilderland must protect the environment. With the world-wide decline in species, it is even more important that Town protect its own endangered and threatened species and its own very unique Pine Bush ecosystem.”
James Bacon, attorney for the plaintiffs states: “In more than 30 years of involvement in SEQRA proceedings, I have never heard of an agency allowing the clear-cutting of woodlands during the SEQRA process. Clear cutting part of the Costco site improperly predetermines
critical aspects of the SEQRA review such as alternative site layouts and
designs which is significant for a project potentially resulting in more than 300 residential units, 275,000 sq. ft of commercial/retail use and 50,000 sq. ft. of offices while also depending upon the alienation of portions of five Town Roads. The scope of federal and state violations coupled with the scope of the project requires re-establishment of lead
agency allowing another involved agency to adhere to SEQRA’s procedures and act as
“stewards of the… land, and living resources” with “an obligation to protect the environment for the use and enjoyment of this and all future generations” as required by the
New York State Environmental Conservation Law. ECL 8-§0103(8).