My day explained in emoji lol. There is much to do today though first I’m pausing at Five Rivers Environmental Education Center for a walk and nature observation until 8:30 when I head back home.

Good morning! Partly sunny 🌞 and 57 degrees at the Five Rivers Environmental Education Center. Calm wind. The dew point is 55 degrees.

I could have walked 🚶 in the neighborhood this morning but I was thinking with Blackie 🚵 the ride to Five Rivers Environmental Education Center 🐸 is but twenty minutes away and it’s been a few weeks since I’ve been out here. Figured check out the cows 🐮 and the farm landscape on Meads Lane and see what Meads has for sale. 🍅 Those heirloom tomatoes look good. It looked like they had some nice flowers 🌻 but I can’t eat that. And freezer beef 🥩 something to keep in mind but not for today. 🐦 Time is tight at Five Rivers though by 8:30 need to be back on the road to be home before nine 9⃣ to shower 🚿.

Breakfast was oatmeal and banana pancakes 🥞 topped with Maine blueberries 🫐 and sugar free syrup. Decided to experiment using night before oatmeal – I let the oatmeal soak in water overnight in the fridge to let it expand and soften before blending with the mixer today, and also added some stevia for sweetness (unneeded) and also some vanilla for a vanilla flavor (also probably not needed). Chia seeds for protein. Fresh coffee ☕ with milk and I added a glob of fat free plain Greek yogurt. Good breakfast.

Lunch today is going to be good ol spike your blood sugar with couscous 🍚 mixed with chia seeds, edamine and chopped red onions. On the whole not so bad as I included protein, fats and fiber as the edamine is unshelled and couscous cooks 🧑‍🍳quickly unlike brown rice or anything whole grain. I treat chia seeds as a band aid for all wrong in my diet lol but they’re kind of fatty too. 🩹 Time is tight and I’m out of cooked rice. 🕒 Looking at the label for couscous it really is junk food though at least it is fat and added sugar free. But all carbs no vitamins at all except a tiny amount of iron. But it’s done in five minutes after boiling water 💦 which cooks the edamine.

Today will have showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm, mainly after 4pm. Otherwise, partly sunny 🌦, with a high of 80 degrees at 2pm. Three degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around August 28th. Maximum dew point of 68 at 6pm. Light southeast wind becoming south 5 to 10 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies in the morning, remaining cloudy in the afternoon. The high last year was 79 degrees. The record high of 99 was set in 1944.

At nine 9⃣ I plan to shower 🚿 and load Blackie into Big Red. 🚲 Gas up Big Red ⛽➡ 🛻 and at ten o’clock drive out to Stanton’s Farm Market in New Scotland 🫑 to see what they have. Peaches, hot peppers more zucchini and sweet corn 🌽 are on the short list. Bringing a cooler with ice to keep things fresh. Then visit Goodwill in Guilderland to see what they have for clothes that might fit me well with my smaller size. 👕👖 I’m not that hopeful, they’re small and I’ve heard their men’s section is tiny and they’re over priced – often no cheaper than new at Walmart. Then mountain biking in the Albany Pine Bush 🚵 which is allowed on preserve trails. Nothing crazy, no jumping steps or roaring through the preserve, just a nice easy ride for observing nature. 🔭

Solar noon 🌞 is at 1:01 pm with sun having an altitude of 62.4° from the due south horizon (-8.4° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 3.1 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 7:24 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (285°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-northwest (292°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:03 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 6 seconds with dusk around 8:32 pm, which is one minute and 24 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 9:12 pm. At sunset, look for rain 🌧 and thunderstorms 🌩 and temperatures around 72 degrees. The dew point will be 67 degrees. There will be a south breeze at 7 mph. Today will have 14 hours and 6 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 2 minutes and 28 seconds over yesterday.

After one o’clock I want to run up to Salvation Army in Schenectady off of Central Avenue. 👖 They have a much bigger selection and are much more affordable. I used to go there when I was starting out my career for affordable dress clothing. 🕴🏻If time doesn’t allow I’ll go there after visiting John Wolcott but it makes sense to go before due to the location and trip route, plus I saw online they often close early due to a lack of staff. 🧓 Then visiting John Wolcott. He’s been home from the hospital for nearly two weeks but he’s not doing that great I’ve heard so time is precious. Then depending on time and the weather and the order I visit Salvation Army a possible bike ride from Five Mile Reservoir or the Erie Canal Trail in Niskayuna. 🚲 Might be raining ☔ by then. Then Walmart or another grocery store in search of pearl onions and another big bag of sweet onions, plus frozen fruit, frozen spinach and kale.🛒

Tonight will have showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 10pm. Some of the storms could produce small hail, gusty winds, and heavy rain. Patchy fog before 1am, then patchy fog after 2am. 🌧 Low of 65 degrees at 5am. Three degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 68 at 6pm. 🏖️ South wind around 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. In 2022, we had cloudy skies. It got down to 59 degrees. The record low of 43 occurred back in 1957.

Yesterday rode to work 🚲 after riding to my dentist appointment 🦷. My teeth are in excellent shape for age forty, though I was worried 😯 after all that ice cream 🍦, lemons 🍋 and hot peppers 🌶️ out in the Finger Lakes with reduced milk 🥛 consumption but more Greek yogurt. After work rode to Voorheesville for 32 miles ridden for the day. 🚲 Nice evening, beautiful out at the Voorheesville Park 🏞 before heading out past the high school and library then back on the rail trail.

Tomorrow I’m thinking 💭 about riding out to Indian Ladder Farms to see what they have in stock 🍏, probably apples from last year but I wonder what else. Looking forward to fresh apples come the autumn from sure from Indian Ladder. Signed up for their newsletter 📰 last night. Then out to the folks house 👪 though in Big Red and not on Blackie for that. 🛻

As previously noted, there are 2 weeks until National Dog Day 🐩 when the sun will be setting at 7:41 pm with dusk at 8:09 pm. On that day in 2022, we had humid, partly cloudy and temperatures between 83 and 62 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 81 degrees. We hit a record high of 98 back in 1948.