Bethlehem Public Library

Bethlehem Public Library values its responsibility to enhance the general welfare and quality of life in the community and region it serves. The library pursues excellence in its mission: to provide equal and uncensored access to resources and services that encourage lifelong learning, cultural enrichment, and professional growth.

http://www.bethlehempubliclibrary.org/

July 28, 2020 10 AM Update

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Good morning! Happy Tuesday. Clouds, occasional rain showers and 72 degrees at the Bethlehem Public Library. ☔ There is a west breeze at 8 mph. 🍃. The dew point is 66 degrees. Still kind of muggy. The skies will clear around 11 am.

This morning started out with the most pleasant of rains, 🌦  a good soaker but not so hard that it was likely to cause flooding. It’s been a hot few days and we need the rain. I heard the woods was burning up again in the Altona Flatlands up in the North Country, and certainly stream levels are quite low — as seen by the picture of the Potholers that I posted the other day.🏞️

Today will have a slight chance of showers before noon, then a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms between noon and 2pm. Some of the storms could produce gusty winds and heavy rain. Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny 🌦, with a high of 81 degrees at 2pm. One degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around August 10th. Maximum dew point of 66 at 10am. West wind 8 to 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies in the morning, which became mostly sunny by afternoon. It was sticky. The high last year was 90 degrees. The record high of 99 was set in 1929.

I started out my morning get my teeth cleaned. 🦷 I have to admit I haven’t been brushing as much as I should regularly, but I didn’t get balled out too much by the dental hygentist. I should do better but I ran out of toothpaste while camping, 🤓 and forgot to pick some of what would have probably been $10 tube of toothpaste at Charlie Johns. I almost missed this appointment, had my dental hygentist not called me on Friday afternoon. So now you know the real reason for me coming back home.

Solar noon 🌞 is at 1:03 pm with sun having an altitude of 66.2° from the due south horizon (-4.6° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 2.6 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 7:40 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (290°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-northwest (297°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:21 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 15 seconds with dusk around 8:52 pm, which is one minute and 3 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌇 At dusk you’ll see the Waxing Gibbous 🌔 Moon in the south-southwest (193°) at an altitude of 30° from the horizon, 228,302 miles away. 🚀 The best time to look at the stars is after 9:34 pm. At sunset, look for mostly clear skies 🌄 and temperatures around 70 degrees. The dew point will be 56 degrees. There will be a west breeze at 8 mph. Today will have 14 hours and 35 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 2 minutes and 3 seconds over yesterday.

I got my teeth cleaned. 🦷🦷🦷🦷🤓 It was relatively painless, and I didn’t get called out that badly for being as bad at flossing and brushing as I have been this past summer. I’ve been a bad boy, but when you work remotely, nobody knows if you have dirty teeth or don’t use deodorant — and unless you have a zoom meeting they don’t know if you don’t shave, wash, or comb your hair.

Tonight will be mostly clear 🌃, with a low of 57 degrees at 3am. Five degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around August 31st. Maximum dew point of 57 at 6pm. West wind 5 to 8 mph. In 2019, we had mostly clear skies. It was very sticky. It got down to 67 degrees. The record low of 47 occurred back in 1987.

A picture perfect weekend on tap. 😎 Saturday, mostly sunny, with a high near 78. Maximum dew point of 60 at 8am. Sunday, a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 78. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Maximum dew point of 61 at 7pm. Typical average high for the weekend is 82 degrees.

This weekend I’ll probably stay in town. 🦉 I have some things that I need to do in town, and I might take the following week off for work, for some kind of real summer vacation. No idea where I will go, although I’m leaning towards the Finger Lakes. Yeah, I’m hardly excited about visiting state parks with all the social distancing, but it would be nice to set up camp for the week, and just be able to hang out at the National Forest all week, doing some hiking, fishing, and paddling on some of the lakes.🚤🚶⛺ I was thinking originally about going to the Western Adirondacks and Saint Lawrence County, but I’m getting tired of the Adirondacks after my “workacation” up there to beat the heat for so much of the summer.

Looking ahead, there are 14 weeks until Election Day 2020 🗳️ when the sun will be setting at 4:45 pm with dusk at 5:14 pm (Standard Time). On that day in 2019, we had partly sunny skies, rain showers and temperatures between 53 and 30 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 53 degrees. We hit a record high of 75 back in 1990.

Saturday's fire

February 13, 2020 Morning

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Good morning! Happy Thursday. The direct drive of the week. Next Thursday is 5:30 PM Sunset 🌆. As the sign on the bridge says, “When there is no hope, there is spring!” And black flies. They’re waiting. 🐜 Snow, slop and 33 degrees in Delmar, NY. ❄ Calm wind. The sidewalks have the consistency of a pasture after a wet spring today with all the snow, rain and slop on them. There are 2 inches of snow on the ground. ☃ ️Temperatures will drop below freezing at around 7 pm. ☃️

Today will rain, snow and sleet, possibly mixed with freezing rain before noon, then a chance of snow showers between noon and 1pm, then a chance of rain and snow showers after 1pm. 🌧 High of 38 degrees at 3pm. Five degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around March 1st. Calm wind becoming northwest 5 to 8 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 90%. Little or no ice accumulation expected. Total daytime snow and sleet accumulation of less than one inch possible. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies in the morning, which became mostly sunny by afternoon. The high last year was 38 degrees. The record high of 58 was set in 1900. 9 inches of snow fell back in 1893.❄

I mean it could be worse in Trump’s 🎺 America, this could all be ice or deep snow. The later would be less sloppy but it would delay traffic with the cidiots abandoning their cars 🚘 in the middle of the street, calling it parallel parking. 🅿 I’ve been wearing my black leather work boots 👢 to work lately and keeping my dress shoes under the desk at work. Seems to work well.

Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:11 pm with sun having an altitude of 33.9° from the due south horizon (-36.9° vs. 6/21). The golden hour 🏅 starts at 4:44 pm with the sun in the west-southwest (246°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-southwest (253°) starting at 5:21 pm and lasts for 3 minutes and 3 seconds with dusk around 5:52 pm, which is one minute and 18 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 6:27 pm. At sunset, look for possibly more rain 🌧 and snow 🌨 and temperatures around 37 degrees. There will be a west-northwest breeze at 9 mph. Today will have 10 hours and 28 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 39 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will be mostly cloudy 🌥, with a low of 15 degrees at 6am. Two degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around February 5th. Northwest wind 6 to 11 mph. In 2019, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became light snow by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 26 degrees. The record low of -13 occurred back in 2016.

Today I have to renew the two library books I have out. 📚 I finished up the Almost President book I was reading over the past week, and I can return it tonight when I go down to the library, but I figured I’d renew it to be safe. I am starting reading a book about electrical wiring, as I want to further my knowledge of electricity and code issues — I am hoping to understand the electrical code, so eventually when I own land I can make appropriate upgrades on my off-grid property. Even if I live in a place without code enforcement, it’s good to have a safe system that doesn’t burn your house to the ground or shock you to head.

Right now, a split verdict on the weekend. 😕 Saturday, mostly sunny, with a high near 32. Calm wind becoming south around 6 mph in the afternoon. Sunday, mostly cloudy, with a high near 40. Typical average high for the weekend is 35 degrees.

Somehow I have this vague thought about heading out of town this weekend, ⛺ even though I know that there is no chance in hell of that happening. But come April the snow will be replaced by rain, mud and black flies I tell myself. 🎣 Trout season too. I bet there is still a ton of snow out in Madison County — actually there is a checked. So that’s probably not a realistic option but Presidents Day might still be a good opportunity to go skiing ⛷ maybe out at Partridge Run or Rensselearville State Forest. I haven’t been in the later in some time.🌲🌲🌲

🌹🌻🌼Only 35 days remain until the first day of calendar spring!🌹🌻🌼

As previously noted, next Thursday is 5:30 PM Sunset 🌆 when the sun will be setting at 5:32 pm with dusk at 6:01 pm. On that day in 2019, we had cloudy, snow showers and temperatures between 28 and 9 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 36 degrees. We hit a record high of 66 back in 1930.

On a Tree

In 2019, more Americans went to the library than to the movies. Yes, really. | Literary Hub

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In 2019, more Americans went to the library than to the movies. Yes, really. | Literary Hub

The US film industry may have generated revenues somewhere in the region of $40 billion last year, but it seems Hollywood still has plenty of work to do if it wants to compete with that most hallowed of American institutions: the public library.

Yes, according to a recent Gallup poll (the first such survey since 2001), visiting the local library remains by far the most common cultural activity Americans engage in.

January 10, 2020 Morning

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Good morning! Tonight is the Wolf Moon 🌕! Four weeks to Save the Pine Bush Turns 42 🦋. Partly cloudy and 36 degrees at the Elm Ave Park & Ride – CDTA. ⛅ Light breeze 🍃. A very pleasant morning that feels more like late March or early April then the coldest week of the year. Maybe colder by next weekend but still not super cold. I bet it will be a lot colder come February. Even with the warmer climate these days we still get at least one good artic blast each winter. ❄ But in the mean time my heat won’t be running much at all this weekend. I like saving energy says the boy in the big jacked up truck who is taking the bus to work. 🚍

Today will have a chance of rain, mainly after 3pm. Mostly cloudy 🌧, with a high of 45 degrees at 5pm. 15 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around March 17th. South wind 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies in the morning with some clearing in the afternoon. The high last year was 32 degrees. The record high of 55 was set in 2016. 7.3 inches of snow fell back in 1984.❄

Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:03 pm with sun having an altitude of 25.4° from the due south horizon (-45.5° vs. 6/21). The golden hour 🏅 starts at 3:57 pm with the sun in the southwest (233°). 📸 By next week the evening golden hour won’t be until after 4 pm. The sunset is in the west-southwest (240°) starting at 4:38 pm and lasts for 3 minutes and 21 seconds with dusk around 5:12 pm, which is one minute and 5 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 5:48 pm. At sunset, look out for possible rain showers 🌧 and temperatures around 44 degrees. There will be a south breeze at 10 mph. Today will have 9 hours and 16 minutes of daytime, an increase of one minute and 20 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will have a chance of rain. Mostly cloudy 🌧, with a low of 40 degrees at 7pm. 26 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around April 22nd. South wind 8 to 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. In 2019, we had light snow in the evening, which became mostly clear by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 12 degrees. The record low of -25 occurred back in 1968.

Tomorrow will have a chance of rain, mainly after 2pm. Cloudy 🌧, with a high of 60 degrees at 3pm. 30 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around April 18th. Maximum dew point of 49 at 3pm. Breezy, with a south wind 16 to 21 mph decreasing to 10 to 15 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 33 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies in the morning with some clearing in the afternoon. The high last year was 24 degrees. The record high of 57 was set in 1975. 8 inches of snow fell back in 1922.❄

Looking ahead to Sunday, showers, mainly before 10am. ☔ High near 62. South wind 11 to 15 mph becoming west in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 31 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. Maximum dew point of 53 at 6am. Typical average high for the weekend is 30 degrees.

The Hudson River is really choppy 🌊 with some white caps heading down river. Maybe it’s just the tide going out with the full 🌕 moon tonight. Definitely wouldn’t want to be in a kayak on the river right now, it almost looks like white water or right below a dam. Plus I bet the water is really cold.

🌹🌻🌼Only 69 days remain until the first day of calendar spring!🌹🌻🌼

I am still thinking about next weekend heading out to Madison County for Martin Luther King Day. 🏕 It looks like the weather might be closer to normal temperatures, and it all depends if we have precipitation or not. It will probably not have a lot of snow out there by next week, so camping at the Moscow Hill Horse Camp, which is on the asphalt road wouldn’t be a problem. Maybe do a little hiking or skiing around there, enjoy the rural scenery with all it’s earthy browns and smells. 🐮 It’s like being in a totally different land then Albany.

Looking ahead, there are 4 weeks until Save the Pine Bush Turns 42 🦋 when the sun will be setting at 5:16 pm with dusk at 5:45 pm. I was talking to one of the Save the Pine Bush leaders from 1978 and said I bet you wouldn’t be fighting development in the Pine Bush in 2020. 🌲🌲On that day in 2019, we had partly cloudy, mild, rain showers and temperatures between 47 and 36 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 33 degrees. We hit a record high of 48 back in 2005.

Towards Mount Greylock