Good evening. 78 degrees with a lot of high clouds that are replacing the blue with some gray and kicking up a lot of glare. More clouds creeping in later but otherwise fairly mild. Chance of showers and a low around 56 degrees.

Traffic is moving along well on 787. I almost missed my bus day dreaming about West Virginia and Harriet Tubbman. It’s a long story but I think Tubbman could have saved time and money by taking I-99 rather than the Jersey Turnpike.

Full moon tonight. It’s the Pink Moon named after the Pinkster Bushes that bloom around the Full Moon in April The moon is at its fullest stage at 1:24 AM. At that point the sky will be mostly overcast.

Cinco de Mayo is two weeks away. Average temperature is 66 degrees which seems mild compared to today . But we will see, it could be significantly warmer. In contrast, the sun will set the at 8:01 pm regardless of the weather.

It’s a chilly start to the morning at 43 degrees but it will warm up to 75 degrees or heck maybe 80 degrees. Lots of high clouds this morning but still some blue skies, more clouds later. Still going to be a quite nice day. Showers and 74 degrees for Friday and clearing with temperatures around 60 for the weekend. The rain is needed and should accelerate the technicolor transition well underway in parts of the city.

Sunset at 7:45 pm. Looking for mostly cloudy skies and 65 degrees at sunset. Dusk is at 8:15. Plan accordingly for a mild evening. Full moon tonight.

Today in 1960 Brasília, Brazil’s capital, is officially inaugurated. At 09:30, the Three Powers of the Republic are simultaneously transferred from the old capital, Rio de Janeiro. Nelson Rockefeller is said to have taken inspiration from Brasilia in construction of the South Mall, sometimes known as Brasilia on the Hudson. I think the Empire State Plaza has aged better but it was a somewhat less ambitious of a project.

Happy Birthday to John Muir. Regardless of what you think of the late environmentalist, he was a force in land preservation. He got people thinking about conservation even if his ideas were somewhat misguided.

It’s going to be a nice one. Get out and enjoy it.

If it’s going to be this cloudy and damp, it might as well rain. Still at about 50 degrees. Sun returns for the afternoon but breezy around 64. I’m fine with that, though the red flag conditions this evening suck. Sunny for Wednesday, clouds creep in in Thursday and on and off showers on Friday. Seasonable or slightly above average weather for the rest of the week.

Today in 1775, the American Revolution began. The war begins with an American victory in Concord during the battles of Lexington and Concord. Many Americans now disagree with the revolution and wish we were still part of the British monarchy, but so be it. Our country’s revolutionary start, our protection of basic rights, and our agrarian roots should not be forgotten.

Hopefully today will be a pretty quiet day, although I suspect with the breeze and seasonable weather I’ll need a sweater when I go down to vote. Yesterday’s warmth was nice, and it’s April so it’s not expected to last. Things are continuing to green up in the city, especially in warmer locations like on the plaza.

Oh well. Almost to work at this point. Have a nice day and look forward to a nicer afternoon….

Now we are at 41 degrees on our way up to 62 degrees or maybe 65. Bright blue skies this spring morning. I think we are done with the freezing nights for a while now, so that should keep things greening up. But in the mean time, this weekend will be quite warm and dry with a moderate to high fire risk. Sunny all weekend, 64 degrees on Saturday and 72 degrees on Sunday.

For the seven o’clock hour tonight, looking at 54 degrees under mostly clear skies. Sunset at 7:38 pm with darkness around 8:06 pm. Waxing Gibbous Moon tonight with about 2/3rds visible.  The stars will be best viewed after 8:46 PM. Could be a bit warmer but not terribly cold for a mid April Friday evening. Only going to get nicer each Friday evening as summer approaches.

Today would normally be tax day but because of a federal holiday, it’s not until Monday. That said, today I’m paying my debt to society or at least my debt to state government. All three hundred bucks. Also looking at getting a good propane camp stove and maybe a turkey gun if I see a good deal at DICK’s. I’ll be pretty broke by payday next week.

Staying in town this weekend. The 40 Karner Road clean up is on Saturday at the Albany Pine Bush discovery center. Then going fishing in the evening. Sunday maybe hit up a trout stream in the Northern Catskills and do some hiking and the exploring of a state forest. Or something like that.

Today in 1964, the original Pony Car, the Ford Mustang rolls off the show room floor, two days before it is set to go on sale nationwide.

Have a great Friday!

The skies are mostly cloudy and it was a fairly cold walk down to the Park and Ride, with temperatures around 24 degrees as they head up to today’s high of 43 degrees. That’s 11 degrees below the normal high of 54 for April 5th. A little sun peaking out from the clouds. The bus is just now departing the Park and Ride.

The cold isn’t as bad as the dry and cold is on my hands. Just walking down to the bus stop has left them kind of sore and cracked. Tomorrow will have a 90% chance of rain but will be fairly mild conditions with the mercury expected to reach 56. That will be the first warm day in a while but at least it will help melt the snow and keep the fire danger down.

Today in 1909, Robert Peary and Matthew Henson reach the North Pole. Happy Birthday to Merle Haggard who was born today in 1937. Especially if you’re proud to be an Okie from Muskogee.