Roaring campfire
Mason Lake
NPR
The Pentagon confirmed Friday it will not allow rainbow pride flags to fly at military facilities in celebration of Pride Month. That fell in line with the Pentagon's 2020 decision to permit only certain flags at Department of Defense installations.
Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby told reporters the DOD chose not to make an exception to the existing flag policy after careful consideration.
A quarter mile separation ⛺
A quarter mile separation ⛺
The quarter mile separation between campsites in the Adirondack State Land Master Plan is something I often quiver about. It does reduce camping opportunities at highly desirable camping locations but it greatly reduces user conflict – be it noise, light or smoke. No quiet hours here! When campsites are more then a quarter mile apart it’s far more of a wilderness experience, as witnessed by comparing Mason Lake to the Moffitt Beach Campground.
Mental illness and stigma, or how the Main Stream media makes mental illness worse
Mental illness and stigma, or how the Main Stream media makes mental illness worse 📺 ➡ 🤪
Television and radio stations want you to know that there is help available if you are suffering from mental illness. They will demonstrate repeatedly about the importance of mental health services by highlighting the worse possible outcomes where mental health issues lead to violence such as suicide or murder. The exceptional cases, not the routine thoughts and feelings that are common in most people’s lives.
It should be said that most people have very unpleasant thoughts in their lives from time to time. Sometimes passing throughs downright dirty, pornographic, violent and generally awful. If people didn’t have these thoughts than there would be no industry selling pornography or violent movies or for that matter the kind of news stories the media loves to dwell on. But for most people these bad thoughts are fleeting and non-harmful. Few people make a plan and act on their worse thoughts despite popular portrayals in the media that equivocate a naughty thought with a despicable act.
The problem is with the media’s portrayal of mental illness is it makes it scary and feeds people’s own anxieties making it worse. It makes a passing thought a major crisis, something to dwell on an fear rather than moving on. It emphasizes the worse case scenario, rather than the likely scenario. Rather than a rational cost benefit analysis the Main Stream media tells you to live your life in fear. This leads to more of a spiral down, more anxiety and more negative thoughts.
The best evidence for today is what happened yesterday. Inerita says that if yesterday was pretty good, chances are good that today will also be good and the worse case scenario is unlikely to play out, despite media portrayals. Chances are that the problems in your life are pretty minor, and that you are doing a lot better than many others. A lot of people probably look up to you and think you are lucky for all you have. You should also look up to those above you to strive to the next step in life but don’t forget to look back at where you were.
No therapist is going to tell you what to believe. Mental illness isn’t about having odd or alternative beliefs. Even odd behaviors or alternative lifestyle choices aren’t signs of mental illness if they aren’t causing substantial harm to a person or others around them. The bar for harm is quite high, most minor things might be safe to ignore or are manageable as is. The one hour a day requirement for OCD, or the actual hard plan for suicide exists to ensure minor things are not over medicalized – or unnecessary harm is induced by raising unwarranted concerns.
The truth is most mental illness is like a cold or a broken bone on the playground. You should ask for help but you shouldn’t dwell on it as things are probably far worse than you imagine. Chances are looking back you can chuckle at it but it’s not a bad thing to get addressed if it’s holding you back. Hiding in the closet about your problems can feel safe, and you might find ways to adapt to your problems but it’s better to come out, see the light, be honest who you are and change your life towards the better.
A hundred bucks in the bin, I feel like I’m making improvements in my anxiety levels and I’m already making some improvements in my life. I caught myself the other day in that negative thought cycle about my truck breaking down. I stopped it quickly and moved on. I am working on my obsession over rural burn barrels, burning my trash and the copious amounts of waste our society generates but as my therapist likes to point out burn barrels and landfills are far less harmful than some of the greenies like to point out. If you live way out in the country, especially in a red state, nobody really cares. It’s just one of the facts of rural life, a relatively harmless nuisance as the detritus of our industrial output goes up in smoke. It’s a topic I need to do more to come to grips with but I’ve long turned it partially positive by saving up and working hard to earn money to purchase for my off-grid homestead, where nobody will care what I burn as long as I’m safe with fire and not causing a nuisance.
To be sure, finding a mental health provider can be difficult these days with limited choices but you have to be persistent and keep going through the list your insurance provider gives you. The intake process is a bit scary with the screening process but then you realize how much worse you could be off. Chances are good your not the monster psychopath that the media makes out all mentally ill people to be. A silly thought is unlikely to lead to death or imprisonment. And then it can be tough to break down long standing prejudices and fears in your life, trying to talk about bad habits and things you might do that are less than the best light you want to see yourself in. But I do see my own mental health improving and I do think with more counseling my life will get better, I’ll be a stronger individual and it will prove to be a good investment in my time and money.
June 6, 2021 Morning
Good morning! Happy Sunday. Next Sunday is Fathers Day 👨 . Also the Gas Up 🚜 is next weekend. I should see if my dad wants to go, otherwise I might tent or hammock camp overnight in Schoharie County and go the next morning. Partly cloudy and 67 degrees at the Mason Lake. ⛅ There is a west breeze at 8 mph. 🍃. The dew point is 58 degrees.
It’s a pretty nice morning for sure. I had breakfast of eggs and sausage 🍳 and sat in the screen tent 🎪 then back out in the hammock. Been working on a blog post about mental illness stigma and the media and just hanging out. I’m going to need to take down camp ⛺ and head into town later to get ice as the heat has been tough on the coolers and while I can probably go another day, I think that will be really pushing it. I didn’t have salt for salt water ice and while I could probably wait until Monday I don’t want to deal with spoiled milk or rancid meat. 🤮
Yesterday was a pretty lazy day in the hammock. 😴 That was the plan. I did a lot of day drinking in the heat 🍻 and got quite buzzed but who cares I haven’t started my truck since Friday as I used the solar go keep things charged. 🔋 Did some fishing 🎣 and went for a swim in Mason Lake, it was cold and mucky as to be expected. 🦆 Walked down to the other end of the lake and saw a few Mallard ducks fly off. Been hearing a lot from the loons but I haven’t seen them but honestly I spent more time in the hammock then down by the lake yesterday.
Today will be mostly sunny 🌞, with a high of 83 degrees at 3pm. Six degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around June 28th. Maximum dew point of 59 at 10am. West wind 8 to 11 mph. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies in the morning with some clearing in the afternoon. It was somewhat humid. The high last year was 86 degrees. The record high of 94 was set in 1925.
I think today I will pack up ⛺ and head into Spectulator. While it is getting warm fast, I am thinking about hiking back to the Kunjamuk Cave and Elm Lake. I could drive there but I would rather park the truck and walk 🚶🏻 so I can look at birds 🐦 and wildlife 🦌. I need to get a block of ice ❄ a Charlie John’s and then I want to get some ice cream 🍦and go for a swim in Lake Pleasant at the town beach 🏖 which isn’t officially open yet but I am sure there will be a ton of people there. 🏊🏻♂️
Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:57 pm with sun having an altitude of 69.1° from the due south horizon (-0.7° 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 🏅 starts at 7:53 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (296°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-northwest (303°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:37 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 30 seconds with dusk around 9:11 pm, which is 41 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 9:58 pm. At sunset, look for mostly clear skies 🌄 and temperatures around 76 degrees. The dew point will be 60 degrees. There will be a west-southwest breeze at 8 mph. Today will have 15 hours and 19 minutes of daytime, an increase of one minute over yesterday.
Tonight will be mostly clear 🌃, with a low of 61 degrees at 4am. Six degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around June 27th. Maximum dew point of 60 at 8pm. West wind 5 to 8 mph. In 2020, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 54 degrees. The record low of 37 occurred back in 1958.
As previously noted, next Sunday is Fathers Day 👨 when the sun will be setting at 8:40 pm with dusk at 9:15 pm. On that day in 2020, we had cold, partly sunny and temperatures between 66 and 46 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 79 degrees. We hit a record high of 94 back in 1892.
June 5, 2021 Morning
Good morning! Today is the first 8:30 PM Sunset ️⛱️ . Actually a bit later here as I’m farther to the west here in the Adirondacks. Two weeks to Average High is 80 🏖 . Mostly sunny and 69 degrees at Mason Lake. There is a west-southwest breeze at 13 mph. 🍃. The dew point is 57 degrees. The breeze this morning is nice and keeping the bugs in control. 🐜 Last night until dusk the black flies were bad but this morning with the low humidity, they aren’t bad at all.
Today will be mostly sunny 🌞, with a high of 83 degrees at 2pm. Six degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around June 28th. Maximum dew point of 57 at 10am. West wind 13 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph. Up north with that breeze it should be pretty nice. Back in Albany I bet they are roasting. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies in the morning with some clearing in the afternoon. It was sticky. The high last year was 85 degrees. The record high of 97 was set in 1925.
I am planning a pretty lazy day on the hammock, 😴 maybe doing some fishing 🎣, day drinking 🍻, laying in the hammock and possibly a swim 🏊🏻♂️. I don’t feel real ambitious, going to be a hot one and truth be told, I just want a day and away from it all. Between that fire at Mr. Wolcott’s house to issues I have in my own life, to everything that’s been going on in my life its but wild. 🤪 I just want a weekend with nothing crazy going on, just quiet and relaxing. Next week is going to be really busy and there might be some work projects today so I’m camping 🏕 here at Mason Lake where I know I have good cell service 📱. Lots of laying back.
Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:57 pm with sun having an altitude of 69° from the due south horizon (-0.8° 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 🏅 starts at 7:53 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (296°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-northwest (303°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:36 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 29 seconds with dusk around 9:10 pm, which is 43 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 9:57 pm. At sunset, look for partly cloudy skies 🌃 and temperatures around 75 degrees. The dew point will be 54 degrees. There will be a west breeze at 15 mph. Today will have 15 hours and 18 minutes of daytime, an increase of one minute and 4 seconds over yesterday.
Tonight will be partly cloudy 🌤, with a low of 63 degrees at 4am. Eight degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 54 at 6pm. West wind 10 to 15 mph. In 2020, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became partly cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It was humid. It got down to 60 degrees. The record low of 38 occurred back in 1971.
Yesterday when I went to boot windows for the Zoom Meeting 📹 the silly windows took 25 minutes to boot so my cover was blown that I was working from the Adirondacks as I had to connect using my phone without the virtual background. It’s the worst kept secret ever that I often work from the Adirondacks when working remotely. 🗻 Sometimes technology fails but I made my meeting and work gets done. I really hope they keep the remote hybrid model at work, however their is a lot of resistance to that.
As previously noted, there are 2 weeks until Average High is 80 🏖 when the sun will be setting at 8:42 pm with dusk at 9:18 pm. On that day in 2020, we had hot, partly cloudy and temperatures between 88 and 70 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 80 degrees. We hit a record high of 94 back in 1995.
That weekend in two weeks is going to be the Juneteenth weekend ⛺ which I am thinking would be perfect for some quiet time with no cell service 🔕 and no internet at Piseco-Powley Road. As much as I like being connected to the world its nice to be off the grid spending a lot of day at the Potholers or maybe better yet that campsite at the House Pond Campsite with the swimming 🏊🏻♂️ hole nearby if I can get it. Come July, definitely want to check out the renovated Mine Kill Pool and Burnt Rossman Hills Forest and then of course summer vacation in the Finger Lakes. 🏞
May 17, 2021 Morning
Good morning! Happy Pack Rat Day 🐀! It’s hard to argue with Texas ranchers with their burn pits. Pile it up and light a match. 🔥 Backfill the dead pit hole with dirt. 🚜 Kind of like they do in the city without the fancy liners and shit. Remember Texas is nearly six times the size of New York, you can get away with shit out there unthinkable back east. Two weeks to Memorial Day 🇺🇸 . That officially is the kick off to summer. I think I will stay out of the Adirondacks that weekend because I don’t like crowds or black flies. I had my fill this weekend. Mostly sunny and 50 degrees at the Mason Lake. 😎 Calm wind. But so far that black flies 🐜 haven’t awoken but they are coming. 🙄
Yesterday, I hiked Watch Hill (again) 🏃 then walked around Lewey Lake Campground 🐦 studying the birds, and taking some pictures of scenery. 🖼 Still not sure what the hiking trails listed on the signs are from Lewey Lake are — I have some on my map, but I couldn’t find them. But I tell you they pack those campsites in. I drove down to Mason Lake, and while I didn’t get a campsite right on the lake like I had hoped, 🏕 I did find a campsite that I didn’t visit at all last year, and it was nice smaller site. The smaller sites are easier to light. The black flies were super bad all around Perkins Clearing, 🐜 but once I had the screen tent set up and I could hide out in there to dusk, it was bearable. 📗 Did some reading and scrolling through the phone for a while 📱 before doing a brief walk down to Mason Lake, which was about 3/4 mile down from the road where I camped. Virtually nobody up at Watch Hill, I passed a small group hiking up the mountain but after that I didn’t see a single other person. 🗻 I didn’t dilly dally too much on Watch Hill as I heard some thunder and it looked like rain to south 🌩 but it tuned out to be nothing more then a handful of rain dops.
Taking down camp ⛺ and getting ready to head to Spectulator. I have a busy day ahead so I want to be there by nine 🕘. I also want things taken down before the black flies are out in force. Made some eggs 🥚 and laying back in the hammock for a few minutes before I start on south. A pretty nice day, alas a work day so I’ll probably be spending most of the day at the Lake Pleasant Wi-Fi, but at least I won’t have to worry about having enough energy to keep everything charged. 😎 But alas, this evening after work I’m heading back home. I am running a bit low on supplies, and I want to work from home tomorrow so I can get ready for working in office come Wednesday. 👨💼 Pretty drive though down to Spectulator this morning.
Today will have a slight chance of showers after 1pm. Mostly sunny 🌞, with a high of 69 degrees at 1pm. Three degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around May 9th. But then again, we are comparing Speculator weather to Albany climate normals, and that’s not a perfect mix as it’s colder in mountains. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 20%. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies. The high last year was 74 degrees. The record high of 92 was set in 2017.
The agenda today is pretty much work, 💻 although I hope at lunch time to have an hour to go for a walk along the Sacandaga River and maybe sit down by Lake Pleasant. At 5 PM or so I’ll head home and get unpacked. Maybe a make a few stops along away to toss in a fishing line. 🎣 J do like fishing below the dam in Wells, although with the warm weather they probably will have ramped the hydro dam up and the trout are probably hiding in deep due to the heat.
Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:55 pm with sun having an altitude of 65.8° from the due south horizon (-4° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 2.7 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 7:37 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (291°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-northwest (298°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:19 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 20 seconds with dusk around 8:51 pm, which is one minute and 3 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 At dusk you’ll see the First Quarter 🌓 Moon in the west-southwest (254°) at an altitude of 49° from the horizon, 241,453 miles away. 🚀 The best time to look at the stars is after 9:34 pm. At sunset, look for partly clear skies 🌄 and temperatures around 60 degrees. There will be a calm wind. Today will have 14 hours and 48 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 3 seconds over yesterday.
Tonight will be partly cloudy 🌃 , with a low of 47 degrees at 3am. Two degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around May 13th. Calm wind. In 2020, we had cloudy skies. It got down to 54 degrees. The record low of 29 occurred back in 1981.
This weekend will give us a hint of summer. 🏖 But not really muggy. Saturday, a chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 77. Chance of precipitation is 40%. Maximum dew point of 57 at 8am. Sunday, a chance of showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 78. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Maximum dew point of 56 at 8am. Typical average high for the weekend is 73 degrees. I’m considering Madison County, where there won’t be black flies, but two weekend in a row traveling can be a bit tired. I am not sure.
As previously noted, there are 2 weeks until Memorial Day 🇺🇸 when the sun will be setting at 8:31 pm with dusk at 9:06 pm. 🌺 Aren’t you looking forward to the unofficial kick-off for summer, although we get will get a taste of that this week. On that day in 2020, we had partly sunny and temperatures between 65 and 46 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 75 degrees. We hit a record high of 92 back in 2013.
