John Boyd Thacher State Park, is situated along the Helderberg Escarpment, one of the richest fossil-bearing formations in the world. Even as it safeguards six miles of limestone cliff-face, rock-strewn slopes, woodland and open fields, the park provides a marvelous panorama of the Hudson-Mohawk Valleys and the Adirondack and Green Mountains. The park has volleyball courts, playgrounds, ball fields and numerous picnic areas with nine reservable shelters. Interpretive programs are offered year-round, including guided tours of the famous Indian Ladder Trail. There are over 25 additional miles of trails for summer hiking and mountain biking, and winter cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, hiking, and snowmobiling.
A common reaction about my winter camping trip in December was people asking if it was cold. I didn’t think it was that cold, although I made sure to dress in layers, had a good working tent heater, warm campfire, and good nutritionally-dense, warm food to eat. Probably the coldest time during the whole trip was when I was out hunting, the rest of the time I was out burning calories, or sitting next to the fire or heater. When I was at camp, when I’d get cold, I’d chop wood and be warmed up quickly.
Winter is only cold if your not properly dressed for it and do stupid things like get wet and don’t have a plan for getting warm quickly. With the Big Buddy Heater, especially in the tent, I had no problems staying warm, indeed I found myself quickly turning it down because it got too hot in the tent. Sometimes there would be some cold drafts but for the most part it was delightful. At night, after the tent was warm and toasty, I’d shut the heater off and burrow under the covers. If I got cold at night, I’d reach over and turn the heat back home.
I think it’s a mistake to think winter camping is cold, although I do note the air was dry and my hands did crack easily. Hunting is cold in the winter, but not camping. Maybe if your ill prepared you might disagree – and certainly if I had better hunting gear, I’d probably been warmer. But it’s tough when your not burning calories and to keep warm, sitting still in the woods.
The bad behavior of three years ago is still on the news, but I think they make too big of a deal out of an rollicking, out of control protest. Joe Biden won the election, fair and square, and no disruption of pomp and circumstance of the electoral count in Congress was going to change it. It wasn’t unlike the Black Lives Matter movement or so many other crazy protests from people rightfully frustrated about the lockdowns and pandemic, that hurt many in our country. It’s not like we as a society aren’t constantly smashing glass and tearing down buildings in the name of progress, both lawfully and otherwise. The government needs more people urinating on it, too many politicians believe they are too self-important. I just remember how cold that day was, working from home, staying warm with the heating pad and space heater. What a shit storm, by a shitty President in shitty times on a cold winter’s day.
Good morning! Happy Saturday. Finally the weekend as we wait for the snow to arrive! Cloudy and 26 degrees in Delmar, NY. â Calm wind. Things will start to thaw out at Monday around 11 am. ðĄïļ And then all the snow will start melting. Going to be in the fifties with rain come Wednesday. I don’t expect the roads to be particularly bad for the Monday commute, though what do I care, I’m taking the bus in. ð Between the shitty weather and being session days next week, I doubt I’ll be doing much riding to work this week. ðģ Unlike this past week, when I rode to work three out of four days, with only the one day being a session day when I went for a 6:45 AM bike ride before work.
Decided to make Johnny Cakes this morning, with corn meal, baking powder, whole-wheat flour, milk, some water and salt. ðĨ No sugar like is common in the cornbread mixes. Topped them with Greek yogurt, mango and honey. Next time I want to try a more savory version, with chopped onions, some garlic, and maybe some spinach in the mixture. But this was pretty good, though I wish there was a bit more fiber involved in the meal. I like my breakfasts to be packed with protein and fiber for an all day punch — and not too much sugar. ðĪŠ Sugar makes me crazy, it gives me anxiety. I am happier when I avoid it, though I have to say pancakes in general are much better with true maple sap, then imitation sugar-free syrup. But honey is good for a change.
Today will have a chance of snow, mainly after 4pm. Cloudy ðĻ, with a high of 32 degrees at 1pm. One degree below normal, which is similar to a typical Southeast wind 3 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Total daytime snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible. A year ago, we had light rain in the morning with more sun in the afternoon. The high last year was 44 degrees. The record high of 71 was set in 2007. 12.7 inches of snow fell back in 2002.â
Today after my bike ride ðē out to Voorheesville, going with the folks up to see my sister, niece and nephew, the later for the first time. ðķ ðĻðĐð§ðĶ Then hopefully before the snow starts too hard, I’m going to head to the laundromat ð and wash my clothes and run to Hannaford for bananas ð and a few other things I didn’t get at Walmart. Pea soup for dinner. ðĨ Should be good, mom got me a handheld blender which I was used to blend the peas nice and smooth, so it should go down nice and smooth. Add some balsamic vinegar and get the bread I have in the freezer out and I’ll be eating good. And then just enjoy the snow as it comes down. ðĻ
Solar noon ð is at 12:02 pm with sun having an altitude of 24.8° from the due south horizon (-46° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 13 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour ð starts at 3:52 pm with the sun in the southwest (232°). ðļ The sunset is in the west-southwest (240°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 4:37 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 22 seconds with dusk around 5:08 pm, which is 58 seconds later than yesterday. ð The best time to look at the stars is after 5:44 pm. At sunset, look for snow ðĻ and temperatures around 32 degrees. There will be a east-southeast breeze at 8 mph. Today will have 9 hours and 14 minutes of daytime, an increase of one minute and 3 seconds over yesterday.
My office is basically all packed up and cleaned ðĒ ðĶ and I brought home everything except my mug, phone charger and USB hub/monitor cable, so I’m ready to move to the suburban office as soon as they’re ready in my office. It’s not going to be on Monday, though I thought it might be so I wanted to be prepared. â ïļ Whenever I get the heads up, I’ll be ready to move. I’m ready and excited to take on the new tasks, but I’m willing to serve in whatever capacity my business needs me to do.
Tonight will snow. The snow could be heavy at times. ðĻ Low of 28 degrees at 9pm. 11 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around March 21st. East wind 7 to 10 mph becoming north after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of 7 to 11 inches possible. Most of snow will fall on the overnight, In 2023, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 27 degrees. The record low of -12 occurred back in 1878.
As previously noted, next Saturday is Make Your Dream Come True Day ðĄ ðĪ ðŪ when the sun will be setting at 4:45 pm with dusk at 5:15 pm. On that day in 2023, we had rain showers, mostly cloudy, mild and temperatures between 43 and 30 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 33 degrees. We hit a record high of 71 back in 1932.
Actually kind of seasonable for National Bird Day, but we have been spoiled by the relatively warm days and especially nights of this winter. El Niño plus climate change has really stuck a fork in this winter. Going to get w good snowstorm come Saturday night into Sunday but it’s not expected to last with it warm enough that the roads should be clear for the Monday commute, and mostly melted away with rain and temperatures in the mid 50s by Wednesday into Thursday.
Good morning! Clear and 18 degrees at the Delmar, NY. There is a north-northwest breeze at 8 mph. ð. Things will start to thaw out at tomorrow around 1 pm. ðĄïļ Before the snow comes Saturday night into Sunday then is washed away by the rain come Wednesday into Thursday.
Breakfast was eggs with onions, shredded broccoli and corn. ðģ Reheated coffee with milk and vanilla. Up at five o’clock this morning, I never set an alarm â° as my desire to go to the bathroom ð― gets me going in the morning. Continuing my Support Vector Machine Learning course this morning. ðĪ I always find I learn and think best early in the morning.
It’s going to be a cold ride in ðē but I’m going to do it because I like the ride and the sun will feel good. The sun angle is starting to increase even while the mercury normally drops this time of year as we approach the coldest on average week of the year – Martin Luther King Day Week. It saves a buck thirty and it’s a good exercise. Next week with session attire, likely moving to the suburban office, rain and snow just means it will be unlikely I ride to work much at all. I’ll keep my eyes ð out for birds ðĶ on my ride through the Norman’s Kill Gorge this morning.
Today will be mostly sunny ð, with a high of 32 degrees at 3pm. One degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical Northwest wind around 8 mph. A year ago, we had patches of fog in the morning, remaining cloudy in the afternoon. The high last year was 49 degrees. The record high of 64 was set in 1950. 8.0 inches of snow fell back in 1891.â
Ran to the office ðĒ last night to get my plants ðŋ and hopefully it won’t have been too much of a cold shock ðĪŊ for the plants. I’m most worried about the wandering jew, that plant struggles enough already with getting rooted. I did make sure my truck was good and warm for the trip home. I also brought home most of the other personal stuff in my office – and I’ll bring home my personal and work laptops ðŧ today so I’m ready to move to my new office come Monday if so assigned. I’m certainly ready and excited to be taking on the roll of Director of Data Services as soon as possible. I’ve been working on training my replacement as Deputy Director in Research Services. ðĒ Data Services though is far more up my alley then Research though I found research work to often be quite interesting and benefited from my data science knowledge.
Solar noon ð is at 12:01 pm with sun having an altitude of 24.7° from the due south horizon (-46.1° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 13 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour ð starts at 3:51 pm with the sun in the southwest (232°). ðļ The sunset is in the west-southwest (239°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 4:36 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 22 seconds with dusk around 5:07 pm, which is 57 seconds later than yesterday. ð The best time to look at the stars is after 5:43 pm. At sunset, look for partly cloudy skies ð and temperatures around 32 degrees. There will be a west breeze at 7 mph. Tomorrow will have 9 hours and 14 minutes of daytime, an increase of one minute and 3 seconds over today.
Decided after coming home last night to make a quick pot of homemade chicken soup.ðē You know just the essentials – water, salt, carrots, celery, spinach, whole wheat noodles, onions, garlic and some pepper and spices. Left over pork roast diced and a can of canned chicken ð. No, I don’t use broth. It’s good enough with the spices I have in the cabinet – I’d rather enjoy the natural, simple flavors.
Tonight will have increasing clouds â, with a low of 22 degrees at 6am. Five degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around March 1st. Light and variable wind. Reality check â . In 2023, we had cloudy skies in the evening, which became light rain by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 30 degrees. The record low of -19 occurred back in 1996.
Last night was remarkably cold for moving the plants ðŋ but I wanted to get the things out of my office before the snow came and have to deal with it next week. Plan to clean and continue to scrub down my office today. Then when whenver I need to move out, I’m good. Got about $40 in groceries last night, which doesn’t buy much but will keep my pantry somewhat full for a while, though Walmart didn’t have bananas. ð
Tomorrow will be cloudy â, with a high of 33 degrees at 2pm. Typical for Tomorrow. Calm wind becoming southeast 5 to 9 mph in the morning. A year ago, we had patches of fog in the morning, remaining cloudy in the afternoon. The high last year was 44 degrees. The record high of 71 was set in 2007. 12.7 inches of snow fell back in 2002.â
Looking ahead to Sunday, snow, mainly before 4pm. ðĻ Winter finally arrives but should be cleaned up by the work week. High near 32. Northeast wind 6 to 11 mph becoming light north in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 90%. Typical average high for the weekend is 33 degrees.
Looking ahead, next Friday is Coldest Day Recorded in Albany ðĻ ðĻ when the sun will be setting at 4:44 pm with dusk at 5:14 pm. It was an unthinkable negative 26 degrees in Albany on January 11, 1968. I know those negative 17 degrees days we had a few years back we’re super cold. I can’t imagine that amount of cold. On that day in 2023, we had mostly cloudy, snow showers and but generally mild temperatures between 38 and 32 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 33 degrees. We hit a record high of 67 back in 2020.
Smoking cigarettes these days is pretty much considered to be an socially unacceptable behavior. Cigarette smokers are considered to be addicts, people with a bad habit, that at best need a medical intervention to quit their nasty habit. Strangely enough, such beliefs do not extend to those who eat a lot of processed foods that are high in sugars, salts and unhealthy fats.
Diabetes, especially the most common form of the disease, Type 2 Diabetes is largely caused by the over-consumption of sugars and unhealthy fats that destroys the pancreas due to the constant overproduction of insulin. Much like a light bulb or a motor driven with too much voltage, the pancreas cranking out all that insulin to burn off all that excess sugar in blood ultimately starts to burn out and body stops producing sufficient insulin which causes blood sugar to rise, which causes various organs and parts of the human body to break down, much like an automobile lacking engine oil or coolant.
It’s something one should want to avoid if all possible. Yet it’s hard, when so much of our culture is about promoting unhealthy, often processed foods. Processed foods aren’t inherently bad, but they are often bland and unpalatable without the addition of saturated fats, salt and sugars. Even when food is lightly processed, there is a trend to cook with saturated fats, salts and sugars for taste, even when there might be healthier options to cook with spices, fruits and vegetables.
Any popular dessert promoted widely in the culture is likely loaded with saturated fats, salt and sugars. But you don’t have to listen to the advice, you can go for natural flavors of fruit and vegetables, enhanced with spices. Cookies aren’t just bad for you because they have loads of sugar, and therefor calories, but also are bad for you because they use butter or palm oil shortenings to give them that soft texture. But there are other ways to get enjoyment in eating from natural foods.
For a while I was a bit obsessed with sugar and salt substitutes. I liked the idea of minimizing my sugar and therefore calorie intake by using things like Splenda or in case of salt, Accent MSG. But I am coming to realize such things are really false options. Many of the artificial sugars may have just as bad of impact as the real thing on one’s pancreas, and aren’t really about making the behavioral choice of eating food that isn’t so sweet or salty.
It’s not as hard for me as I live alone and have full control of the food I purchase at the store. If something is not in my pantry, then I can’t eat it. Yet, there are constant temptations — lunches out with the team, cookies and candy brought in the office, mom’s home cooking. To be rejecting it all seems to being a picky eater. Sometimes I don’t — I’ve learned to make peace with mom’s home cooking, as she’s not going to be around all that much longer and a meal I don’t have of hers, there is a good chance it won’t be available in the future. And it’s about averages, not the exceptional meal. But I do walk past those free cookies and cakes in the office.
Going to get cooler as the day goes on, but not too bad this morning. Gotta save the $1.30 bus fare and get my exercise in. Going to be a decent morning for the bike ride in and combines both the commute with at least some exercise. Then it’s up the 18 stairs in Alfred E Smith Building. Won’t be much longer that I am doing this commute, due to snow and new office location in the suburbs, though I plan to ride in to the new office when the weather is decent.
Good morning! Happy Thursday. Mostly cloudy and 32 degrees in Delmar, NY. â Calm wind. The skies will clear around 1 pm. I’ll take a morning like this for December. Good enough for me to ride in certainly. Especially as I think snow is coming next week, which will make the ride in at least along the rail trail impossible, to say nothing of session or moving to the new office, assuming that happens next week.
I made some pretty good pancakes this morning ðĨ, skipping the bananas as I’m running low, using an egg as the binder, along with a mixture that was 2/3rd ground oatmeal and 1/3rd whole-wheat flower, along with some water, olive oil and baking powder. I’ve been more careful about much baking powder I use for these kinds of things — the alum can quickly make things bitter. ð Gave it a bit of time to rise, then made delicious fluffy pancakes. Topped with shredded in the food-processor frozen strawberries and 100% pure-maple syrup. ð I’ve decided it’s not worth it to use sugar-free syrup. There are health benefits to using pure-maple syrup like antioxidants, and the calorie difference might not really be that much different as there is some evidence that sugar-free syrups still spike insulin and can encourage you to eat in excess. ð Pure maple syrup is expensive, as it requires so much raw sap, so it’s something to use sparingly.
Today will have a chance of snow showers between 8am and 1pm. Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny ðĶ, with a high of 38 degrees at 11am. Four degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around February 21st. Light and variable wind becoming northwest 13 to 18 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 29 mph. We could use some sun, it’s been kind of a dreary winter, being so mild but not so sunny. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Little or no snow accumulation expected. A year ago, we had cloudy skies. The high last year was 43 degrees. The record high of 64 was set in 1950. 8.8 inches of snow fell back in 2003.â
Solar noon ð is at 12:01 pm with sun having an altitude of 24.6° from the due south horizon (-46.2° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 13.1 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour ð starts at 3:50 pm with the sun in the southwest (231°). ðļ The sunset is in the west-southwest (239°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 4:35 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 23 seconds with dusk around 5:06 pm, which is 55 seconds later than yesterday. ð The best time to look at the stars is after 5:42 pm. At sunset, look for partly clear skies ð and temperatures around 32 degrees. The wind chill around sunset will be 20. âïļ Breezy, 18 mph breeze â from the northwest with gusts up to 29mph. Brr. Tomorrow will have 9 hours and 13 minutes of daytime, an increase of one minute over today.
This evening I thinking of running into the office ðĒ after hours when parking is free ð ŋïļ to load my boxes of stuff ðĶ and plants and bring them home in part of the moving process. I am going to be working out of a temporary office the next few months, so I’ll probably just leave the plants at home ðŋ by the window until I have my permanent office. I worry about them being too cold at home or even the shock of bringing them home on such a cold night, but I think I need to get them cleared out. ð Plus I’m getting low on food again, especially so I can cook ðĐðģ for the family party that I am going to on Saturday, assuming it’s not canceled due to the impending snow storm. âïļ
Tonight will be mostly clear ð, with a low of 17 degrees at 5am. One degree below normal, which is similar to a typical Maximum wind chill around 13 at 1am; Northwest wind 7 to 14 mph. Going to need that heat on tonight. Almost wish I head some bread to bake in the morning. In 2023, we had light rain in the evening, which became patches of fog by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 38 degrees. The record low of -24 occurred back in 1904.
The chances of snow are increasing come the weekend. â Saturday, a slight chance of snow after 4pm. Cloudy, with a high near 34. Calm wind becoming southeast around 6 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 20%. Sunday, snow. High near 32. Chance of precipitation is 80%. Typical average high for the weekend is 33 degrees. Well, it is January. You expect the snow to come at some point. But looking at the real long range, I have questions on how long the snow will last. It might rain on Tuesday into Wednesday, but then again, things could change.
Honey, you should knote, there are 2 weeks until Winnie the Pooh Day ðŊ when the sun will be setting at 4:51 pm with dusk at 5:21 pm. On that day in 2023, we had cloudy weather that was generally mild except for the freezing rain showers early in the morning and temperatures between 44 and 32 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 32 degrees. We hit a record high of 59 back in 1973.
