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.
One of things I’m most interested in this coming autumn is cooking my own food with carbohydrates. When I started down my path to eating healthy, I quit virtually all bread and rolls, wraps and biscuits mostly because it was hard to get them without added sugar, excessive salt and fats, and whole grains. My carbohydrate of choice became brown rice, if only because it was easy to make and control my intake of unhealthy food.
I used to think it was hard and very time consuming to make one’s own bread, requiring hours of hard labor, complicated ingredient lists and equipment I don’t own and don’t want to purchase lest I clutter my life up more. But fundamentally at a reductionist perspective, most bread and bread products are quite simple – water, flour and yeast or baking powder or baking soda depending on what exactly you want the finished product to be. Everything else is for taste and texture, you can choose to add it to your baked product or not.
I don’t have diabetes and I don’t want to get this nasty lifelong disease that is far more deadly then HIV / AIDs these days. I also don’t want to get overweight or obese again or have to hold back my hunger cravings or sugar crashes. So I go for low glcycmetic value foods that don’t spike your blood sugar – especially foods rich in protein and fiber to avoid those hunger pains and crashes. The bloating caused by beans and lentils also helps. But in general, whole grains are what is called for in such an application.
Brown rice is easy, just let it cook on the stove for a few hours. Oat flour produced by grinding traditional oatmeal in a food processor is another option, bound by bananas, low fat yogurt and potentially risen by baking powder. But whole wheat flour offers many other options, whether it be kneaded, traditional whole wheat bread, biscuits, wraps, pizza crusts, home made pasta and so forth. I was always told you need a fancy pasta press to make pasta but that’s really a lie. Just need flour and eggs, knead, allow to sit, and roll out flat and cut. Maybe not traditional fancy pasta but you can control what your putting in your body.
It’s not to say you can’t use salt or sugar or other sources of flavor like honey, fruit, garlic and spices in any bread recipe. But I’m in the driver seat, I can figure out how much taste I want while weighting the health benefits. A corporation or distant bakery isn’t making the choice for me – commercial products and widely posted recipes are generally biased towards taste over health as they have product to sell. I want to be able to choose what fuels my body.
Plus DIY Carbs is a way to limit carbs. If something is difficult, time consuming and expensive you will do it less. Not going to have pasta every night or fresh bread every day if I have to make it myself. People used to eat a lot less bread, meat and milk back before you could buy it wrapped in plastic from the supermarket. When fruits and vegetables are the more convenient option, they’re going to be a bigger part of each meal.
Since getting into cooking dried beans, chickpeas and lentils, I’ve learned that soaking food overnight isn’t a big deal. It takes a little bit of planning but honestly not a lot. Slow cooking beans on the stove isn’t rocket science either, and once you set them up they do their thing with little attention paid yourself. Just set an alarm on your phone, don’t need to be actively monitored while cooking – it’s not like frying something in oil where you have to constantly watch. The same is generally true with baking and rising bread. And if you’re making biscuits or pancakes, or even pasta its even less effort.
Maybe I’m becoming a cook but I’m very dissatisfied with 10 or 20 item recipes larded down with sugar, salt, fat and butter. But I am quite aware now of the basics, I’m in control not the unhealthy tyranny of a distant commercial kitchen or a recipe book trying to sell you junk food.
It’s a nice morning after that thunderstorm came through earlier this morning. Woke me up, needed to run to the bucket shitter, started the coffee got a few more minutes of shut eye then it was breakfast started by frying onions up, then spinach, tomatoes and garlic in the food processor then eggs. Wanted to make an omelet but things were runnier then expected so it became scrambled eggs. It’s been a nice weekend but like always too short.
Good morning on this Labor Day! Partly sunny 🌞 and 61 degrees at the Perkins Clearing. Calm wind. The dew point is 60 degrees.
Already starting to take down an organize camp ⛺ but I’m waiting for more sun to take down the screen tent 🎪 and other gear like the flags. Also want to cook up a good lunch, I guess I could do that in advance and bring it along on the trail but first some hammock time.
Labor Day will be mostly sunny 🌞, with a high of 83 degrees at 4pm. Four degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around August 13th. Maximum dew point of 63 at 11am. Calm wind becoming west around 6 mph in the afternoon. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies in the morning with a few breaks of sun the afternoon. It was sticky. The high last year was 87 degrees. The record high of 97 was set in 1929.
Today I am heading down to Spectulator 🛶, I’m not sure if I will kayak the Sacandaga River and swim in the beach 🏖 first or do a bike ride 🚵 up through the Long Level past Elm Lake in the Spectulator Tree Farm. Ultimately I want to end the day at the Spectulator Creamery which hopefully won’t be as packed as on Saturday and it much warmer. Then sometime before six o’clock when I head home I’m thinking of parking 🅿 at the lower Old Route 8B bridge 🌉 and riding up along the old road on Blackie, visiting Austin Falls and points along there. Alternatively I could go to Tribes Hill and ride some of the Canalway Trail though I don’t think it’s a good day to do that with the heat which will be worse in the valley. 😰 Maybe come the autumn.
Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:58 pm with sun having an altitude of 53.7° from the due south horizon (-16.2° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 4.4 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 6:52 pm with the sun in the west (274°). 📸 The sunset is in the west (281°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 7:30 pm after setting for 2 minutes and 59 seconds with dusk around 7:57 pm, which is one minute and 47 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 8:35 pm. At sunset, look for partly clear skies 🌄 and temperatures around 77 degrees. The dew point will be 64 degrees. There will be a west-northwest breeze at 5 mph. Today will have 13 hours and 6 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 2 minutes and 54 seconds over yesterday.
Tonight will have patchy fog after 1am. Otherwise, partly cloudy 🌃, with a low of 58 degrees at 6am. One degree above normal, which is similar to a typical night around September 2nd. Maximum dew point of 65 at 8pm. Light north wind. In 2022, we had light rain. It was somewhat humid. It got down to 59 degrees. The record low of 37 occurred back in 1974.
After floating for a few hours on a rubber truck tube ⭕ at the swimming hole on Perkins Clearing Road at Jessup River, 🏊♂️ rode about 20 miles round trip from the swimming hole to the Spruce Lake Parking Area at the wilderness border. 🚵 It’s a nice ride but a surprising climb to the Spruce Lake parking area. 😰Good scenery, would have visited Spruce Lake if it wasn’t six o’clock and didn’t want to ride back in the dark.🌄 Ironically I made good time back on the return trip, I flew down the down hill and was back only a few minutes after seven.
Wish I had gotten an earlier start spent too much time chewing over my day plans then I fell asleep in the hammock 😴 and made a good lunch of onions, garlic, zucchini, tomatoes and chicken. Dinner was red lentil pancakes topped with cottage cheese with avocado and dessert was watermelon. 🍳 🥑 🥞
Much coolernext weekend, rain showers but some sun. 🌦️ Really almost autumn like. Saturday, showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 72. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Maximum dew point of 63 at 9am. Sunday, a chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 69. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Maximum dew point of 58 at 8am. Typical average high for the weekend is 77 degrees.
Might be a good weekend to go to Thacher Park 🏞 on the Nature Bus 🚍 bright and early, pack a lunch with my mountain bike 🚵 and ride all day, visit Thompsons Lake and even poke around many of the roads up that way. Sunday who knows, could just be a quiet day then go out and see the folks as it’s been two weeks now.
Looking ahead, next Monday is September 11th 🇺🇸 when the sun will be setting at 7:17 pm with dusk at 7:44 pm. On that day in 2022, we had mostly cloudy, rain showers and temperatures between 74 and 64 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 76 degrees. We hit a record high of 98 back in 1931. Can you believe the terrorist attacks were 22 years ago? I was a freshman back in college then. 🎓 That said, I don’t ever want to go back to those days, much less go back to a formal classroom again.
Going to be a great day but I’m feeling lazy. I could go for a bike ride down through Perkins Clearing or I could go for a paddle on Indian Lake. Maybe both. But the hammock and a good book is nice too. Or sit and stream a video from the hammock. I don’t know!
Good morning! Happy Sunday. Mostly sunny ☀ and 69 degrees at the Perkins Clearing. There is a west breeze at 5 mph. 🍃. The dew point is 59 degrees.
So many options but first the morning to enjoy. 🌅 Oatmeal banana 🍌 pancakes 🥞 milled perfectly 👌 in the food processor. It worked fine with the inverter. Lazy start to the day in the hammock while I chew over my plans for the day. Going to be a hot one especially at this campsite that’s fairly high elevation. I’m leaning towards kayaking 🛶 later on this afternoon but I’m not set in stone. Floating in the Jessup River would be fun too. Or Indian Lake. I’m just worried the lake will be choppy with that breeze.
Today will be sunny 🌞, with a high of 80 degrees at 4pm. One degree above normal, which is similar to a typical day around August 31st. Maximum dew point of 61 at 2pm. West wind 5 to 8 mph. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. The high last year was 83 degrees. The record high of 100 was set in 1953.
Soaked red lentils 🥞 will try again with more water 💦 to make wraps rather than pancakes with the lentils. I’ve had trouble getting them thin enough after they cook but they are so delicious and rich in stomach filling protein. 😋 There not the kind of thing you’d want with a sweet meal but with salt in the batter they are remarkably tasty. Then chicken 🐔 with zucchini and lemon spice, garlic and onions should be so delicious. Since eating healthier my camp meals 🍴 taste so much better. Food really is the key to a good life. Been reading a lot of cookbooks and things on food science and I’m learning an awful lot of interesting things. Plus this time of year the farm markets are packed with good eats. 🍆 Tonight I plan to roast egg plant over the fire 🔥.
Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:58 pm with sun having an altitude of 54.1° from the due south horizon (-15.8° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 4.3 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 6:54 pm with the sun in the west (275°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-northwest (281°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 7:32 pm after setting for 2 minutes and 59 seconds with dusk around 7:59 pm, which is one minute and 45 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 8:36 pm. At sunset, look for mostly clear skies 🌄 and temperatures around 74 degrees. The dew point will be 61 degrees. There will be a west breeze at 6 mph. Today will have 13 hours and 9 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 2 minutes and 52 seconds over yesterday.
Last night watched the fire tower lighting in Spectulator and explored the US 66 village that was lit up after dark. 🗼 Tried to spot Snowy Mountain off NY 30 Tonight lit up – may have hard to tell with headlights and my eyes mostly on the road watching for deer. But Makotis lighting in Spectulator was fun, big crowd there. Jessup River Road has been recently patched, it’s not to bad either on the bicycle 🚲 or driving it even after dark.
Tonight will be partly cloudy 🌤, with a low of 58 degrees at 4am. One degree above normal, which is similar to a typical night around September 2nd. Maximum dew point of 61 at 6pm. West wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening. In 2022, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became mostly clear by the early hours of the morning. It became sticky as the night progressed. It got down to 61 degrees. The record low of 37 occurred back in 1946.
Stayed up to midnight last night 🌕 under the moonlight which was not quite full but still very bright. By midnight things were covered with moonlight. 🎶 Some music and podcasts it was a nice relaxing evening 🌃.
As previously noted, next Sunday is 6:30 Sunrise 🌇 when the sun will be setting at 7:19 pm with dusk at 7:46 pm. Days are getting short quickly. Not really any time left for an evening bike ride but I can still walk 🚶 then g et to bed early. On that day in 2022, we had mostly sunny, patches of fog and temperatures between 83 and 56 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 77 degrees. We hit a record high of 96 back in 1931.
While plastics recycling is not inherently fraudulent, it does face challenges and concerns that warrant a closer examination of its complexities.
The Challenge of Infrastructure:
One of the primary challenges in plastics recycling is the availability of adequate infrastructure. Recycling programs rely on collection systems, sorting facilities, and recycling plants to process materials. In regions lacking these facilities, recycling efforts can be inefficient or even non-existent. This deficiency in infrastructure can lead to skepticism about the feasibility of recycling.
Contamination Issues:
Contamination of recyclables is another hurdle. When non-recyclable items or improperly cleaned materials end up in recycling bins, it can render the entire batch unusable. Contamination increases processing costs and diminishes the value of recycled materials, making recycling programs less economically viable.
Economic Viability:
Critics often point out that recycling certain types of plastics, especially low-value or mixed plastics, may not be economically viable. The costs of collection, sorting, cleaning, and processing can sometimes outweigh the value of the recycled materials, leading to concerns about the overall impact of recycling efforts.
The Importance of Responsible Recycling:
While there are challenges, it’s essential to emphasize that responsible recycling can still have significant benefits. Plastics recycling conserves resources, reduces the need for virgin plastic production, and contributes to waste reduction. Effective recycling programs that prioritize minimizing contamination and improving efficiency can make a meaningful environmental impact.
Reducing Plastic Consumption:
To complement recycling efforts, reducing plastic consumption remains crucial. Reducing single-use plastic items, opting for reusable alternatives, and supporting sustainable packaging practices can help decrease the overall plastic waste generated in the first place.
Plastics recycling is might not be an outright scam, but it is a multifaceted issue with challenges related to infrastructure, contamination, and economic viability. Responsible recycling practices, coupled with efforts to reduce plastic consumption, contributes to waste reduction and resource conservation. To maximize the benefits of plastics recycling, it is essential to support well-managed recycling programs and explore innovative solutions to address the challenges it faces.
I am so fucking tired of people either asking me either directly to my face if I’m sick or dying, or even worse talking behind my back asking if I’m sick and dying – because I’ve decided to learn about food and nutrition – and been making healthier choices with my meals leading to net calorie reduction and therefore weight reduction.
I concede my face is more wrinkled then before as I’ve burned some fat. Skin doesn’t tighten up instantly as one looses weight, it has to be shed and regrown – and to a certain extent will never grow to be super tight again. I’m forty and wrinkles are just part of life, especially as a person who used to be a fair amount chubbier. My face and chest are much more angular without the thick layer of fat underneath. More importantly isn’t the visual fat that has disappeared but knowing the fat in my heart muscles and other organs are fading away, my cholesterol levels are excellent, my blood sugar is back in the normal range and my BMI is now slightly below 25 in the normal healthy range. I’ve changed, my body and mind has changed I’m not who I was in my twenties and thirties.
You know it would be terribly mean to ask every fat person on you see on the street, are you sick and dying? If you see somebody has put on some pounds during the holiday season, it would be cruel to call them out and say, sorry that you are sick and dying. The truth is though they are dying, killing their bodies and their minds through an unhealthy diet. Fat kills – not only do fat people get inferior health care – they’re literally poisoning every organ in their bodies. Excessive unrefined carbs, saturated fats, sugars not from whole fruits and salt will kill you just like cigarettes will. Maybe not today but certainly tomorrow.
By no means am I crash dieting, but instead using the best research I can find to discover healthy, filling meal options. I’m not afraid to consider vegan or vegetarian recipes and pair them with a healthy source of meat. Or any other recipe considering the pros and cons of the nutrition of each food and how it goes into the overall picture. I really try to avoid processed and prepared foods including refined (white) grains and added sugars.
I went to the doctor for a physical in late May. Based on their analysis my health is now excellent for a 40 year old. I might not be an athlete but my BMI has fallen to close to 25 at that point and probably is below now though I don’t own a scale. My cholesterol, blood pressure and sugar levels are excellent. I actually kind of celebrate my trimmer more angular and wrinkled face, often with a great big grin. And if you don’t like it too bad. I think if anything I’ve reduced my chances of dying and getting sick by my healthier lifestyle.
Do I still have some health concerns? Yes, I’m still trying to figure out what a sustainable diet looks like for the future. What luxuries can I afford while remaining healthy – like that occasional ice cream parlor, beer at camp or slice of locally farmed bacon or steak. I also have an issue at times with excessive urination though I think that’s more due to the higher quantity of wet vegetables and fruits in my diet. Eat a lot of zucchini and watermelon and you can expect to pee a lot. Lots of lentils and beans makes you gassy though that problem has been reduced as my gut tract adapted. And it’s clear that like most Americans I’m exposed to toxic chemicals every day, a fact I’m not in denial about, pretending to eat organic. I’m also in that age when health issues can pop up but just because I have a great big grin and my face has gotten wrinkled from weight loss doesn’t mean I’m dying.
Go figure, going to rain tonight for the fire tower lighting. And I had planned to spend my evening in Spectulator to paddle, ride, watch the sunset, eat ice cream then drive to Mason Lake to see Snowy Mountain and Makotatis.
It was a beautiful sunrise but I didn’t capture any photos though I’ll have a chance in future mornings I expect based on the forecast. Another cool, basically perfect autumn day ahead.
Good morning! Happy Saturday on this Labor Day 🧑🏭 weekend! Partly sunny and 48 degrees at the Perkins Clearing. There is a southwest breeze at 5 mph. 🍃.
I still can’t believe it’s Labor Day Weekend 🌅 but it’s amazing weather all weekend. Need to maximize it but first eggs for breakfast 🍳 then a ride down to Hatch Brook Falls 🚲 and then lunch. In the afternoon into the evening I’m thinking 💭 of going up to Spectulator to see the fire tower lighting, maybe some kayaking 🛶 and then watch the sun set over Lake Pleasant. 📖 Plus some time to do some reading.
Today will be mostly sunny 🌞, with a high of 73 degrees at 3pm. Six degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around September 19th. Maximum dew point of 55 at 5pm. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. The high last year was 80 degrees. The record high of 100 was set in 1953.
Had a nice fire 🔥 last night but didn’t stay up super late. ✨ It was a starry night until the full 🌕 moon filled the sky with moon light. The nights are so much longer now come September, nine o’clock seems so much later. Where did summer go so quickly I keep asking myself?
Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:58 pm with sun having an altitude of 54.4° from the due south horizon (-15.5° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 4.3 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 6:56 pm with the sun in the west (275°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-northwest (282°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 7:34 pm after setting for 3 minutes with dusk around 8:01 pm, which is one minute and 46 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 8:38 pm. At sunset, look for partly cloudy skies 🌃 and temperatures around 67 degrees. The dew point will be 56 degrees. There will be a west-southwest breeze at 9 mph. Today will have 13 hours and 12 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 2 minutes and 53 seconds over yesterday.
Tonight will have a slight chance of showers before 10pm. Partly cloudy 🌃, with a low of 56 degrees at 6am. One degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around September 6th. Maximum dew point of 57 at 9pm. Southwest wind 6 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. In 2022, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became mostly clear by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 56 degrees. The record low of 39 occurred back in 1976.
Looking ahead, there are 9 weeks until Daylight Savings Time Ends 🛥️ when the sun will be setting at 5:46 pm with dusk at 6:15 pm. On that day in 2022, we had sunny, warm and temperatures between 71 and 46 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 54 degrees. We hit a record high of 76 back in 1994.
