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.
I think the Senate is done but like usual, our chamber is running late. I guess we are making up for all the early adjournments. I’m hoping to bank that time and use it to extend my Juneteenth weekend. My only concern is that next weekend might be cool and rainy. But I haven’t gotten out enough in recent weeks and I can string up tarps, though the idea of hot weather spent at the Potholers or the swimming hole by House Pond Campsite seems to be fading away. But it’s still good to get away.
Good morning, Happy Saturday. Partly cloudy and 55 degrees in Delmar, NY. ⛅ There is a west-northwest breeze at 6 mph. 🍃. The dew point is 52 degrees.
Out walking and getting my steps 👣 as much as I can before things get too crazy today. I worked until 3 AM but was able to do part of the night from home, so I could nap every once and while listening to session, setting my alarm 50 minutes on a hour, ⏰ as usually that’s when important emails and things occur like committees called and debates starting and ending. 👩⚖️ Funny how you learn that technique that lets you get a little shut eye 👁 while still keeping up with the work. But I’ve been doing this 16 years now, so you learn a bit, and with computers and possibility of remote work 👩💻 at times, especially late night, it makes it more possible. Being in the research department, being in person isn’t as necessary as it once was as a coordinator when I was constantly running over the Capitol to meet with members and staff.
Today will be partly sunny 🌞, with a high of 74 degrees at 4pm. Four degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around May 27th. Maximum dew point of 53 at 9am. Northwest wind 6 to 9 mph. It’s been a remarkably cool spring from May into June. Had a few warm days but not a lot. But pleasant. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. The high last year was 76 degrees. The record high of 96 was set in 2008.
Somehow I had this thought in my head 🤪 that the legislative session would wrap up on Friday, potentially late in the night, and I would mostly have my Saturday off, 👨💼 though that seems unlikely at this point as that did not happen, well except for the other chamber. But I’ve been able to work from home, allowing me to catch a few naps between working. But still I’m not going to be able to go to the Gas Up 🚜 with dad today as I hoped. Too bad, it would have been a beautiful day, but I’m thinking tomorrow I will be able to do this.
Probably will work a bit from home, 👨💻 and then work down from the library mid-day for a while, hopefully it will be good from a picnic table outside and my battery will hold up on my laptop, but if need be I can work from my truck. Or just from home with the hotspot, though I don’t want to use too much data if I can avoid it as my phone plan and 5 GB hotspot just renewed for the month. That said, I rarely keep my laptop at home and during the summer I don’t know if I’ll use the hotspot much at all. 📶 I can basically do nearly everything with my phone these days. Who knows though I’m ready to hop in my pickup truck and go downtown if necessary. 🛻
At sunset, look for partly clear skies 🌄 and temperatures around 68 degrees. The dew point will be 55 degrees. There will be a west breeze at 6 mph. Sunset is at 8:34 pm with dusk lasting for 26 minutes concluding at 9:07 pm. Then later tonight, it will be partly cloudy, with a low around 50. 😴 West wind around 6 mph becoming calm in the evening. Patchy fog after 5am.
It wouldn’t be a bad evening to hammock camp, 🏕 but truth be told I will likely be too tired and it’s better to catch up sleep in my own bed. Plus I want to take a good solid nap this afternoon 💤 and then go to Walmart and Market32 to refresh my pantry. 🍏 I really wish I had some fresh fruit to snack on this morning. I had a good breakfast of reheated quiche in a wrap with some extra spinach and olives but I wish I had something sweet to go along with it but I’ve eaten down all the fruit. 🥫 I should get some canned fruit for my pantry for times like this, as much as I dislike having to canned stuff that has be washed and recycled. ♻️ Plus, I even though you can get canned in water, you have been careful and some of that crap sneaks in salt, especially for vegetables. 🤰 I have excellent blood pressure but I know salt can very quickly make that all go to crap.
For Sunday, partly sunny, with a high near 82. 😎 Calm wind becoming south 5 to 7 mph in the afternoon. I think Sunday’s forecast has improved enough that hopefully it good for the Gas Up with dad. 🚜 I was hoping for some time to check it out myself, but that’s fine. I guess if next weekend turns out to be rainy and cold, I could camp in Schoharie and visit during the day time, but I still kind of want to head north for the long weekend. 🏕
Really the big question is next weekend — Juneteenth on my mind, though also Sunday now that looks like the best day for the Gas Up with dad. 🚜 But first I got to get through this crazy weekend with work, so things can slow down for summer next week. 🏊 🏕 I am a little worried about the long range for next weekend, though truth be told most models beyond seven days are complete crap, projections easily thrown off by a butterfly flapping his or her wings in South America effecting the global climate model that far out. The good news is it looks like beneficial rain come Monday as things have been so dry lately. 🌧
Today. Feels like … May 27th.
Partly sunny.
Northwest wind 6 to 9 mph. and
74 degrees
,53 max dew point,
8:34 sunset.
Tonight. Feels like … May 23rd.
Patchy fog after 5am. Otherwise, partly cloudy.
West wind around 6 mph becoming calm in the evening. and
50 degrees
,
5:15 sunrise.
Sunday. Feels like … July 4th.
Patchy fog before 7am. Otherwise, partly sunny.
Calm wind becoming south 5 to 7 mph in the afternoon. and
83 degrees
,59 max dew point,
8:34 sunset.
Sunday Night. Feels like … July 2nd.
Isolated showers and thunderstorms, then a chance of showers after 8pm. Cloudy.
Southeast wind around 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. and
61 degrees
,60 max dew point,
5:15 sunrise.
Monday. Feels like … May 23rd.
A chance of showers before 2pm, then rain after 2pm. High near 73. South wind 9 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. and
73 degrees
,62 max dew point,
8:35 sunset.
Monday Night. Feels like … June 22nd.
Rain and possibly a thunderstorm before 2am, then rain likely. Low around 59. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible. and
59 degrees
,
5:15 sunrise.
Tuesday. Feels like … June 8th.
Rain likely before 8am, then a chance of showers after 8am. Partly sunny.
Chance of precipitation is 60%. and
77 degrees
,60 max dew point,
8:35 sunset.
Tuesday Night. Feels like … June 5th.
A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy.
Chance of precipitation is 40%. and
54 degrees
,
5:15 sunrise.
Wednesday. Feels like … May 19th.
Showers likely.
Chance of precipitation is 70%. and
72 degrees
,58 max dew point,
8:36 sunset.
Wednesday Night. Feels like … June 1st.
A chance of thunderstorms before 8pm. Partly cloudy.
Chance of precipitation is 30%. and
53 degrees
,
5:15 sunrise.
Thursday. Feels like … June 11th.
A chance of showers. Mostly sunny.
Chance of precipitation is 30%. and
78 degrees
,56 max dew point,
8:36 sunset.
Thursday Night. Feels like … June 8th.
Partly cloudy.
and
55 degrees
,
5:15 sunrise.
Friday. Feels like … June 4th.
A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny.
Chance of precipitation is 30%. and
A lot of advertising is popping up these days urging folks to buy various commodities to fight inflation. Sounds like a dumb idea as commodities are likely already overpriced and at some point in the future will come crashing back down.
While I wish now that I had bought more energy stock years ago, I stayed away from adding more due to the high level of dividend payments. Paying taxes on dividends you reinvest sucks. It’s just money out of your pocket to the tax department every four months that your not seeing until you cash out. My original idea was to hedge against inflation but I feel like it just makes you more vulnerable to the ups and downs of one sector rather than cheaper index funds.
Inflation is a problem it kind of bites. The markets are down although nothing like what they’ve been up the past ten years. A slight dip today shouldn’t take away from long term thinking. It’s sucks to look at your portfolio and think your spinning wheels, with values only increasing slightly over the past year even though the total number of shares actually is getting a boost due to the down markets.
Through the haze I think I can see the weekend though for a while walking yesterday I could feel my throat burning. Again the smoke alarm went off in the office from the wildfire smoke, the fire department came and switched off the alarm. I reviewed votes on calender 58B at one AM in the morning, flipped a Rules Report number got up at 5:50 am and started walking. A day in the life.
Good morning! Yeah, it’s Friday! On a clear day you can still see the weekend. Summer is still coming despite the smoke which started to part yesterday. Mostly cloudy with some smoke and fog around 47 degrees in Delmar, NY. 🌁 Calm wind. The air quality index is 54. You can sort of start to breathe again this morning.
That cold cup of coffee ☕ helps a lot as died the cold air. My throat feels a lot better this morning, it really started to burn yesterday when I was walking in the mid afternoon after the smoke had appeared to lift but the air quality levels still were around 175. 🫁Walked 6 ¼ miles yesterday and 7 ½ miles yesterday which ain’t bad despite the busy schedule and noxious air. Reheating the eggs, spinach and vegetables from yesterday 🍳. A rich source of protein and energy for the coming day.
It seems like only a day more of wearing my oversized dress pants 🕴️which apparently the pair I had saved for today seems particularly oversized. In many ways I can’t believe how much weight I have lost. Now I kind of wish I had a working scale and weighted myself before I started this journey into healthy eating 🍏. I concede probably a lot of it was the two pounds of cheese 🧀 I was eating most weeks, which for as much as I love all things dairy 🐮, that’s a lot of saturated fat. I do like my new sense of taste and all interesting foods. I guess session could extend after midnight again but I don’t think I’ll be likely driving downtown to work a full day on Saturday though anything is possible. I just want things to wrap up so so I can get onto summer.
Today will have a chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 11am. Some of the storms could produce small hail. Partly sunny 🌦, with a high of 67 degrees at 2pm. 11 degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around May 3rd. Maximum dew point of 52 at 9am. Northwest wind 3 to 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. A year ago, we had light rain in the morning with more sun in the afternoon. It was somewhat humid. The high last year was 75 degrees. The record high of 100 was set in 1933.
Last night when I was working from home 💻 I made up another pound of rice 🍚 and lentils for the upcoming week. A mixture of red and green lentils in the rice as it was a red lentil week but I didn’t have enough. After lunch today the pound of black beans I cooked up on Sunday evening will be done. They were good especially cold with red onions. 🧅 I need to get to the store 🛒 soon as my fresh and frozen fruit supply has been mostly eaten at this point as I only have a single apple 🍏 left in my office 🏢 although I can finish off the red grapes 🍇 today at work. Yesterday’s dinner was the last of the rice with a thawed shrimp 🦐 and lots of kale. But I’m even getting low on frozen kale and spinach, so you know a real crisis in the pantry is ahead.
Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:56 pm with sun having an altitude of 70.3° from the due south horizon (-0.5° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 2.1 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 7:50 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 8:32 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 26 seconds with dusk around 9:06 pm, which is 36 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 9:52 pm. At sunset, look out for rain 🌧 and thunderstorms 🌩 and temperatures around 63 degrees. The dew point will be 53 degrees. There will be a north-northwest breeze at 5 mph. Today will have 15 hours and 17 minutes of daytime, an increase of 49 seconds over yesterday.
In an ideal world session would wrap up fairly early today, 🏡 I could get home early, take a nap 😴 and then get to Walmart around 8 pm when freshly stocked but that’s living in a fantasy world. 🧛 I think realistically the best I can do is try to get my steps 👣 in today, keep my eyes 👀 mostly open at work and celebrate 🎉 come tomorrow when the legislative session is done if it is done before then which I concede may be unlikely.
Tonight will have a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Some of the storms could produce small hail. Mostly cloudy 🌧, with a low of 48 degrees at 6am. Eight degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around May 16th. North wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. In 2022, we had mostly clear skies. It got down to 53 degrees. The record low of 36 occurred back in 1975.
I double checked to make sure my stove was off 🍲 and that the refrigerator was off and the iron unplugged before leaving home because I’m sure memory is bad at this point. 💁🏻♂️I’ll be glad for a more normal week next week though I have a busy one planned. Got to get my summer on. ☔ I forgot my umbrella again but at this point I don’t care if I get a bit wet heading home.🌧️ I’ll dry out my suit jacket, probably will need to be dried cleaned by January at any rate and I’ll throw the rest in the wash. Probably going to end up getting at least some new dress shirts and pants should I keep off the weight if not loose more through the end of the year.
On this day in 1972, severe rainfall causes a dam in the Black Hills of South Dakota to burst, 🌊creating a flood that kills 238 people and causes $160 million in damage. This one wasn’t blown up by the Russians. I have always been fascinated about some day maybe living in the Black Hills of South Dakota. 🌲🌲🌲 Very wooded and remote, low taxes, good gun laws. If I was a Republican I would probably vote for their Governor in the Republican presidential primary as she is pretty damn sexy and has that flame thrower on her ranch. 🔥
Tomorrow will have a slight chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 2pm. Partly sunny 🌦, with a high of 74 degrees at 4pm. Four degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around May 27th. Maximum dew point of 53 at 8am. Northwest wind 6 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. A year ago, we had light rain in the morning with more sun in the afternoon. It was somewhat humid. The high last year was 76 degrees. The record high of 96 was set in 2008.
I’m hoping to do the Gas Up 🚜 withdad on Saturday assuming that I’m not working. Then an overnight hammock camping 🏕 in the woods somewhere. I heard Stanton’s has fresh strawberries 🍓 which might be good as a snack at camp and breakfast the next morning, especially if I don’t have time to shop in the mean time.
Looking ahead to Sunday, a slight chance of showers after 2pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 80. ☀ Calm wind becoming southwest around 6 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 20%. Maximum dew point of 59 at 7pm. I might do the Gas Up again on Sunday to explore more of it and get some ice cream 🍧 made with the antique churn and the Blackstone engine assuming I’m not too tired. Plus hike at Thacher Park. 🚶 Typical average high for the weekend is 78 degrees.
Next week, I have a busy week ahead. 🚲 I am hoping to get some advice on my bicycle from the Albany Bicycle Rescue clinic on Tuesday, which will hopefully get me on the right track. Then come Wednesday, I need to go to the store and get my propane tank filled 🏮 and food for the long weekend. I plan to take Friday off to head up to the Adirondacks, so I will be driving north on Thursday evening, hopefully to get the House Pond Campsite and the swimming hole. ⛺ And the Potholers Monday is Juneteenth and I’m planning to take off Tuesday, so I will probably camp somewhere different for the second half of the weekend. Maybe Stewart Landing and paddle Lily Lake 🌼 in hope that there will still be the lilies out on the lake. They come pretty early in my experience and are a easy to miss.
Looking ahead, there are 5 weeks until National Nude Day 👱 when the sun will be setting at 8:33 pm with dusk at 9:06 pm. On that day in 2022, we had partly cloudy and temperatures between 85 and 65 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 84 degrees. We hit a record high of 99 back in 1995.
Really in bed is when I’ve been noticing the foul air quality the most, though the smoke is everywhere including in my office. Seems as the temperature drops in the evening the smoke gets downright acrid, like something nasty made out of PVC you tossed on the bonfire. Politicians say stay indoors ignoring the fact that whatever is outdoors is likely to get indoors and a lot of people don’t have air conditioning.
Good morning on this smokey Thursday. 🌇 . Smoke and 49 degrees at the Elm Ave Town Park for the morning walk. 🌫️ There is a west breeze at 5 mph. 🍃. The current air quality index is 208, very unhealthy.
There are some people out jogging this morning 🏃 and I think they are nuts 🤪. I’m doing my morning walk 🚶 at a slow and steady pace but my nose and throat are irritated some from the air pollution but also the lack of quality sleep 🛏 after the long and crazy days at work. Managed to get in 7.3 miles walked yesterday but it’s tough between the smoke and the work schedule. Hoping both session and the pollution break soon but I see both dragging into the weekend.
Today will have a chance of showers before 2pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms between 2pm and 5pm, then a chance of showers after 5pm. Some of the storms could produce small hail. Widespread haze before 11am. Patchy smoke before 11am. Mostly cloudy 🌦, with a high of 65 degrees at 5pm. 12 degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around April 28th. Maximum dew point of 53 at 3pm. West wind around 6 mph becoming north in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. A year ago, we had cloudy skies in the morning with more sun in the afternoon. The high last year was 77 degrees. The record high of 93 was set in 2011.
The air pollution locally hss been pretty bad but nothing like what they’ve had in the Finger Lakes, or even Syracuse or New York City. 🌁 We haven’t had the bright orange skies of New York City but the haze has cast a blueish pale gray on everything. Makes everything dull like a rainy day or a little like behind a car burning oil. 🚘 That said I certainly felt it racing out to the bus 🚍 which was running late or even after walking. Just a lot of congestion at times, a bit of a sore throat from all that particulate matter. Probably like a night of hard drinking 🍻 after a few smokes. 🚬 That said, life goes on and sometimes it’s best to keep a good habit going regardless of the poor air quality.
Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:55 pm with sun having an altitude of 70.2° from the due south horizon (-0.6° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 2.2 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 7:49 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 8:32 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 25 seconds with dusk around 9:05 pm, which is 37 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 9:51 pm. At sunset, look out for potential rain 🌧 and thunderstorms 🌩 and temperatures around 60 degrees. The dew point will be 51 degrees. There will be a calm wind. Today will have 15 hours and 16 minutes of daytime, an increase of 52 seconds over yesterday.
Last night I worked until 11 pm, though I finished up the evening from home 💻 as between the laptop and Hotspot and phone there isn’t much you can’t do remotely. I’m kind of hoping I can finish tonight off remotely too, though I concede the air quality might be better in my office 🏢. Though who knows, even with the air conditioning at work, you could smell the smoke being sucked in all day by the HVAC system. I’m starting to run low on fresh and frozen fruit 🍏 at home along with eggs 🥚 and kale but I doubt I’ll be able to get to the store before Friday. It’s possible I’ll need to run to the laundromat Friday night if I’m working Saturday. 🧑🏻💼
Tonight will have a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms before 11pm, then a slight chance of showers after 5am. Some of the storms could produce small hail. Mostly cloudy 🌥, with a low of 47 degrees at 6am. Nine degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around May 13th. Light northwest wind. Chance of precipitation is 20%. In 2022, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became light rain by the early hours of the morning. It became somewhat humid as the night progressed. It got down to 58 degrees. The record low of 37 occurred back in 1977.
On this day in 1968, Robert F. Kennedy’s funeral takes place at the St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City.
Right now, a split verdict on the weekend. 😕 Saturday, a chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 2pm. Some of the storms could produce small hail. Partly sunny, with a high near 72. Northwest wind 6 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. Maximum dew point of 54 at 9am. Sunday, mostly sunny, with a high near 80. Maximum dew point of 58 at 8pm. Typical average high for the weekend is 78 degrees.
Looking ahead, there are 6 weeks until Ugly Truck Day 🚚 when the sun will be setting at 8:29 pm with dusk at 9:01 pm. On that day in 2022, we had hot, humid, mostly sunny, thunderstorm and temperatures between 97 and 72 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 84 degrees. We hit a record high of 97 back in 1991.
