Maybe I’ve spent too much time around Albany or maybe I’m too much of a fan of James Howard Kunstler and Phil Ochs but I’m more and more convinced every day…
More Hiking Back to Ponds.
This summer, I plan to spend more time hiking back to remote lakes that are more off the beaten path. I have found that summits are often crowded, and while they give great views, hiking mountains is tiresome and seeing lots of people takes away from the solitude I prefer in the wilderness.
Albany
March 22, 2023 Morning
Good morning! What day is it? With a clunk I’ll drop it into third gear and be on my way this Wednesday. Mostly cloudy and 33 degrees in Delmar for the morning walk. ☁ Calm wind. The skies will clear around noontime.
With the clouds some bright red skies. 🌅 Not so cold, I debated wearing the winter coat versus the vest. The winter coat won out but it’s a bit warm. My heat is off inside. Didn’t need the heated blanket last night, maybe it’s after seeing my electric bill earlier in the week. Reheat of the apple 🍏 pancakes topped with mixed berries 🥞 this morning.
So far the week has been going by quickly but maybe because it ordinary 🏢 and well planned. I’m fine with that as I’m ready for spring time and the green up 🌷 which is probably like a month away.
Today will be cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny ☁👉☀ , with a high of 59 degrees at 3pm. 11 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around April 14th. Spring continues for a few more days before winter comes for the weekend. Light and variable wind becoming south 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. The high last year was 53 degrees. The record high of 81 was set in 2012. 7 inches of snow fell back in 1887.❄
Yesterday I got down to the park 🏞 for a while and walked the Nature Trail and sat for a bit but not long as it got dark quickly. But it’s still March and that’s to be expected. They hardened the trails last summer with road crumb which makes for better walking in mud season. 👢
Had to add some additional holes to my belt last night with a drill because it was getting loose. I think it stretched and I’ve lost some weight as my collars in my dress shirts seem looser too. Brown rice, lentils and tofu with lots of chilli 🌶 powder and garlic for dinner, my breath was garlicly by evening, no vampires 🧛♂️ near me. I wish I had eaten more fruit 🍏 with dinner though as by the evening I was feeling like my blood sugar was very low.
Solar noon 🌞 is at 1:03 pm with sun having an altitude of 48° from the due south horizon (-22.9° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 5.4 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 6:33 pm with the sun in the west (265°). 📸
Updated the blog theme with some new colors 🎨 with spring coming. Broke some things with the mobile 📱 version though I need to fix. The colors make it easier to pick out individual sections of the blog. I also fixed the aspect ratio on selected maps and videos and re-enabled photo titles. I’m trying to reduce clutter 🧹 while not hiding important information.
The sunset is in the west (272°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 7:10 pm after setting for 2 minutes and 54 seconds with dusk around 7:37 pm, which is one minute and 9 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 At dusk you’ll see the Waxing Crescent 🌒 Moon in the west (269°) at an altitude of 10° from the horizon, 233,893 miles away. 🚀 The best time to look at the stars is after 8:11 pm. At sunset, look for partly cloudy skies 🌃 and temperatures around 54 degrees. There will be a south breeze at 8 mph. Today will have 12 hours and 20 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 55 seconds over yesterday.
Almost light enough now in the morning 🚶 to walk before breakfast again. 🥣 This is the order I prefer as it makes my schedule more flexible. Plus it works out well with having to run to the rest room after walking 🚽 and having an empty stomach before breakfast though Id probably eat an apple 🍏 before walking to maintain a healthy blood sugar level.
Tonight will have a chance of showers, mainly after 4am. Mostly cloudy 🌧, with a low of 43 degrees at 5am. 15 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around April 30th. South wind around 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. 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 24 degrees. The record low of -4 occurred back in 1875.
Not a particularly nice weekend on tap. 😞 I won’t mind if I have to work this weekend, I could use the comp time for nicer weather. Saturday, rain before 8am, then rain and snow between 8am and 11am, then rain after 11am. High near 40. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Sunday, a chance of rain before 8am, then a chance of showers between 8am and 2pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 49. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Typical average high for the weekend is 49 degrees.
One month 📅 from now will be Earth Day 🌎 when the sun will be setting at 7:46 pm with dusk at 8:14 pm. Good to provide some advanced notice to the coal rollers.
How many roads must a man walk down?
How many roads must a man walk down, before you call him a man? 🚶
Those where the lyrics that a Freewheeling Bob Dylan made famous a few generations ago. But it’s a question I’ve long had on my mind.
I walk a lot. Over the past sixty days I’ve done a minimum of 5 miles a day, many days closer to 10 or even 20 miles a day. Most days I get out at a little after six o’clock in the morning and do a 40 minute walk than around seven o’clock do another walk.
I’ve long done a lot of walking but it got boosted a lot during the pandemic when I started my morning walk program. Then I installed an app on my phone that counts how many steps I walk every day with friendly reminders how much above or below I am of the 10,000 step goal.
Now there are many reputable websites that will tell you that 10,000 steps a day isn’t necessary, that to he healthy you could do less. Others will tell you that walking doesn’t actually burn that many calories compared to what you can stuff in your face with our sugar and fat rich food that’s everywhere but to he honest it’s not really why I walk so much.
For one it’s that I don’t own a television and rarely have my computer at home which lacks internet, so I have a fair amount of free time to be out and walking. And I’m happier when I’m outdoors. Walking keeps me warm in the cold of winter.
But also I just like walking. It’s better than bicycling or driving as no equipment to break down or fuel and supplies to purchase. Your going slow enough you can stop and look at things, with walking you can easily detour your path as most public places are open for rambling.
It’s just something to do. I can listen to podcasts, while I get in my steps or write a blog post. Listen to music or be transported to a different place at least in my mind listening to a radio program.
It looks like we made it up to 57 degrees this afternoon
It looks like we made it up to 57 degrees this afternoon. 🌞
Not too bad for March 21st. I am hopeful to get out of work at a reasonable hour this evening and get out for a walk to the town park.
March 21, 2023 Morning
Good morning! Cool and clear start to the Tuesday. Partly clear 🌅 and 29 degrees in Delmar, NY. Calm wind. Things will start to thaw out at around 8 am. 🌡️
I’ll be the first to admit that it is a cold start to the morning with the heat off 🌸 but it’s spring and I’m not going to pay for heat if there is no danger of pipes freezing or excessive cold. Indeed this afternoon it should be in the mid 50s. That said, I was pleasantly surprised when I checked my February – March electric and gas bill was only $85. Heating blanket boosted the electric side of things a bit but keeping it at 48 except the coldest days helped a lot. 💵 I was expecting a little bit over $100 for the bill like the January – February bill with the cold we had mid February.
Today will be mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny ☁, with a high of 56 degrees at 3pm. Nine degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around April 8th. Light and variable wind becoming west 6 to 11 mph in the morning. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies in the morning, remaining cloudy in the afternoon. The high last year was 55 degrees. The record high of 78 was set in 1921. 6 inches of snow fell back in 1905.❄
What can I say, it’s going to be a a nice day. 🏢 Too bad I’m going to be in the office all day downtown. Now if we could only have another pandemic and I could be remote working from my truck at Five Rivers Environmental Education Center like I was three years ago. 🐦 Watching the birds while I wrote the memos 📝 and endless Zoom meetings. Those were the days.
Solar noon 🌞 is at 1:03 pm with sun having an altitude of 47.6° from the due south horizon (-23.3° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 5.5 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 6:31 pm with the sun in the west (265°). 📸
I cooked up some of the wild salmon I bought on Sunday. 🐠 I have to say it was tasty. And easier to cook than fish sticks or breaded fish filets. Healthier too. I don’t know why I had never done it before, you just take it out of the freezer in the morning, toss it in the refrigerator before work. Then in the oven broccoli 🥦 and also brown rice with lentils and seasonings – chilli 🌶 powder and garlic powder. Being individually vaccum wrapped its more plastic than I would like but I’ve cut plastic out in other ways like not buying apple juice or as much milk and it’s a lightweight plastic bag that should make an excellent fire starter especially with the fish oils. 🔥 Really easy to bale that plastic wrap into a tight ball ⚽. Cost wise, it’s slightly more expensive but the portions are perfect and actually save money by ensuring you only eat the right amount as the rest is frozen and can’t be eaten right away. 💵
The sunset is in the west (271°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 7:09 pm after setting for 2 minutes and 54 seconds with dusk around 7:36 pm, which is one minute and 9 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 8:10 pm. At sunset, look for partly cloudy skies 🌃 and temperatures around 47 degrees. There will be a north-northwest breeze at 7 mph. Today will have 12 hours and 17 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 54 seconds over yesterday.
Last night I went to the Elm Ave Park 🏞 and walked until dusk 🌆 which was nice for the first time after work this year. 🚶 It helps to get in the extra steps 👣 and it’s fun to walk in the woods around dusk 🦉 and see what wildlife is out there. Still though not a lot of evening after dinner but it’s good to get to bed relatively early.
Tonight will be mostly cloudy 🌥, with a low of 31 degrees at 5am. Three degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around March 30th. North wind around 6 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 got down to 29 degrees. The record low of 2 occurred back in 1875.
Finished my taxes last night, 📝 and while checking the paper forms for my state taxes noticed that I hadn’t reported any Capital Gains on my federal taxes, panicked for a minute and double checked my investment statement and confirmed no capital gains received this past year as the market ended down 📉 so much this past year. I didn’t sell anything this year but in better years I do get some capital gains just from the index funds that sell off parts at times to make sure they are still accurately tracking the market. But not in 2022, as most of the leading stocks were down. Got lots of dividends though but I prepaid enough to cover them. I filed 📂 my federal taxes online but did paper state taxes as the state ones are simple as I’m a renter but not super poor so I don’t have any real state tax credits except for my contributions to my neices education account.
Not a particularly nice weekend on tap. 😞 Saturday, rain likely, possibly mixed with snow, becoming all rain after 8am. Cloudy, with a high near 40. Chance of precipitation is 70%. Sunday, a chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 47. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Typical average high for the weekend is 49 degrees.
I was hoping that the upcoming weekend would be warm and sunny ⛺ for camping at Rennselearville State Forest but I don’t think it’s likely. I was figuring the fire risk would be low if there is snow on the ground. The fire ban applies only to brush burning not campfires kept small and in eye sight. 🔥
Looking ahead, next Tuesday is Average High is 50 🌸 when the sun will be setting at 7:17 pm with dusk at 7:44 pm. On that day in 2022, we had cold weather, partly cloudy skies and temperatures between 27 and 18 degrees. Debbie downer. We hit a record high of 85 back in 1945.
