The Rattlesnake Hill Wildlife Management Area is a 5,100 acre upland tract, situated approximately eight miles west of Dansville, New York. Roughly two-thirds of the area lies in southern Livingston County, while the remaining third lies in northern Allegany County. The tract was purchased in the 1930’s under the Federal Resettlement Administration and is one of several such areas turned over to DEC for development as a wildlife management area.
The area is appropriately named after the Timber Rattlesnake, which may be occasionally found in the more remote sections of the “Hill”.
The area offers an interesting blend of upland habitats such as mature woodland, overgrown fields, conifer plantations, old growth apple orchards and open meadows.
The area is inhabited by a variety of game species and is open to public hunting. The white-tailed deer, wild turkey, ruffed grouse, grey squirrel, cottontail rabbit and woodcock are found on the area. An occasional snowshoe hare may be observed adjacent to thick creek bottom brush or conifer plantation habitats.
A number of small marsh units have been developed and provide limited hunting for waterfowl. Some of the area’s furbearing species such as mink, beaver and raccoon may be occasionally viewed at these marsh units.
Good morning! Partly cloudy and 30 degrees in Delmar. ⛅ Calm wind. Snow is mostly gone, just some piles left along the road sides. ️Things will start to thaw out at around 7 am. 🌡️
Blueberry pancakes 🥞 this morning with real maple 🍁 syrup and blueberries of course. Coffee ☕ but not too much as I’ve been cutting back lately and wasn’t going to make a full extra pot.
Today will be partly sunny 🌞, with a high of 42 degrees at 2pm. Nine degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around March 6th. Light and variable wind becoming southeast around 6 mph in the afternoon. Enjoy it while it lasts. A year ago, we had light snow in the morning with more sun in the afternoon. The high last year was 38 degrees. The record high of 67 was set in 2020. 12.8 inches of snow fell back in 2011.❄
Riding into the office downtown 🚲 today, last time to the Smith Building 🏢. I’m not going to miss riding up the State Street Hill for sure. Yesterday the ride wasn’t bad, the rail trail mostly free of snow and ice bar the section deeper in the valley shadow by Rockefeller Road.
Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:04 pm with sun having an altitude of 25.7° from the due south horizon (-45.1° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 12.5 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 3:59 pm with the sun in the southwest (233°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-southwest (241°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 4:43 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 20 seconds with dusk around 5:14 pm, which is one minute and 7 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 At dusk you’ll see the Waxing Crescent 🌒 Moon in the southwest (232°) at an altitude of 6° from the horizon, 227,809 miles away. 🚀 The best time to look at the stars is after 5:50 pm. At sunset, look for partly cloudy skies 🌃 and temperatures around 40 degrees. There will be a southeast breeze at 6 mph. Tomorrow will have 9 hours and 23 minutes of daytime, an increase of one minute and 28 seconds over today.
Last night for dinner 🍽 I decided to take some chili and cornbread mom gave to me as left overs, and cook it down with some chopped onion, spinach, canned tomato and a little of olive oil — plus some chili pepper and other spices like tumeric. Just wanted to take it up another level. Cook it in more healthy fat, but also add more veggies. Then I get two portions out of it.
Tonight will have a chance of snow before 10pm, then rain and snow likely between 10pm and midnight, then rain after midnight. 🌧 Low of 35 degrees at 7pm. 19 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around April 10th. Breezy, with a southeast wind 8 to 13 mph increasing to 18 to 23 mph after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 43 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible. In 2023, we had light rain in the evening, which became mostly clear by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 30 degrees. The record low of -18 occurred back in 1968.
Tomorrow will rain, mainly before 9am, then a chance of showers after 10am. 🌦 High of 47 degrees at 11am. 14 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around March 20th. Southeast wind 9 to 16 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible. A year ago, we had light snow in the morning with more sun in the afternoon. The high last year was 43 degrees. The record high of 71 was set in 1932. 13.1 inches of snow fell back in 1964.❄
The plan is to go grocery shopping in the morning. 🛒 Then I’ll decide if I want to go camping. 🏕 The weekend looks cold, and I won’t need anything special to cook at camp but I need groceries for both at home and at camp.
Looking ahead to Sunday, a chance of snow showers. 🌥️ 🌬️ Mostly cloudy, with a high near 32. Breezy, with a southwest wind 13 to 23 mph, with gusts as high as 36 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. Typical average high for the weekend is 33 degrees.
It’s going to be cold ❄ and breezy after the rain pulls off but I’m still debating doing a night or two in the wilderness ⛺, location to be decided. It would be nice to have a fire and enjoy some time in the woods before it gets really cold out next week.
And when there is no hope, there are 3 weeks until Ground Hog Day 🐻 when the sun will be setting at 5:10 pm with dusk at 5:39 pm. On that day in 2023, we had partly cloudy and temperatures between 36 and 19 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 33 degrees. We hit a record high of 53 back in 1981.
Winter’s going to kick like a mule come next week but we’re only like 68 days away from spring and being an El Niño year it’s not going to remain cold for all that long.
Good morning! Happy Thursday. Mostly cloudy at the freezing point in Delmar. ☁ There is a west-southwest breeze at 9 mph. 🍃. There are some remaining snow banks on the ground. ☃ But not for long. ️Things will start to thaw out at around 7 am. 🌡️
Cornbread this morning with onions, garlic, spinach and lots of spices.🥧 Came out such a deep rich color and fluffy thanks to the baking soda. Do wish I had added some salt. 🍊 Then I ran a full orange, peel and all through the food processor for a fiber rich treat. 🧡 Fiber fills you up and blunts the impact of all those sugars and the inevitable insulin spike. I do poop 💩 a lot on the morning especially after all that coffee ☕ rich with cinnamon and ginger.
Today will have a slight chance of rain and snow showers after 1pm. Cloudy 🌧, with a high of 38 degrees at 2pm. Five degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around February 21st. West wind 6 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies in the morning with some clearing in the afternoon. The high last year was 33 degrees. The record high of 67 was set in 2020. 8.0 inches of snow fell back in 1922.❄
Riding to work again today, 🚲 this time taking my preferred route through the Norman’s Kill Gorge as the snow and ice should be mostly gone. ☺ I really don’t love riding Delaware, I’d much rather do the rail trail. That said not sure how much I’ll be riding next week, going to be cold plus Tuesday and Wednesday are session days. Do think it’s likely I’ll be finally moving out to the burbs for work but I have a schedule ready for the shuttle 🚀. Okay, maybe not that kind of shuttle. I don’t think the cold will be that prolonged being an El Niño year, or so I tell myself.
Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:04 pm with sun having an altitude of 25.5° from the due south horizon (-45.3° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 12.6 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 3:58 pm with the sun in the southwest (233°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-southwest (241°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 4:42 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 21 seconds with dusk around 5:13 pm, which is one minute and 5 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 5:49 pm. At sunset, look for rain 🌧 and snow 🌨 and temperatures around 38 degrees. There will be a south-southwest breeze at 6 mph. Tomorrow will have 9 hours and 22 minutes of daytime, an increase of one minute and 27 seconds over today.
Yesterday on my way out ran into the landlord and we got chatting 🗣️ and guess what I forgot to lock 🔒 my door 🚪 or even shut it tightly. It was a mild day and the heat probably didn’t kick on, and it’s not like I have much worth stealing. 👮 Today I’ll be more careful. Going to try to leave a bit earlier today so I’m not as rushed plus I have a morning meeting to get down to. 👥
Tonight will have a slight chance of snow showers before 10pm. Mostly cloudy 🌧, with a low of 27 degrees at 4am. 11 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around March 18th. South wind around 6 mph becoming west after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 20%. In 2023, we had cloudy skies in the evening, which became light snow by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 32 degrees. The record low of -26 occurred back in 1968.
15 bean soup 🍲 last night was delicious 😋 though it made the last of my carrots 🥕 dissappear and a lot of spinach and celery. I should have bought the five pound bag of carrots last week. Rye bread with lots of red onions in it for a rich flavor. Then a shredded apple run through the food processor with lots of cinnamon and ginger with a touch of peanut 🥜 butter powder after my evening walk. Not quite a slurry, I mean smoothie but good. Not so cold for the evening walk. 🌧️ Rained on the bus 🚍 ride home but stopped by the time I was filled up with that delicious soup and bread. I was in bed 🛏 by eight and up by five this morning.
Weekendcontinues to look rainy after first then get cold. 🌦️🤜🌬️🤜🧊Saturday, rain before noon, then showers likely, mainly between noon and 1pm. High near 48. Southeast wind 14 to 17 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible. Sunday, a chance of snow showers after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 32. Breezy. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Typical average high for the weekend is 33 degrees. I’m still thinking about at least one night up in the woods but I concede with the wind, going to be a cold weekend.
Looking ahead, next Thursday is Winnie the Pooh Day 🍯 when the sun will be setting at 4:51 pm with dusk at 5:21 pm. On that day in 2023, we had cloudy, mild, freezing rain showers and temperatures between 44 and 32 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 32 degrees. We hit a record high of 59 back in 1973. Last week I bought honey 🛒 but I haven’t opened it yet. I’ve decided to include more natural sugars sparingly in my diet for flavor but only occasionally as a treat. That and real maple 🍁 syrup. Yum. But it’s not going to be an everyday thing and will always be paired with fiber rich foods and whole grains be it milled corn, milled oats or whole wheat foot.
Every morning I get the Morning Ag Clips newsletter delivered to my email box a little after 3 am. Who is up at that hour? Dairymen, nearly two hours before I wake up and get cooking and a jump on my day. After all, you gotta strip the teats before you milk the laddies so I can have cottage cheese with my eggs and milk in my coffee.
Good morning! What day is it? Hump Day, of course. Rain and 43 degrees in Delmar, NY. ☔ There is a west-southwest breeze at 8 mph. 🍃. There are 3 inches of snow on the ground. ☃ ️Still too much snow to ride the bike into work on the rail trail, but regardless it’s still raining. Temperatures will drop below freezing at tomorrow around 2 am. ☃️
I slept in late until 5:10 AM this morning, which really is about ten minutes later but I don’t set an alarm clock ⏰ so I get up when I wake naturally. I was in bed by 9 PM last night 🛌 so eight hours later is about 5 AM though I woke briefly at 3 AM when I heard the Morning Ag Clips come in but I didn’t read until I was up and out of bed, loading the oven with bread and taking the seeds out of the spaghetti squash, getting it ready to cook. A good nights sleep, despite the warnings of high wind and severe weather, all I heard was a bit of rain on the roof.
Woke up feeling a bit achy this morning from the rain, 😫 but I got some onions, spinach, corn, peppers eggs frying 🍳 with a bunch of turmeric, red chili pepper, and salt. Then coffee with lots of ginger and cinnamon. ☕ Feeling good now. Baked up some rye bread, with lots of dill weed and chopped red onions. I find for a good crispy crust, adding some baking soda helps. The red onions give it a dark, rich texture, almost like pumpernickel. Also cooked up a big pot of 15-bean Cajun soup, but then I added a bunch of corn, celery, carrots and spinach to beef up the soup. Will be good with the rye bread later. To keep the oven full, also made spaghetti squash. Using up a lot of stuff in my pantry but I’ll go shopping either Thursday or Friday night, or maybe early Saturday morning.
Today will have a chance of showers, mainly between 11am and 3pm. Mostly cloudy 🌦, with a high of 44 degrees at 12pm. 11 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around March 12th. I like mid March weather in January. Breezy, with a southwest wind 7 to 12 mph increasing to 16 to 21 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 41 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies in the morning with some clearing in the afternoon. The high last year was 38 degrees. The record high of 55 was set in 2016. 7.3 inches of snow fell back in 1984.❄
I wasn’t going to ride my bike to work, 🚲 until I decided to do just that. I will take Delaware Avenue in I guess, because I think there is still snow and ice on the rail trail ❄️ though I’d much rather take the rail trail and avoid traffic. 🚂 When I switch to the office in North Albany — maybe next week — if the rail trail is closed, I will take Second Avenue. I think there is less traffic there, and less risk of getting doored, 💥which scares me as much if not more then getting rear-ended on the bicycle. Riding on Delaware Avenue, it’s constant looking ahead and looking backwards, compared to the relatively easy to ride down the rail trail. 🚵♀️ Once I’m fully moved the suburban office, I will be able to take Albany County Rail Trail to Corning Preserve, almost entirely off the road, then it will be an easy ride up Erie Bouelvard, through the old Lumber District.
Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:03 pm with sun having an altitude of 25.4° from the due south horizon (-45.5° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 12.7 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 3:57 pm with the sun in the southwest (233°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-southwest (240°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 4:41 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 21 seconds with dusk around 5:12 pm, which is one minute and 4 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 5:48 pm. At sunset, look for rain showers around 🌧 and temperatures around 40 degrees. Breezy, 21 mph breeze ⛅ from the west-southwest with gusts up to 41mph. Today will have 9 hours and 19 minutes of daytime, an increase of one minute and 19 seconds over yesterday.
I was pleasantly surprised that the blueberry pancakes I made yesterday 🥞 didn’t cause me to have a blood sugar spike that I was afraid it would. Maybe it was because the pancakes were whole-wheat flour and some milled oats and made myself without added sugar or even bananas. Maybe using pure maple syrup 🍁 in moderation helped. I do love the sweetness of blueberries 💙 but it can come with an hour or two down the clock feeling really hungry and even a bit dizzy. But I was reading that such blood sugar troughs aren’t that uncommon for many people, and isn’t a sign of anything more serious besides bad dietary choices. I was looking at my online health record, and two times I got my blood and urine tested, my blood sugar levels were in normal levels and I didn’t have any glucose in my urine. 🥤 I did have slightly elevated bile in my urine, a sign of some kidney damage probably back when I was more overweight, but I was barely outside of normal level, 👩⚕️ nothing my doctor said I should be concerned about. I am super paranoid about diabetes these days, as I watch and it slowly saps the life away from my parents who are growing older. And I don’t like needles. 💉
Tonight will be mostly cloudy ☁️, with a low of 29 degrees at 4am. 13 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around March 24th. Breezy, with a southwest wind 14 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 38 mph. With that wind, I’ll probably need the heat again. ♨️ In 2023, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became mostly clear by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 19 degrees. The record low of -25 occurred back in 1968.
Last night was cold with the wind so I turned on both the gas heat down stairs and the space heater on as I was chilled through. 🌧 🌬 It was absolutely pouring when I was waiting out for the bus, and when I got home things were cold and damp. Cooking in the oven the salmon 🐟 things warmed up, and then I kneaded up the bread 🍞. Also made some corn mush mixed with peanut butter powder which was pretty good. And then shredded and orange and had that with a warm glass of milk with cinnamon and ginger before bed. Eating good. Wish I had gotten more steps in yesterday, but I did do that seven mile ride in during the morning.
Still looks like the weekend starts out rainy, but then gets cold for the balance of the M.L. King weekend. 🌦 Saturday, rain, mainly before 1pm. High near 48. Breezy. Chance of precipitation is 80%. Sunday, partly sunny, with a high near 31. Breezy. M.L.King Day will be mostly cloudy, with a high near 31. Typical average high for the weekend is 33 degrees. I am not sure if it looks good for getting out of town, thinking it will be a swamp on Saturday and then frigid come Sunday. Maybe just one night. Things could change though.
One month 📅 from now will be Clean Your Computer Day 🧹 when the sun will be setting at 5:21 pm with dusk at 5:49 pm. The average high temperature is 33 degrees, with a record high of 55 in 2016. Now that’s depressing on the mercury front, but let’s be honest, not much beyond there, things start to warm up once again as we head into the second half of February. 🌺 Spring will come eventually.
While I still read and share some news and analysis, I’ve cut back enormously on my consumption of the news and I don’t follow any politicians or news stories any more on Facebook. As soon as Facebook tried to suggest that I follow a politician, I clicked block.
Maybe in a few weeks I’ll turn on the NPR for the news when things get a bit more sane but at this point I don’t care that much. I’ve come to the conclusion that the best way to live life is to live on a need to know basis and be ignorant of all other things. If I don’t have any control over the world and it doesn’t effect me then why should I pay attention?
I wonder if this means any new swimming pools will open up at State Parks near where I like to explore. More like shoutingprotestors and State Troopers swarming the Capitol complex. I kind of wish at this point I was moved to the new office to avoid all the craziness. But summer time at State Parks is on my mind, not the ice fog of today.
Good morning! Happy State of the State Day. 🏫 For me that just means avoid the Concourse and Capitol like the plague or risk crowds of people yelling you, probably about the Isreal and Palestine conflict which is on the other side of the world and I have nothing to do about. Ice fog from the snow and 20 degrees in Delmar. 🌫 Calm wind. There are 5 inches of snow on the ground. ☃ ️Things will start to thaw out at around noontime. 🌡️Then rain tonight.
Ironing my shirt and pants 🕴🏻getting ready for another session day. Drinking coffee ☕ and enjoying the very good pancakes 🥞 I made topped with frozen wild Maine blueberries 🫐, Greek yogurt and pure maple 🍁 syrup. Very tasty, I used more whole wheat flour 🌾 then oats in the mix with an egg, some milk, water and baking powder for fluffiness. I’m just now waiting for the inevitable blood sugar crash😔. Been a bit heavy on the carbs lately so I skipped making bread for now. 🍞 Maybe knead more tonight. I took salmon 🐟 out of the freezer for cooking tonight after work.
Today will have a chance of snow between noon and 3pm, then rain and snow. 🌧 High of 35 degrees at 3pm. Three degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around February 14th. Light southeast wind increasing to 11 to 16 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 80%. Total daytime snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies in the morning with a few breaks of sun the afternoon. The high last year was 36 degrees. The record high of 62 was set in 2008. 9.9 inches of snow fell back in 1953.❄
I like my early morning bike ride 🚲 and will head out at 6:45 again after it’s no longer pitch black. 🐮 I like seeing the cows and the mountains along Meads Road. It’s a good ride with the hills on Orchard Street, and while they were a bit icy yesterday, there was enough sand on them that I could maintain traction with my bike. 🌨 Not sure if tomorrow I’ll be able to ride to work, it’s not a session day but it depends on when the rain ☔ stops and how much snow is left on the rail trail. I guess I could take in city streets. 🚘 Going to certainly be mild by tomorrow morning but windy.
Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:03 pm with sun having an altitude of 25.2° from the due south horizon (-45.6° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 12.7 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 3:55 pm with the sun in the southwest (232°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-southwest (240°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 4:40 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 21 seconds with dusk around 5:11 pm, which is one minute and 2 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 5:47 pm. At sunset, look for rain 🌧 and snow 🌨 and temperatures around 35 degrees. Breezy, 16 mph breeze ⛅ from the southeast. Tomorrow will have 9 hours and 19 minutes of daytime, an increase of one minute and 19 seconds over today.
Tonight will rain, possibly mixed with snow, becoming all rain after 7pm. ☔ Temperature rising to around 49 by 4am. Windy, with a southeast wind 23 to 28 mph decreasing to 15 to 20 mph after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 46 mph. 🌬️ Chance of precipitation is 100%. Little or no snow accumulation expected. In 2023, we had light snow in the evening, which became partly cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 22 degrees. The record low of -13 occurred back in 1968.
I have my doubts about the evening walk. 🌧 That said, I didn’t bother bringing an umbrella to work this afternoon, as there is no reason to have an umbrella with that kind of wind. Just going to get wet waiting for the express bus. 🚌 It’s fine, I’ll head home, change into dry clothes, cook my salmon and brocolli 🐟 🥦 and whatever else I want for dinner, then knead the bread 🍞 and put it in the oven to rise.
Saturday looks to be quite wet.🌧️ Saturday, rain, mainly before 1pm. High near 48. Breezy. Chance of precipitation is 80%. Then it turns cold for Sunday into MLK Day. ❄ Sunday, mostly cloudy, with a high near 31. Breezy. MLK Day, mostly cloudy, with a high of 33. Typical average high for the weekend is 33 degrees. Deep and dark of winter.
As previously noted, there are 2 weeks until National Cheese Lovers Day 🧀 when the sun will be setting at 4:58 pm with dusk at 5:27 pm. I like cheese but I enjoy it in moderation these days. But the good news is we are almost to the 5 pm sunset then. On that day in 2023, we had snow and temperatures between 34 and 30 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 32 degrees. We hit a record high of 64 back in 1906.
