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.
I am the kind of person who often over estimates costs and underestimates income and revenues. I tend to take a very conservative approach to life, I’m always worried about the worse case scenario maybe a bit too much. Catastrophizing.
Inflation is a bit of an annoyance now but my real concern is how much it is stealing from my future. Every dollar I spend now on more more expensive gas and food is a dollar that I don’t have for my future to grow and eventually buy the big things I want – land, equipment, animals. And the thing is I’m particularly hard hit by inflation because I drive a big jacked up truck and food because I have very basic tastes.
I see inflation every time go to the grocery store, gas up or wash my truck. Everything just seems like it’s getting more expensive. Even recycling at the transfer station is more these days. I make a lot more money than just a few years ago, but I don’t make that extra money to just blow it on today’s inflated prices. I want to save it for a better tomorrow.
Truth be told, my bimonthly savings and investments have been good over the past decade. Things have grown well, much faster than the rate of inflation. Some very well. But it’s getting harder to beat inflation and get good returns with prices going up so quickly. Years ago I bought some energy stocks but stopped adding to it after many years of lackluster growth and endless yearly taxable dividend payments. I probably also keep too much in ordinary “high–er” interest savings and CDs but I want to have something to fall back on should I lose my job, get seriously injured or need to junk my truck.
Lately I’ve cut out all but essential trips like visiting my elderly parents once a week and a one a week drive to the grocery store. In March I drove all of 116 miles, walking 178 miles and riding city buses 278 miles. I’ve had the heat off for several weeks, I avoid having the lights on at night and unplug everything when not in use.
I’ve done the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and even tried lentils. I’m not a big fan of lentils – they’re such a yuppie food and kind of stinky too boot. I mean their not bad, and pretty cheap but by the time you add spices they’re not a big savings. I’d rather just do ordinary pasta. I rarely eat meat and while I’m a big fan of dairy, it just gets harder and harder to cut food expenses especially when even bulk packages at Walmart are increasing in prices.
Ultimately, I do have faith that my variety of investments will grow faster than inflation. Even as I grumble at the grocery store, I’m living within my means even if at times the budget is tight. Lately it hasn’t been quite as crunched although when I start traveling more come summer, costs will escalate. I’m a lot better off than many and if I stay the course, live frugally, a better tomorrow will come even if inflation poses challenges today.
I had the same thought yesterday. Really it figures. That said I’m hopeful by afternoon it will be quite nice, the high sun angle and bright sun helps a lot.
Kind of looking forward to that warmer weather and sleeping 😴 with the windows open again. I’ll have to get the fan out and put away the electric blanket for the season though we could still have a few more cold nights in the second half of the month.
Today. Feels like …
March 8th.
Sunny.
North wind around 11 mph.
and
42 degrees
,
7:31
sunset.
Tonight. Feels like …
February 25th.
Mostly clear.
North wind around 7 mph.
and
20 degrees
,13 max wind chill,
6:24
sunrise.
Sunday. Feels like …
March 19th.
Sunny.
North wind 6 to 8 mph.
and
46 degrees
,
7:32
sunset.
Sunday Night. Feels like …
March 10th.
Clear.
Northwest wind around 7 mph becoming west after midnight.
Slower start to my Saturday then predicted due to the wind. If I had to choose I’d prefer the cold to the wind.
Sunny and a cold 28 degrees at the Rensselaerville State Forest. 🌞 There is a north-northwest breeze at 11 mph. 🍃. The sun is great and making a lot of solar power but the wind sucks.
It’s just cold this morning, 🌬️ though certainly not as bad as mid afternoon last week, when the winds were whipping around at 20-30 mph and howling at times closer to 50 mph.
It’s werid, I hiked 11 1/2 miles today but it felt like a lazy day, hiding out from the wind. 🚶I got an early start which helped a lot, because yesterday morning wasn’t nearly as windy and cold as this morning.
I did see a bald eagle 🦅 up close overhead and a massive buck. And the usual, red headed woodpecker, two mallard on one of the wet areas that wasn’t frozen, tufted titmouse, blue jay, boring old robin.
Still a lot of snow in places, 🌨 at least six inches in protected north slopes, quite muddy but less so by evening with the strong winds and low humidity. Farm boots 👢 vare essential for walking a lot of trails. Campsite was one big soft mud and puddle on Thursday, but it’s dried up a lot today. ⛺
Made some really good meals with asparagus (one of my favorite vegetables), and other yummy things. 🍲 After dark the wind died down and the ground was still quite wet so had a small fire, coals smothered before bed with snow and ice. 🔥
I’m glad I was lucky 🍀 enough to get Good Friday off, as I probably wouldn’t have gotten the drive in campsite I wanted had I come Friday after work as somebody else is camping 🏕 a mile up the road from me. Friday was cold, especially the blustery afternoon but a day in the wilderness beats a day in the city.
I was thinking about hiking over Kenyan Road to Fox Creek Road to the Mount Pisgah Overlook today but it seems rather cold and windy. ❄ I’ll see how much things warm up as the day progreses I guess. Maybe do some more protected hikes in the woods and hollows where it’s less windy.
Picked the coldest part of the week to go camping. 🏕
I didn’t choose based on the weather forecast but the calendar 🗓 and the days I had off from work. Fire danger is only going to get worse as the week progreses though I expect the green up 🌸 to occur this week in the city. I’m thinking next weekend I’ll plan on going to Five Rivers or maybe another hike to Hollyhock Audubon Sanctuary and maybe Blodgett Hill to get in 20 miles again.
Planning to walk ten miles today and then before the wind and clouds push in head back to camp ⛺ and either lay in the hammock and read 📖 or do the same in the truck. Looks like the sun is out early on which with the high sun angle should help to charge the truck batteries 🔋 well.
Today. Feels like …
March 5th.
Partly sunny.
Breezy, with a northwest wind 21 to 23 mph, with gusts as high as 34 mph.
It turns out that things were in a place in the office that I could get away for Easter Weekend at 3pm before Good Friday and I took full advantage of it even though it meant setting up camp in the rain and the mud though by late evening it stopped and got fairly decent.
Mostly cloudy and 36 degrees at the Rensselaerville State Forest. 🌥 Breezy, ️21 mph breeze from the west-northwest 🌬 with gusts up to 31 mph 💨💨💨. The current wind chill is 25.
So far the wind hasn’t been as bad as they are warning ⚠ about but I’ve tried to stay in more protected areas. Some breeze last night especially earlier on in the evening 🍃 but nothing too major. More just damp in the evening.
That saidit’s cold ❄ but it’s still early April. Next week is going to be a lot warmer but the woods will be bone dry ☀ and the fire risk super high. 🔥 Plus next week I might have to work and it’s not a 3 day weekend.
The biggest change though is my choices for camp food 🍲. Cookies and beer are out, as are lumps of shredded cheese, hot dogs and crackers. In is water, apples and carrots 🥕 for snacks and for something more substantial brown rice, onions, peppers, asparagus and tofu. 🧅Oh do I like asparagus whenever they had it at various events but I never really cooked it for myself. Tomotoes, broccoli and peppers. 🍅 Salmon probably for tonight. 🐠 Eggs 🥚 with all of the above minus carrots and a banana 🍌 this morning for breakfast. So tasty.
I am not missing the alcohol or the cookies 🍻 that much. It’s kind of nice not to be drunk all of the time and to wake up without a hangover. They used to be okay in my twenties but they got worse in my thirties and would be awful in my forties. 🤕 I feel like I have so much more energy ⚡ and aren’t so fully stuffed 🤰🏼while camping. It’s also nice to go to bed with a clear head and look at the stars.
No fire tonight 🏕️ due to the red flag 🚩 conditions though honestly the ground is still quite wet and soggy with all the rain and snow 🌨 that is left on the ground but it’s not worth the risk especially as I have the propane heater and lights I can use. Last night’s fire was so smokey 🔥 💨 from the wood being wet with things so soggy around here. Tonight I might go for a night hike to look at the stars with no fire to supervise.
Why Mass Shootings Should be Handled More Like Fatal Car Crashes 💥
It bothers me a lot how the politicians and the mass media love to belabor mass shootings to no end. The hours of television with the grieving parents and interviews with police really serve no purpose but as a the interruption to commence, education and every day life.
I was reading the other day how Israel handles terrorism – they arrest and prosecute the perpetrators – but also emphasize returning to normalcy after a terror event. People get blown up and killed, their bodies hauled away, families notified and the scene quickly restored to its prior status – blood cleaned up, bullet holes patched, damaged walls repaired. Life returns to normal within hours of a terrorist attack.
In America on contrast businesses often remain closed for an extended period, memorials are constructed, scars left exposed for the maximum time. It plays to the terrorists’ or shooter’s advantage – as they are able to extract their maximum harm to the public.
America does know how to quickly restore infrastructure and normalcy after many types of death and destruction. Fatal automobile crashes are often cleaned up and the highway fully reopened and restored within hours of the crash. The ambulance comes and takes away the deceased, the firefighters put out the fire and sweep up the broken glass, the tow truck tows away the junked car and the DOT replaces the smashed guard rail. The families who have lost grieve in private. Often news coverage is limited to reporting traffic delays due to lane closures – the fatality if reported at all is in passing.
Fatal car crashes aren’t completely forgotten even as normalcy is quickly restored. Every one is carefully logged by police and placed in the FARS database – which is carefully examined for highway safety improvements and potential changes to the design of automobiles to enhance safety. FARS is also used in a thoughtful way to decide if changes are needed to laws to make roads safer. But FARS isn’t emotional, it doesn’t glorify crashes or their victims. It’s statistics gets news coverage but doesn’t make profits for news media or the police.
Losing a loved one is sad. People should grieve in private and be taken care of to make sure their needs are met. But instead of glorifying terrorists and shooters, the priority should be normalcy and quickly restoring order rather than belaboring private tragedies.
