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.
Or so the Roman court declared, and despite some dissent by members of the court, he was executed via the cross for the the high crime of treason. While our criminal justice system has made some progress over the original Roman system of justice — it’s hard to argue that all that much has changed since the days when the Romans laughed as Jesus died in agony on the cross.
Government, even in so-called representative democracies, is the sovereign with power justified by law. What happened — the lawful murder of Jesus Christ by the state — could happen even in our modern times. Law can not determine whether or not something is moral, only what is justified as force by government actions against the people.
Whether or not Jesus was a menace to God and mankind is debatable, indeed millions honor Christ for his organizing of the working man against the rich man. For confronting the Alderman and politicians, for raising his voice. Jesus, the son of God wasn’t afraid to confront power, with acidic attacks on power, confronting comfortable ideas with truth.
Did Jesus argue for the over-throw of the government, the treasonous acts that the Roman court claimed was supported by evidence? We may never know, as much is lost in history. But we do know that Jesus organized the carpenter, the weaver, the farmer, as a voice against the rich and powerful. His power, through the people, confronted old ways of thinking, put established ways of thinking at risk.
You know after all these years of fighting development in the Pine Bush, and bemoaning yet another house being built in a woods or a farm field, I am seriously considering buying some undeveloped land and building a house on it. It’s really hard to find a property with lots of land that has a reasonably-sized structure for one person that is energy efficient and is powered by renewable energy.
How do I plan to address some of my moral quams about developing land?
I am not looking to turn the land into a suburban paradise but instead rural use – homesteading with livestock and gardening, not inconsistent with rural uses
I will work to minimize the removal of trees, especially quality native species and work to plant additional native species
I will work to build the soil using livestock, wood ash and compost, minimize waste generation
I will work to clean the land, remove debris and recycle or scrap as much as possible
I will work to eradicate invasive species and will not plant introduced species except to the extent needed to produce food for myself and livestock
I am planning to use solar panels and wood from on site trees as primary sources of energy
SEQRA calls it the inevitable irreversible consumption of natural resources which it is. But with a light hand on the land, much of it can be restored in the out years or continue to provide rural sustainable housing once I’m gone.
What’s the worse thing that can happen? I waste a bit of ice keeping the cooler cold and some gasoline driving to work. But I do maintain, at least it my shit brain that I’ll have tomorrow off and it will be a great weekend in the wilderness with some great hikes, mountain biking, camping and fires. And if not starting tonight it will be tomorrow. They’ll get that extender done as I can’t imagine anyone really wants to spend Easter in Albany especially with beautiful weather ahead.
Good morning! Rain showers around and 42 degrees in Delmar, NY. ☔ There is a northwest breeze at 6 mph. 🍃. Got to get out of this place. Temperatures will drop below freezing at Monday around 3 am. ☃️
I am packed for heading out of town, 🏕️ with the assumption being that I’ll have Friday off. No guarantees, but I didn’t want to miss out and the stakes of not packing to leave today are higher then if I didn’t pack and lost out on what should be a nice evening today and a beautiful day tomorrow. Going to be windy tomorrow afternoon, but I’m not going to be that far off the road that if a limb falls I can’t chop or saw it. Plus after all the snow and ice of recent, I don’t imagine there will be a lot more to break.
Today will have a chance of showers, mainly after 10am. Cloudy 🌦, with a high of 47 degrees at 3pm. Three degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around March 21st. Northwest wind 6 to 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. A year ago, we had cloudy skies in the morning, which became partly cloudy by afternoon. The high last year was 53 degrees. The record high of 85 5was set in 1945. 14.2 inches of snow fell back in 1932.❄
Last night was black beans with tomatoes, 🫘 🍅 and spices. Got packed, downloaded some videos and e-books to read at camp. 📚️ Looking forward to a nice weekend away from it all, maybe three days away from reality. Might be a bit cool with the breeze but the ample snow should help. I think there will be a bit of snow up north, but nothing real deep, and that’s good because it will reduce the fire risk. 🔥
Solar noon 🌞 is at 1:01 pm with sun having an altitude of 50.6° from the due south horizon (-20.2° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 4.9 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 6:40 pm with the sun in the west (269°). 📸 The sunset is in the west (275°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 7:17 pm after setting for 2 minutes and 54 seconds with dusk around 7:45 pm, which is one minute and 9 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 8:19 pm. At sunset, look for rain showers 🌧 and temperatures around 44 degrees. There will be a northwest breeze at 11 mph. Today will have 12 hours and 36 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 54 seconds over yesterday.
Tonight will be cloudy ☁, with a low of 34 degrees at 5am. Four degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around April 7th. Northwest wind 13 to 15 mph. In 2023, we had partly cloudy skies in the evening, which became mostly clear by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 25 degrees. The record low of 85 occurred back in 1946.
A picture perfect weekend on tap. 😎 Good Friday, mostly sunny and 51 degrees for the high. Breezy though but the rain and remaining snow in the high country should cut the fire risk or so I tell myself. Saturday, mostly sunny, with a high near 53. Breezy, with a northwest wind 17 to 21 mph. Sunday, partly sunny, with a high near 52. Typical average high for the weekend is 51 degrees.
Looking ahead, there are 14 weeks until Independence Day 🇺🇸 when the sun will be setting at 8:37 pm with dusk at 9:10 pm. On that day in 2023, we had mostly sunny and temperatures between 84 and 54 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 83 degrees. We hit a record high of 104 back in 1911.
I’m up early and bussing it to work doing laps walking on the Concourse. Been a while since I’ve been downtown but I figure it’s a good chance to get in some steps before work.
Good morning! What day is it? Hump Day, of course. Cloudy ☁️ and 38 degrees in Delmar, NY. There is a south-southeast breeze at 8 mph. 🍃. There are 2 inches of snow on the ground. ☃ ️Temperatures will drop below freezing at Saturday around 6 am. ☃️ I can keep the heat off for now, didn’t even need the electric blanket last night.
Pancakes with carrots, oatmeal banana and cinnamon topped with mango and blueberries with real maple syrup, 🥞 just waiting for the blood sugar crash. 😋 Probably should have had more protein with breakfast besides the egg in the batter, though carrot, whole wheat flour and oatmeal should slow the absorption of the sugar.
Today will have showers, mainly after 10am. 🌦 High of 49 degrees at 4pm. Typical for today. South wind 7 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies in the morning, remaining cloudy in the afternoon. The high last year was 52 degrees. The record high of 78 was set in 1998. 6.7 inches of snow fell back in 1959.❄
Solar noon 🌞 is at 1:01 pm with sun having an altitude of 50.2° from the due south horizon (-20.6° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 5 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 6:39 pm with the sun in the west (269°). 📸 The sunset is in the west (275°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 7:16 pm after setting for 2 minutes and 54 seconds with dusk around 7:44 pm, which is one minute and 8 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 8:18 pm. At sunset, look for rain 🌧 and temperatures around 48 degrees. There will be a south-southeast breeze at 7 mph. Tomorrow will have 12 hours and 36 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 54 seconds over today.
Yesterday for dinner was reheated ham soup 🍲 from the parents house and homemade bread 🍞 which was good with some shredded apple 🍏 and shredded oatmeal with cinnamon for dessert. 😋 I decided to do a bike ride 🚲 out along Meads Lane to see the cows 🐮 and get a bit more exercise as I knew I wouldn’t be riding to work today. 😔 I did ride both ways yesterday to work but rain today. ☔ Maybe I’m just making excuses and making the bus company rich.
Tonight will have a chance of showers. Cloudy 🌧, with a low of 40 degrees at 4am. 10 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around April 22nd. South wind around 6 mph becoming light and variable. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. In 2023, we had light rain in the evening, which became cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 33 degrees. The record low of 85 occurred back in 1945.
A picture perfect weekend on tap. 😎 Good Friday, mostly sunny, with a high near 49. Saturday, mostly sunny, with a high near 50. Breezy. Easter Sunday, partly sunny, with a high near 51. Typical average high for the weekend is 51 degrees.
I still haven’t heard about Good Friday ✝️ but I am inclined to thst believe that I will have it off but it hasn’t been made official yet probably because of the state budget crap. These days I’m glad I’m no longer working Capitol Hill. 🏢 I will probably pack tonight, and I’m hoping to use my get out of jail early card for Thursday but who knows. I’d kind of like to get bacon 🥓 on the way to the ADKs from For the Love of Bacon but they close at 5 pm, plus I want to get up north fairly early not just to crack open a beer 🍻 but because it takes more time to set up camp ⛺ in the snow. The bacon place is open at 7 am on Good Friday so I could do the bacon thing on Friday and go up early as an alternative assuming that I don’t know about Good Friday until tomorrow.
As previously noted, there are 2 weeks until 8 PM Dusk 🌆 when the sun will be setting at 7:33 pm. On that day in 2023, we had sunny skies and temperatures between 67 and 30 degrees. That works for me. Typically, the high temperature is 57 degrees. We hit a record high of 86 back in 1922.
Rise and grind on this second day of the week. Started my morning with Johnny cakes with spinach and broccoli and old bay seasoning, I guess to celebrate the collapse of the Baltimore bridge, or I wasn’t feeling like pancakes despite having some cherries and bananas rolled in oats as a side.
Good morning! Happy Tuesday. Mostly sunny and 24 degrees in Delmar, NY. Calm wind. ☀️A cold start to the morning. There are 3 inches of snow on the ground. ☃ Melting quickly though, by tomorrow’s rain it will be gone at least locally. ️Things will start to thaw out at around 8 am. 🌡️
I guess I’ll be riding in this morning. 🚲 I’m going to try to do the rail trail, it’s better than Corning’s Hill and the rough as duck 🦆 South Pearl Street. Depending on how much snow is left on the bike path I’ll try to ride home too, but last night I ended up catching the express bus 🚍 from the old train station downtown. ⚙ Adjusted the gears on my bike, went for an evening walk and did some reading 📖 last night. Got another e- audio book from the Libby app to listen to on my ride to work. 🔊 Waiting for the next, part of Power Broker to be available, in the meantime I’m listening to Ralph Naders new book on CEOs who did the right thing.
Today will be partly sunny 🌞, with a high of 46 degrees at 3pm. Three degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around March 19th. Calm wind becoming north around 5 mph in the afternoon. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. The high last year was 56 degrees. The record high of 75 was set in 2021. 6.1 inches of snow fell back in 1899.❄
Solar noon 🌞 is at 1:02 pm with sun having an altitude of 49.8° from the due south horizon (-21° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 5.1 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 6:38 pm with the sun in the west (268°). 📸 The sunset is in the west (274°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 7:15 pm after setting for 2 minutes and 54 seconds with dusk around 7:43 pm, which is one minute and 9 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 8:17 pm. At sunset, look for potential rain showers 🌧 and temperatures around 42 degrees. There will be a southeast breeze at 6 mph. Tomorrow will have 12 hours and 33 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 53 seconds over today.
Tonight will have a slight chance of sprinkles before 8pm, then a chance of showers after 10pm. Cloudy 🌧, with a low of 37 degrees at 2am. Seven degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around April 15th. Southeast wind around 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. In 2023, we had clear skies in the evening, which became partly cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 27 degrees. The record low of 78 occurred back in 1998.
It looks like now the heat can be off until October or November ♨️ though maybe not quite warm enough for the windows open. I’m also not ready to put away the electric blanket but I’m using it less and less these days.
Easter Weekend stilllooks outstanding. 🐰 Good Friday, mostly sunny, with a high near 49. Saturday, mostly sunny, with a high near 49. Easter, mostly sunny, with a high near 48. Typical average high for the weekend is 51 degrees. A little bit below normal. But I’m looking forward to getting out of town. 🌲
There are 2 weeks until 7:30 PM Sunset 🌇 with dusk at 7:59 pm. On that day in 2023, we had sunny and temperatures between 55 and 29 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 56 degrees. We hit a record high of 77 back in 1991.
I think I already know the answer to that question, as much as I might not love the idea of riding South Pearl Street with the rough pavement, as I am sure there is still too much snow on the rail trail. Got to watch out for the black ice but I assume the bike trail and alike will be plowed in the city, just not down through the gorge. At any rate, Corning Hill is kind of a blast on the bike.
Good morning! Monday’s come back around again. Sunny and 29 degrees in Delmar, NY. 🌞 Calm wind. There are 4 inches of snow on the ground. ☃ ️ Alas that’s the only thing giving me pause, as I doubt I can do the rail trail. But by evening the rail trail might be passable, or certainly by tomorrow. Wednesday might rain, and Thursday I might drive in if I plan to head to the Adirondacks after work, assuming I get Good Friday off. ✝️
So it’s the week leading up to Easter Weekend. 🐇 I am still hoping to have Good Friday off. That said, Thursday looks a bit wet 🌦️ so maybe I won’t head north until early on Good Friday. I am determined to get bacon 🥓 at For the Love of Bacon, as while it’s not something I’d eat regularly it’s such a wonderful treat. 🐖 And your supporting local agriculture while getting a product made out of simple ingredients. I’m not a bacon and eggs each morning kind of person — but a little bit of bacon and bacon grease as a treat spread over a few weeks or months is wonderful. Lard is kind of a wonderful thing. 🫃 I should bring a snow shovel and salt though if heading up north, as there is a chance I’ll need it. But at least fire danger should be relatively low 🔥 for my mostly DEC compliant 3-foot campfire. I should bring a ruler 📏 to measure it, and not burn it, lol. 😸 I just don’t like when people burn pallets and leave nails out for people to run over with their 35-inch tires. 🛞 Plastic, I don’t care as long as I don’t have to smell it and it fully burns up or is packed out. 👃
Today will be sunny 🌞, with a high of 46 degrees at 4pm. Three degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around March 19th. Light and variable wind becoming east around 5 mph in the afternoon. A year ago, we had light snow in the morning, which became light drizzle by afternoon. The high last year was 41 degrees. The record high of 74 was set in 1910. 1.9 inches of snow fell back in 1960.❄
Yesterday I hiked Bennett Hill 🚶♂️after the ice storm. 🔌 The power was back on by the time I got back from my folks house, I’m glad about that as otherwise it would have been a very cold and dark night. Didn’t help that I had left the heat at 48 degrees the night before, so things really dropped after the heat quit working at 1 AM the previous night. I was a bit worried about pipes freezing, though that has yet to happen even in the coldest weather, though I do remember them being a bit frozen after the 2009 Ice Storm when I lost power for three days. 🌞 And despite all the sunshine, it still was dark in my bathroom without windows, though what I ended up doing was drawing the blinds and leaving the bathroom door. Still I was super cranky about losing power, again for the second time in like two weeks.
Then I went out to my parents house for Sunday dinner of riggies 🍝, which is far more white pasta then I normally eat but it’s nice to have them as a treat while my family is still around. 👪️ I talk about how close I am to early retirement in 13 years, 10 months and 4 days, and for people who are older that seems like a lifetime — at least a remaining lifetime. But I do agree I really should be spending a least some of that time exploring America. If I want to move out (mid) west, I should explore it first. 🛻 If it means boarding a plane ✈️ and renting a car 🤑 and spending some money, then so be it. Then later in the evening, I went for an evening walk. 🚲️ Never got test my adjustments to the bicycle gears ⚙️ over the weekend, but I’m sure it will be good enough and I can tweak tonight. Probably won’t be riding home but will catch the bus home due to snow/ice remaining on the bike trail.
Solar noon 🌞 is at 1:02 pm with sun having an altitude of 49.4° from the due south horizon (-21.4° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 5.1 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 6:37 pm with the sun in the west (267°). 📸 The sunset is in the west (274°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 7:14 pm after setting for 2 minutes and 54 seconds with dusk around 7:42 pm, which is one minute and 9 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 8:16 pm. At sunset, look for clear skies 🌄 and temperatures around 41 degrees. There will be a east breeze at 6 mph. Today will have 12 hours and 28 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 55 seconds over yesterday.
This evening after I get home I’ll probably have a quick dinner of sweet potato 🥔 and some fried veggies, 🧅 and then go for evening walk before doing some reading 📚️ using that Libby app on my phone. I like E-Books whenever they’re available as it avoids a trip to the library, plus I don’t have to worry about getting the books wet and dirty, and I can bring them under the covers in my bed, which is good with the heated blanket, as especially once we get past today. I plan to read e-books exclusively when I head out of town this weekend — I’ll have to make sure the ones I have are downloaded to my phone.📱 Unfortunately my phone is starting to fall apart, so I may have to think about replacing it soon.
Tonight will be mostly clear 🌃, with a low of 26 degrees at 4am. Three degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around March 17th. East wind around 6 mph becoming light and variable after midnight. In 2023, we had light drizzle in the evening, which became mostly clear by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 31 degrees. The record low of 0 occurred back in 1885.
Spoke to my neighbor about the garbage pile 🗑️ last week and he still hasn’t done anything to address it. He said he was holding it to take to his parent’s dumpster but had forgotten about it. I just don’t like how animals have gotten into it and I’m finding litter now. I wouldn’t care if he had secure garbage cans.
A picture perfect weekend on tap. 😎 The only real question in my mind will I get off Good Friday. And can I leave early on Thursday? For Good Friday Eve, a chance of showers before 2am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 34. Chance of precipitation is 40%. For Good Friday, partly sunny, with a high near 48. Saturday, mostly sunny, with a high near 49. Easter, partly sunny, with a high near 47. Typical average high for the weekend is 51 degrees. That sounds like a winner, though it only can slide downhill from here. Not as warm in Adirondacks, but I’ll take that weather for late March.
As previously noted, next Monday is April Fools Day 🤡 when the sun will be setting at 7:23 pm with dusk at 7:50 pm. On that day in 2023, we had rain and temperatures between 74 and 41 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 52 degrees. We hit a record high of 77 back in 1986.
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