Balsam Swamp is a sprawling state forest that stretches almost 5.5 miles east-west across 4 towns. The area is very rural, and the landscape surrounding the State Forest is predominantly forested. Balsam Swamp State Forest is comprised of a mix of native hardwood forests, hemlock swamps, and conifer plantations. There are no designated recreational trails on the forest, but there is ample opportunity for self-guided day hikes to explore the diversity of habitats represented on this State Forest. Additionally, the western section of Balsam Swamp State Forest is adjacent to Five Streams State Forest to the south.
The main attraction of this forest is Balsam Pond. The impoundment is approximately 152 acres and is a popular destination for fishing and paddle boat sports. Balsam Pond is a warm water fishery that contains a mix of largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, chain pickerel, yellow perch, brown bullhead and sunfish. Tiger muskellunge have been stocked in the past with the last stocking occurring in 1995. However, there have been very few reports of anglers catching any of the adult tiger muskies. A shallow gravel boat launch is suitable for launching small fishing boats.
A small rustic camp ground is also located at Balsam Pond. Camping spaces are available at no cost on a first-come, first-serve basis and there is no running water or electricity. A fire ring, outhouse, and picnic table are provided for each camping space. A sign on Balsam-Tyler Road in Pharsalia designates the entrance to the boat launch and camping facility. This is a carry-in carry-out facility. Please do not litter.
I am thinking I would go all in for the rustic, early 1900s look when electrification was a new thing and buildings were often lit by a single bright light bulb hung from the ceiling with a wire with no fixture surrounding it, hung in the center part of the cabin near the wood-stove. There are so many great retro-LED bulbs, and it would so much like a poor cabin from that era when people had only a few electric lights. Plus very energy efficient to spread out the light over the majority of building, with only separate fixtures in the bathroom, kitchen, and then task lighting like table lamps by the rocking chair or next to the bed.
I was thinking I would do wood-plank style flooring, either over a post and beam floor or poured concrete slab foundation, to keep that rustic look, along with wooden shiplap and/or tongue and groove inside walls with the use of congregated steel in the bathroom and kitchen, and in front of the firewall where the wood stove would be located. I could certainly install those materials myself, and it would not only save money, but also put more sweat equity into the whole project. Plus, while I don’t hate drywall quite as much vinyl siding, plain drywall walls are so ugly, and far less sustainable then pine or even cedar shiplap or tongue and groove. Plus drywall is hard to keep from getting dingy with mud and muck I’m likely to track in from barnyard and hauling wood into the cabin, or the occasional smoke and ash from back-drafts and chimney cleaning. Plus then I could keep the scraps either for heat or bonfires out back. Burning hunks of shiplap in a bonfire out back with a cold beer is probably a hell of lot more fun then paying to landfill hunks of drywall. I guess you can chip and compost gypsum board, but they use fly ash in it which contains heavy metals. Yuck!
Fire safety people probably wouldn’t like the lack of walls in the center part of the cabin, and when I consult with the architect and town building inspector, I would have to figure out what the code requirements would be. Walls are good should a room flash over in a fire, as your bedroom could be closed off from the main section of the building. That said, having good smoke detectors and a nearby window for escape might be sufficient. I really like the idea of minimizing walls, outside of the bathroom, to ease heat dispersion from the wood-stove, simplify building, and be able to light more of the building using that single central light bulb. I want be warm in bed, even in the coldest nights. I don’t have privacy concerns, as I live alone and aren’t real interested in marrying anytime soon.
At least when we see the sun later on this morning. Going to be a nice, spring like day once the clouds part. Or so I hope. My shoulder is still sore and achy, like from the Lyme I got years ago now, but I am fine. I feel a lot better now that I got my initial ideas sketched out for my off-grid property and cabin, even if it’s just a sketch and years worth of work ahead. I certainly like it much better then suburbanite, high consumption crap covered with vinyl-siding that dominates the real estate classifieds.
Good morning! Happy Sunday. Mostly cloudy and 45 degrees in Delmar, NY. â There is a north-northwest breeze at 7 mph. đ. The skies will clear around 10 am.
I ended up opening the windows after heading to bed, đŠđ after I burned something on the kitchen stove cooking and it inevitably set off the fire alarm. đ It was actually nice sleeping with the fresh air, and I am feeling a lot better the past few days, thought still a bit achy. I think it also helped that I started to draft out what I really want when I own my own land and build my house, and the reassurance from others that it’s possible. It feels good to know I don’t have to be stuck in surburbia forever, and that the only option isn’t vinyl siding and drywall with a big natural gas boiler and a 3,000 square foot home full of things soon to be garbage with a big mowed grass lawn. 𤎠It is possible to build that off-grid cabin I really want for a budget I can afford. And on that note, đ´ suddenly I am sleeping better.
Today will be partly sunny đ, with a high of 55 degrees at 1pm. 14 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around April 6th. Maximum dew point of 47 at 12pm. North wind 7 to 9 mph. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies in the morning, remaining cloudy in the afternoon. The high last year was 40 degrees. The record high of 64 was set in 2002. 10.9 inches of snow fell back in 1994.â
On the list for today is buying the poster frames, đŧī¸ for the artwork to decorate my new office. Along with a brighter light bulb for the desk, maybe a candle warmer, and groceries for the week. đ My pantry is well depleted, I really need to get shopping. đ đ Amazing how fast food comes and gets eaten around this place. I think I must have a very big appetite, but some of it is lower calorie value of the food I eat so I end up eating more, especially after ride back and forth to work on my bicycle. âģī¸ I also need to return cans to get my deposit back and free up some space in the outside trash can.
Solar noon đ is at 12:08 pm with sun having an altitude of 40.8° from the due south horizon (-30° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 7 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour đ starts at 5:10 pm with the sun in the west-southwest (256°). đ¸ The sunset is in the west (262°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 5:48 pm after setting for 2 minutes and 56 seconds with dusk around 6:16 pm, which is one minute and 13 seconds later than yesterday. đ The best time to look at the stars is after 6:49 pm. At sunset, look for partly cloudy skies đ and temperatures around 54 degrees. The dew point will be 47 degrees. There will be a north breeze at 7 mph. Today will have 11 hours and 24 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 52 seconds over yesterday.
In the afternoon going out to see the family đ¨đŠđ§ and then over to my friend’s from Boy Scouts, to spend some time together, and learn what I can learn about how he put together his homestead outside of Greenville, rebuilding an old and vacant home. Now I’m thinking about building new, đˇâī¸ but I want to gain whatever insight I can in my options and what contractors he worked with the process with the town building inspector. đ§ The more I can learn about the process, the fewer costly mistakes I will likely make, or so I hope. For me, it’s so much about the money but living the life I want to live. đī¸đĨžđˇđ
Tonight will be mostly cloudy đĢī¸, with a low of 40 degrees at 5am. 18 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around April 22nd. North wind 3 to 6 mph. 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 -20 occurred back in 1950. I can leave my windows open again tonight! đŗ That’s great. I sleep so much better with fresh air.
Back in 1972, an airplane crashes in suburban Albany, off Holmesdale Ave in Albany (near Colvin Avenue and Washington Ave). Regional Carrier, Mohawk Airlines Flight 405 crashes as a result of a control malfunction and insufficient training in emergency procedures. đŠī¸ Also today in 1873, U.S. Congress enacts the Comstock Law, making it illegal to send any “obscene, lewd, or lascivious” books through the mail. đ đŦī¸ And in 1991, an amateur video captures the beating of Rodney King by Los Angeles police officers. đŽâī¸
Looking ahead, next Sunday is Daylight Savings Time đ when the sun will be setting at 6:57 pm with dusk at 7:24 pm (Daylight Savings Time). On that day in 2023, we had partly cloudy skies with snow showers and temperatures between 44 and 20 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 43 degrees. We hit a record high of 72 back in 1977. Before my time.
Good afternoon! Rain and 44 degrees in Delmar. â There is a south-southeast breeze at 9 mph. đ. The skies will clear tomorrow around 9 am.
I’m feeling somewhat better today due to a fairly good night’s sleep đ , it was tough last week I’ve had my very severe sleeping disorder coming back. Figuring out my housing situation and how I want to live when I grow up is increasingly frustrating đ¤. I really don’t like what is out there on the market for homes đĄ and really want to do the simple, off grid thing.
This afternoon will rain. đ§ High of 45 degrees at 4pm. Five degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around March 15th. South wind around 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. A year ago, we had cloudy skies. The high last year was 41 degrees. The record high of 65 was set in 1991. 11.9 inches of snow fell back in 2018.â
No big plans for today, books planning on going to the library to get more books out on owner home building and sustainable design. đ Plus I’m interested in learning CAD – computer aidedto design – so I can better put my dream house down on paper which will help me present my ideas đ to contractors and builders. I’m really thinking radically simple. With a plan in hand đˇ it’s so much easier to get what I want rather than vague notions of land out in the country đ maybe with livestock and some green features. đ˛I don’t want to box myself in but I also don’t want to be flopping around with no idea đĄ what I want or much worse know what I want but lack words to describe it.
Solar noon đ is at 12:08 pm with sun having an altitude of 40.4° from the due south horizon (-30.4° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 7 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour đ starts at 5:09 pm with the sun in the west-southwest (255°). đ¸ The sunset is in the west (262°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 5:47 pm after setting for 2 minutes and 56 seconds with dusk around 6:14 pm, which is one minute and 13 seconds later than yesterday. đ The best time to look at the stars is after 6:48 pm. At sunset, look for rain đ§ and temperatures around 45 degrees. There will be a south-southeast breeze at 8 mph. Today will have 11 hours and 21 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 51 seconds over yesterday.
Tonight will rain, mainly before 10pm. Patchy fog between midnight and 2am. đ§ Low of 42 degrees at 4am. 20 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around April 27th. East wind around 7 mph becoming northwest after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. In 2023, we had cloudy skies in the evening, which became mostly clear by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 27 degrees. The record low of -10 occurred back in 1950.
Today in 1989, Twelve European Community nations agree to ban the production of all chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) đĨĢâ by the end of the century.
Looking ahead, there are 8 weeks until Arbor Day đŗ when the sun will be setting at 7:52 pm with dusk at 8:21 pm (Daylight Savings Time). On that day in 2023, we had partly cloudy, patches of fog and temperatures between 62 and 40 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 65 degrees. We hit a record high of 91 back in 1962.
A lot of friends and colleagues are buying one, and indeed I think it’s a good investment if you have a family and need a larger dwelling that you plan to stay in for a long time. Paying a mortgage is a good way to be forced to build wealth, but it’s certainly not the only way – low-cost index funds, retirement funds and certificates of deposits with automatic deposits are other ways to build wealth.
While rent is an expense that is forever gone, you have to live somewhere. But lower-rent apartments can be quite affordable, allowing you to save and invest elsewhere. Plus a small rented space is going to be cheaper to heat and light, and the benefits to having access to public transit to get to work and walk-able neighborhood rather than having a car. Costs like utilities, transportation, repairs, mortgage fees and interest are non-recoverable even if you own your own house. Indeed, running my own numbers, I can’t find a way I would gain wealth faster owning a home with all the related expenses before renting.
While I concede I’ll probably stick around in New York State for a while longer, maybe a decade or so, I just can’t see setting down roots locally. Albany doesn’t feel like my home, and I’m not interested in community or local politics. I want an opportunity to reboot my life at some point, try a new community on for a change. I’m also not that interested in owning a fancy house, I’d rather have more land and not a fancy house. And I don’t want land for purposes of profit to sell it, but to use it for homesteading, hunting, and wildlife observation — any building should be just ancillary to provide housing but need not be permanent or appreciating in value.
Erie Boulevard was closed under Interstate 90 due to a water main break or maybe bridge work. I don’t know, I was running a bit early and I figured it would be a nice day for a longer ride via the Menands Exit. Figure extra riding in the morning means less I need to do come the evening after work.
Good morning! Mostly sunny and 31 degrees in North Albany, NY. There is a south breeze at 8 mph. đ.
Got up early đ and rode in early, in part to take advantage of the nice day and because I was up early, as I didn’t sleep well. đ¤ Not sure why I didn’t sleep well, maybe because it’s I’ve had so much to think about in recent weeks. đ At least my office has unlimited free coffee â which is a big benefit over working at Alfred E Smith Building, which had a coffee club but I never joined. I bring in my own skim milk with mint extract, rather then use creamer. Sometimes if I’m feeling healthy wanting less calories, đ§ I’ll go the route of just adding ice — we have an ice machine here — and then add vanilla, cinnamon and ginger I have in my desk.
Fresh bread đ and baked butternut squash đ this morning, was cooking in the oven and on the stove đĨ was johnnycakes with lots of onion, shredded broccoli, spinach, and topped with cottage cheese for protein. A good start to the morning, after a bit of a rough night sleeping. đ Because I was listening to podcasts in the wee hours of the morning, and then reading for a bit đī¸ I got all of the advertising for mattresses and BetterHelp every commercial break while I was riding into work listening to Fresh Air. I am not sure I like the idea of mental help over the internet or phone đ , I feel like you miss something when you can’t get people’s facial expressions and be in the same room with them. That said, that licensed mental health professional I saw a few years ago was downright creepy in the basement of a run-down office building on the outskirts of town. But then again, I guess talking about your thoughts is a bit creepy too. đ¨âī¸ What, I just like burning shit and need to move back out to country. đ đĨ Freedom, baby.
Today will be sunny đ, with a high of 46 degrees at 4pm. Six degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around March 18th. South wind 8 to 10 mph. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies in the morning, which became light snow by afternoon. The high last year was 39 degrees. The record high of 66 was set in 2017. 10.7 inches of snow fell back in 2005.â
I am moved into my new private office đ¨đŧ which I’ve grown to like more and more now that I’m out of the temporary cubicle and made it more homey with a desk lamp that I found in the closet, my plants, and some other random decorations from my old office. I still have a lot of empty wall space, but I will be filling that with several photos and posters in the coming week, I am getting them delivered on Saturday and will pick up frames. I have two large pictures from West Virginia and a 24×34″ color aerial photo of the Capital Region that I plan to frame and hang in my office đŧī¸ next week the next time I drive in or take the bus — probably next Wednesday when it rains. đ§ī¸ I am also thinking of getting a candle warmer, and one of those sent candles đ¯ to make my office smell good, đ especially if I have too many beans đĢ for lunch or track in manure đĸ when I have my homestead. Also a brighter bulb đĄ for the desk lamp — Walmart has super bright 200 watt equivalent LED bulbs. I should bring in my desk fan, should be hot in here come the summer. đ I want my office to be a calming place when the shit starts to fly in the data world, you know when the SQL query breaks. đĸ Still don’t know if I can technically keep the lamp, it might belong to a different department, but it was in the closet collecting dust. đ If I have to buy my own lamp, then so be it.
Solar noon đ is at 12:09 pm with sun having an altitude of 40° from the due south horizon (-30.8° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 7.1 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour đ starts at 5:08 pm with the sun in the west-southwest (254°). đ¸ The sunset is in the west (261°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 5:46 pm after setting for 2 minutes and 56 seconds with dusk around 6:13 pm, which is one minute and 14 seconds later than yesterday. đ The best time to look at the stars is after 6:47 pm. At sunset, look for clear skies đ and temperatures around 44 degrees. There will be a south breeze at 10 mph. Today will have 11 hours and 18 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 51 seconds over yesterday.
Tonight will have increasing clouds â, with a low of 30 degrees at 2am. Eight degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around March 27th. South wind around 10 mph. Stlll not bad, not warranting turning the heat back on, as things will stay warm enough over night. In 2023, we had cloudy skies. It got down to 35 degrees. The record low of -04 occurred back in 1940.
Tomorrow will rain, mainly after 8am. đ§ High of 45 degrees at 3pm. Five degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around March 15th. South wind 6 to 11 mph, with gusts as high as 23 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, which became light snow by afternoon. The high last year was 41 degrees. The record high of 65 was set in 1991. 11.9 inches of snow fell back in 2018.â
Looking ahead to Sunday, mostly cloudy, đĨ with a high near 58. North wind around 6 mph. Typical average high for the weekend is 40 degrees. Sunday looks like a nice day for a ride, or maybe driving around in countryside, trying to carefully observe various properties. đ I want to learn more how people live, what are realistic options, and not be stuck with the suburbanite crap.
I was sort of hoping to get out camping this weekend, đ§ī¸ but not with the rain expected. It will be a good weekend to research property some more đ đ˛đ and do some reading on buying land. I am not rushing things at this point, but I also don’t want to give up the goal. đĨ I just want to make the right decision. Plus get caught up on sleep after last night’s bad night in bed. đ I actually don’t know why I was so troubled by sleeping, I have my nice new office to work from today. I am going to text my friend from Boy Scouts tonight đą to see if he will be available this weekend. I’d love to learn more about how he financed and rebuilt his homestead. At this point, I’m just trying to sift through all the details. đ§
Looking ahead, there are 2 weeks until Ides of March â when the sun will be setting at 7:03 pm with dusk at 7:30 pm (Daylight Savings Time). Friendly strangers in black sedans be liking that day. đ¤ On that day in 2023, we had mostly sunny and temperatures between 37 and 29 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 45 degrees. We hit a record high of 72 back in 2019.
25 years later it’s rather amazing to think about the dominance of GNU/Linux and how well the Unix text utilities and Unix pipelines work in a professional environment after all these years. It’s just so much fun to be getting paid to create reports and run data using things like GNU grep, sed, awk. All simple little programs, written by volunteers, free for all to use.
Somehow the politicians think it’s more likely we’ll vote for them if we extend the coldest, nastiest month of the year out a bit longer. Or maybe it’s just a distraction from what they are doing.
Good morning! February is almost done. Partly cloudy and 23 degrees in Delmar. đ¤ Light breeze from the northwest đŦ . Things will start to thaw out at tomorrow around 9 am. đĄī¸ I heard out in the hilltowns they’re getting snow squalls this morning. No so much in Delmar.
I turned the heat back on to 48 degrees for one more day, â¨ī¸ as it’s cold enough out this morning that I don’t want to risk issues with the pipes. I can’t wait until I have a place with wood heat đĒĩ so I’m not freezing my ass off while making the fossil fuel companies wealthy while cooking the planet in the process. đ Once it’s above freezing, I’ll just embrace the cold, heck might even keep the windows open, as I like the fresh air and not breathing in so much mold.
I wasn’t going to ride in today, đ˛ but you know how that goes. I was like I’ll get up early, catch the early bus in, đ and then walk laps on the plaza. But then I decided it really wasn’t that cold out, and I wouldn’t mind riding in. Saves onthe bus fare, you now that buck $1.30 that doesn’t really matter when you’re thinking of spending $250,000.00 or possibly more on a house. But I like the physical exercise and the feel of the cold on my skin. I don’t know if I will ride home but it’s early enough, I’ll take the long way into work via the Menands Exit for extra mileage. It’s going to be cold enough, tonight I don’t plan to necessarily ride all the way home, but will likely catch the express bus from the old train station home.
Today will have a chance of snow showers, mainly before 3pm. Mostly cloudy đĻ, with a high of 30 degrees at 2pm. 10 degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical Blustery, with a northwest wind 16 to 22 mph, with gusts as high as 32 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. Total daytime snow accumulation of less than one inch possible. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies. The high last year was 30 degrees. The record high of 54 was set in 1976. 4.0 inches of snow fell back in 2012.â
Solar noon đ is at 12:09 pm with sun having an altitude of 39.6° from the due south horizon (-31.2° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 7.2 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour đ starts at 5:07 pm with the sun in the west-southwest (254°). đ¸ The sunset is in the west (260°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 5:45 pm after setting for 2 minutes and 57 seconds with dusk around 6:12 pm, which is one minute and 14 seconds later than yesterday. đ The best time to look at the stars is after 6:46 pm. At sunset, look for snow đ¨ and temperatures around 28 degrees. The wind chill around sunset will be 15. âī¸ Breezy, 18 mph breeze â from the west-northwest with gusts up to 29mph. Today will have 11 hours and 15 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 51 seconds over yesterday.
Tonight will be partly cloudy đ , with a low of 22 degrees at 1am. Typical for tonight. Maximum wind chill around 14 at 6pm; Blustery, with a northwest wind 15 to 20 mph becoming south 6 to 11 mph after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 30 mph. In 2023, we had partly cloudy skies. It got down to 20 degrees. The record low of -09 occurred back in 1948.
Saturday now looks wet. đ Saturday, showers likely. Cloudy, with a high near 46. South wind 7 to 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. Sunday, partly sunny, with a high near 58. Typical average high for the weekend is 40 degrees.
As previously noted, there are 3 weeks until First Day of Spring đŽ when the sun will be setting at 7:10 pm with dusk at 7:37 pm (Daylight Savings Time). On that day in 2023, we had partly sunny and temperatures between 59 and 24 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 47 degrees. We hit a record high of 78 back in 1921.
