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 guess I’m getting old. But hopefully once my birthday comes and goes things will start to thaw out again. Winter can’t last forever, regardless of what a Pennsyltucky varmint says a week from Friday.
Good morning! Monday’s come back around again. Mostly clear and 8 degrees in Delmar, NY. Calm wind. 🌅 There are 2 inches of snow on the ground. ☃ ️Things will start to thaw out at around 1 pm. 🌡️
The hell with my hands 👋I’m going out riding. 🚲 It’s cold ❄ and my fingers might get swollen and stiff but I need to get some exercise as I’ve been lethargic all weekend with the cold and wind. Mom thinks I need better gloves 🧤 but I’m tired of having swollen stiff fingers. I’ll be fine once I warm up plus I like seeing the cows 🐮 and the rural landscape riding Meads Lane in the morning. With the rain and warmth coming later in the week it’s possible once again I will be able to ride work. ☺
Today will have increasing clouds ☀ 👉 ☁, with a high of 33 degrees at 2pm. One degree above normal, which is similar to a typical day around January 26th. Yes this week we get past the coldest time of year. Calm wind becoming south 5 to 9 mph in the afternoon. 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 1906. 12.9 inches of snow fell back in 1987.❄
I never used to have a problem with the cold ❄ but it bothers me a lot more these days. Says the boy who winter camps in an unheated pickup bed in January and goes for bike rides on eight degree days. But it never used to so damn painful. I mean I still keep my heat at 49 degrees in my apartment but I do like the heated blanket more and more but then again I sleep in just my boxers and an under shirt. 🩳 But the cold does bother me a lot more.
Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:07 pm with sun having an altitude of 27.6° from the due south horizon (-43.2° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 11.5 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 4:12 pm with the sun in the southwest (236°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-southwest (244°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 4:55 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 15 seconds with dusk around 5:25 pm, which is one minute and 15 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 At dusk you’ll see the Full 🌝 Moon in the east (82°) at an altitude of 35° from the horizon, 242,145 miles away. 🚀 The best time to look at the stars is after 6:01 pm. At sunset, look for mostly cloudy skies ☁ and temperatures around 33 degrees. There will be a south breeze at 8 mph. Tomorrow will have 9 hours and 41 minutes of daytime, an increase of one minute and 59 seconds over today.
As I mentioned the other day, my new office has coffee ☕ but not milk 🥛 and like it in my coffee. They have fake creamer made from whey and corn syrup but I much the real stuff from the teats of animals that go moo and smell like silage. 🐮 So I’m bringing in a mason jar into the office with milk plus cinnamon, ginger and vanilla for good drinking. They also have an ice maker in the new office which is perfect 👌 for iced coffee come the summer. 🧊
Tonight will be mostly cloudy 🌥, with a low of 25 degrees at 5am. 10 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around March 11th. Maximum wind chill around 23 at 6pm; South wind around 7 mph becoming west after midnight. In 2023, we had light snow. It got down to 30 degrees. The record low of -20 occurred back in 1970.
I didn’t make bread this morning, 🍞 but I probably will tonight knead up some dough for cooking in the morning. I figured skip the carbs this morning, plus I’m thinking stir-fry for dinner tonight. 👨🍳 Also want to use up an older sweet potato I have before I risk it going bad. 🍠 In breakfast I included some meatballs with the eggs I had to further clean out the freezer. Trying to use up the last of the less healthy stuff from last year so I have more room in the freezer going forward for healthier options going forward. Left to use up is two frozen grocery store meatballs, an never opened pack of Falvo’s Meatballs, and some fish sticks. Thinking of using the remaining grocery store meatballs and fish sticks in various meals this week. 🐟 With lots of vegetables 🥦 and other healthy options.
Cloudy, mild andshowers this upcoming weekend. 🌧️ Saturday, mostly cloudy, with a high near 43. Sunday, a chance of rain. Partly sunny, with a high near 39. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Typical average high for the weekend is 33 degrees. I am considering potentially doing a winter camping trip to celebrate my 41st birthday, but maybe not as things might be all mud 🐷 with all the rain expected. But certainly mild. I still think the best chance to get out of town is going to be Presidents Day, though I’m watching the weather before then. Still after the rain and mild temperatures, the rail trail should be free of snow and ice 🚲 for riding again.
As previously noted, next Monday is my 41st Birthday 🎉 when the sun will be setting at 5:05 pm with dusk at 5:34 pm. On that day in 2023, we had partly cloudy and temperatures between 44 and 22 degrees. Not divisible by five, no carrot 🥕 cake 🎂 for me at work but then again I had a going away, or at least going up to North Albany party two weeks ago and I still have cake in my freezer, lol. 😂 Typically, the high temperature is 33 degrees. We hit a record high of 54 back in 2002.
Been using VIM all weekend. Makes me a much faster typer, lol. Really once you learn and really memorize the key presses on the keyboard it’s hard to back. Add appropriate plugins like word completion and settings like syntax coloring and line numbering, master working with tabs and your golden.
I’ve turned in VIM mode in RStudio too. Once you learn it, it’s awesome. Editing is so fast as you rarely leave the core keys on your keyboard, except maybe for the escape key – and that’s the less used left hand. Going to try Vibreoffice plugin tomorrow to add a VIM mode to Libre Office.
That said, it’s only expected to last for a few more days. But expect high heating bills and bone-chilling cold outside for a few more days before things warm up a bit and turn to rain for the second half of the week.
Good morning! Clear and 9 degrees in Delmar, NY. 🌞 Breezy, ️20 mph breeze from the northwest 🌬 with gusts up to 36 mph 💨💨💨. The current wind chill is -10. There are 3 inches of snow on the ground. ☃ ️Things will start to thaw out at tomorrow around 2 pm. 🌡️
I can remember colder days, in years past, 🌡 but it’s been such a warm winter with El Nino and warming climate, I’m not used to feeling the cold or having the hit running so much. The electric blanket is nice and actually with the cold and heat running more, it seems warmer inside.
Today will be sunny 🌞, with a high of 21 degrees at 2pm. 11 degrees below normal. Maximum wind chill around -10 at 6am. Blustery, with a northwest wind 15 to 21 mph, with gusts as high as 38 mph. A year ago, we had light snow in the morning, remaining cloudy in the afternoon. The high last year was 33 degrees. The record high of 61 was set in 2006. 7.2 inches of snow fell back in 1990.❄
Yesterday was much less of an ambitious then maybe I had first hoped 😴 though a lot of it was the cold and wind kept me indoors. I just get chilled through much quicker these days then I used to when I was younger. I also have only a 1/4 tank of gas left in my truck and 100 miles of fuel left ⛽ and want to make it through another week before fueling up again. But I had plans, but they were never implemented yesterday. Truth is after I got shopping, I got studying the GNU coreutils and especially the text-editing functions to help advance my new career at work, then it was cold and I decided to hide under the covers and take a nap after having a big pot of pea soup with stewing beef and carrots. 🥘
I did get Walmart and stocked up on $140 on groceries. 🛒 The $80 in groceries I bought last week really didn’t go that far and I didn’t want to risk running out this week before the end of the week. When I run out of fresh fruit and vegetables, 🥦 🍏 I too often find myself reaching for other sweets 🍬 and sugars — or for that matter carbs. The best thing to do is make sure my pantry is well stocked and remains stocked. Unlike many people, I’ve not had problems with things going bad — I eat plenty 😋 and a large portion of fruits and vegetables I buy are frozen.
I don’t necessarily buy that fresh fruits and vegetables are healthier or better then flash-frozen, the later are significantly more affordable. 🍓 The thing is I am running low on freezer space. Some due to how much ice blocks I have in freezer for camping 🧊 — which truth be told I don’t need right now but I keep there for thermal mass or in case of power loss. But I figure if I use them up some older, maybe less healthy stuff, then it will save money and provide good eats. With inflation, every little bit helps. 💸 Sounds silly but it’s true.
Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:07 pm with sun having an altitude of 27.4° from the due south horizon (-43.4° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 11.6 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 4:11 pm with the sun in the southwest (236°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-southwest (243°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 4:54 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 15 seconds with dusk around 5:24 pm, which is one minute and 15 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 At dusk you’ll see the Waxing Gibbous 🌔 Moon in the east (92°) at an altitude of 44° from the horizon, 239,204 miles away. 🚀 The best time to look at the stars is after 5:59 pm. At sunset, look for sunny skies 🌃 and temperatures around 20 degrees. The wind chill around sunset will be 6. ☃️ There will be a northwest breeze at 15 mph with gusts up to 25mph. Tomorrow will have 9 hours and 39 minutes of daytime, an increase of one minute and 57 seconds over today.
This afternoon I am heading out to the folks house for Sunday dinner. 👪 I want to hike Bennett Hill this afternoon 💨 but every time I hear the wind gust up, my mind is changed. Maybe it’s best to just stay home and work on some various projects before going out to see the folks. Tomorrow will be warmer, I can go for a bike ride before work 🚲 or at least walk laps in the plaza before work. 🏃 And maybe an evening walk tonight, as the wind will hopefully die down this evening. Or at least tomorrow, though the rest of the week may be hard with rain coming in.
Tonight will be mostly clear 🌃, with a low of 11 degrees at 6am. Four degrees below normal. Maximum wind chill around 5 at 6pm; Northwest wind 6 to 11 mph becoming light west after midnight. In 2023, we had light snow in the evening, which became mostly clear by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 30 degrees. The record low of -20 occurred back in 1984.
As previously noted, there are 3 weeks until Don’t Cry over Spilled Milk Day 🥛 when the sun will be setting at 5:22 pm with dusk at 5:50 pm. On that day in 2023, we had mostly sunny, snow showers and temperatures between 38 and 23 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 35 degrees. We hit a record high of 59 back in 1981.
Whenever I see the word adaquate in a law I have to laugh a bit as it’s a bit of a double entendre, in many ways a joke played on the public. Here’s dictionary definition – the one emphasized for the press release, the other for the judge.
1. enough or good enough for what is required or needed; sufficient; suitable.
2. barely satisfactory; acceptable but not remarkable.
Of course with the Supreme Court going to blow up the Chevron doctrine, maybe the definition of adaquate will become a much more wild thing. This game can be played in two ways, not always with the bureaucrats winning for good or bad.
I generally believe government is bad thing, too much in the thrawls of business and the more that citizens can do to cut down the government the better. I don’t buy the only alternative to big business is big government, I think they are on in the same page. Instead, I would rather see more power given to citizens groups and not for profits. But maybe that’s because I’m a libertarian who often votes for the green party.
But changed my mind in favor of going in on the early bus and walking laps on the Plaza. I’ve been having a lot of trouble this winter with cold numb hands when I go out walking and riding this year. Maybe I need heavier gloves but it’s not pleasant to get home have sore fingers and struggle to unlock and open the door.
Good morning! Yeah, it’s Friday! Cloudy and 17 degrees in Delmar. ☁ Calm wind. Still a cold morning. There are 3 inches of snow on the ground. ☃ ️Things will start to thaw out next Tuesday around 8 am. 🌡️This weekend is going to ducking 🦆 cold.
Breakfast was onions, canned green beans, canned 🥫 tomatoes and eggs 🥚. It’s what I had and with some spices it was pretty good. My pantry is completely void of fruit 🍌 after today’s lunch and the vegetables aren’t much more plentiful unless you count the canned stuff I primarily have for camping. 🛒 I plan to go shopping tomorrow, though a lot depends on whether I’m getting filmed 📼 for the Rezsin Adams documentary tomorrow.
Wanted to catch the earliest express downtown 🚍 but I ended up catching the second express downtown after walking down to the Park and Ride. 🚶 I want to try to get in at least 7,000 steps 👣 before settling in my office this morning. I’m a bit concerned about how sore and numb my hands 👐 get from the cold now ❄ but I realize I’m getting older, my body is wearing out and frankly I probably need better gloves 🧤. The Plaza will be nice to walk inside.
Today will have a chance of snow showers, mainly after 11am. Cloudy 🌦, with a high of 22 degrees at 12pm. 10 degrees below normal. Calm wind becoming north 5 to 9 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 40%. Total daytime snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies in the morning, which became light rain by afternoon. The high last year was 39 degrees. The record high of 62 was set in 1929. 8.5 inches of snow fell back in 1886.❄
All week I’ve been dealing with not only cold fingers but also anxiety 🥶 as it’s been a tough adjustment to all that is new in my life. Its just such a different experience working out in a suburban office environment, much more of a corporate office culture with less opportunities for creativity. It’s tough learning all the new faces, 👥 the culture and the technical nature of the work. ⚙ I’m doing good I guess though I wish I had known the VIM editor better which is so much a big part of my new position. Fortunately I’m pretty good at most of the other parts of the job like the bash shell, SQL, data tidying. 🖥
Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:07 pm with sun having an altitude of 27° from the due south horizon (-43.9° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 11.8 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 4:08 pm with the sun in the southwest (235°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-southwest (243°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 4:52 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 16 seconds with dusk around 5:22 pm, which is one minute and 13 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 At dusk you’ll see the Waxing Gibbous 🌔 Moon in the southeast (125°) at an altitude of 58° from the horizon, 233,485 miles away. 🚀 The best time to look at the stars is after 5:57 pm. At sunset, look for snow 🌨 and temperatures around 22 degrees. There will be a north breeze at 8 mph. Tomorrow will have 9 hours and 35 minutes of daytime, an increase of one minute and 51 seconds over today.
Last night 🌃 I made it up until almost 9 pm last night, as I went for an evening walk 🚶 and then laid in bed 🛏 for a while listening to a podcast 🎧 about the rise of homeschooling in America. 🏫🚸 I think it was NPR Fresh Air. But I can’t blame parents when most schools these days are Confined Education Operations Systems (CEOs), designed primarily to waste taxpayer dollars 💵 and prepare the youth of tomorrow for working in acre sized bull pens next to 5 acres of parking off of the freeway interchange in the suburbs. 🛣️
Tonight will be really cold. That’s relatively speaking. We will have a slight chance of snow showers before 11pm. Cloudy 🌧, with a low of 9 degrees at 6am. Six degrees below normal. Maximum wind chill around -4 at 5am; Northwest wind 7 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. In 2023, we had light rain. It got down to 32 degrees. The record low of -22 occurred back in 1970.
This evening I think I will go down to the library 📚 pick up the damaged books that I reimbursed the library for and work on my laptop for a while. It is a good way to get some steps in and then head to bed relatively early. 😴 Tomorrow is going to be cold, but I will make the best of it.
I’ve been quite impressed how smoothly the transfer has been between the shuttle and the express bus. 🚌 🔛 🚐 There is a only a few minutes between the buses but so far I’ve always made the transfer without issue, plus there is a warm place to wait in the Concourse bus station. Works out much better then I expect. 😀 My commute remains the same as before time wise, about 40 minutes, leaving and getting home at the same time, without the late nights. The drive in would be 20 minutes, but that doesn’t include time cleaning off snow and ice, warming the truck up or parking. So really taking the bus is a win-win.
Tomorrow will have a chance of snow showers, mainly after 4pm. Cloudy 🌦, with a high of 17 degrees at 1pm. 15 degrees below normal. Maximum wind chill around -6 at 6am; Northwest wind 11 to 17 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Little or no snow accumulation expected. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies in the morning, which became light rain by afternoon. The high last year was 38 degrees. The record high of 53 was set in 2006. 10.4 inches of snow fell back in 2019.❄
Looking ahead to Sunday, sunny and cold, with a high near 23. ☀ Northwest wind around 15 mph. Typical average high for the weekend is 32 degrees. Probably going out to see the folks then, 👪 and maybe do a hike earlier in the day, if I bundle up. But with my problem with my fingers getting cold, this seems less fun then in years past.
When there is no hope, there are 2 weeks until Ground Hog Day 🐻 when the sun will be setting at 5:10 pm with dusk at 5:39 pm. I bet he will see his shadow. 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.
If you are getting an error starting geckodriver when using rselenium, you may want to try deleting the LICENSE.chromedriver file which accidentally attempts to be executed by wdman::geckodriver. You can do this simply in the Linux terminal by using this command. The xargs -r command only executes the rm command when there is a file matched to delete.
