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.
There is a lot of talk about infrastructure. Usually it involves building big highway bridges, wider roads, new electrical lines, or when they want to throw a bone to the greenies, maybe a stark-itect project like five miles of high speed rail or battery electric buses. Stuff that is great for ribbon cutting by the politicians but not really needed.
That’s all fine and dandy but I think the evidence is American infrastructure as it is pretty good today, we don’t need dramatic upgrades. Maybe some hardening to address climate change or integrate more renewable energy into the grid but there is already existing funding mechanisms to address that. Let individual agencies that have their own revenue sources and know best address these concerns – power companies, Department of Transportation and water authorities – not Washington politicians.
What I do think needs more investing in is the truly public infrastructure – things that can be utilized and enjoyed by all in a largely non consumptive fashion – for no charge or fee.
For example:
Supporting free, open source development projects. People should have access to quality, professional and free software that allows them to do advanced data processing and all other tasks to expand knowledge, grow their business and improve their quality of life.
Online learning – public colleges should put their lectures and teaching materials completely online. Video steaming, web storage are inexpensive these days and while there are costs associated with both generating and hosting such material – the public benefits of greater knowledge and credentialing exceed any taxpayer costs.
Public wilderness and forest areas that are largely primative except maybe for necessary roads, parking and primative campsites. Many of these improvements could be funded via timber and mineral extraction fees
Public libraries and free Wi-Fi so anybody can access the internet when they are in the public commons.
Public data repositories where government data collected in ordinary duties should be easy to obtain, download and process for all purposes public and private without copyright limitations or fees. If the government can help businesses grow by providing free data to them then they should be providing that data rather than collecting licensing fees.
I don’t believe government should be funding for profit or fee based institutions. Roads have the gas tax, power and water utilities have ratepayers fees. Many developed parks have user fees – if you pay to get in then the government shouldn’t be in the business of subsidizing them.
Let fee institutions decide what they should invest in not Washington Bureaucrats. Keep public funds for public purposes.
Winter has arrived though it’s not the dire emergency the weather pundets made it sound yesterday. A few inches of fresh snow, landlord hasn’t plowed the driveway yet but it’s not deep. Even the library is expected to open later on, though with an hour delay due to the snow.
Good morning! Happy Snowy Sunday. Snow is falling and 30 degrees at the in Delmar, NY. ❄ There is a north breeze at 6 mph. 🍃. There are 4 inches of snow on the ground. ☃ ️Things will start to thaw out at tomorrow around 10 am. 🌡️
While I was up I stayed in bed 🛏 until nearly seven this morning 🍳 when I started my day frying an onion and ultimately spinach and eggs. I’m planning a quiet day at home to do some reading 📖 and studying.
Today will snow, mainly before 5pm. 🌨 High of 30 degrees at 9am. Three degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical North wind around 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. Total daytime snow accumulation of 2 to 4 inches possible. A year ago, we had cloudy skies in the morning with a few breaks of sun the afternoon. The high last year was 42 degrees. The record high of 56 was set in 1915. 7.2 inches of snow fell back in 1994.❄
Went to the laundromat 👕 and the grocery store yesterday 🛒 after the snow started 🌨 but the laundromat was still surprisingly crowded and Hannaford was so picked over and no bananas. 🍌 It’s kind of frustrating 😤 as I really like bananas. Also no whole wheat flour 🌾 and the coffee ☕ they had was really pricey.
Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:02 pm with sun having an altitude of 25° from the due south horizon (-45.9° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 12.9 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 3:53 pm with the sun in the southwest (232°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-southwest (240°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 4:38 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 22 seconds with dusk around 5:09 pm, which is one minute later than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 5:45 pm. At sunset, look for snow 🌨 and temperatures around 29 degrees. There will be a north breeze at 6 mph. Today will have 9 hours and 15 minutes of daytime, an increase of one minute and 8 seconds over yesterday.
Thinking it’s a cold day and would be good for soup. 🥘 It would be good to use up the rest fresh spinach I have in the soup before it wilts and it’s a great way to warm myself up. Also thinking about using some of the corn meal I bought to make corn porridge for lunch. I still have some bread 🍞 but I should think about kneading some dough up for baking tomorrow morning. We’ll see.
I think there is too much snow for biking 🚳 and my skis ⛷️ are broke but I might go for a walk later 🚶 and maybe go down to the library. 📚 Also want to clean the bathroom 🚽 and kitchen. 🧼 And just have a quiet day, maybe work on the blog code.
Tonight will have isolated snow showers before 10pm. Cloudy, then gradually becoming partly cloudy 🌧, with a low of 24 degrees at 5am. Seven degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around March 8th. Maximum wind chill around 14 at 4am; Northwest wind 5 to 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. In 2023, we had 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 -18 occurred back in 1878.
Looking ahead, there are next week is the Coldest Week of the Year 🌬 when the sun will be setting at 4:55 pm with dusk at 5:24 pm. On that day in 2023, we had snow showers, cloudy and temperatures between 33 and 30 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 32 degrees. We hit a record high of 61 back in 2006.
Hoping to get out of town for Martin Luther King Day Weekend ⛺ but I’m not how good the weather will be. ☔ It’s actually looking like rain for next Saturday then seasonably cold.
Democracy is messy. A little civil disobedience is part of protest, it helps raise awareness. Managing protests can be hard especially when emotions are high. Police have a tough job figuring out how much disorder to allow but protests are much better managed today then 50 years ago – fewer people are injured, less property damaged, less people arrested.
I would rather see some windows broken, some traffic stopped on highways or train tracks and some disorder in general if that’s what it takes to increase awareness of community problems. We can’t back away from our constitution or the first amendment just because we don’t like the message of the protestors. Glass can be replaced but our constitution can’t be.
A common reaction about my winter camping trip in December was people asking if it was cold. I didn’t think it was that cold, although I made sure to dress in layers, had a good working tent heater, warm campfire, and good nutritionally-dense, warm food to eat. Probably the coldest time during the whole trip was when I was out hunting, the rest of the time I was out burning calories, or sitting next to the fire or heater. When I was at camp, when I’d get cold, I’d chop wood and be warmed up quickly.
Winter is only cold if your not properly dressed for it and do stupid things like get wet and don’t have a plan for getting warm quickly. With the Big Buddy Heater, especially in the tent, I had no problems staying warm, indeed I found myself quickly turning it down because it got too hot in the tent. Sometimes there would be some cold drafts but for the most part it was delightful. At night, after the tent was warm and toasty, I’d shut the heater off and burrow under the covers. If I got cold at night, I’d reach over and turn the heat back home.
I think it’s a mistake to think winter camping is cold, although I do note the air was dry and my hands did crack easily. Hunting is cold in the winter, but not camping. Maybe if your ill prepared you might disagree – and certainly if I had better hunting gear, I’d probably been warmer. But it’s tough when your not burning calories and to keep warm, sitting still in the woods.
The bad behavior of three years ago is still on the news, but I think they make too big of a deal out of an rollicking, out of control protest. Joe Biden won the election, fair and square, and no disruption of pomp and circumstance of the electoral count in Congress was going to change it. It wasn’t unlike the Black Lives Matter movement or so many other crazy protests from people rightfully frustrated about the lockdowns and pandemic, that hurt many in our country. It’s not like we as a society aren’t constantly smashing glass and tearing down buildings in the name of progress, both lawfully and otherwise. The government needs more people urinating on it, too many politicians believe they are too self-important. I just remember how cold that day was, working from home, staying warm with the heating pad and space heater. What a shit storm, by a shitty President in shitty times on a cold winter’s day.
Good morning! Happy Saturday. Finally the weekend as we wait for the snow to arrive! Cloudy and 26 degrees in Delmar, NY. ☁ Calm wind. Things will start to thaw out at Monday around 11 am. 🌡️ And then all the snow will start melting. Going to be in the fifties with rain come Wednesday. I don’t expect the roads to be particularly bad for the Monday commute, though what do I care, I’m taking the bus in. 🚌 Between the shitty weather and being session days next week, I doubt I’ll be doing much riding to work this week. 🚳 Unlike this past week, when I rode to work three out of four days, with only the one day being a session day when I went for a 6:45 AM bike ride before work.
Decided to make Johnny Cakes this morning, with corn meal, baking powder, whole-wheat flour, milk, some water and salt. 🥞 No sugar like is common in the cornbread mixes. Topped them with Greek yogurt, mango and honey. Next time I want to try a more savory version, with chopped onions, some garlic, and maybe some spinach in the mixture. But this was pretty good, though I wish there was a bit more fiber involved in the meal. I like my breakfasts to be packed with protein and fiber for an all day punch — and not too much sugar. 🤪 Sugar makes me crazy, it gives me anxiety. I am happier when I avoid it, though I have to say pancakes in general are much better with true maple sap, then imitation sugar-free syrup. But honey is good for a change.
Today will have a chance of snow, mainly after 4pm. Cloudy 🌨, with a high of 32 degrees at 1pm. One degree below normal, which is similar to a typical Southeast wind 3 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Total daytime snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible. A year ago, we had light rain in the morning with more sun in the afternoon. The high last year was 44 degrees. The record high of 71 was set in 2007. 12.7 inches of snow fell back in 2002.❄
Today after my bike ride 🚲 out to Voorheesville, going with the folks up to see my sister, niece and nephew, the later for the first time. 👶 👨👩👧👦 Then hopefully before the snow starts too hard, I’m going to head to the laundromat 👕 and wash my clothes and run to Hannaford for bananas 🍌 and a few other things I didn’t get at Walmart. Pea soup for dinner. 🥗 Should be good, mom got me a handheld blender which I was used to blend the peas nice and smooth, so it should go down nice and smooth. Add some balsamic vinegar and get the bread I have in the freezer out and I’ll be eating good. And then just enjoy the snow as it comes down. 🌨
Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:02 pm with sun having an altitude of 24.8° from the due south horizon (-46° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 13 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 3:52 pm with the sun in the southwest (232°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-southwest (240°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 4:37 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 22 seconds with dusk around 5:08 pm, which is 58 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 5:44 pm. At sunset, look for snow 🌨 and temperatures around 32 degrees. There will be a east-southeast breeze at 8 mph. Today will have 9 hours and 14 minutes of daytime, an increase of one minute and 3 seconds over yesterday.
My office is basically all packed up and cleaned 🏢 📦 and I brought home everything except my mug, phone charger and USB hub/monitor cable, so I’m ready to move to the suburban office as soon as they’re ready in my office. It’s not going to be on Monday, though I thought it might be so I wanted to be prepared. ⚠️ Whenever I get the heads up, I’ll be ready to move. I’m ready and excited to take on the new tasks, but I’m willing to serve in whatever capacity my business needs me to do.
Tonight will snow. The snow could be heavy at times. 🌨 Low of 28 degrees at 9pm. 11 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around March 21st. East wind 7 to 10 mph becoming north after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of 7 to 11 inches possible. Most of snow will fall on the overnight, In 2023, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 27 degrees. The record low of -12 occurred back in 1878.
As previously noted, next Saturday is Make Your Dream Come True Day 🏡 🤠 🐮 when the sun will be setting at 4:45 pm with dusk at 5:15 pm. On that day in 2023, we had rain showers, mostly cloudy, mild and temperatures between 43 and 30 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 33 degrees. We hit a record high of 71 back in 1932.
Actually kind of seasonable for National Bird Day, but we have been spoiled by the relatively warm days and especially nights of this winter. El Niño plus climate change has really stuck a fork in this winter. Going to get w good snowstorm come Saturday night into Sunday but it’s not expected to last with it warm enough that the roads should be clear for the Monday commute, and mostly melted away with rain and temperatures in the mid 50s by Wednesday into Thursday.
Good morning! Clear and 18 degrees at the Delmar, NY. There is a north-northwest breeze at 8 mph. 🍃. Things will start to thaw out at tomorrow around 1 pm. 🌡️ Before the snow comes Saturday night into Sunday then is washed away by the rain come Wednesday into Thursday.
Breakfast was eggs with onions, shredded broccoli and corn. 🍳 Reheated coffee with milk and vanilla. Up at five o’clock this morning, I never set an alarm ⏰ as my desire to go to the bathroom 🚽 gets me going in the morning. Continuing my Support Vector Machine Learning course this morning. 🤖 I always find I learn and think best early in the morning.
It’s going to be a cold ride in 🚲 but I’m going to do it because I like the ride and the sun will feel good. The sun angle is starting to increase even while the mercury normally drops this time of year as we approach the coldest on average week of the year – Martin Luther King Day Week. It saves a buck thirty and it’s a good exercise. Next week with session attire, likely moving to the suburban office, rain and snow just means it will be unlikely I ride to work much at all. I’ll keep my eyes 👀 out for birds 🐦 on my ride through the Norman’s Kill Gorge this morning.
Today will be mostly sunny 🌞, with a high of 32 degrees at 3pm. One degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical Northwest wind around 8 mph. A year ago, we had patches of fog in the morning, remaining cloudy in the afternoon. The high last year was 49 degrees. The record high of 64 was set in 1950. 8.0 inches of snow fell back in 1891.❄
Ran to the office 🏢 last night to get my plants 🌿 and hopefully it won’t have been too much of a cold shock 🤯 for the plants. I’m most worried about the wandering jew, that plant struggles enough already with getting rooted. I did make sure my truck was good and warm for the trip home. I also brought home most of the other personal stuff in my office – and I’ll bring home my personal and work laptops 💻 today so I’m ready to move to my new office come Monday if so assigned. I’m certainly ready and excited to be taking on the roll of Director of Data Services as soon as possible. I’ve been working on training my replacement as Deputy Director in Research Services. 🔢 Data Services though is far more up my alley then Research though I found research work to often be quite interesting and benefited from my data science knowledge.
Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:01 pm with sun having an altitude of 24.7° from the due south horizon (-46.1° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 13 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 3:51 pm with the sun in the southwest (232°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-southwest (239°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 4:36 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 22 seconds with dusk around 5:07 pm, which is 57 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 5:43 pm. At sunset, look for partly cloudy skies 🌃 and temperatures around 32 degrees. There will be a west breeze at 7 mph. Tomorrow will have 9 hours and 14 minutes of daytime, an increase of one minute and 3 seconds over today.
Decided after coming home last night to make a quick pot of homemade chicken soup.🍲 You know just the essentials – water, salt, carrots, celery, spinach, whole wheat noodles, onions, garlic and some pepper and spices. Left over pork roast diced and a can of canned chicken 🐔. No, I don’t use broth. It’s good enough with the spices I have in the cabinet – I’d rather enjoy the natural, simple flavors.
Tonight will have increasing clouds ☁, with a low of 22 degrees at 6am. Five degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around March 1st. Light and variable wind. Reality check ☑ . In 2023, we had cloudy skies in the evening, which became light rain by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 30 degrees. The record low of -19 occurred back in 1996.
Last night was remarkably cold for moving the plants 🌿 but I wanted to get the things out of my office before the snow came and have to deal with it next week. Plan to clean and continue to scrub down my office today. Then when whenver I need to move out, I’m good. Got about $40 in groceries last night, which doesn’t buy much but will keep my pantry somewhat full for a while, though Walmart didn’t have bananas. 🍌
Tomorrow will be cloudy ☁, with a high of 33 degrees at 2pm. Typical for Tomorrow. Calm wind becoming southeast 5 to 9 mph in the morning. A year ago, we had patches of fog in the morning, remaining cloudy in the afternoon. The high last year was 44 degrees. The record high of 71 was set in 2007. 12.7 inches of snow fell back in 2002.❄
Looking ahead to Sunday, snow, mainly before 4pm. 🌨 Winter finally arrives but should be cleaned up by the work week. High near 32. Northeast wind 6 to 11 mph becoming light north in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 90%. Typical average high for the weekend is 33 degrees.
Looking ahead, next Friday is Coldest Day Recorded in Albany 🌨 💨 when the sun will be setting at 4:44 pm with dusk at 5:14 pm. It was an unthinkable negative 26 degrees in Albany on January 11, 1968. I know those negative 17 degrees days we had a few years back we’re super cold. I can’t imagine that amount of cold. On that day in 2023, we had mostly cloudy, snow showers and but generally mild temperatures between 38 and 32 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 33 degrees. We hit a record high of 67 back in 2020.
Smoking cigarettes these days is pretty much considered to be an socially unacceptable behavior. Cigarette smokers are considered to be addicts, people with a bad habit, that at best need a medical intervention to quit their nasty habit. Strangely enough, such beliefs do not extend to those who eat a lot of processed foods that are high in sugars, salts and unhealthy fats.
Diabetes, especially the most common form of the disease, Type 2 Diabetes is largely caused by the over-consumption of sugars and unhealthy fats that destroys the pancreas due to the constant overproduction of insulin. Much like a light bulb or a motor driven with too much voltage, the pancreas cranking out all that insulin to burn off all that excess sugar in blood ultimately starts to burn out and body stops producing sufficient insulin which causes blood sugar to rise, which causes various organs and parts of the human body to break down, much like an automobile lacking engine oil or coolant.
It’s something one should want to avoid if all possible. Yet it’s hard, when so much of our culture is about promoting unhealthy, often processed foods. Processed foods aren’t inherently bad, but they are often bland and unpalatable without the addition of saturated fats, salt and sugars. Even when food is lightly processed, there is a trend to cook with saturated fats, salts and sugars for taste, even when there might be healthier options to cook with spices, fruits and vegetables.
Any popular dessert promoted widely in the culture is likely loaded with saturated fats, salt and sugars. But you don’t have to listen to the advice, you can go for natural flavors of fruit and vegetables, enhanced with spices. Cookies aren’t just bad for you because they have loads of sugar, and therefor calories, but also are bad for you because they use butter or palm oil shortenings to give them that soft texture. But there are other ways to get enjoyment in eating from natural foods.
For a while I was a bit obsessed with sugar and salt substitutes. I liked the idea of minimizing my sugar and therefore calorie intake by using things like Splenda or in case of salt, Accent MSG. But I am coming to realize such things are really false options. Many of the artificial sugars may have just as bad of impact as the real thing on one’s pancreas, and aren’t really about making the behavioral choice of eating food that isn’t so sweet or salty.
It’s not as hard for me as I live alone and have full control of the food I purchase at the store. If something is not in my pantry, then I can’t eat it. Yet, there are constant temptations — lunches out with the team, cookies and candy brought in the office, mom’s home cooking. To be rejecting it all seems to being a picky eater. Sometimes I don’t — I’ve learned to make peace with mom’s home cooking, as she’s not going to be around all that much longer and a meal I don’t have of hers, there is a good chance it won’t be available in the future. And it’s about averages, not the exceptional meal. But I do walk past those free cookies and cakes in the office.
