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 sure with the warmer weather, lots of spring tillage and manuring of the earth is going on. Certainly they were hauling tank loads of manure slurry when I did my walk last week up to Bennett Hill. Got to get the Earth ready for the upcoming planting season.
It’s damp and cloudy and 50 degrees in Delmar, NY. ☁ There is a south-southeast breeze at 13 mph. 🍃. The skies will clear tomorrow around 11 pm. Not the greatest morning ever but less wet then yesterday.
Out walking at 6:45 AM today. 🏃♀️ Less early then usual, but it’s a Saturday and I’m moving slowly. But I don’t have a lot to do on a schedule though a busy day planned around home. I thought about doing one of those Earth Day Clean Ups but I’m not filling really ambitious or civil minded these days. I’d rather focus on my own health and life rather then saving the world.
This morning going to have a treat — pancakes with blueberries. 🥞 I don’t have pancakes every day, or even that often due to the high amounts of carbohydrates, but I have some pancake mix leftover and I will mix with slow oaks and bananas to help improve the health value, then a little bit of butter and syrup and blueberries to top it off. It will be a nice breakfast.
Today will be mostly cloudy 🌥, with a high of 68 degrees at 3pm. Five degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around May 4th. Maximum dew point of 50 at 5pm. Southeast wind 13 to 17 mph. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies in the morning with some clearing in the afternoon. The high last year was 60 degrees. The record high of 86 was set in 1985. 1 inches of snow fell back in 1928.❄
I have a number of projects to work on today. ⚙Still trying to pull the gear cassette off my bike. I have the spoke key and gear puller tool but so far I’ve not had a lot of luck. I did figure out that I can use it with my truck’s tire iron which gives me more leverage but I’m struggling. I wish I had gotten a little bit better quality tool for the job, though I think I’m getting closer now that I discovered it fits my tire iron which offers far more leverage to break it loose. Spoke key works great, I pulled loose a spoke but until I get the gear casette off I can’t pull any spokes. Ultimately if I can’t get the gear off, I’ll have to take it to the shop for the spoke replacement, but I really want to learn to do it myself, and if that involves buying additional parts or tools, I’m up for it. I want to be able to fully maintain the bike myself. Youtube is a great resource for learning. 📺
Then I want to paint some of the rust damage on the truck. 🚚 Trying to paint off some of the rust on the floor boards of the truck. I wanted to do that last week but I was busy walking and then Sunday visiting Mr. Wolcott and the parents. The weather looks good for painting but I a bit windy. Then probably go out to Five Rivers for the afternoon into the evening. 🐸 Probably leave a bit after 2 PM, after my the truck is done painting and I’m done with lunch.
Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:55 pm with sun having an altitude of 59.5° from the due south horizon (-11.3° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 3.5 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 7:07 pm with the sun in the west (281°). 📸
Yesterday, I walked 11.5 miles which isn’t bad for the work day. 🐰 Most of it was down in the park. It’s good to get a lot of steps in. I don’t know if I’ll do that many today, but there is a good change I’ll at least get in 10 miles, especially if I go to Five Rivers for the afternoon into the evening.
The sunset is in the west-northwest (288°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 7:45 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 2 seconds with dusk around 8:14 pm, which is one minute and 8 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 At dusk you’ll see the Waxing Crescent 🌒 Moon in the west (278°) at an altitude of 27° from the horizon, 243,905 miles away. 🚀 The best time to look at the stars is after 8:51 pm. At sunset, look for rain 🌧 and temperatures around 63 degrees. The dew point will be 50 degrees. Breezy, 22 mph breeze ⛅ from the southeast with gusts up to 32mph. Today will have 13 hours and 44 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 40 seconds over yesterday.
I got a card reader for my phone, so now if I take photos with my stand alone camera, I can process them with my phone 📲 including uploading them to the blog. One issue I noticed is that my phone doesn’t like the upper case JPG extension on photos, which also is probably true with the blog, but I found an app for bulk renaming photos on my phone.
Tonight will have showers, mainly after midnight. 🌧 Low of 52 degrees at 6am. 10 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around May 20th. Breezy, with a southeast wind 17 to 22 mph, with gusts as high as 33 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible. In 2022, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became partly cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 34 degrees. The record low of 26 occurred back in 1975.
I was very tired and fried after the week that was. 😫 Feeling better today but Friday was a day that alternated from super busy to super dead, and until the end of the day I didn’t know how much I would have to work. It turned out to be a quiet weekend, which is good because I have those various projects to do.
Looking ahead, there are 9 weeks until Latest Sunset 🌆 when the sun will be setting at 8:38 pm with dusk at 9:12 pm. On that day in 2022, we had partly cloudy and temperatures between 86 and 61 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 82 degrees. We hit a record high of 96 back in 1943.
The Earth at 1.5 degrees celicus above pre-industrial levels in 2028 🌎
They’ll never let carbon emissions go unchecked, that’s pure madness. That’s what people like to tell themselves while buying the latest organic products, electric cars and heat pumps to heat their homes. It’s all the fault of the greedy Republicans and those who don’t get it, say the virtue signaling Democrats who hope to pick up a few more votes come election day. It’s not bad politics or a marketing strategy, but it’s not good for our future either.
They say most likely this decade, we will reach 1.5 degrees global warming. Possibly as soon as 2027, although on our current projectory we are looking at 2028 or 2029 most likely. That’s just a fact, something that that is going to mean the most optimistic carbon budget will be used up as carbon levels continue to spiral upwards.
It’s going to mean more severe weather, more heat waves and floods. It will change the probability of severe weather, meaning storms unlikely to happen in a lifetime are more common. You can pretend the inevitable isn’t happening unless you turn on the news or look out your window.
So if you think of the seasons as a sine wave, the first day of spring represents the zero crossing point where the phase expands until it reaches its peak first day of summer at which the phase starts to collapse until it reaches the zero crossing point and starts to go negative. We call that autumn. The wave expands negatively until it reaches winter at which point it starts to collapse. The root mean square of the phase in summer is between May 21st and July 21st.
All because the earth is round and rotates at an angle to the sun. 🌎
Through the haze you can see the weekend or maybe not. It’s a Friday and I’m out and moving forward.
Partly cloudy and 45 degrees in Delmar, NY. ⛅ There is a east-northeast breeze at 5 mph. 🍃.
Kind of a cool start to the morning but that’s true be expected for April. We were so spoiled last week. Going to be fairly mild by midday. 🕛 Little slow rising out of bed 🛏 but I always build in extra time by setting my alarm clock a few minutes early. ⏰
Today will be mostly sunny 🌞, with a high of 75 degrees at 4pm. 13 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around May 28th. Maximum dew point of 46 at 2pm. Light and variable wind becoming south 8 to 13 mph in the morning. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies in the morning, which became cloudy by afternoon. The high last year was 60 degrees. The record high of 89 was set in 1923. 0.6 inches of snow fell back in 1947.❄
I will have to make sure to get out to Washington Park or maybe Lincoln Park 🏞 for a lunchtime walk 🚶 it will be a good day for that. Saturday, Earth Day 🌎 doesn’t look all that great weather wise.. But fairly mild and not to wet.
Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:55 pm with sun having an altitude of 59.2° from the due south horizon (-11.6° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 3.6 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 7:06 pm with the sun in the west (281°). 📸
Yesterday I walked out to Five Rivers Environmental Education Center 🐸 though by the time dinner was done I didn’t have a lot of time out there. 9.3 miles for the day.
The sunset is in the west-northwest (287°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 7:44 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 1 seconds with dusk around 8:13 pm, which is one minute and 9 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 At dusk you’ll see the Waxing Crescent 🌒 Moon in the west-northwest (283°) at an altitude of 16° from the horizon, 241,038 miles away. 🚀 The best time to look at the stars is after 8:50 pm. At sunset, look for mostly clear skies 🌄 and temperatures around 70 degrees. There will be a south-southeast breeze at 15 mph. Tomorrow will have 13 hours and 44 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 40 seconds over today.
Tonight will have increasing clouds ☁, with a low of 50 degrees at 6am. 10 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around May 20th. South wind 10 to 15 mph. In 2022, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became partly cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 42 degrees. The record low of 20 occurred back in 1947.
Tomorrow will have a slight chance of showers after 3pm. Mostly cloudy 🌦, with a high of 69 degrees at 2pm. Six degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around May 7th. Maximum dew point of 49 at 6pm. Southeast wind 11 to 16 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies in the morning, which became cloudy by afternoon. The high last year was 60 degrees. The record high of 86 was set in 1985. 1 inch of snow fell back in 1928.❄
Looking ahead to Sunday, showers. High near 58. 🌧️ South wind 9 to 11 mph becoming northwest in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.Typical average high for the weekend is 63 degrees.
Yeah, not a good weekend to get out of town. 🚲 I have the tools to remove the cassette and spokes from my bike so I can measure them and order a box of replacements. 📦 I will replace any that are broken. Once the wheel is true, I just need to repair the rear derailleur cable and I’ll be back on the road. With the additional parts and repair skills 🔧 my hope is to keep the bike running strong for a long time and doing a lot of commuting and traveling around town with the bike, saving on bus fares and fuel.
Always looking ahead, there are 2 weeks until Cinco de Mayo 🤠 when the sun will be setting at 8:01 pm with dusk at 8:30 pm. On that day in 2022, we had partly sunny and temperatures between 68 and 49 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 68 degrees. We hit a record high of 91 back in 1944.
I was thinking a good burrito 🌯 would be good with lots of beer 🍻 but those days are over in my life. Although maybe I could make an exception or find a way to make it more nutritious like with chicken and lots of vegetables.
Maybe there is hope for warmer weather and the weekend but so far this morning is plain cold.
Partly clear and 37 degrees in Delmar, NY. 🌤️There is a west-northwest breeze at 5 mph. 🍃.
Out walking 🚶 this morning and it is cold. 8.9 miles yesterday, did laps at the park 🏞 until dark and then ran to Walmart for groceries 🛒 and put gas in Red. ⛽ Summer is coming, gas prices are on the rise. I was low on fruits and fiber, I found myself eating unhealthier carbs so I decided it was time to run to the grocery store. It will be nice when I have a bicycle 🚲 again for chores like this.
Planning on having Quinoa and blueberries this morning. 🫐 I got a bag of frozen blueberries at the store last night and it’s time to swap in a new grain instead of oatmeal this morning for breakfast. Health involves variety to ensure a mixture of vitamins.
Today will be partly sunny 🌞, with a high of 62 degrees at 4pm. Typical for today. Northwest wind around 6 mph. A year ago, we had cloudy skies in the morning with more sun in the afternoon. The high last year was 52 degrees. The record high of 93 was set in 1941. 5.8 inches of snow fell back in 1947.❄
Ethics training for me at 10 am ⚖️ which I’m sure is as obnoxious as it has been the dozens of times I’ve taken it. Zoom class so I can do it from my office, which is nice. I’m not sure how it will work with session during those hours, I guess use multiple windows. The IRC maps 🗺 of the new proposed Assembly will be released at 12 pm and I’m quite interested to see what they will be like and how they preform.
Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:55 pm with sun having an altitude of 58.8° from the due south horizon (-12° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 3.6 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 7:05 pm with the sun in the west (280°). 📸
The sunset is in the west-northwest (287°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 7:43 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 1 seconds with dusk around 8:12 pm, which is one minute and 8 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 At dusk you’ll see the Waxing Crescent 🌒 Moon in the west-northwest (287°) at an altitude of 5° from the horizon, 238,080 miles away. 🚀 The best time to look at the stars is after 8:48 pm. At sunset, look for partly clear skies 🌄 and temperatures around 60 degrees. There will be a calm wind. Today will have 13 hours and 39 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 42 seconds over yesterday.
Tonight will be partly cloudy 🌃 , with a low of 41 degrees at 4am. Two degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around April 25th. Light and variable wind. In 2022, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became mostly clear by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 29 degrees. The record low of 20 occurred back in 1875.
Cool with showers aroundthis weekend. 🌦️Saturday, a slight chance of showers after 2pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 68. Southeast wind 13 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 29 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. Maximum dew point of 49 at 8pm. Sunday, showers. High near 63. Chance of precipitation is 80%. Maximum dew point of 50 at 6am. Typical average high for the weekend is 63 degrees.
This is not a week for heading out of town 🏡 but I’ll have to find something interesting and fun to do on Saturday like take a walk somewhere interesting. 🚶 I want to get out of town soon, maybe next week. I guess a lot depends on when the whole budget agreement goes down, as I want to use comp time to take a long weekend but I haven’t worked late.
Looking ahead, next Thursday is Arbor Day 🌳 when the sun will be setting at 7:52 pm with dusk at 8:20 pm. On that day in 2022, we had mostly cloudy, rain showers and temperatures between 51 and 39 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 65 degrees. We hit a record high of 91 back in 1962.
Sometimes when you don’t find your groove you just have to try again ⚙
I don’t know where I’m going but I’m on my way, plays the old record from Paul Simon 1972 album. My fortieth year is underway and my face is starting to look more like Mr. Simon in 1972. It’s a more mature look and it’s a sign I’ve grown healthier as I’ve lost fat in my cheeks.
Mostly cloudy, damp and around the freezing point in Delmar. ☁ There is a west breeze at 6 mph. 🍃. The skies will clear around 3 pm.
I fully admit that I shouldn’t have left the windows open last night 🔳 as it probably made for unnecessarily hard sleeping 😴 as it was cold but I like a fresh air. I got to bed 🛏 early around 8 pm though I listened to podcasts for a while. It’s just cold and so damp this morning.
I’m out and walking 🚶 though it was closer to 6:20 then six am but I’m moving and getting it done. Sometimes it’s best to just put one foot before the other and not think much about it. 👣 Yesterday was 7.8 mile day. Mother and Child reunion is a good song to get moving by.
Today will be partly sunny 🌞, with a high of 48 degrees at 3pm. 13 degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around March 24th. West wind 6 to 16 mph. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies. The high last year was 43 degrees. The record high of 92 was set in 1976. 8.8 inches of snow fell back in 1983.❄
Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:55 pm with sun having an altitude of 58.5° from the due south horizon (-12.3° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 3.7 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 7:03 pm with the sun in the west (280°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-northwest (286°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 7:42 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 1 seconds with dusk around 8:11 pm, which is one minute and 9 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 8:47 pm. At sunset, look for mostly clear skies 🌄 and temperatures around 46 degrees. There will be a northwest breeze at 11 mph. Today will have 13 hours and 36 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 44 seconds over yesterday.
Tonight will have increasing clouds ☁, with a low of 33 degrees at 3am. Six degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around April 6th. Northwest wind 5 to 9 mph becoming calm after midnight. In 2022, we had cloudy skies. It got down to 32 degrees. The record low of 19 occurred back in 1875.
Not a particularly nice weekend on tap. 😞 Saturday, mostly cloudy, with a high near 77. Maximum dew point of 51 at 10am. Sunday, showers likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 64. Breezy. Chance of precipitation is 70%. Maximum dew point of 52 at 6am. Typical average high for the weekend is 63 degrees.
As previously noted, there are 3 weeks until Average High is 70 🐮 when the sun will be setting at 8:06 pm with dusk at 8:36 pm. On that day in 2022, we had sunny and temperatures between 77 and 39 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 70 degrees. We hit a record high of 92 back in 1970.
Friday looks so nice but avoid looking at the weekend 🌷
I know things will only get better as spring progresses but so awakens the black flies. It’s okay I’m sure I can find things to do this weekend to keep busy. And the heat remains off and the windows at least downstairs open.
Today. Feels like …
April 1st.
A chance of showers, mainly after noon. Mostly cloudy.
West wind 6 to 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
and
52 degrees
,
7:41
sunset.
Tonight. Feels like …
April 9th.
A chance of showers, mainly before 9pm. Mostly cloudy.
West wind 7 to 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
