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 and showers 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.