Good morning! Happy Thursday. Two weeks to Thanksgiving 🦃. It’s coming fast. Partly sunny and 38 degrees in Delmar. There is a west breeze at 6 mph. 🍃. Temperatures will drop below freezing at tomorrow around 2 am. ☃️

Today will be mostly sunny 🌞 , with a high of 49 degrees at 1pm. Two degrees below normal. Northwest wind 6 to 10 mph. A year ago, we had mostly cloudy skies, clearing in the afternoon. The high last year was 47 degrees. The record high of 75 was set in 1975. 1.7 inches of snow fell back in 1894.❄

The sun will set at 4:39 pm with dusk around 5:09 pm, which is one minute and 7 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌇 At sunset, look for partly clear skies and 47 degrees. There will be a west-northwest breeze at 8 mph. Today will have 10 hours of daytime, a decrease of 2 minutes and 23 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will be partly cloudy ☁, with a low of 30 degrees at 6am. Three degrees below normal. Northwest wind 5 to 7 mph becoming calm in the evening. In 2017, we had clear skies. It got down to 21 degrees. The record low of 11 occurred back in 1971.

Right now I’m waiting for the hot water heater to heat up before I take a shower. 🛀 It was shut off when I was on vacation and it’s not an instant on heater so it will take a while to heat up. Then I will go and get a much needed haircut and go down to the library to renew my truck registration. 💈

While the weather forecast has improved for next week, I’ve decided to call off my November road trip in favor of a shorter one most likely to the Southern Adirondacks. 🗻 I have to be back to work on Wednesday of next week and with the weather expected to rain tomorrow, I won’t be leaving until Saturday morning.

I’m also a bit worried about the rattle I’m getting when I crank the wheels to a hard left in a parking lot – I want to get that looked at the wheels aligned before I put too many more miles on the truck, especially in the rough dirt roads of the back country. 🚗 I also need to have a state inspection done. I’m thinking the week before Thanksgiving. After Thanksgiving I might take that last week of November off from work or maybe just an extended weekend to the North Country. I do have a dentist appointment on the 29th. Two trips is more fun than one I guess. It’s also not a week without showering, and I’d like to see the North Country. I don’t really know how much time I have left in my time bank and there is my 2019 💼 plans I have to prepare for work. Even if I don’t get any big trips in before the winter, it will give me a chance to put some extra money away for the future.

As previously noted, there are 2 weeks until Thanksgiving 🦃 when the sun will be setting at 4:27 pm with dusk at 4:57 pm. On that day in 2017, we had rain, cloudy skies and temperatures between 46 and 34 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 45 degrees. We hit a record high of 70 back in 1931.

Good evening! Partly clear and 45 degrees in Delmar.🌃 There is a west breeze at 9 mph. 🍃. Really not a half bad evening for early to mid November. If I wasn’t so tired, I’d probably sit out back. I’ve still not turned on the heat at home. Temperatures will drop below freezing at Saturday around 9 pm. ☃️

Tonight will be partly cloudy ☁, with a low of 37 degrees at 6am. Three degrees above normal. West wind 7 to 9 mph. In 2017, we had cloudy skies, clearing in the early hours of the next day. It got down to 26 degrees. Fairly cold night last year. The record low of 18 occurred back in 1971.

Tonight will have a Waxing Crescent Moon 🌒 with 0% illuminated. The moon will rise at 7:23 am. The First Quarter Moon is next Wednesday. The Beaver Moon 🌝 is on Thursday, November 22nd. The sun will rise at 6:37 am with the first light at 6:08 am, which is one minute and 16 seconds later than yesterday. 🌄 Tonight will have 13 hours and 58 minutes of darkness, an increase of 2 minutes and 24 seconds over last night.

Tomorrow will be mostly sunny 🌞 , with a high of 48 degrees at 2pm. Three degrees below normal. West wind 6 to 9 mph. Cool but sunny. A year ago, we had mostly cloudy skies. The high last year was 47 degrees. The record high of 75 was set in 1975. 1.7 inches of snow fell back in 1894.❄

Fairly nice weekend on tap. 🌞 Saturday, a slight chance of showers before 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 41. Chance of precipitation is 20%. Typical average high for the weekend is 50 degrees.

I’m kind of glad to be back home. Apartment is kind of musty but I enjoy being at home where I can take the bus to work and around town, 🏃and best of all do my evening walk. On my evening walk a saw a rather impressive shooting star. Nice, I missed seeing the stars or for that matter doing anything but work over the last fifty days.

Pretty tired tonight, 💤so I’m going to head to bed soon. I have already dimmed the lights in my apartment to the red lights and a small led light I built some time. Nice being able to sleep again in my own bed.

Tomorrow I’m going to hook up the shunt and meter that will allow me to monitor the output of the battery and maybe solar panel to see how much energy is being put out. I may only do the first one for now. We will see. I’m thinking about it, there are already too many wires in my truck as it stands now. 🔌I also need to do some more unpacking and cleaning in the apartment, finding more locations to go after the mildew smells with bleach.

I have to work next Wednesday through the weekend, so I will probably be cutting back or delaying my big road trip for now. 🚘 I’ve noticed some new notices when I turn the wheel hard on the truck like in parking lots at low speed and maybe a slight toe on the front tires of my truck after driving through a mud pile so I’m thinking about getting that looked at before planning any big trips. Something is malfunctioning and while it may not be an immediate safety crisis at some point it will fail or put excessive wear on the tires. Next weekend though looks really good for a three day trip over Veterans Day Weekend but the week looks cold and potentially snowy ❄ so I’m thinking about delaying my trip for now or maybe rescheduling for next year if the snow comes early.

In four weeks on December 5 the sun will be setting at 4:22 pm,🌄 which is 18 minutes and 17 seconds earlier then tonight. In 2017 on that day, we had rain, drizzle, mist, cloudy skies and temperatures between 53 and 39 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 40 and 25 degrees. The record high of 65 degrees was set back in 2001.

Looking ahead, Boxing Day 🥊 is in 7 weeks and Inauguration Day 2021 👴🏻 is in 115 weeks.

Good morning! Day After Election Day 🛀. Those days always come. Election results become known, people move on. There seems to have been a blue and a red wave. Heading in opposite directions, taking out all in its path.

Partly cloudy, mild and 46 degrees in North Syracuse. ⛅ There is a west-southwest breeze at 13 mph. 🍃. Finally get nice weather the day I’m leaving Syracuse. Temperatures will drop below freezing at Saturday around 8 pm. ☃️

Today will have a slight chance of showers before 7am, then a slight chance of showers after 8am. Mostly cloudy ☁, with a high of 56 degrees at 1pm. Five degrees above normal. Breezy, with a west wind 13 to 21 mph, with gusts as high as 36 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. A year ago, we had mostly cloudy skies. The high last year was 43 degrees. The record high of 75 was set in 1938. 4.5 inches of snow fell back in 1886.❄

The sun will set in Syracuse at 4:48 pm with dusk around 5:18 pm, which is one minute and 9 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌇 At sunset, look for partly cloudy skies ⛅ and 55 degrees. Breezy, 20 mph breeze ⛅ from the west with gusts up to 33mph. Tomorrow will have 9 hours and 57 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 2 minutes and 25 seconds over today.

Tonight will have a slight chance of showers. Mostly cloudy ☁, with a low of 37 degrees at 6am. Three degrees above normal. West wind 10 to 17 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. In 2017, we had cloudy skies, clearing in the early hours of the next day. It got down to 26 degrees. The record low of 18 occurred back in 1971.

Back to Albany today, to get unpacked and repacked for my road trip. 💼 I think it’s still on for next week, although I guess that could change based on the weather and my work schedule. I don’t actually have all of next week off from work next week, it’s possible that I might have to go into the office for a few days.

But even if I do have to work part of next week, I’ll probably plan some shorter trips for the next few weeks. ⛺ Maybe the big trip will happen or maybe not. I kind of wanted to get down to Pennsylvania but I’m not that sold on it. There are always 2019 for big trips.

After I get home and unpacked I plan to get a haircut 💈and then I plan to go to an event in North Albany. 🍻 Unfortunately I think it will be a pain to take the bus there, so I’ll probably end up driving so no drinking. I don’t like alcohol much anymore at any rate. Then maybe down to the library for Wi-Fi. 📚 And then some sleep.

Tomorrow I plan to wire up the gauges for the solar panel and battery as it will be a nice day. Rain Friday and then I’ll either leave on Saturday for Nelson and my road trip or somewhere in the Adirondacks for a long weekend. 🗻

Looking ahead, there are 7 weeks until Boxing Day 🥊 when the sun will be setting at 4:35 pm with dusk at 5:08 pm. On that day in 2017, we had snow, partly cloudy skies and temperatures between 22 and 8 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 33 degrees. We hit a record high of 59 back in 1895.

Good morning! Happy Election Day 2018 🗳️. It’s the big mid-term elections. If you haven’t, now would be a good time to vote. It’s always fun to fill in the scantron, after all the craziness of elections. Next Tuesday is Average Night Below Freezing 🌌. Pouring rain and 49 degrees in North Syracuse. ☔ There is a east breeze at 10 mph. 🍃. Temperatures will drop below freezing at Saturday around 5 am. ☃️ Then the big chill comes, with probably some lake-effect snow, but I will have to watch it with my camping trip, so I don’t get stuck in a blizzard — although for most of my trip I don’t expect to be in the snow belt — so I will probably miss most of the snow, and it might actually be quite sunny but cold.

Today will have showers and possibly a thunderstorm before 3pm, then a chance of showers. ⛈ High of 62 degrees at 2pm. 10 degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 50 at 11am.  East wind 10 to 15 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. A year ago, we had cloudy skies. The high last year was 63 degrees. The record high of 73 was set in 2015. 3.2 inches of snow fell back in 1933.❄

The sun will set at 4:49 pm with dusk around 5:19 pm, which is one minute and 12 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌇 At sunset, look for some clearing with a continued chance rain showers  🌦 and 60 degrees. The dew point will be 49 degrees. There will be a southwest breeze at 14 mph. Tomorrow will have 10 hours of daytime, a decrease of 2 minutes and 26 seconds over today.

Tonight will have a chance of showers. Mostly cloudy ☁, with a low of 46 degrees at 6am. 12 degrees above normal. Breezy, with a southwest wind 14 to 21 mph, with gusts as high as 34 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. In 2017, we had mostly cloudy skies. It got down to 33 degrees. The record low of 18 occurred back in 1962.

There are 14 hours and 14 minutes until the poll close on Election Day in New York. 🗳 Yeap, today is big election day. And then it’s over. then assuming we don’t have too much lake-effect snow, it’s my road trip. 🏕 A little snow, might actually be pretty. That said, I’m not expecting much down in the Finger Lakes or Southern Tier. At the Finger Lakes National Forest, a lot of the roads are plowed year round, and I’ll bring a shovel. I kind of prefer snow to a cold rain, just because I won’t get so wet with snow. I will pack lots of warm stuff.🌨

Actually, all said and done it looks like next week will be one of the best weather-wise all autumn. 🌤 At least several days with partial clearing and sun. Cold yes, but sometimes the sun will make up with it. 🌬 But I can string up tarps to block the wind. And hopefully it won’t be too cold. I am hoping that I can have all week off next week, so I can fully enjoy my vacation. We will see. I also need to get my registration done, and inspection done by the end of the month.

I plan to take care of the registration on Thursday or Friday, and then will get my truck inspected and possibly repaired over the Thanksgiving weekend. I have noticed some noise and hop when I really clink the wheels hard to turning on the very rough parking lot at campaign office,🅿️ so I am thinking I will probably need to have a ball joint or other suspension component replaced, but I don’t think it’s at a critical point now, but I want to get that fixed before it causes excessive wear on those big expensive tires I have on the truck. Or it could be nothing, just the suspension struggling to turn on the very rough pavement. I don’t have issues in most lots. I’ve not noticed anything on the highway or driving when I don’t have the wheels cranked almost to the maximum position when parking, but it will certainly get worse over time, and I certainly want it replaced before something goes bang on the highway.💥 Maybe when I have the inspection done. I always need something new to worry about.

I also need to top off the oil, (I have a quart ready to go in the back) ⛽and I would like to wire up the amp meter too, so I can monitor the amperage coming off the solar panel. The accessory battery is always very happy and well charged now, thanks to the solar panel keeping it topped off all day long. And obviously I have to get all my camping gear packed,🏕 my hunting licensed renewed,🎫 guns cleaned and oiled, 🔫 and food bought. I am thinking I might visit my parents on Thursday night if they are around, as I have an event to go to on Wednesday. I might see if there are any sales, as I might want to pick up some additional gear.

Then it will be probably one more trip to the Adirondacks in late November or early December, probably to the campsite I like near the East Branch of the Sacanadaga River, 🏞 before the snow sets in for the winter. The big game hunters usually start filtering out by then, so more campsites are available. ◼ I really like that campsite across from the Cod Pond Trail, as it’s set back from the road, but it has cell service,📲 and is very open above, which means I’ll have sunlight to power up the solar panel.

After that it’s the long cold winter, and I have many electronics projects I want to build from the components I ordered from AliExpress. 🔬I have a bunch of LEDs and other things I want to build, making signs and lighting devices. I am thinking of building some decorative vases with marbles that would change color, which would be especially cool with the UV “black light” LEDs I bought, mixed with something that will florescent under UV light. 💡 I certainly have a lot of components that I could build things from now. It’s going to be a long winter, but I kind of like not having drive much, and winter walks down to public library to pass away the time on the wi-fi.

Once I’m back home, I’ll be riding the bus to work, and not worry about traffic or driving will be nice. 🚌 It’s fantastic that they changed the bus route, so it will be on time more, and I will on cold days be able to get the bus at the turn-around. I hate the big gas and electric bills in the winter,🔥 but I’m continuing to invest and eventually I will be able to afford land and an off-grid house which will use solar for electricity and wood for heat, and maybe some propane.

As previously noted, next Tuesday is Average Night Below Freezing 🌌 when the sun will be setting at 4:42 pm with dusk at 5:12 pm. On that day in 2017, we had snow, cloudy skies and temperatures between 41 and 32 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 49 degrees. We hit a record high of 69 back in 1964.

As a final note, don’t forget to get out and vote. ☑️ I am not thrilled by our leadership, or many of the incumbents which will certainly be elected, but it’s important to at least raise your voice and be heard in our democracy. It’s good to cast a protest vote here and there. ✊

Good morning! Yeah, it’s Friday! Three weeks to Buy Nothing Day 🛍️. Or as I like to call it, camping, hiking, and hunting day as my office is usually closed that day. Seems like it’s coming upon us early this year, but I guess Thanksgiving is early and Election day is late. Dark and rainy morning but very mild around 49 degrees in North Syracuse. ☔ Mild enough that the cruise control worked right away after I started up the truck, often in the cold it takes a while for it to work. Calm wind. Finally, the sun is rising now, it’s so dark driving into the office at 7 AM. At least the time changes on Sunday with MORE SUN!! 😎 The skies will clear Sunday around 7 am. Okay, the days don’t actually get longer but we might actually see the sun for a change. That’s a goo dthing.

Today will have a chance of showers, mainly before 3pm. Mostly cloudy 🌥, with a high of 61 degrees at 12pm. Eight degrees above normal. If we are lucky, we might even see some so breaks of sun, especially later on in the afternoon. Maximum dew point of 54 at 11am. Calm wind becoming west 5 to 9 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. A year ago, we had mostly cloudy skies with some clearing in the afternoon. The high last year was 68 degrees. The record high of 82 was set in 1950. 0.1 inches of snow fell back in 1911.❄

The sun will set at 5:54 pm with dusk around 6:24 pm, which is one minute and 18 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌇 At sunset, look for rain ☁ and 54 degrees. The dew point will be 49 degrees. There will be a west breeze at 6 mph. Tomorrow will have 10 hours and 10 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 2 minutes and 33 seconds over today.

Tonight will have a chance of showers. Mostly cloudy ☁, with a low of 42 degrees at 5am. Six degrees above normal. West wind 3 to 6 mph. Just so cloudy. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. In 2017, we had cloudy skies with some clearing in the early hours of the next day. It got down to 41 degrees. The record low of 20 occurred back in 1980.

There are 4 days, 14 hours and 20 minutes until the poll close on Election Day in New York. 🗳 It’s been one of the worse autumns on record for sunny skies, and apparently for seeing autumn colors. But I don’t care that much, I’ve been rather busy, making the money. 👷 One day last week when we actually had a some sun, the colors were decent in the North Syracuse, but other then it’s been an autumn that isn’t that great.🍂 I am sure by the time I’m on my road trip, there won’t be any leaves on trees in most places that I will be.

I was in the office before seven AM — although I have to admit that has more to do with moving my truck from the driveway of the place where I am staying so I’m so the people I am staying with can get to work. 🚗 Plus I want to get in the habit of getting up earlier, especially with the time change and my road trip coming up, so it’s easy to get in position back in the woods before the sun rises. I am planning to go also go for an early morning on Sunday morning, as it will be the last one before I leave Syracuse one last night.

So certainly within a week from now I will be starting my November trip, although increasingly I am thinking about leaving on Thursday. We will see, it depends on how quickly I can get packed and unpacked. I also want to get a haircut before my trip, 💈especially because I don’t want my hair to get too matted and icky with a week in the back-country without showering.🚿 A lot depends on the weather, but I do want to get out on my trip as soon as possible, because I want to spend two nights camping in Nelson,🏕 then a full, nice day to see Montezuma and Chimney Bluffs State Park before heading down to the Finger Lakes National Forest before dusk. 🔥 The first two days can be cloudy, but I want nice weather for the Chimney Bluffs part of the trip.

I got paid yesterday, and I have some extra money again, so I will be saving that and buying another Big CD at the end of the month when one the one I currently have expires. 🤑 I would invest more of it but I think the markets really are overpriced, and with the higher interest rates, CDs aren’t that awful of a deal. Every dollar saved, is one I can put forward towards my future and eventually owning my own land. I am always looking for ways to save money, put a little more away. Maybe it’s a decade more away, but it’s decade of learning, thinking, planning, a saving.

As previously noted, there are 3 weeks until Buy Nothing Day 🛍️ when the sun will be setting at 4:34 pm with dusk at 5:05 pm (Standard Time). On that day in 2017, we had mostly cloudy skies and temperatures between 37 and 27 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 45 degrees. We hit a record high of 72 back in 1931.