Good morning! Happy Thursday. Two weeks to Latest Sunrise of the Winter 🌄️. Tomorrow is the first day of winter. Mostly sunny and 33 degrees in Delmar. Calm wind. Rather hazy though in the city. Fairly pleasant morning, but I’m more then a bit drowsy.💤

A nice morning but I had trouble getting going this morning, ☀ as I had too many cups of coffee at the Pine Bush dinner and that effected my sleep. ☕ Not only did I drink coffee with dinner, I drank more when I started to choke on one of the cookies during the dinner. Kind of a busy day yesterday but after it all I did make it to the Pine Bush dinner. 🌲Taking the local to work. 🚌

The sun will set at 4:24 pm with dusk around 4:56 pm, which is 28 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 At sunset, look for mostly cloudy skies ☁ and temperatures around 40 degrees. There will be a south-southeast breeze at 6 mph.

Today will have increasing clouds ☁, with a high of 41 degrees at 1pm. Seven degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around December 3rd. South wind 3 to 6 mph. A year ago, we had with more clouds in the afternoon. The high last year was 40 degrees. The record high of 61 was set in 1957. 8.4 inches of snow fell back in 1975.❄

Tonight will have a Waxing Gibbous Moon 🌔 with 97% illuminated with the moon rising at 3:03 pm. The moon will set at 5:51 am. December’s Cold Moon 🌕 will be tomorrow. The sun will rise at 7:21 am with the first light at 6:49 am, which is 32 seconds later than yesterday. 🌄 Tonight will have 14 hours and 57 minutes of darkness, an increase of 2 seconds over last night.

Tonight will rain, mainly after 9pm. The rain could be heavy at times. 🌧 Low of 39 degrees at 6pm. 20 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around October 18th. South wind around 6 mph becoming calm. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New precipitation amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible. Going to be a wet and warm night into the day tomorrow. In 2017, we had light snow in the evening. It got down to 21 degrees. The record low of -18 occurred back in 1942.

I continue to work on writing the code ⌨ for my niece’s flashing star, 💫 right now I’ve come up with 16 different color patterns. It’s a little hard to think of additional ones, although I’m sure there is more ramps and flashing patterns I could come up with. I want to try put as much in as possible in the code, as it would make more interesting, but after a while coming up with new patterns is hard.

The Pine Bush dinner was interesting but I’m not sure if I agree with having speakers pushing commercial products that they’re making money off of. 💰Geothermal is interesting and I guess there are many benefits to solar energy although I have my doubts about those large industrial solar facilities. I think there is a lot of questions that need to be asked about developing large tracks of farm land and forest,🎋 covering them with panels made out of hazardous materials that will pose risks for generations to come especially if they aren’t properly hauled off to landfills at the end of their lives. ⬛ Cow manure rots, farm fields revert to the woods by themselves without government intervening. But I guess I’m a minority voice, to be grouped in with the fossil fuel proponents just for asking questions of the government bureaucrats.

I will probably go out hiking somewhere on Sunday, maybe not too far away, 🚶 then out to the folks house for Christmas Eve. It looks like virtually all of the snow except for the highest locations of the Adirondacks will be gone after the heavy rains of Friday into Saturday. ☔ With the rain on Saturday, I will finish up working on my various Christmas gifts that I’ve been working on building. I got a bunch of perf and strip board in the mail the other day, for building further products.🔬 Always a good thing on cold winter nights, except for the drafts blowing smoke from the flux burning off into my face.

For the New Years Eve long weekend, I am considering going camping up in the Adirondacks or maybe Brookfield. 🏕 With the snow gone all over locally, and only a little left in the Adirondacks, it might be nice to get away. I still have camp food stored away, the high calorie stuff I don’t like to eat at home and plenty of propane for at least a few nights camping, although if I do a full three nights, I might get the tank to be filled to be safe rather then sorry. A nice fire is always good, and if we have some sunny weather, some hunting and hiking would be a lot of fun. I kind of like Brookfield because those campsites you can drive up into, as if I go there, it will be in snow-free weather. Plus good cellphone reception which can make the long nights pass quicker.

As previously noted, there are 2 weeks until Latest Sunrise of the Winter 🌄️ when the sun will be setting at 4:34 pm with dusk at 5:06 pm. On that day in 2018, we had partly sunny and temperatures between 22 and 7 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 31 degrees. We hit a record high of 61 back in 1913.

Good evening! Going home time on this Monday evening. I’m tired. Cloudy and 35 degrees in Delmar. ☁ There is a west-northwest breeze at 15 mph. 🍃. There is a dusting of snow on the ground. ☃ ️Temperatures will drop below freezing at around 8 pm. ☃️

This seems like it will be a good commute home, as the bus was right on time and traffic is moving remarkably well for rush hour. 🚌 Probably because it’s the week before Christmas and half of the state workers are off shopping and burning off their remaining vacation time for the year. 🎁

Tonight will have a slight chance of rain and snow showers before 7pm, then a slight chance of snow showers between 7pm and midnight. Mostly cloudy 🌧, with a low of 21 degrees at 6am. One degree above normal, which is similiar to a typical night around December 16th. Maximum wind chill around 7 at 5am; Blustery, with a northwest wind 17 to 21 mph, with gusts as high as 34 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. In 2017, we had cloudy skies. It got down to 18 degrees. The record low of -9 occurred back in 1919.

The plan after dinner is to go and wash the mud off the truck, 🚘and then buy boots and a windshield wiper. I’m annoyed about having to replace the wiper but the rubber just failed after two years. Probably all those muddy roads. I’m going to keep the old boots for a while to use for winter camping. And winter ice. Then probably work on some little electronics projects around my apartment. I actually find working with the soldering iron to be therapeutic when I don’t burn myself.

It’s winter so I don’t have any big plans but that’s fine as despite the higher heating bills I usually have a little extra money here and there to invest in the winter, although first I need to spend less money on groceries.🍏🍛🍤 My pantry is well stocked, I should eat more of it as I really don’t have any more room in the freezer. I just am trying to mix up what I eat each day and include more vegetables.

No they haven’t fixed the lights in my office yet, but I saw a light bulb changer there and once he figures out they need an electrician I’m sure it will get fixed. 💡

Tonight will have a Waxing Gibbous Moon 🌔 with 76% illuminated. The moon will set at 2:24 am. The Cold December Full Moon 🌕 is on Friday night with partly cloudy skies expected. The sun will rise at 7:20 am with the first light at 6:48 am, which is 38 seconds later than yesterday. 🌄 Tonight will have 14 hours and 57 minutes of darkness, an increase of 15 seconds over last night.

Tomorrow will be sunny 🌞, with a high of 27 degrees at 3pm. Eight degrees below normal. Blustery, with a northwest wind 15 to 21 mph, with gusts as high as 36 mph. That’s going to be a pretty frigid day tomorrow. Then again it’s the second half of December. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies with more clouds in the afternoon. The high last year was 37 degrees. The record high of 60 was set in 1921. 17 inches of snow fell back in 1887.❄

Right now, a split verdict on the weekend. 😕 Saturday, showers likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 46. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Sunday, partly sunny, with a high near 38. Typical average high for the weekend is 34 degrees. Sunday actually sounds pretty decent for late December.

In four weeks on January 14 the sun will be setting at 4:46 pm,🌄 which is 23 minutes and 2 seconds later then tonight. In 2018 on that day, we had sunny and temperatures between 16 and 3 degrees. Yeap, I updated the data table over the weekend to reflect actual 2018 data not stuff from 2017. Took a bit of reprogramming as I’m getting my weather history data from a new source. Typically, you have temperatures between 30 and 14 degrees. The record high of 66 degrees was set back in 1932.

Looking ahead, New Years Eve 🎆 is in 2 weeks, Coldest Week of the Year 🌬 is in 4 weeks, Martin Luther King Day 🖤 is in 5 weeks, Presidents Day 👴 is in 9 weeks, Average High is 40 ☀️ is in 11 weeks, St. Patrick’s Day 🍀 is in 3 months, April Fools Day 🤡 is in 15 weeks, Tax Day 💰 is in 17 weeks, Earth Day 🌎 is in 18 weeks, Memorial Day 🇺🇸 is in 23 weeks, July 🏊🏿 is in 28 weeks and Last Sunset After 8 PM 🌆 is in 34 weeks.

Good evening! A mix of sleet, rain and snow and 33 degrees in Delmar. ❄ There is a north-northwest breeze at 9 mph. 🍃. Temperatures will drop below freezing at tomorrow around 3 am. ☃️ That part won’t be so much fun, although I’ll be fast asleep by then.

Tonight will rain, snow, and sleet before midnight, then rain and snow likely between midnight and 2am, then a chance of snow after 2am. Low of 30 degrees at 6am. Nine degrees above normal, which is similiar to a typical night around November 23rd. I know, warm. North wind 7 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. Total nighttime snow and sleet accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible. I doubt it will be a problem by morning, but I don’t care, the bus will be running. In 2017, we had partly cloudy skies, clearing in the early hours of the next day. It got down to 8 degrees. The record low of -8 occurred back in 1942.

Tonight will have a Waxing Gibbous Moon 🌔 with 67% illuminated. The moon will set at 1:21 am. The Cold Moon 🌕 is on Friday night with partly cloudy skies. The sun will rise at 7:19 am with the first light at 6:47 am, which is 41 seconds later than yesterday. 🌄 Tonight will have 14 hours and 56 minutes of darkness, an increase of 20 seconds over last night.

Tomorrow will have a slight chance of rain showers after 1pm, mixing with snow after 4pm. Mostly cloudy 🌧, with a high of 40 degrees at 2pm. Five degrees above normal, which is similiar to a typical day around December 5th. Fairly mild. Breezy, with a northwest wind 6 to 11 mph increasing to 15 to 20 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 31 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies with more clouds in the afternoon. The high last year was 27 degrees. The record high of 59 was set in 1984. 11.1 inches of snow fell back in 1970.❄

Right now, a split verdict on the weekend. 😕 Saturday, a chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 43. Chance of precipitation is 40%. Sunday, partly sunny, with a high near 37. Typical average high for the weekend is 34 degrees.

In four weeks on January 13 the sun will be setting at 4:45 pm,🌄 which is 22 minutes and 13 seconds later then tonight. In 2018 on that day, we had snow, mostly sunny skies and temperatures between 44 and 20 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 30 and 14 degrees. The record high of 71 degrees was set back in 1932.

Got my wash done, bought too many groceries, spending too much money, and didn’t wash my truck or replace the broken washer blade. There always is tomorrow after work. I figured washing the truck with them applying salt to the roads at this point is kind of pointless.🚘 The rain is washing off a lot of the muck at any rate.

When I got back home I baked up some nicely spicy chicken breast and stuffing. Not fancy but with the Montreal Chicken spice I bought cooks up nicely. 🍗 I spent some time reading, working on code and wasting time on Facebook. Lots of little projects.

Back to work tomorrow, I should probably rest up well. 💤I did turn down the heat before bed, and I have to say my bed is so much softer than those sleeping pads. I need to set the alarm on my phone too. ⏰ I don’t expect a really busy week, some end of the year stuff. The next two weeks after this week are just three work days with the holidays which is nice. Maybe I can camp and travel if there ain’t too much snow. ⛺

Looking ahead, Festivus 🍖 is in 1 week, Daylight Savings Time 🌆 is in 12 weeks, St. Patrick’s Day 🍀 is in 13 weeks, 7:30 PM Sunset 🌇 is in 16 weeks, Palm Sunday 🌴 is in 17 weeks, Easter 🐰 is in 18 weeks, Cinco de Mayo 🤠 is in 20 weeks, Mothers Day 👩‍ is in 21 weeks, Average High is 70 🐮 is in 5 months, Fathers Day 👨 is in 6 months and Last Sunset After 8:30 PM 🌆 is in 7 months.

Happy Weekend! Tired but there is more to do so I’m ready to leave first this coming morning. Mostly clear and 28 degrees in Delmar. There is a west-northwest breeze at 11 mph. 🍃 with gusts up to 22 mph 💨💨💨. That wind is kind of cutting. Things will start to thaw out at Sunday around noontime. 🌡️

When I get home, I’m going to have a quick dinner then run to the laundromat and grocery store to pick up a few more items. Mostly just dish soap, I overlooked it yesterday. I’m going to see if the dollar store has a few ribbons and bows, that might make the campsite look really festive. 🎄 Tomorrow I’ll pick up some rock salt in case the campsite is ice – I don’t want to slip and fall on the ice, milk and a bag of firewood to get me started for the first night. I’ll need more that a bag but I’ll be able to cut and chop more, assuming I get there at a reasonable hour. Thinking about also getting a second lantern globe in Oneonta Walmart in case I accidentally break the one that’s on it.

Tonight will be partly cloudy 🌤, with a low of 13 degrees at 6am. 11 degrees below normal. Maximum wind chill around 11 at 7pm; Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming light after midnight. In 2017, we had cloudy skies, clearing in the early hours of the next day. It got down to 20 degrees. The record low of -3 occurred back in 1902.

Tonight will have a Waxing Crescent Moon 🌒 with 1% illuminated. The moon will rise at 8:13 am. The First Quarter Moon is next Friday with partly cloudy skies. The Cold Moon 🌝 is in 2 weeks. The sun will rise at 7:12 am with the first light at 6:40 am, which is 56 seconds later than yesterday. 🌄 Tonight will have 14 hours and 51 minutes of darkness, an increase of 59 seconds over last night.

Tomorrow will be partly sunny 🌞, with a high of 29 degrees at 2pm. Nine degrees below normal. Calm wind becoming southwest 5 to 7 mph in the afternoon. A year ago, we had light snow in the morning, remaining cloudy in the afternoon. The high last year was 38 degrees. The record high of 58 was set in 1927. 4.3 inches of snow fell back in 2001.❄

Looking ahead to Sunday, sunny, with a high near 34. 😎 Calm wind becoming southwest around 6 mph in the morning. Typical average high for the weekend is 38 degrees.

Got the big end of the year report in today and I have next week off for my trip. Probably will miss the office Christmas party but that’s fine. At lunch time I visited the ATM so I’ll have enough money should I need some. Also went to the Albany Public Library and got a few additional books so I’ll have lots to read. 📚

I’m a little worried about the darkness and the cold but I’ve certainly done these trips before and I’ve covered my bases and carefully planned everything out. Assuming there is a decent amount of sunshine for solar and my sanity I think it will be a good trip. If I get tired, or don’t want anymore darkness I can always drive home a bit early. One day at a time. Been a little sore and tired lately but hopefully some nice nights in the woods will help that. The stews I make should be good. 🍛 I am looking forward to long winter naps that are 12 hours long.

In four weeks on January 4 the sun will be setting at 4:35 pm,🌄 which is 13 minutes and 55 seconds later then tonight. In 2018 on that day, we had rain, drizzle, snow, sleet, fog, patches of fog, mist, cloudy skies and temperatures between 44 and 22 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 31 and 15 degrees. The record high of 64 degrees was set back in 1950.

Looking ahead, First Day of Winter ☃️ is in 2 weeks, 4:30 PM Sunset 🌆 is in 3 weeks, Winnie the Pooh Day 🍯 is in 6 weeks, 5 PM Sunset 🌆 is in 7 weeks, March 🌨 is in 12 weeks, Ides of March ✝ is in 14 weeks, 7:30 PM Sunset 🌇 is in 4 months, Memorial Day Weekend Starts 🏕️ is in 24 weeks and Dog Days of Summer 🌻 is in 30 weeks.

Good evening! Four weeks from now will be the New Year. Mostly clear at the freezing point in Delmar. There is a northwest breeze at 13 mph. 🍃. Cold day tomorrow, things will only start to thaw out at tomorrow around 1 pm. 🌡️ I guess it was cold tonight but then again the bus was early and I barely caught it. 🚌

Tonight will be mostly clear 🌃, with a low of 17 degrees at 5am. Eight degrees below normal, which is similiar to a typical night around December 27th. I guess late December isn’t that far away. Maximum wind chill around 20 at 12am; Northwest wind 6 to 11 mph becoming light in the evening. In 2017, we had mist in the evening, remaining overcast into the early morning. It got down to 39 degrees. The record low of 2 occurred back in 1989. I did turn the heat up a bit when I got home.

Tonight will have a Waning Crescent Moon 🌘 with 5% illuminated. The moon will rise at 5:10 am. The New Moon is on Thursday night with mostly cloudy skies. The Cold Moon 🌝 is on Friday, December 21st. The sun will rise at 7:09 am with the first light at 6:37 am, which is one minute later than yesterday. 🌄 Tonight will have 14 hours and 48 minutes of darkness, an increase of one minute and 9 seconds over last night.

Tomorrow will have increasing clouds ☁, with a high of 33 degrees at 2pm. Seven degrees below normal, which is similiar to a typical day around December 23rd. Although it seems like lately it’s been warmer around Christmas. Calm wind. A year ago, we had freezing fog in the morning, which became mist by afternoon. The high last year was 53 degrees. The record high of 65 was set in 2001. 9 inches of snow fell back in 1902.❄

Remarkably pleasant morning for walking down to the express bus. Crisp but with proper dress it’s quite delightful with all that sun. 🌄Good thing I walked down to the Park and Ride as not only was it a nice walk I was the only one who boarded the 8:26 to downtown. Earlier buses are much more popular. 🚌

Lunchtime I walked on the plaza 🏃which was nice but cold. But I like the fresh air and the blue skies for a change, it gets tiresome looking at the same things over and over again doing laps inside the Empire State Plaza. I guess if I really wanted to get my heart pumping I’d climb the million dollar staircase in the Capital. It won’t be long before doing lapse in the concourse becomes difficult, with State of the State protestors.✊

Cool this weekend with temperatures running 7 degrees below normal but otherwise sunny. 😀 Saturday, mostly sunny, with a high near 30. Sunday, mostly sunny, with a high near 32. Typical average high for the weekend is 38 degrees. Then quite possibly a warming trend for the next week with lots of sun.

It looks like most of next week should be sunny and relatively nice out in the Finger Lakes. Seasonal temperatures which means cold but snow free and they don’t have a lot of snow out there. 🌞 I am off next week to finally do my November camping trip. ⛺ Granted it’s now December but the weather looks nice. Maybe 10 degrees colder, 10 minutes earlier sunset but either side of the deer regular hunting season is about the same.

In four weeks on January 1 the sun will be setting at 4:33 pm,🌄 which is 10 minutes and 51 seconds later then tonight. In 2018 on that day, we had rain, snow, mostly cloudy skies and temperatures between 38 and 20 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 31 and 16 degrees. The record high of 57 degrees was set back in 1966.

Looking ahead, Christmas Eve 🎅 is in 3 weeks, Christmas 🎅 is in 3 weeks, New Years Day 2019 🎉 is in 4 weeks, National Bird Day 🐦 is in 6 weeks, 36th Birthday 🎉 is in 8 weeks, 5:30 PM Sunset 🌆 is in 11 weeks, Average High is 40 ☀️ is in 3 months, 8 PM Sunset 🌇 is in 5 months, Independence Day 🇺🇸 is in 7 months, Last Sunset After 8:30 PM 🌆 is in 32 weeks and Election Day 2020 🗳️ is in 100 weeks.

Good evening! Cold, dark and 43 degrees in Delmar. ☁ It’s the first Monday night of December. Its particularly cold not because of the mercury but because of the wind. There is a west breeze at 15 mph. 🍃. Temperatures will drop below freezing at tomorrow around 2 am. ☃️

Bus left the plaza right at 5:12 and was right on time.🚍Good, I didn’t have to wait for long. State Christmas Tree, well actually the Capitol is all lit up.🎄Looks really pretty although it seems a bit crooked and those LED lights, especially the blue are a bit garish. I’m sure once those lights are in the landfill, people will look back and say gosh that was tacky.

Tonight will have a chance of rain showers, possibly mixing with snow after 8pm, then gradually ending. Mostly cloudy 🌧, with a low of 30 degrees at 5am. Four degrees above normal, which is similiar to a typical night around November 23rd. Northwest wind 10 to 16 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Little or no snow accumulation expected. In 2017, we had mostly clear skies. It got down to 21 degrees. The record low of -9 occurred back in 1940.

Tonight will have a Waning Crescent Moon 🌘 with 10% illuminated. The moon will rise at 4:04 am. The New Moon is on Thursday night with mostly cloudy skies. The Cold Moon 🌝 is on Friday, December 21st. The sun will rise at 7:08 am with the first light at 6:37 am, which is one minute and 2 seconds later than yesterday. 🌄 Tonight will have 14 hours and 47 minutes of darkness, an increase of one minute and 14 seconds over last night.

Once I get home, I am leaning towards fish sticks, onion rings and corn. 🍤 I think that would be a good dinner. Running low on milk, I might run to the store while dinner is in the oven. It’s literally two doors down to Stewart’s and their milk is cheaper than the grocery store. 🐄

I think most likely after dinner I’ll walk down to library. 🏃 Maybe hop on the internet for a bit, and return my library books. 📚 I guess there is stuff I could work on around the apartment but I figure it’s good to get a few more steps in today. Probably also listen to Marketplace before the library. 📻 When I get home from the library, I’ll probably put Mountain Stage on the radio and listen to it. I was listening to a show about Appalachia today and thinking about how much I miss West Virginia.🎻 I don’t think I should try to drive down there next week but maybe next year. Beautiful state, beautiful people although it really is a mix of beauty and ugliness as all things are in our world. Those strip mines up by Mount Storm coal plant aren’t that pretty. 🏭

At lunch today, 🏃I got in a good mile or two in walking around the plaza. It is easy to rack up the miles if you walk in the tunnels to each agency building, to the museum basement around the base of the Egg, 🍚and the Justice building lobby. I’m trying to walk as much as possible as I know it’s good for health although I really need to think about replacing my boots as multiple holes are now in the soles of the boots. 👞 Eventually I guess.

Tomorrow will be mostly sunny 🌞, with a high of 32 degrees at 2pm. Eight degrees below normal, which is similiar to a typical day around December 27th. Northwest wind 10 to 14 mph. It might be a nice day except for the wind. It will certainly be good for snow in the lake effect belt. I don’t know how they do it up in the Tug Hill.❄ Those snowy commutes with the big hills must be miserable. A year ago, we had cloudy skies, clearing in the afternoon. The high last year was 39 degrees. The record high of 63 was set in 1998. 6 inches of snow fell back in 1901.❄

Cool this weekend with temperatures running 8 degrees below normal but otherwise sunny. 😀 Saturday, mostly sunny, with a high near 29. Sunday, mostly sunny, with a high near 32. Typical average high for the weekend is 38 degrees.

I am still thinking about going out to the Finger Lakes next week. I haven’t made a final decision yet, but it could be a full week if the sunny forecast out there continues. I don’t mind the cold so much if it’s sunny. I have almost a full propane tank and the heater can take the chill off the tent quickly. I’ll also bring lots of tarps to block the wind. ⛺ Not sure if I will take the full week off, but I might. Snow is the big concern this time of year but I believe the road where I’m thinking of camping has town plowing in the winter and no real snow is forecast for next week although that’s still a long way off.

The long nights could be fun with a good sized fire, the Christmas lights, some music and podcasts. 🔥Lots of time for cooking after dark and listening to the radio. Then maybe retire to the tent around 8 or 9 o’clock but not too early as it’s dark out there until like 7:30 in the morning this time of year. At least if there are blue skies, it won’t be so dark in the morning. And if I’m cold I can always warm up next to the heater. ☕Yeah, I’ll keep my knife and carbon monoxide alarm ready case of an emergency although I only really turn the heater on briefly.

In four weeks on December 31 the sun will be setting at 4:32 pm,🌄 which is 9 minutes and 48 seconds later then tonight. In 2017 on that day, we had snow, mostly cloudy skies and temperatures between 8 and -2 degrees. Ducking cold last year on New Years Eve. 🐦Typically, you have temperatures between 32 and 16 degrees. The record high of 61 degrees was set back in 1895.

Looking ahead, 7:15 AM Sunrise ⌛️ is in 1 week, New Years Eve 🎆 is in 4 weeks, Latest Sunrise of the Winter 🌄️ is a month away, Coldest Week of the Year 🌬 is in 6 weeks, Martin Luther King Day 🖤 is in 7 weeks, Presidents Day 👴 is in 11 weeks, Average High is 40 ☀️ is in 13 weeks, April Fools Day 🤡 is in 17 weeks, Tax Day 💰 is in 19 weeks, Earth Day 🌎 is in 20 weeks, Memorial Day 🇺🇸 is in 25 weeks, July 🏊🏿 is in 30 weeks, Last Sunset After 8 PM 🌆 is in 36 weeks and Election Day 2020 🗳️ is in 23 months.

Good evening. Foggy and 43 degrees in Delmar. 🌁 There is a south breeze at 5 mph. 🍃. Finally fairly mild out for change. I had a nice walk around the superblock that has the high school. I’m back home, wash is put away watching a video with the lights dimmed to a red color for easy sleeping. Temperatures will drop below freezing at Tuesday around 1 am. ☃️

Tonight will have a slight chance of showers after 3am. Areas of dense fog. 🌁Otherwise, mostly cloudy 🌧, with a low of 41 degrees at 1am. 15 degrees above normal, which is similiar to a typical night around October 12th. South wind 5 to 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. In 2017, we had cloudy skies. It got down to 25 degrees. The record low of -1 occurred back in 1976.

Tonight will have a Waning Crescent Moon 🌘 with 18% illuminated. The moon will rise at 2:57 am. The New Moon is on Thursday night with mostly cloudy skies. The Cold Moon 🌝 is on Friday, December 21st. The sun will rise at 7:07 am with the first light at 6:36 am, which is one minute and 2 seconds later than yesterday. 🌄 Tonight will have 14 hours and 45 minutes of darkness, an increase of one minute and 18 seconds over last night.

Tomorrow will have a chance of showers, mainly before 7am. Mostly cloudy 🌦, with a high of 47 degrees at 12pm. Six degrees above normal, which is similiar to a typical day around November 19th. West wind 9 to 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. A year ago, we had mostly cloudy skies. The high last year was 46 degrees. The record high of 63 was set in 2009. 5.2 inches of snow fell back in 1893.❄

On Saturday I went for a hike out at Schodack Island State Park. I hiked down the main trail to the old ice house smoke stack, then over to the Shodack Creek overlook. There was a ton of hunters in the woods so I stayed on the main trails not to bother the hunters. I don’t know I don’t think it’s fun to hunt when you can see two other hunters in the woods. While I’m sure it was good hunting being an island and there was a lot of deer prints around but at this point I’m sure most of bucks are harvested. I had blaze orange hoodie on but I probably would have gone somewhere else where there wasn’t so many hunters in the woods next time. At one point I spotted three hunters within a short distance there. Apparently it’s shotgun not just bow there.

I decided to buy the USB 3.0 Hub. As expected it worked fine. I think it was a good deal. Not too overpackaged, although I would have preferred a cardboard to a plastic tray inside and the recyclable online order bag it came in was a bit unnecessary.🔌 It does seem like the Bluetooth dongle though doesn’t work very well – I ended up plugging that into the laptop directly to get the headphones working well for the short time I was watching a pre downloaded YouTube video from bed. 🎥 I’m really not that much of a YouTube fan.

Stocked up on lots of groceries at Walmart. I ended up spending like $66 but then again I now have a lot of food, probably enough for two to three weeks with some additional things when I run out next week – probably no more than $20. 🍖🍍One thing I like about Walmart is that they have lots of bulk packages and things tend to be less packaged and less costly on a per serving basis than many of the regular grocery stores. As I don’t have trash pickup where I live and I have to pay as I throw at the transfer station, I always try to minimize my waste.🚮 Plus it’s good for the environment too. 🌎

Leaving Walmart a lady flagged me down with a stalled car in the middle of the road. I stopped and looked at her car and she asked me for a jump start. I pulled over and looked at it getting out and I looked and her car was pouring coolant on the pavement.😮 I think she may have siezed her engine. I guess I should have given her a jump but I said with that much coolant loss, she really should get it towed. Maybe it would have made her happier to jump it but I didn’t want to blow a fuse and being in the middle of the parking lot I was worried about getting hit myself with shoppers trying to pass me in the lot.💥 Maybe I should have tried jump it but I doubt it would have helped her but maybe I would have felt less guilty about leaving her while she waited for the tow truck. But it was getting dark, I was tired after hiking.

Despite buying a ton of food, I ended up just reheating lasagna leftovers that I had taken home from the previous weeks Sunday dinner.🍛 It was already thawed out from earlier and I was tired and really had no place for it in the freezer.

While I’ve installed Android Studio on my laptop before, this weekend on Saturday night I wrote my first actually useful Android app. 💻 Works great, once I figured out that you had to put your phone in PTP mode for it to be recognized by Android Studio and that there is a special setting you have to use to allow Android Studio to work off line, as I lack internet at home besides my phone which doesn’t teather to my laptop. 💡 Writing my own app means that I can create auto pearing with the Bluetooth and big simple easy to use buttons to control the light and brightness in ways I find most useful. Next with be to do the colored warm white / cold white lights I have on the other side of the room once I get that board rebuilt with the ESP 32 microprocessor that has Bluetooth built in. Just waiting for more of those boards from AliExpress. Maybe I’ll work on that over the Christmas holiday.

Spent some more time reading about Off-Grid Living. Maybe I’m not quite willing to do tiny house but it’s interesting to learn more about the lifestyle. 🏡 As a tinkerer and somebody who enjoys working with electronics and camping in the wilderness, it has a lot of appeal to me.⚡ Reading and dreaming makes it easier to save more money where ever I can. It would be great to be as energy independent as possible and live as close to nature with out all the modern ways of doing things.

Continuing to work on updating weather data on the blog. With the year coming to a close now that it’s December, ☔ I’ve been working on updating and further automating the weather records for the blog. I need to update all the record highs for the year, etc. Plus NOAA has changed the format they are doing the past yeas days conditions in so I have to update that in the records too.

Thinking about heading out of town next week. I am thinking taking 4-5 days to head out either to Chenango County or maybe the Finger Lakes. Both areas with the recent warm weather are mostly snow free and next weekend and the days around it looks to be sunny but fairly cool but it’s December.⛺ Probably hot tent with the heater which is always fun. Nothing like a very cold and still morning sitting out with a hot cup of coffee ☕ next to the heater. Maybe leave Friday and return Tuesday, a that looks like the best weather days in the Finger Lakes but things often change for the worse. Monday and Tuesday the woods would be free of deer hunters so I could have more solitude for small game hunting and even just going for a walk especially if it’s nice and sunny. 😎 Plus lots of solar power for camping. It’s been so dark and gray lately, I’d love some time in the woods with some blue skies.

Had Sunday Dinner at the folks. Stuffed peppers were good. Probably ate too much but it was a treat. 🍝I’ve cut all sweets except for blueberries and natural fruits out from home, and no more alcohol so it’s not terrible for a treat once and while. It was a nice walk in the fog after getting home so I burned a few calories.🏃 I’ve been trying to walk more these days. Fog wasn’t terrible driving home, the headlights work so much better now they are adjusted. For the heck of it I left the truck cap light on in my truck while eating desert and I panicked as I thought the low voltage shutoff had kicked in but no it just very foggy at my parents house.

Continuing to work on my neice’s Christmas gift. After painting the glass marbles with glow in the dark paint the hardware part is done but I want to write more color routines before I seal it up and finish it. Maybe next weekend if I’m home. Only like four weeks or maybe less until Christmas now. 🎄

Looking ahead, next weekend may be somewhat cool with 7 degrees below normal but otherwise sunny. 😀 Next Saturday, mostly sunny, with a high near 29. Next Sunday, partly sunny, with a high near 34. Typical average high for the weekend is 38 degrees. Still might be a great weekend to get out of town.

In four weeks on December 30 the sun will be setting at 4:31 pm,🌄 which is 8 minutes and 44 seconds later then tonight. In 2017 on that day, we had snow, cloudy skies and temperatures between 16 and -3 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 32 and 16 degrees. The record high of 53 degrees was set back in 1984.

Looking ahead, Earliest Sunset of the Year ⌛️ is in 1 weeks, Festivus 🍖 is in 3 weeks, Ground Hog Day 🐻 is in 2 months, Daylight Savings Time 🌆 is in 14 weeks, St. Patrick’s Day 🍀 is in 15 weeks, 7:30 PM Sunset 🌇 is in 18 weeks, Palm Sunday 🌴 is in 19 weeks, Easter 🐰 is in 20 weeks, Cinco de Mayo 🤠 is in 22 weeks, Mothers Day 👩‍ is in 23 weeks and Fathers Day 👨 is in 28 weeks. A lot of big Sunday holidays next year.

I’m tired. The red lights in my apartment have done their job making me sleepy. Good night.