Good evening! Mostly cloudy and 37 degrees in Albany on the old 787 taking the bus home. ☁ Believe it or not, it is a 30 foot Gillig bus with the strange sideways seats and what sounds like a broken strut. There is a northwest breeze at 10 mph. 🍃. Just some rather sad looking piles of snow remain. ☃ Frosty would not approve of this message. Temperatures will drop below freezing at around 8 pm. ☃️

Tonight will be mostly cloudy 🌥, with a low of 27 degrees at 6am. Typical for tonight. Northwest wind 5 to 9 mph becoming light. In 2017, we had clear skies. It got down to 18 degrees. The record low of -10 occurred back in 1875.

Tonight will have a Waning Crescent Moon 🌘 with 48% illuminated with the moon rising at 11:31 pm. The moon will rise at 12:00 am. The New Moon is next Thursday with a chance of snow showers. The Cold Moon 🌝 is on Friday, December 21st. The sun will rise at 7:04 am with the first light at 6:32 am, which is one minute and 6 seconds later than yesterday. 🌄 Tonight will have 14 hours and 41 minutes of darkness, an increase of one minute and 28 seconds over last night.

Tomorrow will have a chance of rain and snow showers, mainly after 3pm. Mostly cloudy 🌧, with a high of 36 degrees at 1pm. Six degrees below normal, which is similiar to a typical day around December 14th. Light and variable wind. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Little or no snow accumulation expected. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies with more clouds in the afternoon. The high last year was 45 degrees. The record high of 67 was set in 1933. 7.1 inches of snow fell back in 1972.❄

So the story of my life is that the lights in my office remain broken, 💡 they still haven’t gotten the 277 volt feed fixed so its just the 120 volt desk lamp after dark. Fortunately today was a bright and sunny afternoon, well relatively speaking. I mean I think I saw the sun for a few minutes. Rare things these days even by November standards. I guess the darkness wasn’t that bad and honestly I was so busy with work I didn’t really notice the lack of light.

The skies cleared and today’s lunch hour walk was on the Empire State Plaza. 🏦 Nice walk but it was a bit cold. Still the fresh air was nice for a change. That said I’m starting to learn all the publicity available tunnels and nooks in the plaza to make the walk a little more varied. You got to mix it up from time to time. 🏃

Despite the crash on 787, I’m crawling slowly out of the city. 🚗🚙🚚🚓🚒🚌 I will get home eventually assuming the broken strut on the bus doesn’t leave us broken down along the road. Only the finest buses are sent out to Voorheesville. Sometimes you have to wish you had just taken the local home although Delaware gets backed up too. Sometimes I don’t miss working late, it makes the commute home faster if you leave work right before the bus leaves. Sucks though when you have to wait 45 minutes for the next bus home.

Glad the teeth cleaning and truck inspection are done. Those were the big orders of business this week. Tomorrow is Friday which is nice and I think it will be a quiet weekend for me.

Saturday continues to look nice but not so much for Sunday. 😕 Saturday, a slight chance of rain after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 39. Light and variable wind. Chance of precipitation is 20%. Sunday, showers likely, mainly before 1pm. Cloudy, with a high near 47. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible. Typical average high for the weekend is 41 degrees. Not a terrible but not a banner weekend either. I don’t know if I will head out of town. I’m leaning against it.

In four weeks on December 27 the sun will be setting at 4:28 pm,🌄 which is 5 minutes and 30 seconds later then tonight. In 2017 on that day, we had partly cloudy skies and temperatures between 17 and -4 degrees. It was cold last year. Typically, you have temperatures between 32 and 17 degrees. The record high of 60 degrees was set back in 1895.

Looking ahead, Latest Sunrise of the Winter 🌄️ is in 5 weeks, 36th Birthday 🎉 is in 2 months, Valentines Day ❤️ is in 11 weeks, Spring 🌷 is in 16 weeks, Average High is 50 🌸 is in 17 weeks, Average High is 60 🌼 is in 20 weeks, Average High is 70 🐮 is in 24 weeks, Independence Day 🇺🇸 is in 31 weeks and August 🌻 is in 35 weeks.

Good evening! Partly cloudy or maybe more like mostly cloudy this evening in Colonie as I head to pick up my pick up truck on the CDTA Route 1. ☁ Breezy, ️17 mph breeze from the west-northwest 🌬 with gusts up to 31 mph 💨💨💨. It wouldn’t be a half bad late November evening, if not for the wind. Going to be cold though walking up Wolf Road in a few minutes. Snow has bit the bucket locally. Temperatures will drop below freezing at tomorrow around 8 pm. ☃️

Tonight will have a chance of rain and snow showers, mainly before 8pm. Mostly cloudy 🌧, with a low of 33 degrees at 3am. Five degrees above normal, which is similiar to a typical night around November 12th. Northwest wind 14 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 29 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Little or no snow accumulation expected. In 2017, we had mostly cloudy skies. It got down to 28 degrees. The record low of 3 occurred back in 1875.

Big Red passed his inspection, so that’s one less thing to worry about. I didn’t think it would fail but you never know. 🚗 I don’t drive much in the winter but the inspection sticker now is good for a while. Bar any surprises, I think Big Red will be good for a while. Maybe in the spring have an oil change done but that can go a while if I’m not driving much.

Traffic is fairly backed up on Central Avenue tonight, 🚙🚚🚗🚓🚕🚒🚐🚌 although I guess it’s rush hour and that’s to be expected. I’m not driving, and the dealer doesn’t close until eight so I’m not concerned. Warm inside the bus at the least.

Tonight will have a Last Quarter with 59% illuminated with the moon rising at 10:20 pm. The moon will set at 12:36 am. The Last Quarter Moon will be tonight. The Cold Moon 🌝 is on Friday, December 21st. The sun will rise at 7:03 am with the first light at 6:32 am, which is one minute and 6 seconds later than yesterday. 🌄 Tonight will have 14 hours and 40 minutes of darkness, an increase of one minute and 32 seconds over last night.

Tomorrow will be partly sunny 🌞, with a high of 41 degrees at 12pm. One degree below normal, which is similiar to a typical day around December 1st. Northwest wind 13 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph. It will be a nice day except maybe for the breeze. That might make it feel a bit cold but still it’s a change from times of recent. A year ago, we had mostly cloudy skies. The high last year was 56 degrees. The record high of 66 was set in 2005. 3.3 inches of snow fell back in 1945.❄

Right now, a split verdict on the weekend. 😕 Saturday, a chance of showers after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 40. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Sunday, rain likely. Cloudy, with a high near 52. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Typical average high for the weekend is 41 degrees.

Maybe I’ll head out of town on Saturday it’s certainly going to be quite mild and the ice threat has declined.⛺ I’d have to figure out where I would want to go. If not there is certainly things I can work on locally. Rifle season is almost over so I can have the woods back again. 🌲

Still thinking about that USB 3.0 hub. I might stop at Staples later on. That hub would sure be convenient especially now that I have more and more USB devices. 🔌 It’s a good price but it’s still $30 and I hate buying more material stuff. I could get a cheap Chinese thing from Aliexpress but I want something that will last. Everything seems to use USB these days, which I guess is a good thing.

Tomorrow is my dental cleaning at 7:50 am. Bright and early. 😁 I don’t plan to go to the library tonight but instead plan to read and retire to bed, maybe after laying out another electronics project on the breadboard. I’m tired and I will retire to bed early. It’s been warm enough that I’ve been turning the heat way down in the day time but if I’m cold this evening, I’ll probably cue up the electric heat.😮 I’ve also heard that getting an electric blanket is a good, relatively efficient way to stay warm in the winter while keeping the heat low. I’m sure once I own my cabin and land with a good wood supply, I’ll probably keep things a lot warmer. 🔥

In four weeks on December 26 the sun will be setting at 4:28 pm,🌄 which is 4 minutes and 25 seconds later then tonight. In 2017 on that day, we had snow, partly cloudy skies and temperatures between 22 and 8 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 33 and 18 degrees. The record high of 59 degrees was set back in 1895.

Looking ahead, Boxing Day 🥊 is in 4 weeks, 4:30 PM Sunset 🌆 is a month away, National Cheese Lovers Day 🧀 is in 8 weeks, National Pie Day 🍰 is in 8 weeks, 7 PM Sunset 🌆 is in 15 weeks, Average High is 50 🌸 is in 4 months, May 🕊 is in 22 weeks, 8:30 PM Sunset ️⛱️ is in 27 weeks and Inauguration Day 2021 👴🏻 is in 112 weeks.

Good evening! Cloudy and 33 degrees in Delmar. ☁ There is a west breeze at 10 mph. 🍃. There is a dusting of snow on the ground. The slop melted off the roads but still some if left on the ground. Temperatures will drop below freezing at tomorrow around 2 am. ☃️

Tonight will have a chance of rain and snow showers before midnight, then a chance of snow showers. Cloudy 🌧, with a low of 32 degrees at 3am. Four degrees above normal, which is similiar to a typical night around November 16th. West wind 8 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. Total nighttime snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible. In 2017, we had clear skies with more clouds in the early hours of the next day. It got down to 18 degrees. The record low of 6 occurred back in 1951.

Tonight will have a Waning Gibbous Moon 🌖 with 70% illuminated. The moon will set at 11:58 am. The Last Quarter Moon will be tomorrow with a slight chance of snow showers then mostly cloudy skies. The Cold Moon 🌝 is on Friday, December 21st. The sun will rise at 7:02 am with the first light at 6:30 am, which is one minute and 8 seconds later than yesterday. 🌄 Tonight will have 14 hours and 38 minutes of darkness, an increase of one minute and 34 seconds over last night.

Tomorrow will have a chance of snow showers before 4pm, then a slight chance of rain and snow showers. Cloudy 🌦, with a high of 38 degrees at 11am. Five degrees below normal, which is similiar to a typical day around December 8th. Northwest wind 10 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible. A year ago, we had mostly cloudy skies, clearing in the afternoon. The high last year was 45 degrees. The record high of 68 was set in 1990. 6 inches of snow fell back in 1985.❄

Tomorrow Big Red gets his state inspection while I’m at work. I’m hopeful it will go well, but you never know. If something needs to get fixed it will get fixed. 🚗 I don’t have any bulbs out and everything seems fine but you never know.

As you can see, I finish my Bluetooth controlled light over my bed. It’s plenty bright with the thicker wire if I turn it up all the way. :idea:Everything works perfectly. My next step is to write a custom Android app to use with it. I have the Android Studio and a template app but I apparently have to update something where I have internet access to actually load the app in the IDE. I also have to upgrade the other lamp driver I built last winter to the esp32 chip so it has Bluetooth and they can talk. Winter project. I like coding and working with the soldering iron, especially now that I’m getting better at soldering and laying out components.

Thursday is the bright and early day 😁 with my 7:55 am dentist appointment. I should have nice clean teeth after that. I was surprised that the dentist didn’t send me a text reminder but I confirmed it on my phone.

They still haven’t fixed the 277 volt feed in my office so there are no overhead lights which makes the afternoons and evenings very dark 💡even with the desk lamp. I’m sure it will get fixed soon.

I tried to catch the express bus down at the concourse but it had already left by the time I got there. 🚌 Then I ran back to Eagle and State but the bus didn’t stop and ended up catching it at the comptroller’s building. Annoying but now I know with the slow elevators it’s not worthwhile to try to get the bus anywhere but South Swan. Too dark and dangerous to walk down to the old railroad station to catch the bus this time of year. 🌌

Right now, a split verdict on the weekend. 😕 Saturday, a chance of rain after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 40. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Sunday, rain likely, mainly after 1pm. Cloudy, with a high near 47. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Typical average high for the weekend is 41 degrees. Warmer but not a banner weekend.

In four weeks on December 25 the sun will be setting at 4:27 pm,🌄 which is 3 minutes and 19 seconds later then tonight. In 2017 on that day, we had snow, heavy fog, freezing fog, mist, squalls, partly cloudy skies and temperatures between 33 and 17 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 33 and 18 degrees. The record high of 66 degrees was set back in 1889.

Looking ahead, Christmas 🎅 is in 4 weeks, New Years Day 2019 🎉 is in 5 weeks, National Bird Day 🐦 is in 7 weeks, 36th Birthday 🎂 is in 9 weeks, Arbor Day 🌳 is in 5 months, Memorial Day 🇺🇸 is in 6 months, Last Sunset After 8:30 PM 🌆 is in 33 weeks and Election Day 2020 🗳️ is in 101 weeks.

Good evening! Pretty heavy and 40 degrees here in Delmar. ☔ There is a east-southeast breeze at 11 mph. 🍃. The snow locally has bit the bucket or something like that. ️Temperatures will drop below freezing at Wednesday around 4 am. ☃️

Dark day at office because apparently a breaker tripped or a mouse chewed through the wires for the overhead lights. 🐭 I had a light for my desk but with the rain and clouds, and early setting sun it felt like I was working in a creepy office workers office, usually sought out by obscure power brokers. I can assure my day was less exciting than that, just lots of spreadsheets and a hour long lunch break walking in the Empire Plaza. 🏃

Tonight will rain before 3am, then rain and snow likely. 🌧 Low of 35 degrees at 5am. Seven degrees above normal, which is similiar to a typical night around November 3rd. East wind 7 to 11 mph becoming west after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible. In 2017, we had cloudy skies with some clearing in the early hours of the next day. It got down to 23 degrees. The record low of 8 occurred back in 1957.

Dark commute home tonight on the expressway. It’s always so dark looking out from the lit up bus out to the very dark world outside. 🚍 Bus was a bit late which is a change with the new routing through the plaza, but maybe the driver got held up with traffic. Just drizzle at the bus stop, picked up in Delmar. Looks like their is a crash on the end of the old 787 but that’s pretty common during wet weather. At any rate we moving, and I’m not driving. I expect only to be home a few minutes later.

I’m a bit tired. 💤It wasn’t a terribly long day but it’s a five day week and it’s only Monday. I do have some more vacation time to take off before the end of the year but I want to reserve that for nice weather.

I am going to work on some soldering projects and then do some reading when I get home. 📕 Looking forward to the quiet evening. Probably too wet for the evening walk or the library.💦 But I don’t care, I got my steps in today. At six thirty, I’ll probably listen to Marketplace, as the financial news really is all I care about news wise this year. The rest is either just stupid or depressing.

It turns out that Reszin had some help earlier in the evening, and they are now paying for the folding service, 📬 so they didn’t need extra help with folding the newsletter. Once I get the PDF of the newsletter from Lynne, I’ll post it to Facebook. It’s saving postage that in 2018 Save the Pine Bush is now sending more and more of their newsletter out electronically.

Tonight will have a Waning Gibbous Moon 🌖 with 80% illuminated with the moon rising at 8:00 pm. The moon will set at 11:13 am. The Last Quarter Moon is on Wednesday night with a slight chance of snow showers. The Cold Moon 🌝 is on Friday, December 21st. The sun will rise at 7:01 am with the first light at 6:29 am, which is one minute and 9 seconds later than yesterday. 🌄 Tonight will have 14 hours and 37 minutes of darkness, an increase of one minute and 38 seconds over last night.

Tomorrow will rain and snow showers likely before 11am, then a chance of rain showers. Cloudy 🌦, with a high of 40 degrees at 1pm. Three degrees below normal, which is similiar to a typical day around December 4th. West wind 6 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 29 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible. A year ago, we had cloudy skies. The high last year was 43 degrees. The record high of 66 was set in 1896. 4.8 inches of snow fell back in 1940.❄ All I can say about tomorrow’s forecast is that it’s not going to be a big snow event here in the city. Wednesday also doesn’t look half bad for getting my truck to the dealer to get state inspected.

I’m actually quite satisfied with the current weekend forecast. Saturday, partly sunny, with a high near 41. Sunday, a chance of rain. Cloudy, with a high near 45. Chance of precipitation is 50%. Typical average high for the weekend is 41 degrees.😺 Maybe not perfect for starting off the month of December but it’s an improvement from the weather lately. You have to take the hand delt to you from God.

In four weeks on December 24 the sun will be setting at 4:27 pm,🌄 which is 2 minutes and 12 seconds later then tonight. In 2017 on that day, we had snow, mostly cloudy skies and temperatures between 36 and 26 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 33 and 18 degrees. The record high of 72 degrees was set back in 2015.

Looking ahead, 7:15 AM Sunrise ⌛️ is in 2 weeks, Boxing Day 🥊 is a month away, New Years Eve 🎆 is in 5 weeks, Coldest Week of the Year 🌬 is in 7 weeks, Martin Luther King Day 🖤 is in 8 weeks, 5:30 PM Dusk 🌆 is in 2 months, Presidents Day 👴 is in 12 weeks, Average High is 40 ☀️ is in 14 weeks, April Fools Day 🤡 is in 18 weeks, Tax Day 💰 is in 20 weeks, Earth Day 🌎 is in 21 weeks, Memorial Day 🇺🇸 is in 26 weeks, July 🏊🏿 is in 31 weeks and Last Sunset After 8 PM 🌆 is in 37 weeks.

Good evening! Foggy and 34 degrees in Delmar. 🌁 The fog is mostly above the ground, noticeable but didn’t really impact my drive home. Calm wind. There is a inch of snow on the ground. ☃ ️Temperatures will drop below freezing at tomorrow around 1 am. ☃️

Tonight will have patchy fog before 1am, then patchy fog after 3am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy 🌁, with a low of 32 degrees at 2am. Three degrees above normal, which is similiar to a typical night around November 16th. Calm wind. In 2017, we had cloudy skies. It got down to 35 degrees. The record low of -11 occurred back in 1938.

I got working on a soldering project and ended up missing my evening walk. Too bad, despite the fog, it seems like a pretty decent evening. 😑 I also took my laptop apart so when I decide to go for the ssd hard drive expansion I should be able to do it. I was concerned it might be difficult to disassemble the laptop without the plastic snaps but that turned out not to be an issue. A bigger problem is that I discovered that the laptop is missing screws and the ones I have around won’t fix, so I am going to have to order them.

Tonight will have a Waning Gibbous Moon 🌖 with 89% illuminated. The moon will set at 10:21 am. The Last Quarter Moon is on Wednesday night with mostly cloudy skies. The Cold Moon 🌝 is on Friday, December 21st. The sun will rise at 6:59 am with the first light at 6:28 am, which is one minute and 9 seconds later than yesterday. 🌄 Tonight will have 14 hours and 35 minutes of darkness, an increase of one minute and 41 seconds over last night.

Tomorrow will have a slight chance of rain and snow before 10am, then rain. Patchy fog before 9am. 🌧 High of 42 degrees at 3pm. Two degrees below normal, which is similiar to a typical day around November 29th. Southeast wind 3 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. Little or no snow accumulation expected. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies with more clouds in the afternoon. The high last year was 46 degrees. The record high of 67 was set in 1979. 9.6 inches of snow fell back in 2014.❄

Doesn’t look like it will be wet to start out the day, ☔ but I’m going to want my rain coat for later. I may swing by Resins house later on to help with folding the newsletter 📬 and getting that ready to mail.

It looks so nice and clean now that I cleaned up and organized by the heaters and cleaned off my desk and dressers. 🐷 Too warm for the electric heat but when it gets cold again I should be able to turn it on without worrying. Next thing I should tackle is the closet as I noticed that has become increasingly disorganized. 👕

Right now, a split verdict on the weekend. 😕 Saturday, partly sunny, with a high near 38. Sunday, a chance of rain and snow. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 42. Chance of precipitation is 50%. Typical average high for the weekend is 41 degrees. I might head north on Saturday or somewhere else, but I am a bit concerned about the risk of ice up north on Sunday.

In four weeks on December 23 the sun will be setting at 4:26 pm,🌄 which is one minute and 6 seconds later then tonight. In 2017 on that day, we had freezing rain, cloudy skies and temperatures between 36 and 25 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 33 and 19 degrees. The record high of 64 degrees was set back in 1990.

Looking ahead, First Sunday of Advent ✝️ is in 1 weeks, Earliest Sunset of the Year ⌛️ is in 2 weeks, Festivus 🍖 is in 4 weeks, Christmas Eve 🌲 is a month away, Christmas 🎅 is a month away, 5 PM Sunset 🌆 is in 2 months, Daylight Savings Time 🌆 is in 15 weeks, St. Patrick’s Day 🍀 is in 16 weeks, 7:30 PM Sunset 🌇 is in 19 weeks, Palm Sunday 🌴 is in 20 weeks, Easter 🐰 is in 21 weeks, Cinco de Mayo 🤠 is in 23 weeks, Mothers Day 👩‍ is in 24 weeks and Fathers Day 👨 is in 29 weeks.

I better get some sleep as a busy day is ahead of me tomorrow. 👔

Good evening! I hope you had a good Buy Nothing Day. I enjoyed my 10 plus mile walk around town, didn’t drive anywhere.🏃 Mostly clear and 25 degrees in Delmar. There is a south breeze at 7 mph. 🍃. There is about an inch of of snow on the ground. ☃ ️Things will start to thaw out at tomorrow around 10 am. 🌡️

Tonight will be partly cloudy 🌤, with a low of 19 degrees at 9pm. 10 degrees below normal, which is similiar to a typical night around December 21st. Maximum wind chill around 13 at 6pm; South wind 3 to 8 mph. In 2017, we had mostly cloudy skies with some clearing in the early hours of the next day. It got down to 29 degrees. The record low of 7 occurred back in 2000.

Tonight will have a Waning Gibbous Moon 🌖 with 99% illuminated with the moon rising at 5:12 pm. The moon will set at 8:14 am. The Last Quarter Moon is on Wednesday night with mostly cloudy skies. The Cold Moon 🌝 is in 4 weeks. The sun will rise at 6:57 am with the first light at 6:26 am, which is one minute and 11 seconds later than yesterday. 🌄 Tonight will have 14 hours and 32 minutes of darkness, an increase of one minute and 47 seconds over last night.

Tomorrow will have a chance of rain, mainly after 4pm. Increasing clouds ⛅, with a high of 39 degrees at 1pm. Five degrees below normal, which is similiar to a typical day around December 6th. South wind 5 to 8 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 with some clearing in the afternoon. The high last year was 48 degrees. The record high of 70 was set in 2014. 8.8 inches of snow fell back in 1898.❄

Looking ahead to Sunday, a chance of rain, mainly before 10am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 45.☁ West wind around 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. Typical average high for the weekend is 44 degrees.

I had a nice Thanksgiving Dinner last night. My parents cooked it up nicely like they do every year.🍗 Turkey and all the fixings. Then they had apple pie. Nice evening but I kept feeling cool. I don’t know if I got chilled through while I was walking at Five Rivers earlier in the day. I spent 45 minutes hiking, nearly alone at Five Rivers on Thanksgiving, 🏃it was clear that not many people were willing to brave the sub-zero windchills on Thanksgiving despite people’s desire for a pre-turkey trot. While I was at my parents house, I was able to plug my laptop directly into their router, which helped me update the kernel on the laptop so it’s back online.📡

Even had a glass of wine with dinner, which it’s the first in the long time since I stopped drinking alcohol a while back.🍷 Maybe come camping season again I’ll have a beer or two in the wilderness but alcohol is so expensive these days, and my budget. 🍺Plus I am increasingly concerned about the health risks with drinking alcohol, such as cancer but also including addiction and injury from intoxication. I can go to bar after work and take public transit home, but I still I don’t like drinking with all the risks and costs.

Last night was a nice drive home. Lots of moonlight with the full moon, salt on the roads, and white snow made the landscape very bright for driving, making the headlights of oncoming cars not so bright or obnoxious. 🌝Plus ever since adjusting my headlights so they point at the road, I find that I am not looking as much at the headlights of oncoming cars, as my lane is plenty bright with the lows pointed where they can be useful. I wouldn’t mind driving on rural roads nearly as much if all evenings where like last night. Urban roads don’t bother me much but rural driving at night is hard.

The upstairs baseboard electric heat remains turned off because last night checking it for hazards out I noticed a paper wasps nest in it. 🐝 When I got back from North Syracuse, I noticed a bunch of dead wasps around and a handful of live ones. Nothing the vacuum couldn’t fix. But I have to move my dresser tomorrow and get in there with a vacuum. Without the bedroom electric heat boosting the gas heat downstairs, my bedroom drops to the low fifties at night. That’s fine for sleeping but I like how fast the electric can make my bedroom warm when waking up or getting home on a cold night. I try to bundle up and conserve heat but sometimes it’s nice to not be cold all of the time.

I went for a nice walk of over 10 miles around town today. I started out walking from my place near the Bethlehem High School down to the Port of Albany, via Delaware Avenue then the Albany County Rail Trail. 🏃This time I walked all the way down through the gorge to the parking lot next to the Center for Disabilities Services. From there, I hiked 5 ½ miles west to the Slingerlands Railroad bridge over New Scotland Avenue then back home via Cherry and Elm. Nice walk. Didn’t have to burn a drop of gasoline either,⛽ just some shoe leather going for the walk. Helped burn off some calories from turkey day, and is helping to build up more muscle and energy after those long weeks in North Syracuse. A little bit stiff and sore now. 💪When I’m back to work downtown, I am going to make it a priority, at least on non-session days, to do laps in the concourse and state museum to burn calories and increase strength.

I thought about heading out of town, but I never really made a decision last night/yesterday about heading out of town. ⛺ I really didn’t feel like driving anywhere if I wasn’t going to spend the night up in the wilderness. Kind of cool day for camping, but I’ve certainly done it on colder nights. I thought about it but locally it’s Big Game Season and I didn’t want to interrupt hunters dragging gear back, and up north there is still a lot of snow. ❄Plus, I’m trying to save money, as I still am thinking of buying the SSD drive, and that’s going to be a $150 when figure in tax and shipping – maybe a little less with holiday sales but I am not hopeful. Money is tight, and staying home saves money and miles on the truck.

I don’t plan to drive more then about 1,000 miles over the next four months. I did less then 1,000 miles last winter. 🚘 I am quite happy walking around the neighborhood and taking public transit to my destination. Most of the winter I expect to do no more most weeks then a Sunday trip to the grocery store, and then out to my parents house, maybe stopping along the way for a brief hiking or ski.🏂 Once or twice hot tent in the wilderness. Or truck cap camp if we have some snow free days. 🌇 My truck is going on 80,000 miles at this point, and I really want to try get at least three more years out of it – through 2022 – so I am trying to save miles on it whenever possible. Plus I am sure things will need expensive repairs in the coming years, especially once my truck crosses the 100,000 mile mark. I think rust and suspension wear with the big tires will wear things out before the miles.

I ordered a 12 VDC 5 amp power supply for the warm white LED strip I am going to mount over my bed. I went for a more expensive, UL laboratory certified, quality power supply🔌 as I didn’t want something that would pose a fire risk, especially so close to my bed. The difference between a cheap 5 amp supply and a quality one was like $5, and the more expensive one is certified to be more energy efficient.

Once I get the power adapter, I will put together an Arduino Nano board with Bluetooth board and a transistor to drive the warm white LED strip over my bed. :idea:For now I will control it with my phone📱 but the plan is eventually to have it talking to the colored LEDs on the other side of the room, which will be eventually upgraded and controlled by a ESP32 board which will have better PWM for mixing light and the Bluetooth to talk across the room with. It’s a good winter project.

In four weeks on December 21 the sun will be setting at 4:25 pm,🌄 which is one minute and 6 seconds earlier then tonight. In 2017 on that day, we had snow, mostly sunny skies and temperatures between 32 and 21 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 34 and 19 degrees. The record high of 59 degrees was set back in 1957.

Looking ahead, First Day of Winter ☃️ is in 4 weeks, Festivus 🍖 is a month away, 4:30 PM Sunset 🌆 is in 5 weeks, Winnie the Pooh Day 🍯 is in 8 weeks, National Cheese Lovers Day 🧀 is in 2 months, National Pie Day 🍰 is in 2 months, 5 PM Sunset 🌆 is in 9 weeks, March 🌨 is in 14 weeks, Ides of March ✝ is in 16 weeks, Memorial Day Weekend Starts 🏕️ is in 26 weeks and Dog Days of Summer 🌻 is in 32 weeks.