It’s a guess a spooky thing being October and Halloween in three weeks but whatever. Cold start to the morning but at least it’s clear and I’m out walking.

Good morning! Yeah, it’s Friday the 13th! Clear and 42 degrees in Delmar, NY. 🌞 There is a northwest breeze at 8 mph. 🍃.

Pumpkin – oatmeal pancakes 🥞 for breakfast. I also have a pot of rice and lentils cooking down 🍲 with lemon – pepper and garlic spice, I wanted a change from the split pea soup for lunch today. Yesterday dinner was tuna with spinach and whole wheat pasta. Haven’t had that in a while. 🐠 Always don’t like the carbs but the fatty fish with the healthy  omega-3 fats and vitamins and fiber from the spinach help balance that out. You need some fats to maximize fat-soluable vitamins. Also had a bit more kefir — it tastes like sour milk and is thick but it does help the stomach after all that pea soup I’ve been having the past few days.

Today will be sunny 🌞, with a high of 61 degrees at 3pm. Two degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around October 17th. Northwest wind 8 to 10 mph. A year ago, we had rain in the morning, which became light rain by afternoon. The high last year was 70 degrees. The record high of 81 was set in 1930. There was a dusting of snow in 1934.❄

Caught two mice this morning. 🐭 It’s been kind of bad this year though not uncommon as the cold weather approaches. Probably my kitchen is a good place with all the dropping I’ve missed from all the cooking I do plus all those yummie smells 😋 from bread baking and food on the stove top full of spices. Eventually I’ll get all the mice and things will get better. Usually happens around November. 🚫 Like a girl I ran outside with the second mouse I had with only a shirt and my boxers on, well oops. Not thinking, it’s cold! 😮  That mouse got away, but outside. I should have crushed him, but I was half awake and my face full of shaving cream when I heard him get stuck. Big and fat sucker too. 🐁 Maybe pregnant, which is why I wanted him gone before her babes got breaking into my food and chewing my wires and holes in the walls of my apartment. People are shocked I still stay in my dumpy apartment that I’ve had since I was a researcher 16 years ago, but it’s cheap and I like the location. Plus I’m home so rarely. I’ll put up with the mice and rotting door and all the broken shit I have.

Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:42 pm with sun having an altitude of 39.7° from the due south horizon (-31.1° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 7.2 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 5:40 pm with the sun in the west-southwest (254°). 📸 The sunset is in the west (260°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 6:18 pm after setting for 2 minutes and 56 seconds with dusk around 6:45 pm, which is one minute and 39 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 7:19 pm. At sunset, look for mostly clear skies 🌄 and temperatures around 56 degrees. There will be a west-northwest breeze at 10 mph. Tomorrow will have 11 hours and 11 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 2 minutes and 48 seconds over today.

Tonight will have increasing clouds ☁, with a low of 44 degrees at 4am. Two degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around October 8th. Northwest wind 5 to 8 mph. In 2022, we had rain in the evening, which became cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 42 degrees. The record low of 21 occurred back in 1958.

I was over at the dungeon yesterday, looking at all the snacks 🍬 in the break room realizing that there was nothing I could eat over there now that I’ve gotten into healthy eating. I’ll have to make sure to bring my own food over there in the future especially next year when I’ll probably spend a lot more time over there. Also yesterday I rode the elevator down one time for the first time since June as I had a meeting to go with a colleague but I did the stairs up and down like usual the rest of the day. Ridden back and forth to work so far three days this week for a total of 45 miles. 🚲 Today I plan to ride in but may take the bus 🚍 home in the evening.

Tomorrow will have a slight chance of rain after 2pm. Mostly cloudy 🌧, with a high of 59 degrees at 2pm. Three degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around October 22nd. North wind around 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. A year ago, we had rain in the morning, which became light rain by afternoon. The high last year was 67 degrees. The record high of 81 was set in 1920.

The weekend isn’t looking so bad at this point. 🤷‍♂️ But next week is still going to be quite cloudy and rainy, and much worse in West Virginia. 🌧 I definitely will be doing some riding this weekend. 🍏 I might ride out to Indian Ladder Farms and get some apples. I was thinking about going up to the Albany Pine Bush Preserve and then checking Salvation Army and Farmer India’s Market but I think I’m good for now. I might leave next week for West Virginia if the weather is good or possibly consider another trip, but I’m not going to take off time and get burned by the weather again this year. It’s the second time that this has happened in the past month, and it’s not fair to take off time then cancel it to the other director, lest she wants to take off time.

Looking ahead to Sunday, partly sunny, with a high near 57. ☀ North wind 9 to 13 mph. Typical average high for the weekend is 62 degrees. Maybe a bit cool with the breeze, but it’s October so I’ll take it. Where to go is the question? I don’t plan to camp this weekend as last weekend I did Rensselearville State Forest. Maybe somewhere closer to home. Not sure.

One month 📅 from now the be Average Night will be Below Freezing 🌌 when the sun will be setting at 4:36 pm with dusk at 5:05 pm (Standard Time). Average high will be 50 degrees with a low of 32. We loose one hour and 41 minutes of daylight over the next month.