Search Results for: photo packed up 3

Memorial Day 2023

I guess it’s official that the unofficial start of summer has begun. That said, my summer really doesn’t kick off until legislative session is done though I expect next weekend not to be super busy so I will be able to get out of town. I’m just looking forward to a long quiet weekend totally off-grid with no work concerns to think about or address.

Good morning! Talk about a beautiful Memorial Day. Sunny and 68 degrees at the Cole Hill State Forest. 🌞 There is a east breeze at 7 mph. πŸƒ. The dew point is 47 degrees.

I have to say it’s been nice hammock camping up at Cole Hill State Forest. β›Ί Only sixteen miles, two traffic lights and speed zones, 22 minutes to home. Sure beats fighting traffic on NY 30 to get home and unpacked. Very few black flies, a nice breeze and good meals 🍴 cooked over the campfire. πŸ”₯ I liked the simplicity of it all and the taste of the meals. Since I’ve gotten into healthy eating, the quality of food has improved enormously and I don’t mind the lack of hang overs at all.

Memorial Day will be sunny 🌞, with a high of 78 degrees at 3pm. Three degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around June 9th. Maximum dew point of 48 at 11am. East wind around 7 mph. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies in the morning with some clearing in the afternoon. The high last year was 80 degrees. The record high of 93 was set in 1931.

Not rushing to take down camp πŸŽ’ that said I don’t have that much gear to take down. I do want to have time to go for a stroll around the forest before heading home, unpacking and showering 🚿 before seeing my folks for Memorial Day. In the evening I might do a quick hike up Bennett Hill before heading home for the night. πŸŒƒ Then three session days this week, with only one likely late night on Wednesday and obviously the work picnic at six tomorrow. 🧺 I also have my doctors appointment for my yearly physical in the morning at 8:30 on the morning, I plan to leave by 7:45 am so excited can walk 🚢 there.

Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:55 pm with sun having an altitude of 68.8Β° from the due south horizon (-1.8Β° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 2.3 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour πŸ… starts at 7:44 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (294Β°). πŸ“Έ

I stayed up until after 11 pm last night πŸŒƒ but it was such a nice evening last night and I figured I could sleep in. Chicken, rice, onions, lentils, tomatoes in a wrap was dinner last night cooked over the fire. πŸ”₯ As you might have guessed, it was amazing. Lots of moonlight followed by stars ✨. Hiked 10 miles yesterday along the Long Path and truck trails, along with trips back and forth carrying food and supplies back and forth to the truck. πŸ›»

The sunset is in the west-northwest (301Β°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:26 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 22 seconds with dusk around 8:59 pm, which is 52 seconds later than yesterday. πŸŒ‡ At dusk you’ll see the Waxing Gibbous πŸŒ” Moon in the south (183Β°) at an altitude of 47Β° from the horizon, 246,793 miles away. πŸš€ The best time to look at the stars is after 9:43 pm. At sunset, look for clear skies πŸŒ„ and temperatures around 70 degrees. The dew point will be 49 degrees. There will be a southeast breeze at 9 mph. Today will have 15 hours and 6 minutes of daytime, an increase of one minute and 29 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will be mostly clear πŸŒƒ, with a low of 45 degrees at 5am. Eight degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around May 7th. Southeast wind around 10 mph. In 2022, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 55 degrees. The record low of 33 occurred back in 1967.

The beautiful weather keeps rolling into the weekend. β˜€ Saturday, mostly sunny, with a high near 76. Maximum dew point of 54 at 6am. Sunday, sunny, with a high near 78. Maximum dew point of 51 at 8pm. Typical average high for the weekend is 76 degrees. Fantastic. Not sure if it warrants a trip to the Adirondacks but I definitely want to be camping πŸ• and hiking somewhere fun and nice. Water temperature is still real cold. Truck cap camping again I’m planning on. It’s certainly more convenient that way.

Looking ahead, next Monday is 8:30 PM Sunset ️⛱️ with dusk at 9:05 pm. Nice! On that day in 2022, we had mostly sunny and temperatures between 77 and 47 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 77 degrees. We hit a record high of 97 back in 1925. Before my time.

Muddy, But Dramatic

May 14, 2023 7 AM Update

Happy Mothers Day! 🌷

As ol Merle Haggard would say, there are two kinds of Mothers. I’ve been called a mother before but I’ve not had any kids.

Good morning! Partly sunny and 43 degrees at the Cole Hill State Forest. 🌞 There is a north breeze at 9 mph. πŸƒ. Temperatures will drop below freezing at Thursday around 3 am. β˜ƒοΈ

Kind of a cold start to the morning πŸ₯Ά sleeping in the hammock. I wish I had brought more blankets but I survived. I wanted to go as minimally as possible and it gave me an excuse to get up and going at day break like I normally do.

Went for a nice walk to start the day, 🚢 roughly five miles after taking down camp. Hiked some of the Long Path and the trail around the swamp. Had a small fire πŸ”₯ last night, nothing major as I was wilderness camping and it was breezy though the flip side was there was an established fire pit there. Next time I go up there I’ll make sure to bring a chair as sitting on the stone I stacked wasn’t all that comfortable. No bugs but by morning it was pretty cold.

Today will be mostly sunny 🌞, with a high of 59 degrees at 3pm. 12 degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around April 15th. Northwest wind 9 to 11 mph. Going to be a cool day. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies in the morning with some clearing in the afternoon. It was somewhat humid. The high last year was 84 degrees. The record high of 93 was set in 1900.

The plan is to have a nice pan 🍳 of eggs πŸ₯š when I get home with lots of spinach and feta cheese and then get my clothes πŸ‘š unpacked from the wash yesterday, go to the car wash 🚿, get groceries, top of the tank in my truck, β›½ put the tire back on my truck πŸ›» and then maybe in the evening πŸŒƒ go for a walk. 🚢 Maybe just the town park or Five Rivers though I was thinking about Norman’s Kill Falls or maybe the Rail Trail to the Bender Mellon Preserve. πŸ‰

Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:54 pm with sun having an altitude of 66Β° from the due south horizon (-4.9Β° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 2.7 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour πŸ… starts at 7:30 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (290Β°). πŸ“Έ

I saw at the trailhead πŸ“„ somebody left a note about the passing of Forest Ranger Tom Edmunds. He used to patrol Burnt Rossman State Forest but I only met him once. I think he got transfered to Vermontville in the Northern Adirondacks a few years back. πŸ‹οΈ Just another reminder how short life can be and why it’s important to eat healthy and exercise.

The sunset is in the west-northwest (297Β°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:11 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 13 seconds with dusk around 8:42 pm, which is one minute and 4 seconds later than yesterday. πŸŒ‡ The best time to look at the stars is after 9:23 pm. At sunset, look for mostly clear skies πŸŒ„ and temperatures around 52 degrees. There will be a north-northwest breeze at 10 mph. Today will have 14 hours and 37 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 8 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will be mostly clear πŸŒƒ, with a low of 39 degrees at 5am. Nine degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around April 21st. Northwest wind 8 to 10 mph. In 2022, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became partly cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It was humid. It got down to 64 degrees. The record low of 31 occurred back in 1977.

I’m going to keep that campsite β›Ί in mind for Memorial Day Weekend in case I decide to do a quick overnight. Probably stay to close to home that holiday weekend as it depends on how much work I have to do. Hammock Camping is easy especially for a quick overnight. Next weekend is the Lupine Festival πŸ¦‹ and the first week of June if it’s nice I’ll either do Schoharie or Charles Baker and truck camp, especially if I have my bicycle 🚲 up and running by then. Second week of June I’ll probably be exhausted from work but I want to go with dad to the Gas Up, third weekend is Juneteenth Weekend and want to do four or five days at Piseco-Powley, taking off the Friday before Juneteenth Weekend so I can get the House Pond Campsite and if it’s more than three nights go up to Powley Place on the Sunday / Monday night when I can enjoy it without neighbors.

Looking ahead, there are 4 weeks until the Gas Up β›½ 🚜 when the sun will be setting at 8:35 pm with dusk at 9:08 pm. On that day in 2022, we had partly sunny and temperatures between 78 and 50 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 78 degrees. We hit a record high of 94 back in 1947.

 Reflection

May 9, 2023 Morning

Second gear of the week. βš™

Good morning! Happy Tuesday. Partly sunny 🌞 and 44 degrees in Delmar for the morning walk. Calm wind.

Up and going this morning. πŸ‘£ Only walked 5 ΒΎ miles yesterday but with session, the late running express bus, missing the morning express, laundromat and grocery shopping time was tight especially I still like to be in bed πŸ› by around nine 9⃣ to be up at six.

Today will be mostly sunny 🌞, with a high of 66 degrees at 3pm. Three degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around May 1st. North wind 3 to 8 mph. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies in the morning with sunny skies in the afternoon. The high last year was 75 degrees. The record high of 93 was set in 1979. 1.6 inches of snow fell back in 1977.❄

Should be a nice sunny day. ☺ A bit cooler than yesterday though. I’m out walking 🚢 a few minutes later then usual but it’s fine as I have to drop that wheel off at the shop to get the nail out and plugged at 8:30. Hell of it is the tire isn’t leaking and is maintaining pressure at 33 psi but I don’t think it’s good to be driving around with a nail in it. Pay day today. That’ll help.

Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:53 pm with sun having an altitude of 64.7Β° from the due south horizon (-6.1Β° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 2.8 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour πŸ… starts at 7:24 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (288Β°). πŸ“Έ

Another session day so I’ll be in the office 🏒 all day though I might sneak out for a midday walk 🚢. Then depending how late I get out from work I’ll probably go to the park or maybe Five Rivers. 🐦 Still waiting on bicycle 🚲 parts.

The sunset is in the west-northwest (295Β°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:04 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 11 seconds with dusk around 8:35 pm, which is one minute and 6 seconds later than yesterday. πŸŒ‡ The best time to look at the stars is after 9:15 pm. At sunset, look for mostly clear skies πŸŒ„ and temperatures around 58 degrees. There will be a north breeze at 5 mph. Today will have 14 hours and 27 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 18 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will be mostly clear πŸŒƒ, with a low of 39 degrees at 4am. Seven degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around April 21st. Funny how quickly things warm up with spring upon us. North wind around 5 mph becoming light and variable after midnight. In 2022, we had mostly clear skies. It got down to 39 degrees. The record low of 28 occurred back in 1958.

Mother’s Day Weekend still looks great. 🌷 Saturday, mostly sunny, with a high near 77. Maximum dew point of 54 at 8am. Sunday, partly sunny, with a high near 68. Maximum dew point of 43 at 8pm. I bet the tulip festival will be packed. Typical average high for the weekend is 71 degrees.

If I wasn’t going to be so busy this weekend πŸ€” it would be a great one to get out of town. I’m going to have Committee Agendas for work, hoping to . But I have a long list of things to do. πŸ¦‹ The following weekend is the Lupine Festival and then Memorial Day Weekend. Not sure sb

Looking ahead, there are 6 weeks until Primary Day πŸ—³οΈ when the sun will be setting at 8:38 pm with dusk at 9:11 pm. On that day in 2022, we had mostly sunny and temperatures between 82 and 47 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 81 degrees. We hit a record high of 97 back in 1953.

Thomas Cole from Camel's Hump

April 15, 2023 Morning

Good morning, Happy Saturday. 🌼

Spring is on its way or so the birds outside want us to believe. I told myself yesterday I was going to take it easy prior to my 20 mile hike today, but I guess 13 miles isn’t that far in the grand scheme of things. Didn’t walk out to Five Rivers but ended up doing laps on the Nature Trail at the Town Park.

Good morning! Partly clear and 58 degrees in Delmar, NY. 😎 Calm wind. The dew point is 42 degrees.

Breakfast is cooking, should be a good energy packed breakfast with eggs, spinach, kale, and vegetables. Wanted all day power if I’m planning to walk out to and up Blodgett Hill today, which should be over 20 miles when things are all said and done.

Today will have isolated showers after 2pm. Partly sunny 🌞, with a high of 79 degrees at 3pm. 20 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around June 12th. Maximum dew point of 53 at 6pm. Light and variable wind becoming south 8 to 13 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 20%. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. The high last year was 68 degrees. The record high of 86 was set in 2003. 2.4 inches of snow fell back in 2014.❄

Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:56 pm with sun having an altitude of 57.1° from the due south horizon (-13.7° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 3.9 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour πŸ… starts at 6:59 pm with the sun in the west (278°). πŸ“Έ The sunset is in the west-northwest (284°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 7:37 pm after setting for 2 minutes and 59 seconds with dusk around 8:06 pm, which is one minute and 9 seconds later than yesterday. πŸŒ‡ The best time to look at the stars is after 8:42 pm. At sunset, look for rain 🌧 and thunderstorms 🌩 and temperatures around 72 degrees. The dew point will be 53 degrees. There will be a south breeze at 9 mph. Today will have 13 hours and 25 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 47 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will be scattered showers and thunderstorms between 7pm and 2am, then isolated showers. Mostly cloudy 🌧, with a low of 57 degrees at 5am. 20 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around June 12th. Maximum dew point of 56 at 1am. South wind 5 to 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. In 2022, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became partly cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 37 degrees. The record low of 22 occurred back in 1981.

Looking ahead to next Saturday, it is Earth Day 🌎 when the sun will be setting at 7:46 pm with dusk at 8:14 pm. Good to know for the coal rollers. On that day in 2022, we had partly sunny and temperatures between 60 and 42 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 63 degrees. We hit a record high of 86 back in 1985.

West from Harvey Mountain

March 12, 2023 Evening

Good evening! Mostly cloudy and 40 degrees in Delmar for the evening walk. ☁ Calm wind. ️It’s quarter to eight and not pitch black out which is nice for a change.

I am a fan of the time change πŸ•’ even if I didn’t get out walking 🚢 early enough tonight to do it in the daylight after Sunday dinner with the folks house. 🍲 Homemade beef stew which was good but heavier than I eat recently. As much as I like dairy and meat I’ve been cutting way back for health and financial reasons.

After dinner I went to Walmart and stocked up on fruits and vegetables 🍏 πŸ₯¦ and unpacked. I was going to wash off my truck but I didn’t think I could get home without more salt splashing on it. πŸ’¦ I’ve only driven 40 miles since I washed it. Well if I have to drive anywhere this week I won’t have to worry about it getting dirty.

Tonight will be cloudy ☁, with a low of 32 degrees at 4am. Seven degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around April 2nd. Calm wind becoming south 5 to 8 mph after midnight. In 2022, we had light snow in the evening, which became cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 18 degrees. The record low of -6 occurred back in 1885.

Tonight will have a Waining Gibbous πŸŒ– Moon with 71% illuminated. The Worm πŸ› Moon is on Wednesday, March 29. The darkest hour is at 12:06 am, followed by dawn at 6:46 am, and sun starting to rise at 7:14 am in the east (94Β°) and last for 2 minutes and 54 seconds. Sunrise is one minute and 43 seconds earlier than yesterday. πŸŒ„ The golden hour ends at 7:52 am with sun in the east (100Β°). Tonight will have 12 hours and 10 minutes of darkness, a decrease of 2 minutes and 55 seconds over last night.

Tomorrow will snow likely before 9am, then rain and snow likely between 9am and noon, then rain after noon. 🌧 High of 40 degrees at 2pm. Four degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around March 2nd. Southeast wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible. A year ago, we had heavy snow in the morning, which became light snow by afternoon. The high last year was 34 degrees. The record high of 70 was set in 2012. 22 inches of snow fell back in 1993.❄

Will we get one more last hurrah for winter 🌨 before its done for the season on Monday evening into Tuesday? Who knows but I’m the first one to admit that my 54 day run of more than 10,000 steps may come to an end tomorrow. All things come to an end. That said I’m now thinking about taking a fifty mile hike this summer. The steps aren’t a problem – I do that many weeks but I would have to build up my back for carrying a pack. Plus I would have to plan a route and get used to doing more hills. I could camp in the hammock with a mosquito net. I’m hoping to shed some pounds this spring time.

In four weeks on April 9 the sun will be setting in the west-northwest (281Β°) at 7:31 pm,πŸŒ„ which is 32 minutes and 17 seconds later then tonight. In 2022 on that day, we had rain and temperatures between 52 and 36 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 56 and 34 degrees. The record high of 77 degrees was set back in 1991.

Looking ahead, tommorow is , Last Day of Winter πŸ‚ is Next Sunday, 7:30 PM Sunset πŸŒ‡ is in 4 weeks, Average High is 60 🌷 is in 5 weeks, 8 PM Sunset πŸŒ‡ is in 8 weeks, Mothers Day πŸ‘©β€ is in 9 weeks, Fathers Day πŸ‘¨ is in 13 weeks, Last Sunset After 8:30 PM πŸŒ† is in 18 weeks, Last Sunset After 8 PM πŸŒ† is in 5 months, 6:30 Sunrise πŸŒ‡ is in 26 weeks, Constitution Day πŸ“œ is in 27 weeks, October πŸŽƒ is in 29 weeks, Average High is 65 πŸ‚ is in 30 weeks, Columbus Day πŸ›₯️ is in 7 months, 7:15 AM Sunrise βŒ›οΈ is in 39 weeks and Christmas Eve πŸŽ… is in 41 weeks.

 Lots Of Sunshine This Morning

February 7, 2023 Morning

Good morning! Happy Tuesday. Clear and 13 degrees in Delmar, NY. πŸŒ… Calm wind. There is a inch of snow on the ground. β˜ƒ ️Just waiting for the sun to rise on my morning walk 🚢. It is a cold and crisp morning, the air tastes like barnyard. πŸ” I’m not complaining. Things will start to thaw out at around 11 am. 🌑️

As the sun rises pretty early compared to recent weeks β˜€ and it’s clear out, decided to do my morning walk 🚢 earlier then normal. Helped that today was a breakfast reheat morning. I’m glad I decided to cut my meals 🍴 in half and supplement with more fruits and vegetables. 🍊 I feel less stuffed and healthier though like anything else change takes time to compound.

Today will have increasing clouds πŸŒžπŸ‘‰ πŸŒ₯ , with a high of 39 degrees at 3pm. Five degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around February 25th. Breezy, with a light and variable wind becoming south 15 to 20 mph in the morning. Kind of like yesterday. Maybe windier. Not been a very sunny winter. A year ago, we had light snow in the morning, which became light snow by afternoon. The high last year was 26 degrees. The record high of 48 was set in 2005. 12.4 inches of snow fell back in 1983.❄

It’s a Tuesday. β˜” Bringing my umbrella to work to be safe but I don’t expect rain by evening, especially when I bring my umbrella. Also packed bananas 🍌 and will swap with some of the oranges I have in the office to mix things up. I thought it would be good to have only oranges at work and bananas at home but I want to mix it up.

Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:10 pm with sun having an altitude of 32Β° from the due south horizon (-38.8Β° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 9.6 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour πŸ… starts at 4:36 pm with the sun in the west-southwest (243Β°). πŸ“Έ The sunset is in the west-southwest (250Β°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 5:17 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 5 seconds with dusk around 5:45 pm, which is one minute and 18 seconds later than yesterday. πŸŒ‡ The best time to look at the stars is after 6:20 pm. At sunset, look for mostly cloudy skies ☁ an temperatures around 36 degrees. Breezy, 18 mph breeze β›… from the south. Tomorrow will have 10 hours and 19 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 33 seconds over today.

Started looking at my options for doctors.πŸ§‘β€βš•οΈ While I think I am generally healthy I’m forty now and I’m thinking a physical during the February break would be a good thing. It doesn’t look like I am due for any screenings beyond the normal blood pressure and hopefully that will be good with my walk and calorie reduction program. Saving and investing is good but health is important as that can be drain on finances.

Tonight will rain likely, mainly between 7pm and 9pm. Mostly cloudy 🌧, with a low of 34 degrees at 8pm. 18 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around April 7th. South wind 6 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. In 2022, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became mostly clear by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 9 degrees. The record low of -16 occurred back in 1950.

I got my car insurance bill βœ‰ and it’s up to $475 for six months, up more than 10% from last year. Inflation I guess but the heck of it is that I drive so little and my truck is getting old, though I’m not ready to drop collision πŸ’₯ yet on it. I wish I could take the insurance reduction class. Maybe I should look around at their competitors though I am generally happy with my plan. It does sort of make the case for getting rid of my vehicle and getting a bicycle 🚲. That would be healthier. It’s fine, I have the money, πŸ’΅ and I like to travel but it’s obnoxious as I thought turning 40 would lead to a modest cut in rates.

Right now, a split verdict on the weekend. πŸ˜• Saturday, mostly cloudy, with a high near 36. Sunday, sunny, with a high near 39. Typical average high for the weekend is 35 degrees. Probably Five Rivers walk Saturday, Bennett Hill Sunday. Just the usual. Hopefully this week I won’t need to go to the store 🏬.

Looking ahead, next Tuesday is Valentines Day ❀️ when the sun will be setting at 5:27 pm with dusk at 5:54 pm. On that day in 2022, we had mostly cloudy, snow showers and temperatures between 28 and 15 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 36 degrees. We hit a record high of 63 back in 1946.

Photo.2013.02.10 18.44.34

January 2, 2023 Morning

Good morning! It’s the first Monday of the New Year. As New Years Day occurred on a Sunday, this would be a holiday. It’s good because it’s a cloudy and I’m bad at getting off my ass, and I did not get out walking at 6:45 AM when it was still pitch black out. But later on it will clear out and we will have weather that will be resembling the first day of spring, until it no longer feels like that later in the week. Temperatures will drop below freezing at Thursday around 11 pm. β˜ƒοΈ But even after that, it won’t feel like January for a while until eventually it does. I figure it will feel like a deep frozen hell by the time my 40th birthday rolls around, and I’ll once again be trying to stay warm under the heated blanket.

Mostly cloudy and 36 degrees in Delmar, NY. ☁ Calm wind. One week to Static Electric day, but with warm, damp conditions, I don’t expect much of a need for a static discharge strip around your arm anytime soon. 🀯 I am not prepared to be shocked anytime soon unless I touch a 120 volt line in all the rain we are expected to get mid-week. At least shit won’t dry out, so if I head out for the King’s weekend and have a big ass fire, πŸ”₯ to make up for staying home over New Years Eve like a lame and poor duck, I won’t have to worry about burning down the woods.

Out for the morning walk 🚢 at Elm Ave Park and then I will take a shower 🚿 and then do a quick hike up Bennett Hill and then out to the folks house 🏑 for New Years Fondue πŸ«• the wonderful tradition invented by dairymen who raise those Big Brown Swiss πŸ‡¨πŸ‡­πŸ„ to sell more cheese πŸ§€ in the dairy boom of the 1970s while input prices were rising and Americans wanted cheaper food during an era of inflation. But dipping bread and salty cocktail frank’s in melted dairy fat and wine is so good. I haven’t showered since Friday morning before work so I’m do for a good scrub.

Today will be partly sunny 🌞, with a high of 48 degrees at 1pm. 14 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around March 22nd. I believe that is called spring, which appears for now to be coming early, but I don’t think we can stick a fork in winter yet. β›„ But who knows about skiing on Martin Luther’s birthday weekend. Always so cold, but maybe not this year. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph. A year ago, we had mist in the morning with more sun in the afternoon. The high last year was 49 degrees. The record high of 61 was set in 1890. 7.1 inches of snow fell back in 2014.❄

Today got to boil my muzzles 😷 and then hang them to dry. I find boiling them with soapy water πŸ’¦ helps to get them clean and tightens up the fabric to keep the COVID away. I got the latest and greatest COVID boosters and flu shots but I hate doctors πŸ₯ and have zero interest in getting sick. Now if they could only bring back work from home 🏑 though I’m not sure I’d want to pay for the extra heat and electricity in these inflationary times.

They’re back in town this week πŸ‘¨πŸ»β€πŸ’Ό so I also have to iron my shirt and polish my swanky dress shoes and black steel toe boots. I wear the black boots back and forth to work through the snow, rain and muck and to prolong the life of my increasingly worn out dress shoes which I probably will need to replace later in the year. I mostly keep them for wearing in office at my desk for comfort and those odd times I get summoned over the Capitol or go over there to snag some soggy salmon or chicken dipped in that werid sauce rich people like so I save my packed dinner for a later date. But that doesn’t happen much these now that I’m Deputy in Research, it’s mostly behind a computer reading πŸ“– backgrounds and running stats. πŸ”’ But the security guards πŸ’‚ say I look swanky and less like a hillbilly when I wear my blazer and tie.

Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:00 pm with sun having an altitude of 24.5Β° from the due south horizon (-46.4Β° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 13.2 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. See I know a little trigonometry, mainly because I did some shadow analysis of that movie theater for Save the Pine Bush. The golden hour πŸ… starts at 3:48 pm with the sun in the southwest (231Β°). πŸ“Έ Keep that in mind photographers, especially today with it clearing out. The sunset is in the west-southwest (239Β°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 4:34 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 23 seconds with dusk around 5:05 pm, which is 52 seconds later than yesterday. πŸŒ‡ At dusk you’ll see the Waxing Gibbous πŸŒ” Moon in the east (97Β°) at an altitude of 39Β° from the horizon, 244,259 miles away. πŸš€ The best time to look at the stars is after 5:41 pm. At sunset, look for partly sunny skies πŸŒƒ and temperatures around 45 degrees. There will be a calm wind. Tomorrow will have 9 hours and 12 minutes of daytime, an increase of 52 seconds over today.

Tonight will have a slight chance of showers after 4am. Increasing clouds 🌧, with a low of 34 degrees at 12am. 16 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around April 7th. Calm wind. Chance of precipitation is 20%. In 2022, we had partly cloudy skies in the evening, which became cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 13 degrees. The record low of -14 occurred back in 1970.

A picture perfect weekend on tap. 😎 Well, by January standards, as the winter thaw continues. Saturday, partly sunny, with a high near 39. Sunday, mostly sunny, with a high near 37. Typical average high for the weekend is 33 degrees. But we know what is next, it will come, and it will be ducking cold. Yet, for now I’m enjoying the heat being off, and still comfortable in a t-shirt inside, and a vest outside. You can probably guess what t-shirt that is. That said, I probably should buy one of those Palpation Nation shirts with the guy AI-ing a cow on it, so I can be cool like the interwebs, and actually wear that one to work on a casual summer day. But as I’ve been telling myself for two years now, I don’t buy shit like that even if I probably would wear it a lot.

As previously noted, next Monday is Static Electric Shock Day 🧼 when the sun will be setting at 4:41 pm with dusk at 5:11 pm. On that day in 2022, we had mostly cloudy, freezing rain showers and temperatures between 36 and 19 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 33 degrees. We hit a record high of 62 back in 2008.

Most of the Ways Up the Sand Dune