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It’s going to get hot out later ☀

Those lazy, hazy crazy days of summer are here minus maybe the hot dogs, pretzels and beer. Time is marching on the world changes in your forties.

Good morning! Happy Hot Thursday. To be predicted, it’s the hottest time of the year. Mostly sunny 😎with fog 🌫 around and 69 degrees in Delmar, NY. Calm wind. The dew point is 67 degrees. The muggy weather ends Wednesday around 7 pm. 😓

Another hot summer day ahead 🏖 though I’ll be spending it my air conditioned office and usually it will be cooling down by evening when I get home. Out for the morning walk before it gets too hot out. 10 1/2 miles walked yesterday, climbed up and down 36 flights of stairs in the office as usual.

Red kidney are cooking down in the kitchen, 🍲 they will be good with maple 🍁 syrup in the evening when it’s hot out. I got fresh blueberries at the farmers market which where $7 which seems much too expensive but inflation. 🔵 I’m running low on food and supplies but I don’t know what I want to buy and eat with the heat. 🛒 Next time I go shopping, I do want to get some freezer bags, as they’re good for freezing rice and also things like black beans for compact carrying while camping. They can be reused a few times too.

This morning I’m thinking just black coffee ☕ cream of wheat with the fresh blueberries for breakfast 🥣. I do need to get milk 🥛 as what I have in the refrigerator has spoiled. But not this morning. I’m also out of cottage cheese and Greek yogurt and frozen fruit.

Yesterday’s meals where too bland. Too much kale and brown rice. 🍚 Easy and healthy but bleh. Makes it easy and healthy but not so easy to keep on the diet going forward. I was really into kale for a while eating multiple pounds of week, but I’m getting tired of it, much like the tofu. Today I am doing chicken, peas, corn, black beans and red peppers for lunch. Pre-cooked shrimp 🦐 are thawing in the fridge, I’m going to mix with the brown rice and tomatoes for dinner and have red kidney beans with maple syrup for dessert. I put chickpeas in the fridge for soaking, I’ll either roast them to toss in with fresh blueberries, strawberries and raspberries with walnuts with a snack. Walnuts are good but loaded with fat, though at least it has a decent ratio of Omega 3. I might also make hummus, which I’ll either need to get tahini or sesame seeds to cook up.

Today will be sunny and hot ☀ , with a high of 91 degrees at 2pm. Seven degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 71 at 9am. Heat index values as high as 95. Calm wind becoming south around 6 mph in the afternoon. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies. It was somewhat humid. The high last year was 81 degrees. The record high of 97 was set in 1886.

As I’m back on the Trek FX 2 bicycle as my choice, I might try to get up to the Downtube to talk to them about potentially buying that bicycle 🚲 and doing a test ride. I’m getting tired of studying the pros and cons of bicycles and want to commit sooner than later so I can take delivery of the bike and finally be on the road, both for commuting and getting around town. I want to break the bicycle in well before heading out to the Finger Lakes in three weeks. An additional expense I overlooked was a good quality U-lock that resists bolt cutters ✂️ which is going to add $75-100 go the cost, but I might be better off getting that on the internet rather than at the bike shop. I also want to get a rear luggage rack so I can tie a small milk crate style storage containers for keeping lunch and supplies on me when doing day trips on the bicycle 🚲 in the Finger Lakes. 💸 Looking at around or maybe slightly below $50 for that. Then another under $50 for the combination of buying a very basic digit speedometer / odometers and lights both for safety and do night riding in the National Forest after watching the sun set. 🌇

Solar noon 🌞 is at 1:01 pm with sun having an altitude of 70.1° from the due south horizon (-0.7° vs. 6/21). The golden hour 🏅 starts at 7:54 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (296°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-northwest (303°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:37 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 26 seconds with dusk around 9:10 pm, which is 19 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 9:56 pm. At sunset, look for partly clear skies 🌄 and temperatures around 82 degrees. The dew point will be 69 degrees. There will be a south breeze at 5 mph. Today will have 15 hours and 14 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 57 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will be partly cloudy 🌃 , with a low of 68 degrees at 6am. Six degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 69 at 7pm. South wind 5 to 7 mph. Another sticky night sleeping 😴 with the fan roaring. In 2022, we had mostly clear skies. It got down to 58 degrees. The record low of 44 occurred back in 1979.

On this day in 1947, The AK-47 goes into production in the Soviet Union. Even after almost seven decades, the model and its variants remain the most popular and widely used assault rifles in the world 🪖 because of their substantial reliability under harsh conditions, low production costs compared to contemporary Western weapons, availability in virtually every geographic region and ease of use. ⚔ I bet it would be fun to own one someday, in a freer state when I own my own land. Probably fun for ventilating a burn barrel, lol.

A hot summer weekend ahead. 🏖 Saturday, a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 86. Northwest wind around 5 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. Maximum dew point of 69 at 9am. Sunday, a chance of showers, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 2pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 81. Chance of precipitation is 70%. Maximum dew point of 70 at 10am. Typical average high for the weekend is 84 degrees.

That said, maybe not the nicest weekend ever especially Sunday with the clouds. 🤷‍♂️ One more weekend to decide and acquire a bicycle 🚲 then hopefully get out camping 🏕 the following weekend after my dentist appointment 🦷 assuming that the weather is decent. I’m thinking Schoharie County, the Mine Kill Pool, the Catskill Scenic Trail from Grand Gorge to Stamford it maybe even beyond there. 🚲 Also maybe on the Saturday bike from Old Blenheim Bridge up and over Bear Ladder Road 🐻 then down to Fultonhsm by Shauls to get ice cream. 🍦 If I have the rack on the bicycle by then not only can I carry lunch but also get some veggies. If not both of these things are good for the following week or after summer vacation. 🏖 Pool closes Labor Day but the best bicycling and farm stand finds are certainly in September and October. 🎃

Summer vacation starts Friday July 29th 🏖 with plans to head straight out to the Finger Lakes National Forest and set up camp ⛺ by noon time. Then have all afternoon to unpack and do a nice bicycle 🚲 ride and enjoy the afternoon from the forest maybe with some fishing 🎣 and a sunset 🌇 to a start things off. Watkins Glen on Saturday to paddle and swim 🏊‍♂️, though I may want to get to the park 🏞 early to ensure parking 🅿.

Looking ahead, there are 2 weeks until Ugly Truck Day 🚚 when the sun will be setting at 8:29 pm with dusk at 9:01 pm. On that day in 2022, we had hot, humid, mostly sunny, thunderstorm and temperatures between 97 and 72 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 84 degrees. We hit a record high of 97 back in 1991.

Now is the time to check how many fingers you have 🎇

For the first time in generations, there has not been a time when so many Americans have lawful access to consumer fireworks and sparklers and the ability to legally drive on highways a 70 mph or faster. More states are legalizing cannabis products and the Supreme Court seems to finally protect and enforce the second.

Good morning, America 🇺🇸 ! 247 years going strong, only three more before a quarter millennium has come and gone. Have fun with your fireworks and remember as the sign says, you are responsible for your own safety, not some government worker.

Cloudy and 68 degrees for the morning walk. ☁ Calm wind. The dew point is 67 degrees. The muggers and the sultry weather will be sticking around for a while. The skies will clear around 1 pm. Air quality is moderate around 55.

Already a rather muggy day and it will be hot by evening 😰 but it should be be a nice one for fireworks 🎇 and barbecues. 🍔 I’m out for my morning walk 🚶 a little later than normal but earlier than over the long weekend. I had my hard boiled egg 🥚 and black coffee ☕, I am thinking about having a those 🍌 banana oatmeal pancakes 🥞 I make in the food processor topped with strawberries. 🍓

Independence Day will have a slight chance of showers, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Otherwise, partly sunny 🌦, with a high of 84 degrees at 5pm. One degree above normal. Maximum dew point of 71 at 11am. Calm wind becoming north around 6 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. The high last year was 84 degrees. The record high of 104 was set in 1911.

Yesterday after spending too much time working on my old jalopy of a bicycle 🛠 🚲 I ended up going for a delightful walk 🚶 out to Bender Mellon Preserve. 🐦 🦋 Lots of birds and butterflies and flowers 🌼, I made sure to stay out of the poison ivy. Kind of a hot and humid day but the rail trail is quite shaded and I was back home before the thunderstorms ⛈ came rolling through. 8.8 miles walked 🚶 for the day.

Solar noon 🌞 is at 1:00 pm with sun having an altitude of 70.3° from the due south horizon (-0.5° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 2.2 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 7:55 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (296°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-northwest (303°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:37 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 26 seconds with dusk around 9:11 pm, which is 14 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 9:57 pm. At sunset, look for rain 🌧 and thunderstorms 🌩 and temperatures around 79 degrees. The dew point will be 71 degrees. There will be a calm wind. Today will have 15 hours and 16 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 50 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will have a chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 7pm. Partly cloudy 🌧, with a low of 65 degrees at 6am. Three degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 71 at 8pm. Calm wind. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation 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 rain by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 65 degrees. The record low of 44 occurred back in 1982.

On this day in 1776, The United States Declaration of Independence is adopted by the Second Continental Congress. 51 years later, slavery would be banned in New York State in 1821. Starting the day after Independence Day 1967, you would be able to FOIL the Federal Government, after U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Freedom of Information Act into law on July 4, 1966. Then citizens could request information on how much the federal government spent on fireworks the night before.

Right now, a split verdict on the weekend. 😕 Saturday, a chance of showers between 8am and 2pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 84. Chance of precipitation is 50%. Maximum dew point of 67 at 10am. Sunday, a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 84. Chance of precipitation is 40%. Maximum dew point of 67 at 11am. Typical average high for the weekend is 84 degrees.

Wouldn’t be a bad weekend as it stands for heading out of town 🌲 but I have a feeling I won’t be as I’m kind of busy and really want to take delivery of a bicycle 🚲 next weekend. Saves money 💵 to stay home plus the following week is my dentist appointment 🦷 so it would make sense to head out after that.

Looking ahead, next Tuesday is World Population Day 👩‍👩‍👧‍👧 when the sun will be setting at 8:35 pm with dusk at 9:07 pm. The thunderstorms at least will be booming. On that day in 2022, we had hot weather, partly sunny and temperatures between 91 and 55 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 84 degrees. We hit a record high of 98 back in 1936.

AirBNB, Travel and Staying in Random People’s Homes

AirBNB, Travel and Staying in Random People’s Homes. 🏡

Lately they’re has been a lot of promotion of an article about how to find secret cameras in AirBNB homes. I get it, you own a house and your renting it out, you might want to make sure nobody is destroying your property while your gone. But I think it’s generally just creepy to be staying in some random person’s home or even a hotel. While I sometimes stay in hotels or other people’s houses for work, it certainly would not be my choice if I could avoid it during travel.

I just much prefer to be camping in the wilderness then in any urban area. I like to be able to have fires, make as much noise as I want, stay up late. Chances are except for walking back in the woods and getting caught on some random hunters’ game camera, no one is going to be watching me, and I won’t be sitting on some person’s sofa with bed bugs or who know what ever else you might find in someone’s house. If I spill something in the wilderness, and I can’t fully clean it up, it doesn’t matter, as it will either rot or get eaten by the wildlife.

Shed-to-Homes and Cabins

I often read a lot about alternative living arrangements from the modern suburbanite way of living. I don’t want a 3,000 square feet home with vinyl siding, I’d be quite happy with a small floor plan structure that is easy to clean. I’ve been reading a lot about cabins, tiny homes, shed-to-home and off-grid-living to see what kind of options are available today. Lots of land, tiny house is what I would prefer. Shelter is important,

The Shed-to-Homes, which are popping up like daisies in the rural south are quite interesting. They are a little more problematic in the north due to concerns over snow-loading, insulation, and zoning codes due to size of the beams they’re built with — below the 6 inches state code requires. They can be done, and I’ve seen them done in a few places of Rural New York but they’re a bit challenging to get approved with state and local codes, especially if they are a permanent foundation. That said, I’m not really interested in setting down roots in New York State. Too expensive, too many regulations, too anti-second amendment and too opposed to self-reliance. It’s fine living in an apartment in New York, but it’s not my future.

Some of the smaller cabins I’ve seen are quite nice too. I was very impressed with the Thomas Mountain Cabin that the DEC recently burnt to the ground and hauled off to thel andfill. Cabins are typically much more robust structure, and free of some of the formaldehyde treated wood that is commonly used to build the shed-to-homes. They are somewhat more expensive, and pre-built you are a lot more limited to customizing the building. I want to go totally off-grid and minimalist. A so complicated, full-featured cabin is not something I’m really interested in. I would rather have something I could do the wiring myself on, primarily focused on 12 volt, low voltage, low amperage design primarily for LED-based lighting and a few higher amperage drawing things like an energy-efficient refrigerator/freezer, water pump, and a laptop charger.

Tiny homes more generally are interesting too. The smaller the home, the easier to heat with wood or maybe anthracite coal. Well insulated building, they will use a lot less fuel and can be heated with smaller fires. Less area to clean and maintain, less area to collect stuff that becomes clutter. I’m not into all of the fancy artsy designs, I’m more concerned with what is durable, inexpensive, and easy to clean. My truck camper is nice, but it’s not insulated, it’s unheated and it’s a bit to small to really spend much time in except for bedtime.

Whatever I end up doing, once I have the money, knowledge and technical capacity, it’s not going to be the boring conventional way of living. I want to have my freedom, not be dependent on the fossil-fuel grid or all of the modern ways that people take for granted. I want to be able to have money for nice toys like four wheelers and guns, be able to burn wood and trash, shoot guns and ride four wheelers in my backyard, and just be left alone by the government.

Not Looking Forward to Being Stuck at Home

I am not looking forward to remote work this winter … 💻

While I am the first to admit that remote work during the summer months was kind of fun when I could camp and work out of Spectulator or other parts of the state, with winter underway, I am not looking forward to being cooped up, alone in my small, cold apartment.

I decided against getting wired Internet – for now I am using my phone for most of my work – transferring files to the laptop, but I plan to add hot spot service to my phone for things best done on the laptop.. Sure, I do play and work a lot on my phone but it’s not the same as computer internet with the smaller screen and processor. I should spend more time reading, or doing data analysis and soldering, working on Arduino projects, rather then wasting it browsing the web or using social media.

While the long, cold dark winter days are never fun, working downtown tended to break up the days, especially when I was busy in the office. I enjoyed going for walks on the Plaza on sunny and reasonably warm winter days, and having the Concourse to walk at lunch time even on the coldest a snowy days. Work in office always involved days around the office, bullshitting, interacting with people. You loose a lot of the human touch over Zoom and email. It’s easier to understand people in person.

Sometimes I do plan to be in my office. There are just some things that can’t be done remotely from a practical standpoint. Those days, broken up by the bus ride back and forth and the quiet time, will be a nice change, but still it’s a lot of gray, cold, and cramped days at home.

Winter Time.

Winter is a long cold time here in the frigid Northeastern United States. After you few years spent in the winter here, you can see why people are moving out of New York left and right – it’s the winters plus the unfriendly enforcement-first culture that dominates politics. Many cold blustery days, road salt encrusting everything, high heating bills, and slippery sidewalks for months on end. Fortunately, climate change has made the winters a bit less severe but they aren’t going away tomorrow.

I plan to tough it through another winter. I have warm gear, and I don’t mind winter camping, but the snow makes it hard to be back to the remote campsites I like to camp in the winter. Colder temperatures are tough on all the gear, and the the many gray and short days of winter aren’t much fun. It’s not too bad in the sense that it’s often one of the busiest times of year at work for me, so I can focus on the long days at work, and then relax on the weekends at home, just going for short walks down to the library or other places.

Staying close to home, I tend to save more money in the winter then the summer, despite the higher heating bills. I try to get keep the heat down low in the winter, so it really only adds $40-50 to my utility bills, which is easily offset by not taking trips and burning through gasoline, food and supplies. I try to live fairly modestly in the winter, so I can have enough money saved up for trips come the summer. Nothing beats a hot weekend out at the potholers or other Adirondack swimming hole.

The cold and blowing snow will certainly come to an end. They’ll stop spreading salt on the roads, the ice will melt. And maybe it will it be an early spring. One can hope.

Taking the Gillig 4011H home, a 2008 hybrid bus home.

Taking the Gillig 4011H home, a 2008 hybrid bus home. Nothing grows older faster than the future.

I remember when they were new buses, something to try out because they were going to be future of a green, energy efficient economy in an era when gasoline cost $4.20 a gallon locally, and climate change was a problem that everybody thought was a critical crisis to be addressed. Back when Barack Obama was a Senator, and even the New Hampshire Primary was in the distant future. Congress had recently passed the Energy Policy Act of 2007, signed into law by President George W. Bush, that would among other things save billions of kilowatts and millions of gallons of gasoline with more efficient automobiles and consumer lighting technology. Different times for sure.

Andy Arthur.org

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