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Nostgolia on this Election Day 2023 ☕🙈🗳️

This year I’m glad I’m not involved in any elections or doing anything political. Just sipping my coffee watching the sun rise remembering the days gone by but glad I’m not at all rushed this morning.

Good morning! Happy Election Day 2023. Partly cloudy ⛅ and 51 degrees at the Stoney Pond State Forest. ☔ There is a west-southwest breeze at 15 mph. 🍃. The dew point is 47 degrees. I can smell the manure somebody’s spreading this morning 💩 it’s November in Madison County and the field work is soon to be done for the season. 🚜 They might have snow as soon as midweek.

Turned out to be a much nicer morning then expected. ☕ I knew it was going to be a great day when I awoke, saw the clear night skies 🌜and the moon. Had a nice hardy breakfast of eggs 🍳 with lots of vegetables and onions 🧅 that I got at Aldi’a yesterday in Cazenovia. While yesterday was cold, damp and gray at times it was still a good day with lots of riding 🚲 and making the most of my day off. A lot has changed in this world over the past few years but mornings are still quite beautiful and the coffee is good.

Glad I’m not involved in any elections this year 🗳 but there were many hard fought ones out of Bill Magees auction house 🗝️ 🍶🏺just down the road. Been half a decade now, I saw the bridge in Cazenovia they renamed after him. It was sad he lost five years ago, but during that general election cycle wasn’t my race. 🧑‍🌾 Truth is winning these rural districts is almost impossible with the democratic party becoming mostly an urban issues party with gun 🔫 control one of their top priorities. I can understand why people vote the way they do nowadays out in the country. 🚜 It’s not just Trump. Both parties have become more extreme but the Republicans have really locked up the rural areas nowadays. I have a feeling that Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Senator John Tester of Montana are going to loose in 2024, especially if the GOP runs a stronger presidential candidate then felon Donald Trump. ⏳ Time moves on. Democrats though really have locked up the suburbs, especially the older ones and professional class. 🕴🏻

Today will have showers likely, mainly between 10am and 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a temperature falling to around 43 by 5pm. 🌦️ Breezy, with a west wind 15 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 32 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies in the morning with sunny skies in the afternoon. The high last year was 69 degrees. The record high of 75 was set in 1938. 4.5 inches of snow fell back in 1886.❄

I’m not sure how long it will be nice, clouds are already pushing in. 🌥 I don’t want to deal with wet camping gear 🏕 so I’m slowly but surely taking things down. I don’t have solid plans for today but I think 🤔 I’ll just go for a walk 🚶 around Stoney Pond then head home and get unpacked. 👪 Planning to go see my family this afternoon it’s been three 3⃣ weeks as I’ve been out of town 🌲 on various trips. Despite yesterday being cold and dreary especially midday it was a great trip.

Solar noon 🌞 is at 11:47 am with sun having an altitude of 30.9° from the due south horizon (-39.6° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 10 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 4:08 pm with the sun in the west-southwest (241°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-southwest (249°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 4:50 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 8 seconds with dusk around 5:18 pm, which is one minute and 10 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 5:53 pm. At sunset, look for rain 🌧 and temperatures around 44 degrees. Breezy, 20 mph breeze ⛅ from the west-northwest with gusts up to 32mph. Today will have 10 hours and 6 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 2 minutes and 26 seconds over yesterday.

Yesterday I rode the South Trail from outside of Cazenovia to New Woodstock. 🚵 Nice ride though best on a mountain bike as some parts of the trail are a bit rough with roots and gravel. Pungent with the cow poop and water slurry 🐮 💩 one of the dairies was applying to a nearby field but that’s to be expected this time of year.

Spent a little bit of time riding around New Woodstock yesterday after taking the South Trail from outside of Cazenovia to New Woodstock. 🚂 Neat little village with a Historical Museum just off the rail trail. They like in Cazenovia also have an old Black Diamond Caboose there. Cute little village.

Unfortunately my bike had developed a really annoying squeak on Sunday afternoon ⚙️ which I couldn’t figure out and started applying grease everywhere, including getting it all over my hands 👐 and jeans 👖 and started to drive me crazy thinking I might have a failing bearing or some problem that could leave me stranded. I thought it was just some stone dust from the Erie Canalway somewhere it shouldn’t be mixed with the grease. Kept stopping, applying grease trying to find the noise. 🔕 Finally, I figured it out, it was the left pedal got some stone dust in it and squeaking. A little spray lubricant, knock off WD 40 on the pedal after my south trail ride 🚲 returned my sanity.

Swung by Critz Farms hoping to get apples 🍏 but it looked like only the brewery was open 🍻 and I wasn’t looking for a drink. So I went to Cazenovia Lake Park. Kind of cold gray afternoon but the geeese didn’t seem to mind the cool gray day on Cazenovia Lake. 🦆

Then I went to the Lorenzo State Historic Site, never been there before. ⛲ Been by it a million times though. It was a Monday so all the buildings were shut up and no visitor services or as I needed a bathroom 🚽 but it was still nice to explore the grounds. Swung by the library 📚 in Cazenovia for a pee.

Then I Canastota – Cazenovia Trailway, it was starting to rain and was cold didn’t spend a lot of time, ☔ wanted get back to camp and start cooking soup plus by then I needed another bathroom 🚽 break. Too much coffee ☕ in the morning. 🌅 Also didn’t feel like carrying my mountain bike over several steps to cross Bingley Road. Visited Aldi’s in Cazenovia 🍏 🥦, such a delightful shopping experience. 🛒 Low prices, simple selection quick in and out and the cashier lines without them bagging is so quick. ☺

Got back to camp around 4 pm accidentally brushed a tree with one of my tires backing into the campsite ⛺ rushing having to pee but didn’t do any body damage to my truck 🛻 as the tires stick out beyond the body. Sun ☀ came out and ghe wind died down. Fried onions and mushrooms, boiled carrots, broccoli, spinach and whole wheat pasta, added some tuna fish 🐠 for an excellent dinner. Soup really warmed me up 🍲, I just wish I had some homemade bread 🍞 to dip in it but I eat all of that the previous three days. Had a nice fire 🔥 didn’t rain until 7:30 pm so it was a good evening at which point I retired to bed 🛏 in my truck for the evening.

Tonight will have a chance of rain and snow showers before 11pm, then a slight chance of snow showers between 11pm and 1am, then a chance of flurries after 1am. Cloudy 🌧, with a low of 26 degrees at 6am. Eight degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around December 3rd. Northwest wind 14 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Little or no snow accumulation expected. In 2022, we had clear skies in the evening, which became mostly clear by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 34 degrees. The record low of 18 occurred back in 1971.

Cool but fairly decent now for Veterans Day Weekend, especially come Saturday. ☀ Friday, clouds then clearing, high may reach 43. Saturday, mostly sunny, with a high near 37. Sunday, going to be sunny and 39. Typical average high for the weekend is 51 degrees. Probably will stay 🏡 next weekend.

Looking ahead, next Tuesday is Average High is 50 🍂 when the sun will be setting at 4:42 pm with dusk at 5:11 pm. On that day in 2022, we had partly sunny and temperatures between 42 and 27 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 50 degrees. We hit a record high of 70 back in 1973.

One Car

Last day of the year riding home from work at least at five o’clock 🚲

Doesn’t necessarily mean that I won’t still ride in the morning or if I can ask the big director to leave early occasionally I can leave early to ride home. But soon a lot more busing it home on the express hopefully! The authority is about to get rich on my back.

Good morning! Yeah, it’s Friday! Time to blow this town, head out to Mad County come Saturday. Kind of like West Virginia but with more cows and smaller hills and no coal fields but more manure. 💩 Partly clear and 35 degrees in Delmar, NY. 🌅 There is a south-southeast breeze at 8 mph. 🍃. Going to need the gloves 🧤 for the ride in.

My arm is a bit sore 💪🏻 feels like I spent the day at the range 🔫 from getting my COVID and flu jabs 💉 last night but I made up for it with a protein packed breakfast of eggs 🍳 with edamame 🟢, broccoli, onions and topped with lots of cottage cheese, tumeriac and nutritional yeast. Lunch is brown rice with lentils and even more edamame and tumeriac. 🍚 Got to have that protein to make my arm feel good. And coffee ☕ with cinnamon and ginger. Ginger and turmeric are supposed to reduce pain and aches. But I’ll be pissing like a cow in a pasture today. But then again tomorrow I’ll be heading to Madison County where they have a lot of them. 🐮

Had a mouse 🐁 making a ton of noise last night after I got up to take a piss 🚽 in part because I drunk extra water 💦 yesterday after getting vaxxed as recommended by the CDC to help with symptoms. I’m going to have to try the bucket trap again 🪤 or get more sticky traps as the spring trap isn’t working well as they keep picking the peanut 🥜 butter off it. Plus my arm 💪🏻 started to hurt a bit after waking up. Annoying as hell but I made up for it by sleeping into six. ⏰ No need to rush as the rice 🍚 doesn’t take as long as many of the soups I cook makes.

Got the space heater out yesterday. ♨ And also the heating pad and electric blanket though the later is not yet on my bed. 🛏 Only used the heating pad and space heater briefly the other night when my fingers were cold from riding home. Need to work on using some sealant tape around the door 🚪 to stop air leaks and put the storm windows 🪟 back in and lock the other windows for the winter. ❄ I think the cold season is back but just wait and we’ll have a heat wave 🌊 during this El Niño winter. ☀ Holding off on the central gas heat for now, as it’s not so cold plus the cooking each morning warms things up.

Today will be mostly sunny 🌞, with a high of 55 degrees at 3pm. Not as cold mercury wise but it might feel colder with the wind. One degree above normal, which is similar to a typical day around November 2nd. South wind 8 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph. Going to feel that wind riding home past Ezra Prentiss one last time before the time change. 🌬️ 🚲 A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies in the morning with sunny skies in the afternoon. The high last year was 68 degrees. The record high of 75 was set in 1990. 0.9 inches of snow fell back in 1951.❄

Why can’t we have such nice weather for the four 4⃣ days election weekend? 🗳 I stuffed my split ticket ballot 🗳 into the box so I’m free to head to Madison County to camp ⛺ and ride trail 🚵 assuming that I can get the day off but it doesn’t look like a problem from the work calendar 🗓.

Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:40 pm with sun having an altitude of 32.4° from the due south horizon (-38.4° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 9.5 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 5:07 pm with the sun in the west-southwest (243°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-southwest (250°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 5:47 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 5 seconds with dusk around 6:15 pm, which is one minute and 15 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 6:50 pm. At sunset, look for partly clear skies 🌄 and temperatures around 54 degrees. Breezy, 16 mph breeze ⛅ from the south. Tomorrow will have 10 hours and 15 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 2 minutes and 31 seconds over today.

Got Udemy Business installed on my phone 📱 which allows you to take free online classes on a wide variety of technical ⚙ and computer 🖥 classes online with your library card 💳 at least those libraries that offer it 📚 which looks like mostly just the Bethlehem Library locally. I’m enrolled in a class on the basics of remote sensing 🌎 which is about using satellites 🛰 to detect what is happening on earth’s surface. Interesting stuff so many great classes offered. 🧑‍🏫

I survived my vaxxing 💉 and while I noticed my shoulder was a bit sore 💪🏻come the middle of the night it was worth it to know I’m significantly protected from the latest in the COVID and flu strains. Took both shots to the left arm. It was a nice walk 🚶 to the pharmacy, and no I didn’t become autistic and stab myself with a knife 🗡 or go crazy 🤪 donate any money 💵 to Sandy’s Hookers Promise. Honestly the only side effect I’ve had feels like an afternoon at the range with the kick of a shotgun. With ammo I bought down at West Virginia, lol 😂. Don’t tell Governor Hokey that. She should be just proud that I got my jabs and now the geriatrics and mentally retarded immune suppressed children won’t die, or so we’ve been told. Actually at this point the pharmacy ⚕ isn’t even filling out the COVID cards 🎴 and it was quick in an out, no crowds or this fake bullshit vaccine patriotism of a few years back.

It was a pleasant evening for that walk. 🏃‍♀️ As I won’t be riding home after tonight, I should plan to start doing more evening walks. I think I got out of the habit after riding home and being tired, after having a good meal and wanting to retire to bed with a book. 📖 But I really need to start doing more steps if I’m riding less. Got home and shredded some apples in the food processor 🍎 with cinnamon and ginger, had a good glass of water 🥛 and some yogurt in hope of avoiding the worse effects of the flu and COVID vaccine.

Tonight will be mostly cloudy 🌥, with a low of 38 degrees at 6am. Three degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around October 27th. South wind 8 to 13 mph. In 2022, we had clear skies in the evening, which became mostly clear by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 46 degrees. The record low of 17 occurred back in 1951.

Normally I wouldn’t head out of town right after vacation 🛻but it’s November and rifle season starts in two weeks and it might be cold and wet next week though the forecast has improved recently. The other director is off around Thanksgiving 🦃 so that makes it difficult for me to extend that weekend plus I wouldn’t want to miss turkey day and we may have snow by then. Who know, winters coming. ☃️

Tomorrow will be mostly cloudy 🌥, with a high of 56 degrees at 4pm. Two degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around October 31st. South wind around 7 mph. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies in the morning with sunny skies in the afternoon. The high last year was 71 degrees. The record high of 76 was set in 1994. There was a dusting of snow in 2006.❄

Looking ahead to Sunday, partly sunny, with a high near 55. ☀ Calm wind becoming northwest around 6 mph in the afternoon. Definitely an improvement from a few days ago but maybe not quite as nice in Madison County That said if I can’t get Monday off its not the end of the world. Typical average high for the weekend is 54 degrees.

As previously noted, there are 3 weeks until Buy Nothing Day 🛍️ when the sun will be setting at 4:27 pm with dusk at 4:57 pm (Standard Time). On that day in 2022, we had partly sunny and temperatures between 49 and 24 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 46 degrees. We hit a record high of 70 back in 2014.

Vlomans Kill

Fantastic morning for going back to work 💦

Going to need to turn on my beloved brass lamp when I get into the office. Definitely not riding my bike to work today but I will try to get in early so I can walk in the Plaza for a while before work. I’ve had my work email turned off on my phone, I can only imagine the size of the research production book since the week I was gone.

Good morning! Monday’s come back around again. Got to go back and chase the money, lol. 😂 Rain and 45 degrees in Delmar, NY. ☔ Calm wind. Temperatures will drop below freezing at Wednesday around 11 pm. ☃️

I am glad fresh homemade bread 🍞 is cooking this morning as is pea soup. 🍲 Also honey butternut squash and another squash I got at Annuto’s yesterday. 🍏 Apple – banana – oatmeal 🍌 pancakes 🥞 are cooking. Going to be a good breakfast. If time wasn’t so tight I probably would have cooked many of those things in West Virginia but I did not. Such a dark morning but with good eats. 😋

Today will rain before 2pm, then a chance of showers, mainly between 2pm and 5pm. Patchy fog before 10am. 🌧 High of 48 degrees at 1pm. Eight degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around November 18th. Calm wind becoming northwest 5 to 9 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies in the morning with some clearing in the afternoon. The high last year was 64 degrees. The record high of 80 was set in 1946. 1.2 inches of snow fell back in 2020.❄

Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:40 pm with sun having an altitude of 33.7° from the due south horizon (-37.2° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 9 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 5:13 pm with the sun in the west-southwest (245°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-southwest (252°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 5:53 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 3 seconds with dusk around 6:20 pm, which is one minute and 22 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 6:55 pm. At sunset, look for rain 🌧 and temperatures around 47 degrees. There will be a northwest breeze at 9 mph. Tomorrow will have 10 hours and 25 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 2 minutes and 35 seconds over today.

This evening 🌃 I need to get to the laundromat 👖 and wash the dirty clothes from camp and get groceries. I could have gone yesterday but I was dog 🐶 tired 😴 and I figured the laundromat is always packed on Sunday evening. Still tired today but so be it.

Tonight will be mostly cloudy 🌥, with a low of 33 degrees at 6am. Three degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around November 10th. Northwest wind 7 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 got down to 37 degrees. The record low of 18 occurred back in 1988.

Might be a great weekend on tap. 😎 Saturday, partly sunny, with a high near 58. Sunday, partly sunny, with a high near 59. Typical average high for the weekend is 54 degrees. That said I’m not taking off next Monday for a long weekend to Madison County until I have better confirmation of the weekends weather.

As previously noted, there are 2 weeks until Average Night Below Freezing 🌌 when the sun will be setting at 4:36 pm with dusk at 5:05 pm (Standard Time). On that day in 2022, we had partly cloudy and temperatures between 49 and 36 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 50 degrees. We hit a record high of 69 back in 1964.

Pine Creek

Time … it’s running out ⌛

One of the things I am starting to realize more and more in my forties is how precious every since hour is, and how fast time comes and goes. I shouldn’t take things for granted, especially not people, as they can come and go quicker then you can imagine. The decline in health is rarely sudden, but when it happens, there often is no going back.

I spent a lot of time with John Wolcott and his wife during his later years. I watched his decline in health, as gradual as it might have been, before his final hours. I heard the warnings, but I knew there would always be a least one more time to visit and go for a walk in the Crossings town park before there wasn’t. There was no more fall days left to push him around in the wheel chair, spotting the occasional Pitch Pine in the woods of the Crossings. I had hoped to get him back to Albany Pine Bush one last time, but that didn’t happen. It’s really hard to know what words to say to somebody who is dying slowly but surely before your eyes, you want to believe there always is another time to visit.

I’ve been thinking more and more about this closer to home when it comes to my parents, who are getting up there in years. Come Thursday, I am planning to go with them up to the Adirondacks to have a picnic up in Speculator, then probably drive back down along Piseco-Powley Road to show them where I often camp, and enjoy the beauty of the autumn colors which will likely be showing up north this week. Then go out dinner together. By the time they return from vacation, most of the colors will be gone, and I don’t want to pass up this chance to spend some time together. That’s why I’m taking off a day mid-week, as they don’t want to go up as they pack for vacation.

Likewise, while I am eating healthier and have really started to shun the unhealthy but delicious meals I grew up on — macaroni and cheese, lasagna, stuffed shells, and so forth — I realize there is only a limited amount of time to enjoy mama’s cooking. It would be a mistake to shun too much of her food in favor of health, or even refusing the delicious left-overs that can be frozen and eaten in moderation. I know I’ll never cook or make meals like mama, and while she is supposedly writing down her recipes, now is the time to enjoy them in moderation, knowing before long it will just be a memory as she gets older, her hands weaker and ability to cook may soon be impossible. Just because I am worried about all the sugar and saturated fat in mama’s cooking, I really shouldn’t shun it.

At the same time, I have some worries about my own health. While since turning I’ve really emphasized healthy diet and exercise, learning a lot more about cooking, my pissing problem continues to bug me — even though I got checked out by the doctor and they ran several urine and blood tests. It really could be just that I’m drinking too much coffee in the morning and not enough water at night, or all the fruits and vegetables I eat — or a simple infection, but I do have this fear of cancer or other serious kidney or liver disease not yet diagnosed. I think I’m healthy as most of my numbers are excellent, but it’s a worry in the back of my mind. It’s one of the reasons why I am thinking of going to West Virginia this year, in case it’s my last chance to do it. Probably not, but you never know.

Things always seem good, time endless until it’s not.

Davies River, Six O'clock Shadow

Stay home, save money 🏡

That’s one way to look at the weekend. I can’t believe we are going to have yet another cloudy, rainy weekend. I’m not spending the money to drive out to Schoharie in crap weather, especially as I don’t have Blackie, my bicycle yet.

Good morning! Happy Thursday. Foggy 🌁 and 67 degrees in Delmar, NY. Calm wind. The dew point is 66 degrees. The skies will clear around 11 am. Or so I hope. Might rain or thunder some more, but hopefully not during my lunch-time walk, evening commute or evening walk. I’m noticing a theme here.

Out walking this morning. ☔ What a surprise, between the fog and the weather pattern were stuck in, it’s raining out. And it going to be cloudy and hot Saturday with rain come Sunday. Hey at least not camping saves money! Or so I tell myself. 10 ¾ miles walked yesterday, 42 flights of stairs up and down. I had time, I could have walked 🚶 more last night but I was achy and tired, 🛏 so I got to bed on time but woke up much too early, around 5 AM. But I got in close to 8 hours of sleep last night.

This morning is an oatmeal day. 🍌 🥣 I almost would like oatmeal-banana pancakes, but I want to save the last two bananas I have to bring into my office at work to make it through Friday. Oatmeal with blueberries 💙 is a quick breakfast, I might throw in some walnuts, as I’ve had them for a few weeks now and don’t want to risk them going bad. I like walnuts, their healthy but a little high in fat My pantry at home is a bit picked over, but I think I still have healthy options left, 🌽 especially after getting sweet corn and tomatoes yesterday at the farmers market. I was hoping I would have had an excuse to go to the store when I picked up Blackie, but not so far this week. 🛒 I have more rice and lentils I can cook up tomorrow, and I took the black beans out of the freezer. I’ll probably have that with sweet corn and tomatoes tonight. And red onions 🧅 of course.

Today will have a chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 3pm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. Patchy fog before 7am. Otherwise, partly sunny 🌤️ 🤜 🌧, with a high of 89 degrees at 2pm. Five degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 71 at 11am. Light southeast wind becoming south 12 to 17 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. A year ago, we had cloudy skies in the morning with a few breaks of sun the afternoon. The high last year was 87 degrees. The record high of 96 was set in 1894.

I’m still waiting for the call about Blackie from the bike shop. 🚲 I might not have been clear what I was asking when I called yesterday but it’s kind of weird to explain – they’re building the bike for me but I haven’t paid for it or even taken the proper size bike for a test ride. So I probably wasn’t clear what I meant about test riding the XXL bike on the phone, that it’s the one they are putting together for me to purchase. 📞 It was a different salesperson I got yesterday then who I talked to on Friday but I thought when they said it said it would be ready in a few days I would have it by Wednesday. I’m not going to take off time until I know it’s ready, though I will stop by Saturday to follow up. I really want to ask about the rack too fitting the bike. I am pretty sure that’s the bike I want, but I would want to make sure it fits before I lay down the big bucks. Plus Saturday, then is a good time to get groceries, even if it’s a bit crowded. 🍏 🥦

Solar noon 🌞 is at 1:02 pm with sun having an altitude of 69.2° from the due south horizon (-1.6° 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 🏅 starts at 7:52 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (294°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-northwest (301°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:34 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 23 seconds with dusk around 9:06 pm, which is 33 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 9:51 pm. At sunset, look for rain 🌧 and thunderstorms 🌩 and temperatures around 77 degrees. The dew point will be 68 degrees. There will be a south breeze at 10 mph. Today will have 15 hours and 6 minutes of daytime, a decrease of one minute and 21 seconds over yesterday.

Finally the farmers market 🌽 🍅 had tomatoes and sweet corn that made me happy. 😊 The fresh sweet corn was amazing especially with some MSG – I skipped the butter due to the saturated fats. Tomatoes were good though not as exceptionally good as I had hoped. 👨‍🌾 If I don’t get to Schoharie this weekend it’s not the end of the world. There is farm stands going out on vacation, Sandell’s Farm going up to Piseco-Powley Road, and the best farm stands really are in August and September in the Schoharie Valley, and probably is the best riding of the Catskill Scenic Trail. 🚲

Tonight will have showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly before 11pm. Some storms could be severe, with damaging winds and heavy rain. Mostly cloudy 🌩, with a low of 65 degrees at 5am. Two degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 69 at 6pm. Another night in the swamp. South wind 5 to 10 mph becoming light and variable after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible. That sounds wet. In 2022, we had light rain in the evening, which became partly cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It was somewhat humid. It got down to 65 degrees. The record low of 49 occurred back in 1940.

On this day in 1977, the Great 1977 New York City Blackout begins, 🌃 plunging New York into 24 hours of darkness, chaos, and crime. It really was a dark time in the city. This black out mostly effected the city, not upstate so much. Albany has gotten shifty after the pandemic but it’s nothing like New York City, especially in the olden days of the 1970s. 🚨

Not a particularly nice weekend on tap. 😞 Saturday, a slight chance of showers before 8am, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 88. South wind 5 to 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. Maximum dew point of 71 at 10am. I’ll watch the radar, maybe I’ll do the town pool in the afternoon. Sunday, a chance of showers, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 2pm. High near 82. Chance of precipitation is 80%. Maximum dew point of 74 at 12pm. Typical average high for the weekend is 84 degrees.

If it only was slightly nicer out 🌤️and I had the bicycle 🚲 I would reconsider my plans to go to Schoharie. If the shop calls today or tomorrow and I can sneak out of work early and get the bike and groceries, I’ll reconsider my plans. It might be more haze then clouds and maybe it won’t be until late when the showers and Thunderstorms come rolling through. It would be fun to swim 🏊‍♂️ and see the auto show 🚘 and it’s going to be a hot one. Otherwise, there is always next weekend – the last one before Summer Vacation. 🏖

I am still hopeful that the through we are stuck in breaks up by August 🌧️ and we can finally have some nice hot and sunny weather ☀ with calm weather. I don’t mind some heat and humidity on vacation or for that matter when I’m at the Potholers in Adirondacks. 🏊‍♂️ Often the weekend before Summer Vacation 📦 I like to stay home and pack but I’m not necessarily convinced that is necessary as I pretty much know what I need and will pack only food for the first few days and get fresh food out in the Finger Lakes. 🍇 Next weekend if it’s decent I could do Schoharie or the Potholers, maybe extending the weekend by a day on either side of the weekend.

Looking ahead, next Thursday is 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.

Driftwood

At times I can be so impatient 🚲

Like waiting to pick up my mountain bike, Blackie, from the store or any time Big Red is in the shop which hopefully isn’t anytime soon though I still need to do that passenger seat air bag recall later this summer. The General keeps reminding me about the recall, but I rarely have passengers in my truck, so it’s not a top priority of mine, especially as it’s pain to take Red to dealership.

Good morning! What day is it? We’re climbing the Hump Day, of course. I’m also impatient for the weekend. Mostly sunny ☀ with some light fog and 66 degrees in Delmar, NY. Calm wind. The dew point is 63 degrees.

Nice morning today, lots of runners 🏃 🐶 and dog walkers out this morning including all the usual’s though both aren’t exclusive groups. It’s funny how when you do the same walk every day you see the same people and commuters driving to work every day. Now that I’ve gotten in better shape 🦵I’ve thought about maybe adding some jogging to my exercise program but I’d probably want to wear the sneakers 👟 I have in my closet, along with learning more about pacing and posture. Kind of had to run down to the bus stop 🚏for the express bus 🚍 yesterday that never came as apparently the driver pulled too far off the shoulder and got stuck in the mud letting a passenger on. I got a ride in with one of the other passengers. 🚘 Happens, it’s been wet, ⚡ and those electric buses they’ve been running on the Voorheesville Route are mad heavy compared to the normal buses.

11 3/4 miles walked and 40 flights of stairs up and down yesterday. 🚶 2 1/2 weeks of doing the stairs at work. I told one of my colleagues I’m now doing the stairs at work, and I got this look of you work on the 18th floor. Yesterday was cream of wheat, frozen blueberries and a dap of Greek yogurt for breakfast. So good but for a change eggs with spinach, mushroom, tomatoes and onions today. 🍳 It should make two breakfasts, maybe I’ll save it for Friday or Saturday might be good if I’m leaving early Saturday to head out of town. 🚲 Black beans, peppers, tomatoes and mushrooms for lunch – cold lunches are good in the heat. 🍱 Dinner was the remaining red kidney beans with sugar free maple syrup, plus a little of the mackerel – spinach/kale pasta salad, though I’m trying to limit that as it’s a bit greasy and is high in carbs from the pasta. 🍲

Today will have isolated showers, then scattered showers and thunderstorms after 11am. I am pretty sure thats just template text for summer. Mostly sunny ☀, with a high of 85 degrees at 3pm. One degree above normal. Maximum dew point of 68 at 10am. Calm wind becoming northwest 5 to 8 mph in the morning. 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. It became sticky as the day progressed. The high last year was 91 degrees. The record high of 96 was set in 1935.

Today I want to get to the farmers market on the Plaza 🌽 🍅 mostly in search 🔎 of tomatoes and sweet corn, basically in that order. I could almost kill for a fresh tomatoes but also sweet corn would be good. I know Stantons has both but they’re not convenient for me to get to, I’d have to drive out there. 🫐 Maybe more of the overpriced blueberries, they were good but I have frozen ones already in my freezer. I tend to prefer frozen fruits and vegetables at home while reserving good fresh ones for camping 🏕 not just as I lack freezer capacity but it gives me something to look forward to at camp, replacing the cookies 🍪 and junk food of the past. Maybe I can get fruits and vegetables in the Schoharie Valley this weekend. I should take an early lunch to ensure that I can get the best fruits and vegetables today, remembering to bring my reusable bag.

Accidentally double paid my credit card 💳 bill though it’s okay as I wanted to retire any outstanding debt before getting the bicycle 🚲 and then also before vacation 🏖 just so I had a safe margin in case of emergency on vacation. I’ll use the statement credit to cover it. Money is going to be a bit tight through next pay day on Tuesday but if I have to dip into rainy day for a few days not the end of the world. 💵

Solar noon 🌞 is at 1:02 pm with sun having an altitude of 69.4° from the due south horizon (-1.4° 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 🏅 starts at 7:52 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (295°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-northwest (302°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:34 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 23 seconds with dusk around 9:07 pm, which is 31 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 9:52 pm. At sunset, look for partly cloudy skies 🌃 and temperatures around 76 degrees. The dew point will be 68 degrees. There will be a south breeze at 5 mph. Today will have 15 hours and 7 minutes of daytime, a decrease of one minute and 18 seconds over yesterday.

Today I will phone the bike shop 📞 to see how progress is going on building my bike if they don’t call by one or so. If it’s ready, I’ll try to sneak out of work at 4 pm with permission of course, get home get my truck and hurry over to the shop. I would like to start to breaking it in 🚲 even if I don’t have all the accessories I want before the weekend. 🌇 With the earlier sunsets, I would like to be able to bicycle out to Voorheesville or Five Rivers in evening, and then spend the evening out before riding home. I thought about walking to Five Rivers last night 🐸 but it’s a lot of walking in the sprawl either on Fisher Boulevard or the narrow NY 443, and I’d rather spend more time in the woods. But the bicycle could let me speed through that boring crap.

Honestly, the question most biting into my mind is will the Borranger MIK Rack fit on the XXL version of the Trek Marlin 6, 😕 which the internet doesn’t seem to have a good answer for or the cost since the recent inflationary increases. ⚙ I guess worse comes to worse, there are other rack systems you get online like the AVS and RackSystem, but I want something with a quick release for adding and removing the milk crate / storage basket I want to mount on there for hauling gear but be able to take off when the bike is in transit or I’m on narrow trails or otherwise don’t need the weight of the carrying container on the back. Getting adapters and quick release connectors on a generic bike rack might end up costing more 💰 so I’d rather stick with MIK as it seems like if I get it built in the rack, then I can get just get the plate I need for the milk crate.

Tonight will have scattered thunderstorms, mainly before 7pm. Mostly cloudy ☁️, with a low of 64 degrees at 6am. One degree above normal. Maximum dew point of 68 at 8pm. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening. 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 cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It was somewhat humid. It got down to 62 degrees. The record low of 45 occurred back in 1939.

On this day in 1967, the Newark Riots begin with over six days of rioting, looting, and destruction leaving 26 dead. We really are fortunate that despite living troubled times, there has been no rioting in our cities this year. 🌆 2020 with all it’s disorder seems like a one shot deal, though I swear downtown is a lot rougher than it used to be before the pandemic but maybe I forgot after two years of remote work.

A very summer like weekend. 🏖 Saturday, showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 2pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 87. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Maximum dew point of 72 at 4pm. Sunday, a chance of showers, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 2pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 85. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Maximum dew point of 73 at 11am. Typical average high for the weekend is 84 degrees.

As of now I’m still on track for going out to Schoharie ⛺ 🚲 but things could change in the mean time. I’m watching the Sunday forecast closely. I’d really like to get two days of swimming 🏊 in the pool under my belt to prepare for summer vacation but not if Sunday is going to be bad weather. The auto show at the Power Authority would be fun, as riding the Catskill Scenic Trail.

One month 📅 from now will be Last Sunset After 8 PM 🌆 with dusk at 8:32 pm. Come August due to earth wobble we loose a lot of evening daylight though morning daylight declines slower.

 Out On Lilly Lake

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.

 Wildflowers Along Cascade Lake