The rain let up for the morning walk ☔

I really didn’t think I would get out walking today outside but it turned out to just be a drizzle if that. Not sure if it will be this light all day but probably because when they warn of heavy rain it always gets scared off and leaves two drops of rain.

Good morning! Monday’s come back around again. Rain drops 💧 and cloudy and 67 degrees in Delmar, NY. ☁ Calm wind. The dew point is 66 degrees. The rain will stop tonight and skies will clear tomorrow around 5 am. Might be a good day to take delivery of Blackie, the name I gave my new mountain bike if it’s ready.

This morning out walking 🚶. I’m happy about that. The black coffee ☕ – already had a half cup and breakfast will be original cream of wheat with frozen blueberries and a good glop of plain non fat Greek yogurt mixed in for protein and taste. 🥣 At first I struggled to adopt the Greek yogurt craze 🤪, as it’s rather tart and when I started eating healthy I zeroed in on the calories and saturated fats in dairy but I came around getting to like the somewhat bitter taste, noting the excellent ratio of protein to calories and how it’s a way to support dairy 🐮 without as much of the unhealthy crap as cheese 🧀 and ice cream 🍦.

Today will rain and possibly a thunderstorm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. 🌧 High of 75 degrees at 5pm. Eight degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around June 4th. Maximum dew point of 69 at 10am. 🏖️ Light north wind becoming northwest 5 to 10 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. The high last year was 81 degrees. The record high of 100 was set in 1936.

I am hoping it stays dry enough to walk this evening 👣 but realistically I see the forecast. I will do the best I can do at lunch time, walking in the Concourse or maybe in the walkway. But it might be a good evening to continue reading either the Boggleheads Guide to Investing or Beginner’s Guide to D3.js. I am trying to learn more about D3.js. 📚 I took a FreeCodeCamp class on D3.js last fall but I’ve never used it but it’s a powerful tool for creating visualizations in Javascript. I also need to retire the debt on my credit card today, 💳 as I need more room under my credit limit so I can actually purchase the bike this week. 🚵‍♀️ Also want to get my FreeCreditReport and make sure all my credit accounts are still locked and clear, like they should be — and super boring.

Solar noon 🌞 is at 1:01 pm with sun having an altitude of 69.6° from the due south horizon (-1.2° vs. 6/21). The golden hour 🏅 starts at 7:53 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 8:35 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 24 seconds with dusk around 9:08 pm, which is 27 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 9:53 pm. At sunset, look for rain 🌧 and thunderstorms 🌩 and temperatures around 71 degrees. The dew point will be 65 degrees. There will be a northwest breeze at 9 mph. Today will have 15 hours and 10 minutes of daytime, a decrease of one minute and 11 seconds over yesterday.

Last night I got reading 📖 the Boggleheads Guide to Investing. Truth be told not much I didn’t already know but it’s good to expand your knowledge. I’ve done a lot of things right though I fully admit in some cases I leave money 💵 on the table. Automatic investing with low cost index funds remains key to sustainable wealth growth. I probably could live without my big jacked up truck 🛻 or my new mountain bike 🚵 or my guns I don’t use enough 🔫 but I also don’t take flamboyant vacations in fancy hotels, I don’t have internet, cable or air conditioning at my run down apartment in the city and I use public transport to get work. I’m really putting away a good chunk of money for retirement – federal maximums for my Roth IRA, Deferred Comp and plus I got my pension and also buy $415 weekly of a variety of index and bond funds. The hell of it is my credit score is complete crap, below 800, because I have never borrowed money outside of my credit card — no student or auto loans ever, and I refused to allow the bank to set a credit limit above $5,000 — which means my credit utilization is relatively high at 10-15% each month. 💳 But hopefully if I ever need to use credit to buy land or something else, I can put the majority down in cash, so I don’t get bit through the nose 🐽 for refusing to use credit through the years.

And reading this book, truth is though that I feel more then a little guilty spending so much money on a fancy new bike, though my old clunker would still be that even if I did finish the rebuild project. 🚲 I’m hoping to get a lot of use out of the bicycle to sure — already been thinking about some remote-country hammock camping, only reachable by bicycle trail come August. 🤯 Spent some time pondering what to do with my old bicycle — I’ll possibly continue the rebuild as I now have the back wheel back together, but I honestly don’t want to spend much more time or money on parts that now that I will soon have the Blackie. 👩‍🔧 I think it’s in too rough of shape to be traded in with the fork a little rough and still some of the parts not reinstalled, but I’m kind of hoping that Albany Bicycle Rescue will take it as a donation. I have too much clutter, but I’d rather it get more use then take it to a scrap yard. 🍇 I probably eat some grapes and chickpeas for stress eating last night, but I did follow it by a walk, 👣 as the rain let up last night. Overall, despite eating a large dinner — I mostly eat too much fruit and vegetables, and some rather unhealthy small portion of chicken and rice, I did still walk 9 1/2 miles yesterday and plan to do hopefully 10 miles today, and 40 flights of stairs. I do worry about getting obese 🤰 though in the future should I fall off my rocker.

Tonight will rain likely and possibly a thunderstorm before 8pm, then a chance of rain and thunderstorm then a chance of of the storms could produce heavy rain. Mostly cloudy 🌧, with a low of 62 degrees at 6am. One degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around July 9th. Maximum dew point of 67 at 6pm. Northwest wind 6 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. In 2022, we had mostly clear skies. It got down to 55 degrees. The record low of 48 occurred back in 1986.

On this day in 1890, Wyoming is admitted to the United States as the 44th US State. 🤠Many liberals regard that as a mistake, although it has some beautiful country out in Yellowstone and lots of oil and coal. 🛢️And in 1962, Telstar, the world’s first communication satellite is launched.📡 It would be destroyed within a year or so due to above ground nuclear testing. People think it was radiation and human sickness 🤮 that lead to the above ground test ban 💣 when it was really concerns about damage to military satellites. 🛰

A very typical summer weekend ahead. Hot and humid, thunderstorm ⛈ threat all weekend. Saturday, a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 84. Chance of precipitation is 50%. ☀ Maximum dew point of 70 at 11am. Sunday, a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 85. Chance of precipitation is 50%. Maximum dew point of 70 at 11am. Typical average high for the weekend is 84 degrees.

Looks like a decent weekend. ⛺ I’m still thinking about heading out to Schoharie this weekend for riding the Catskill Scenic Trail, swimming 🏊, the auto show at NY Power Authority. 🚙 I might take off Monday if it’s nice. I kind of don’t like driving back to Betty Brook due to the tight campsite and rough roads with my big jacked up truck but I’m thinking Sunday night there is a good chance I could get the campsite either on West Kill Road or Cole Hollow. The prior would mean you could get an early start, head down to Stamford and Monday morning and do the leg of the trail from Stamford down to Bloomville. 🚲 Monday’s are usually easier to get off plus then it’s a four day week the next two weeks as I’m leaving for vacation on a Friday. Then the week after vacation is my dentist appointment 🦷 not this week as I originally thought.

A lot of my weekend plans depends on when I take delivery of Blackie, 🚲 and when I get the kick stand, rack and crate on it. I decided I’ll add yellow reflective DOT tape to the rear and sides of the black crate and the rack to improve visibility when riding on the road. I found my old front and back lights, though I’m missing the mount for the rear one or more like I think it broke when I took it off the old bike a few weeks back when I was restoring it. Supposedly from the online inventory the bike store has the kick stand, the MIK rack and MIK connector plate as I’d like to have that all installed before I head out for the weekend, along with the bicycle registered and licensed with the town, photos and other information sent to my insurer.

Looking ahead, there are 6 weeks until World Mosquito Day 🐞 when the sun will be setting at 7:50 pm with dusk at 8:18 pm. My gawd have they been bad at times lately in the woods, especially for the evening walk at Elm Ave Town Park. On that day in 2022, we had hot and muggy weather 😰 , partly sunny and temperatures between 88 and 70 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 82 degrees. The mosquitoes loved that. We hit a record high of 98 back in 1916.

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.

A three day work week after the four day weekend 🎇

Most of the booms last night weren’t fireworks but the thunderstorms that came rolling through that got me a bit wet heading down Bennett Hill but wasn’t the terribly violent storms they predicted from the radar. Odd how they pushed south from the north.

Good morning! Mostly foggy 🌁 and 63 degrees in Delmar for the morning walk 🚶. Calm wind. It’s foggy a with a dew point of 63 degrees. The air quality is a moderate 55.

Normally we’d call today Hump Day 🐫 but it’s more of psudeo Monday as the work week is ahead. Should be a quiet three 3⃣ day week, the other director is on vacation but so is a lot of staff and the work load light. The past few days have been very hot and lazy at home, 🏡 it’s tough to get up and going. 18 flights of stairs await me to climb at my office 🏢. While I do worry having eggs this morning after a hamburger 🍔 on the forth means I’ll be over on the saturated fats, eggs 🍳 have loads of protein and it’s good as I will include about two cups of ground spinach, plus tomatoes 🍅, peppers and onions plus maybe mix in some cottage cheese for even more protein. Walked 🚶 7.8 miles yesterday.

Today will have fog before 7am. Otherwise, sunny and hot 🌞, with a high of 90 degrees at 3pm. Six degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 70 at 10am. Calm wind becoming north 5 to 7 mph in the morning. A year ago, we had rain in the morning, which became rain by afternoon. It became sticky as the day progressed. The high last year was 74 degrees. The record high of 99 was set in 1919.

Yesterday was fun, spent some time with the folks before climbing Bennett Hill and getting chased down it ⛈ when a sort of freak thunderstorm pushed down from the north, lighting the radar up with a dense red cell heading right towards me. I was hoping to watch the canceled Albany State Plaza fireworks 🎇 from the hill and all the unofficial ones people were lighting off in their backyards but not during a severe electrical storm with hail, torrential downpours, strong winds. 🍃 I stayed up top for a while but hearing thunder ⚡ and seeing lightening I rushed down the hill only getting a little wet 💧 by the time I reached my truck. It rained somewhat hard on my drive home and the underpass on 443 was fairly flooded but no hail and I made it home safely, spending the last 15 minutes of the storm watching it from my truck. 🛻

Solar noon 🌞 is at 1:01 pm with sun having an altitude of 70.2° from the due south horizon (-0.6° 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 16 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 9:56 pm. At sunset, look for mostly clear skies 🌄 and temperatures around 83 degrees. The dew point will be 68 degrees. There will be a west-northwest breeze at 5 mph. Today will have 15 hours and 15 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 53 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will be mostly clear 🌃, with a low of 68 degrees at 4am. Six degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 69 at 9pm. Last night was pretty sticky, so will tonight be. Northwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening. 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 63 degrees. The record low of 47 occurred back in 1962.

On this day in 1999, U.S. President Bill Clinton imposes trade and economic sanctions against the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. ⚔ 25 years later and a few trillion spent not sure we have a lot to show for it besides bass boats for military contractors, a bunch of dead and injured Americans and Muslims rounded up in racist prosecution. It was pretty bad but then the American government doesn’t have that good reputation of treating Americans fairly, remember COINTELPRO and before that the Red Scare. Old J. Edgar Hoover might be long gone, but his agency sticks around.

Hot and summer like for the weekend. 😎 More clouds for Sunday then Saturday but that’s getting ahead of myself. Saturday, a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 87. Chance of precipitation is 40%. Maximum dew point of 67 at 8pm. Sunday, a chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 2pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 85. Chance of precipitation is 50%. Maximum dew point of 68 at 1pm. Typical average high for the weekend is 84 degrees.

It truthfully would be a great weekend to spend out in Schoharie 🏕 at the Mine Kill Pool but I really want to figure out the bicycle thing this weekend. 🚲 I think I am really zeroing in the bicycle I want, a place where I can pay and take delivery potentially as soon as Saturday, so I could be back out on the road as soon as Saturday afternoon or maybe Sunday. I may end up having to drive down Hudson to take delivery of the bicycle but I could combine that with some beach time at Lake Taghkanic or ride some of the Albany Hudson Electric Trail. Or maybe some of both?

One month 📅 from now will be Work Like a Dog Day 🐩 when the sun will be setting at 8:12 pm with dusk at 8:42 pm. I bet, in August. Maybe more like nap like a dog day. 🐶

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. 🍃. Temperatures will drop below freezing at Thursday around 3 am. ☃️

Kind of a cold start to the morning 🥶 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 🔥 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 🥚 when I get home with lots of spinach and feta cheese and then get my clothes 👚 unpacked from the wash yesterday, go to the car wash 🚿, get groceries, top of the tank in my truck, ⛽ put the tire back on my truck 🛻 and then maybe in the evening 🌃 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. 🍉

Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:54 pm with sun having an altitude of 66° from the due south horizon (-4.9° 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 🏅 starts at 7:30 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (290°). 📸

I saw at the trailhead 📄 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. 🏋️ 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 (297°) 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. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 9:23 pm. At sunset, look for mostly clear skies 🌄 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 🌃, 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 ⛺ 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 🦋 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 ⛽ 🚜 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.

February 20, 2023 Morning

Good morning! Cloudy and 36 degrees at the Moscow Hill Camping Area. 🌥 There is a south-southwest breeze at 9 mph. 🍃. Temperatures will drop below freezing at around 5 pm. ☃️

The past few days I’ve decided to take a break from social media and the blog 📜 so I can spend more time in the woods hiking and thinking, 👂 listening to podcasts and drinking 🍻 beer and being away from it all. Two nights is never enough, especially since I got used to remote work from camp. I could have taken tomorrow off but rain is coming.

I was on the fence about where to this long weekend ⛺ but settled on Brookfield as there was more trails I wanted to explore and the forecast while cloudy for Sunday and today looked less wet. I had been at Rennselearville State Forest three weekends ago and wanted to mix things up especially so I didn’t burn up too much firewood. Plus I like the rural landscape 🚜 heading out to Brookfield. Longer drive though but a pleasant one.

Saturday I walked around Glimmerglass State Park 🏞 and it was cold by the lake but in the woods with the wind 🍃 blocked by the mountains it wasn’t so bad. I didn’t stick around very long as such. Deep blue skies and a pretty sunset 🌇. Got to Moscow Hill Horse Camp 🐴 and set up camp then hiked over to Elmer’s Place and then bushwhacked over Grassy Hill trying to find a good view which didn’t exist but I did flush out a ton of grouse. 🕊

By the time I got back to camp it was 6:10 and nearly pitch black but I had previously gathered firewood, set up the lights and propane, 🏮 had everything ready to go so it was a pleasant night. Had a big fire 🔥 though it was smokey at times due to all the wet wood, wet stuff in the burnables as I’ve been eating healthier. Heard a local fire station whistle go of 🚒🧑‍🚒 and thought I might have some unplanned visitors but no it was some other call. This place isn’t as remote as some places I camp. ⛺ Forgot to buy lighter fluid but once I got the somewhat damp and frozen wood going it burned well but was sparky until the wind died out. Saturday was a star filled night ✨ and very mild which was nice.

Sunday was cloudy and breezy at times 🌬️ especially up on the hills. I hiked the bulk of the day, visiting most of the outer truck trails at Charles Baker State Forest 🌲🌳🌲 as I didn’t want to hike muddy horse trails. Checked out the Elmer Spring Campsite which is remote but accessible by vehicle and is really nice and private. ⛺ Hiked the Ledges Trail which was kind of interesting as was Truck Trail 7 which is cut into a ledge on the side of the mountain ⛰️. Icy in spots especially on the road but cold enough even the horse 🐴 trails weren’t too icy.

For today, Washington’s Birthday will have showers likely, mainly before 11am. Cloudy 🌦, with a high of 40 degrees at 11am. Three degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around February 28th. Not bad for the high country in in. Just wearing the vest. Southwest wind 9 to 13 mph becoming northwest in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies in the morning, remaining cloudy in the afternoon. The high last year was 28 degrees. The record high of 66 was set in 1930. 11.2 inches of snow fell back in 1977.❄

While it hasn’t been sunny ☁️ the mid weather has been nice. Not having to deal with frozen water 💦, frozen food like milk 🥛 or eggs 🥚 is good for a change. The batteries are healthy and happy 😊 in my truck 🔋, I haven’t had to start the truck all weekend long. Used the propane heater ♨ a lot less than I have in recent trips, no icy propane lines to deal with. But it’s been cold enough that things have remained generally frozen in the ground, keeping the trails from being too muddy.

Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:16 pm with sun having an altitude of 36.2° from the due south horizon (-34.4° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 8.2 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 5:01 pm with the sun in the west-southwest (249°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-southwest (256°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 5:40 pm after setting for 3 minutes with dusk around 6:07 pm, which is one minute and 17 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 At dusk you’ll see the Waxing Crescent 🌒 Moon in the west-southwest (253°) at an altitude of 2° from the horizon, 228,419 miles away. 🚀 The best time to look at the stars is after 6:41 pm. At sunset, look for mostly cloudy skies ☁ and temperatures around 34 degrees. There will be a west-northwest breeze at 10 mph. Today will have 10 hours and 50 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 47 seconds over yesterday.

Today I decided to hike back and explore a few more ponds 🐸 in the northern part of the state forest. Then midday head back home. I figure enjoy and explore as much of the land while I’m here. Then I’ll have to head home. I thought about taking Tuesday off but it looks like rain ☔ and maybe snow here.

Tonight will have a slight chance of snow showers after 4am. Mostly cloudy 🌧, with a low of 23 degrees at 2am. Four degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around March 5th. Maximum wind chill around 17 at 4am; Northwest wind 5 to 8 mph becoming calm. Chance of precipitation is 20%. 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 13 degrees. The record low of -10 occurred back in 2015.

Planning to go out and see the folks 👪 when I get home, that is after showering 🚿 and unpacking. Then I want to run to the car wash 🚙 and then Walmart for fruit and vegetables for the upcoming week. 🍏

Brookfield looks cold and snowy for next weekend. 🌨 But I got my fun in. Saturday, a chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 25. Chance of precipitation is 40%. Sunday, a chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 34. Breezy. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Typical average high for the weekend is 39 degrees.

I don’t necessarily plan on being back to Brookfield anytime soon though I might do my April trip to Cazenovia rather than the Adirondacks East Branch Sacandaga River for a change. 🗻 Easter is late this year and depending on how mild the spring is things could be greening up by then. Probably few black flies up north 🐜 but I’ve been itching to do the Gorge Rail Trail is Cazenovia – Canestota for some time again. March maybe a camping trip ⛺ to Rennselearville State Forest again or Burnt Rossman. Depends on how much snow. It will be after the time change at this point.

Looking ahead, there are 7 weeks until 8 PM Dusk 🌆 when the sun will be setting at 7:39 pm with dusk at 8:06 pm (Daylight Savings Time) in Brookfield. Earlier back in Albany. On that day in 2022, we had partly cloudy, warm and temperatures between 74 and 49 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 57 degrees. Thinking spring thoughts 💭 on this cloudy but mild morning. We hit a record high of 86 back in 1922.

April 9, 2021 Morning

Good morning! Today has the 7:30 PM Sunset 🌇 . Four weeks to 8 PM Sunset 🌇 . Summer is coming. Or so I tell myself. Actually if summer didn’t come it would rather bad thing as it would mean the universe had imploded and earth 🌎 was no longer rotating around the sun. Mostly sunny and 48 degrees in Delmar, NY. 🌅 There is a south-southeast breeze at 6 mph. 🍃.

Decided it was such a nice day, I would go for my morning walk 🚶🏻 a bit earlier than normal and then maybe have some breakfast out back. 🍳 I should cook up some of those eggs I bought the other day at the store 🏬. Then get down to work with my laptop. It’s such a nice morning, I am considering going down to the Henry Hudson Park and working down at the river this morning then going shopping at lunch time, although I have a 1 PM meeting today, so things will be a bit collapsed for time if I want to go shopping at lunch time. 👝

Today will have increasing clouds ☁, with a high of 70 degrees at 3pm. 15 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around May 16th. South wind 6 to 9 mph. But first a lot of sun. ☀️ A year ago, we had cloudy skies in the morning, which became mostly sunny by afternoon. The high last year was 51 degrees. The record high of 77 was set in 1991. 13.3 inches of snow fell back in 2000.❄

Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:58 pm with sun having an altitude of 55.1° from the due south horizon (-15.7° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 4.2 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 6:53 pm with the sun in the west (275°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-northwest (281°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 7:31 pm after setting for 2 minutes and 57 seconds with dusk around 7:59 pm, which is one minute and 8 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 8:34 pm. At sunset, look for possible rain showers 🌧 and temperatures around 65 degrees. There will be a south breeze at 8 mph. Today will have 13 hours and 7 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 49 seconds over yesterday.

Yesterday the door 🚪 got fixed at my apartment, well sort of, the landlord trued up the door somewhat and glued it back together. Still doesn’t latch perfectly and the door got jammed shut but this morning after spraying the latch with a shit ton of WD-40, things seem better if not a lot more greasy and smelly. 🛠 Seems to work okay now. I should look at getting some weatherstripping to put around the door before next winter — I added some last fall but it didn’t fit well and installation in cold meant it didn’t stick well, and it wasn’t think enough for the door jam. But I guess that’s fine, the door has a different fit now completely, after re-truing of the door.

After many hours of cold calling 👥 therapists in my provider’s list, I was able to find one I could meet with next week. Seemed like a quirky but nice guy for sure. Should be an interesting experience, and hopefully it will give me some more insight into my thought process, maybe cool my heals a bit 👢 and become more successful at my career, 💸 so I can make more money, and get closer to owning my own land. It took a lot of calls, it’s scary kind of navigating the system, probably not great especially for shy people looking for somebody to talk to. 🔊 I’m kind of hoping this will be a new start in life, towards a more prosperous future. Same day as my COVID-19 shot, 💉 so hopefully I won’t be too out of it.

Tonight will have a slight chance of showers before 11pm. Mostly cloudy 🌧, with a low of 49 degrees at 6am. 14 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around May 21st. South wind around 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. In 2020, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 37 degrees. The record low of 21 occurred back in 1974.

Tomorrow will be mostly sunny 🌞, with a high of 76 degrees at 4pm. 20 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around June 7th. Maximum dew point of 48 at 12pm. South wind 5 to 8 mph. A year ago, we had cloudy skies in the morning, which became mostly sunny by afternoon. The high last year was 48 degrees. The record high of 86 was set in 1922. 5.7 inches of snow fell back in 1961.❄

It sounds like a delightful day to spend out in the woods tomorrow 🎄 hiking and exploring. I am thinking somewhere in Rensselear County, maybe some of the Taconic Crest trail but I’m a bit undecided. If I go out there, I might want to have my microspikes, 🎿 lest things be really icy on the trail. I really like the views from up that way and it’s a nice trip. 🚶 I could also look at Grafton Lakes or somewhere closer. It would be nice to wear shorts, but I don’t dare while I’m hiking as I don’t want to get covered with ticks. 👖 I should spray my jeans tonight with permethrin.

Looking ahead to Sunday, showers likely, mainly after 8am. Cloudy, with a high near 63. ☔ Southeast wind 6 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. Maximum dew point of 55 at 12pm. We need that rain. 🌦 Typical average high for the weekend is 56 degrees.

I don’t have big plans for Sunday 🍽 but I’ll probably do Sunday dinner at the folks house. ☔ Hoping for more rain then less, as we could certainly use it and I’m planning on taking off next Friday to go the Adirondacks and I don’t want things to be bone dry if I have a fire up north, which most certainly are likely to have.

Looking ahead, there are 4 weeks until 8 PM Sunset 🌇 when the sun will be setting at 8:02 pm with dusk at 8:33 pm. On that day in 2020, we had partly sunny, rain showers and temperatures between 65 and 43 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 67 degrees. We hit a record high of 92 back in 1930.

April 2, 2021 Morning

Good morning! Today is Good Friday ✝️ ! Originally supposed to be a work holiday, it was somewhat translated into a working holiday. That said, it doesn’t look like that nice of day to head up to the Adirondacks as at least today is going to be rather cloudy and gray. But at least, next Friday is 7:30 PM Sunset 🌇 . Cloudy, gray around 26 degrees in Delmar, NY. ❄ There is a northwest breeze at 13 mph. 🍃. The current wind chill is 12. There are 0.2 inches of snow on the ground. ☃ ️It is a cold morning for April. I turned the heat on last night, although I’m going to turn it off during day time, only using my little space heater if I get cold. Things will start to thaw out at around 11 am. 🌡️

I got the bank yesterday and deposited my stimulus check and withdrew some cash 🏧 so I have it on hand, until issues with the other bank account get straightened out. Then I went to the store and got some groceries — not a lot but a handful and also picked up lighter fluid in case I decided to camping. 🔥 Especially if there is a lot of wet wood or goodies to burn, having lighter fluid is handy. Driving home, I hit a terrible slippery batch of sleet on the road. 🚘 🌨 Maybe I’m an inexperienced winter driver, but after moving along at 55 MPH on wet — and not terribly wet roads and suddenly hitting an icy patch, I was slipping all over the place with the traction control bitting in hard. Elm Avenue for a while was super icy, but I made it home carefully, but I found myself using 4×4.

Today will be occasional flurries before 8am. Mostly cloudy 🌞, with a high of 37 degrees at 3pm. 15 degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around February 25th. Northwest wind 13 to 15 mph. A year ago, we had cloudy skies. The high last year was 57 degrees. The record high of 77 was set in 2010. 8 inches of snow fell back in 1924.❄ Solar noon 🌞 is at 1:00 pm with sun having an altitude of 52.4° from the due south horizon (-18.4° vs. 6/21).

I want to call the shop today if they are open about getting an oil change next week. 🔧 It’s been a while since I’ve done one, and I’ve put on probably upwards of 5,000 or 6,000 miles and even with the synthetic oil it’s worthwhile to do. Plus I loose oil with that oil coolant line leak, so I’m adding oil from time to time, so they probably contributes to sludge in the engine. I used to do my own oil changes, I might again someday do them, but it’s such a pain to get that dang filter off and by the time you figure in all your time tracking down motor oil and filter, it’s just easier to drop off at the shop and have it back in 15 minutes. With the synthetic oil, your not changing it all of the time too. And while maybe I’ve burned used oil before, it’s kind of noxious smelling. 👃 That and I saw a 4 AM advertisement, which reinforced my mind that I should get it done. 📺 Now advertisers, cue up your ads about your specials after I make my appointment.

A six foot person will cast a 4.6 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 6:46 pm with the sun in the west (272°). 📸 The sunset is in the west (278°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 7:23 pm after setting for 2 minutes and 55 seconds with dusk around 7:51 pm, which is one minute and 8 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 8:25 pm. At sunset, look for partly clear skies 🌄 and temperatures around 35 degrees. There will be a northwest breeze at 11 mph. We will have 12 hours and 47 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 51 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will be partly cloudy 🌃, with a low of 20 degrees at 4am. 13 degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around February 28th. Northwest wind 6 to 10 mph. Definitely not a nice night for sitting out back. It would have been even colder up north. In 2020, we had light rain. It got down to 42 degrees. The record low of 16 occurred back in 1954.

Tomorrow will be sunny 🌞, with a high of 51 degrees at 4pm. Two degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around March 31st. Northwest wind 7 to 9 mph. A year ago, we had cloudy skies. The high last year was 51 degrees. The record high of 79 was set in 1981. 11 inches of snow fell back in 1891.❄

I haven’t decided if I will just walk out to Five Rivers 🚶‍♀️ tomorrow or what my plans will be. I have options but I’m not inclined to stray far from home, especially when I get just walk somewhere and observe nature. Easter Sunday before I go out to the folks house I might go up Bennett Hill or another trail around not too far from home. I think I may very well want to where my muck boots wherever I go. 👢

Looking ahead to Easter Sunday, partly sunny, with a high near 52. 🐰 Calm wind becoming northwest 5 to 7 mph in the afternoon. Typical average high for the weekend is 53 degrees. So at least sunny but kind of cool for this time of year. I think I can wait a week or two to go to the Adirondacks. Still a while before black fly season — figure that’s off until the first week of May.

As previously noted, next Friday is 7:30 PM Sunset 🌇 with dusk at 7:59 pm. On that day in 2020, we had partly cloudy, rain showers and temperatures between 51 and 40 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 55 degrees. We hit a record high of 77 back in 1991.

Andy Arthur.org

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