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First Friday in May ๐ŸŒธ

Friday already. Another work week is coming to a close. But it’s been a busy one with meetings downtown, picking up my bike from the shop, lots of reading and work. Not to mention installing Fedora 40 on my laptop,

Good morning! Yeah, it’s Friday! Mostly cloudy and 56 degrees in Delmar, NY. ๐ŸŒž Calm wind. Not too bad out, but then again, it’s May.

Started out the morning around 5 am with some delicious Johnny cakes ๐Ÿฅž with cottage cheese, lots of onions, peppers, Tumeric and spinach. Kind of a healthy treat of sorts – – that said I do like that carb-rich cornmeal too much but today I accidentally left out the egg but it came out fine, probably because I’ve been adding wallpaper paste to the cornmeal lately to keep things from being too runny, as often happens when much of the mix is fresh veggies like onions and peppers which are largely water. ๐Ÿ’ฆ

Today will be partly sunny ๐ŸŒž, with a high of 70 degrees at 6am. Three degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around May 10th. North wind 5 to 8 mph becoming southeast in the afternoon. A year ago, we had cloudy skies in the morning, which became light rain by afternoon. The high last year was 56 degrees. The record high of 89 was set in 2001. There was a dusting of snow in 1986.โ„

Yesterday riding to work I got into a minor fender bender ๐Ÿšฒ when I crashed into a stone retaining wall, as I approached a pedestrian as I was focused on traffic and the podcast I was listening to, on a sharp bend on the bike trail at the Corning Preserve. Took a bit of paint off my bike, skinned up my leg and it was a bloody mess, ๐Ÿฉน and ripped my jeans, ๐Ÿ‘– but I could have been hurt worse. My knee was sore all of yesterday, but I concede it probably was my fault as I was riding too fast and the bald tire on the front wheel really reduces my traction. I really should get new tires for my bike sooner then later – – not just due to the risk of crash but also puncture.

Solar noon ๐ŸŒž is at 12:53 pm with sun having an altitude of 63.2ยฐ from the due south horizon (-7.6ยฐ vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 3 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour ๐Ÿ… starts at 7:19 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (286ยฐ). ๐Ÿ“ธ The sunset is in the west-northwest (293ยฐ) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 7:58 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 8 seconds with dusk around 8:29 pm, which is one minute and 8 seconds later than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ‡ The best time to look at the stars is after 9:08 pm. At sunset, look for clear skies ๐ŸŒ„ and temperatures around degrees. There will be a calm wind. Today will have 14 hours and 15 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 28 seconds over yesterday.

Saw this great off-grid hunting camp property ๐Ÿ›–, that I was thinking I could turn into an off-grid homestead but I have some questions about the property access that I emailed the seller about. Then I also need to confirm it’s properly permitted and would allow year-round residential. Perfect size cabin, beautiful but very basic inside, would need solar and road improvements but I’m waiting to find out more before scheduling a property tour. It has septic and water on site, which is great though and is like 600 sq feet. ๐Ÿšฝ Not so far from Albany too, but I’m sure there are dealer breaker with access or permitted as it’s probably too good to be true.

Tonight will be mostly cloudy ๐ŸŒฅ, with a low of 50 degrees at 6am. Six degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around May 20th. Southeast wind 7 to 9 mph. In 2023, we had partly cloudy skies. It got down to 45 degrees. The record low of 28 occurred back in 1985.

Last night I attended a happy hour after work ๐Ÿป with colleagues and it was a fun evening though I was a bit tipsy on the ride home, ๐Ÿ˜‹ but this time I didn’t crash ๐Ÿ’ฅand the alcohol probably helped with me sore knee. ๐Ÿฆถ But after all that and because it was fairly late and I was dog tired ๐Ÿถ I decided just to go down to the Elm Ave Park for a while before coming home and laying back in bed doing a bit more reading of e-books on my phone. Lately I’ve had a lot of interest in technical books ๐Ÿ“š like the one I’m reading on Linux system administration as it gets me away from the rest of the world. I also have several books on cabin construction ๐Ÿก and rural living that I’ve been studying but not last night. Plus then I wasted more time on Facebook AI Image Generator which I think is so much fun for generating images of Garfield and Snoopy in places you never would think to see them. It’s all fun and games until the copyright lawyers get such programs banished from the internet.

Tomorrow will have a slight chance of showers after 3pm. Partly sunny ๐ŸŒž, with a high of 68 degrees at 6am. Typical for Tomorrow. South wind 8 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. A year ago, we had cloudy skies in the morning, which became light rain by afternoon. The high last year was 60 degrees. The record high of 91 was set in 1944. There was a dusting of snow in 1986.โ„

I don’t have ambitious plans for the weekend, ๐Ÿšฒ but I have library books to return ๐Ÿ“š, yes besides the e-books I’ve been reading I got some physical books out of the library too though I discovered most of them are either on Hoopla or Libby so I don’t know how necessary that will be in the future but with Libby only working for two days off the cell network, I might have to take that in consideration when doing extended trips to the Adirondacks this summer, though I have my doubts with work that I’ll have a chance to get away for any extended period of time.

Looking ahead to Sunday, showers likely. Cloudy, with a high near 56. ๐ŸŒง๏ธ Southeast wind 11 to 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. Typical average high for the weekend is 68 degrees.

Sunday is the shopping day ๐Ÿ›’ and more then likely I’ll be stocking up and going out to the parents house ๐Ÿ‘ช for Sunday dinner. Next week is Mother’s Day but the family is out of town so I won’t be going but my hope is to also be out of town, namely riding the Catskill Scenic Trail.

As black flies every where are noting, next Friday is Average High is 70 ๐Ÿฎ when the sun will be setting at 8:07 pm with dusk at 8:37 pm. On that day in 2023, we had sunny and temperatures between 77 and 39 degrees. Already we’ve had some way of a preview of that nice summer weather, and it’s only going to get better. We hit a record high of 92 back in 1970.

Trees

If it bleeds it leads ๐Ÿฉธ๐Ÿฉน

My finger is a bloody mess after I cut it after opening a can of pumpkin to mix with oatmeal for a bedtime snack last night. It’s starting to heal though not quickly enough.

Good morning! Yeah, it’s Friday! Sunny and 33 degrees in Delmar. ๐ŸŒž There is a north-northwest breeze at 5 mph. ๐Ÿƒ.

It was a nice evening last night at Five Rivers Environmental Education Center ๐Ÿธ after I got my bicycle ๐Ÿšฒ back on the road and went out to Five Rivers Environmental Education Center. Did some reading ๐Ÿ“–, went for a walk ๐Ÿšถ. Need to charge the bike headlight though as it was basically dead for the ride home. Maybe I’ll leave it charging today.

Cut my finger ๐Ÿฉน๐Ÿฉธ opening a can of pumpkin ๐ŸŽƒ last night as a bedtime ๐Ÿ› snack and oh did it bleed. I had to look around to find a bandage but I had some in the medicine cabinet. Still sore this morning. The pumpkin and shredded oatmeal was good ๐Ÿ˜‹ as was the johnny cakes topped with mashed kidney beans. Good dinner and it was a pleasant evening ๐ŸŒƒ.

Today will be sunny ๐ŸŒž, with a high of 60 degrees at 4pm. Four degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around April 17th. Northwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the morning. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies in the morning, which became light rain by afternoon. The high last year was 62 degrees. The record high of 90 was set in 1990. 0.3 inches of snow fell back in 1993.โ„

Back to riding to work today. ๐Ÿšฒ The bus was fine and I actually kind of enjoyed the walk from the Plaza to Menands but I still rather bike it in. I should call the bike mechanic ๐Ÿ›  about getting Blackie ๐Ÿšต tunned up before the gear โš™ jumping gets worse. Probably won’t be able to get an appointment until June at this point. Best to schedule it now though.

Solar noon ๐ŸŒž is at 12:54 pm with sun having an altitude of 61.1° from the due south horizon (-9.7° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 3.3 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour ๐Ÿ… starts at 7:12 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (283°). ๐Ÿ“ธ The sunset is in the west-northwest (290°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 7:50 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 4 seconds with dusk around 8:20 pm, which is one minute and 9 seconds later than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ‡ The best time to look at the stars is after 8:58 pm. At sunset, look for clear skies ๐ŸŒ„ and temperatures around 57 degrees. There will be a calm wind. Today will have 13 hours and 57 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 37 seconds over yesterday.

After catching a ton of mice earlier in the week ๐Ÿญ with the electric mouse zapper, I haven’t seen or heard any mice since yesterday. Those electric mouse zappers are great, they just need to be dumped out when full but almost never need new batteries ๐Ÿ”‹ or bait. ๐Ÿชค There easy to empty and set unlike spring traps are easy to use.

Tonight will be clear ๐ŸŒƒ, with a low of 35 degrees at 5am. Seven degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around April 11th. Light and variable wind. In 2023, we had light rain in the evening, which became partly cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 40 degrees. The record low of 26 occurred back in 1963.

I am continuing to read A Field Guide to American Houses e-book by Virginia McAlester. I am trying to learn as much as possible about the history and the pros-and-cons of different building structures, should I decide to buy or build a house. ๐Ÿ›–๐Ÿ ๏ธ

Tomorrow will be mostly sunny ๐ŸŒž, with a high of 64 degrees at 3pm. One degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around April 25th. South wind 5 to 11 mph. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies in the morning, which became light rain by afternoon. The high last year was 62 degrees. The record high of 91 was set in 1962. There was a dusting of snow in 2020.โ„

Sounds like a pretty nice weekend, ๐Ÿ˜€ it’s kind of unfortunate that I went out of town last weekend. โ›บ It would have been much warmer and nicer then last weekend. Maybe next weekend though I’ll get out of town, or maybe it will be Mother’s Day Weekend.

Looking ahead to Sunday, a slight chance of showers. ๐ŸŒฆ๏ธ Mostly cloudy, with a high near 71. South wind around 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. Maximum dew point of 57 at 6pm. Typical average high for the weekend is 65 degrees.

Next week is May. Looking ahead, there are 2 weeks until Average High is 70 ๐Ÿฎ when the sun will be setting at 8:07 pm with dusk at 8:37 pm. On that day in 2023, we had sunny and temperatures between 77 and 39 degrees. We hit a record high of 92 back in 1970.

Path Down to Rensselaer Lake

Cloudy start to the Saturday but should improve โ˜บ

We didn’t get the big wash out that I expected last night. I probably could have done two nights at Rennselearville State Forest but I’m up and going, hoping to get out before the driveway gets full of construction vehicles and equipment as they continue to completely gut the next door apartment.

Good morning! Happy Saturday. Finally the weekend! Weekdays fly by these days being so busy at work. Cloudy and 47 degrees in Delmar, NY. โ˜ There is a south breeze at 6 mph. ๐Ÿƒ. Temperatures will drop below freezing at Thursday around 3 am. โ˜ƒ๏ธ

Don’t have a lot of things to pack ๐ŸŽ’ but I do need to swing by Glenmont to get propane and then I’ll head out here via Medusa to avoid all the small town speed traps. ๐Ÿšจ Not sure if it’s actually faster to go that way but I want to look at some land on the way out there and observe houses and the way people live rural locally. ๐Ÿก

Today will be cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny โ˜๐Ÿ‘‰ โ˜€ , with a high of 61 degrees at 3pm. One degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around April 19th. Maximum dew point of 46 at 6am. South wind 6 to 15 mph becoming northwest in the morning. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. The high last year was 66 degrees. The record high of 93 was set in 1941. 5.8 inches of snow fell back in 1947.โ„

I was a bit on the fence today about heading out camping ๐Ÿ• but I decided with the landlord working on my building ๐Ÿšง and that by afternoon it looks half decent to do a quick overnight to Rennselearville State Forest and then go to Huyck Preserve on Sunday followed by a visit to my parents. ๐Ÿ“™ I have several e Books to read ๐Ÿ“š and it would be nice to ride some of the roads especially after noon time when the youth hunt is done for the day. Plus I think it will be damp enough to have a small fire ๐Ÿ”ฅ under the moon lit skies. ๐ŸŽ‘

Solar noon ๐ŸŒž is at 12:55 pm with sun having an altitude of 59.1ยฐ from the due south horizon (-11.7ยฐ vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 3.6 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour ๐Ÿ… starts at 7:05 pm with the sun in the west (281ยฐ). ๐Ÿ“ธ The sunset is in the west-northwest (287ยฐ) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 7:44 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 2 seconds with dusk around 8:13 pm, which is one minute and 9 seconds later than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ‡ At dusk you’ll see the Full ๐ŸŒ Moon in the southeast (127ยฐ) at an altitude of 36ยฐ from the horizon, 252,189 miles away. ๐Ÿš€ The best time to look at the stars is after 8:49 pm. At sunset, look for mostly clear skies ๐ŸŒ„ and temperatures around 49 degrees. Breezy, 17 mph breeze โ›… from the west-northwest. Today will have 13 hours and 41 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 43 seconds over yesterday.

Should be a great day once I get camp set up in Rennselearville. โ˜บ I figure get set up early ๐Ÿฆƒ and then head out hiking and biking after noon time when youth spring turkey closes for the day. Just kind of check out the scenery and keep my eyes ๐Ÿ‘€ open for gobblers, they might actually like it with all the recent timber cuts ๐Ÿชตup here lately.

Tonight will be mostly clear ๐ŸŒƒ, with a low of 34 degrees at 6am. Five degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around April 9th. Northwest wind 10 to 16 mph. A bit of a chilly night for the second half of April but then again this has been a cooler April in general. In 2023, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became partly cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 45 degrees. The record low of 20 occurred back in 1875. Almost a full ๐ŸŒ• moon so it should be a nice evening, listening to the spring peepers ๐Ÿธ assuming the breeze ain’t too cold.

Looking ahead, next Saturday is Arbor Day ๐ŸŒณ when the sun will be setting at 7:52 pm with dusk at 8:21 pm. On that day in 2023, we had partly cloudy, patches of fog and temperatures between 62 and 40 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 65 degrees. We hit a record high of 91 back in 1962.

Old Conservation Department Marker

Still raining out this morning โ˜”

God needs to fill the mud wallows up. But I think all this rain will lead to things rapidly greening up over the next week or so which is actually about normal for the Albany area.

Good morning! Yeah, it’s Friday! Rain and 60 degrees in Delmar, NY. โ˜” Breezy, ๏ธ20 mph breeze from the south-southeast ๐ŸŒฌ with gusts up to 38 mph ๐Ÿ’จ๐Ÿ’จ๐Ÿ’จ. The dew point is 58 degrees. 0.2 inches of rain is expected before it ends around noontime.

I guess it’s busing it in this morning ๐Ÿš as it’s too wet to ride in. I do plan to catch the 7:15 downtown so I can walk ๐Ÿšถ the Concourse an hour before work. Didn’t get a lot of steps in yesterday. ๐Ÿ‘ฃ I guess I sort of made up by reading ๐Ÿ“– more though that exercises a different type of muscle ๐Ÿง  ๐Ÿ’ช๐Ÿป. Maybe if the rain tapers off I’ll walk from Downtown to Menands, tha’s always a good walk.

Today will have showers and thunderstorms likely, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 1pm. ๐ŸŒฆ High of 64 degrees at 12pm. Seven degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around April 27th. Maximum dew point of 58 at 6am. ๐Ÿ–๏ธ Breezy, with a south wind 17 to 21 mph, with gusts as high as 45 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. The high last year was 78 degrees. The record high of 84 was set in 1977. 3.3 inches of snow fell back in 1962.โ„

Johnny cakes this morning ๐Ÿฅž with lots of onion and tomato ๐Ÿ…. And too much red chilli ๐ŸŒถ pepper which had my nose ๐Ÿ‘ƒ running like I had a cold. Topped with cottage cheese and I was even green ๐Ÿ’šand washed out the container for recycling โ™ป. At least my stomach is feeling better than yesterday. ๐Ÿซƒ๐Ÿป Been going a bit over board with the cranberry beans, ๐Ÿซ˜ and the carrots ๐Ÿฅ• lately, though it also seems like in recent months my stomach has been a bit rough. Dinner last night was more of that chicken soup ๐Ÿ” and bread ๐Ÿž that I made up yesterday.

Solar noon ๐ŸŒž is at 12:57 pm with sun having an altitude of 56.3° from the due south horizon (-14.5° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 4 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour ๐Ÿ… starts at 6:57 pm with the sun in the west (277°). ๐Ÿ“ธ The sunset is in the west-northwest (283°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 7:34 pm after setting for 2 minutes and 58 seconds with dusk around 8:03 pm, which is one minute and 9 seconds later than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ‡ At dusk you’ll see the First Quarter ๐ŸŒ“ Moon in the west (266°) at an altitude of 47° from the horizon, 237,447 miles away. ๐Ÿš€ The best time to look at the stars is after 8:38 pm. At sunset, look for rain ๐ŸŒง and temperatures around 57 degrees. The dew point will be 46 degrees. There will be a south breeze at 13 mph. Today will have 13 hours and 19 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 48 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will have a chance of showers, mainly after midnight. Mostly cloudy ๐ŸŒง, with a low of 44 degrees at 5am. Eight degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around May 3rd. South wind 11 to 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. In 2023, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became clear by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 51 degrees. The record low of 19 occurred back in 1874.

Tomorrow will have showers likely, mainly before 2pm. Cloudy ๐ŸŒฆ, with a high of 48 degrees at 2pm. 10 degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around March 24th. Southwest wind 11 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. The high last year was 89 degrees. The record high of 87 was set in 1977. 5.5 inches of snow fell back in 1950.โ„

That sounds kind of like a shit day, ๐Ÿ’ฉ but it’s good for reading ๐Ÿ“– and maybe an early morning bike ride to Five Rivers Environmental Education Center ๐Ÿšฒ or Voorheesville. Everything though will be mud. ๐Ÿฝ But so be it. ๐ŸŒธ It might be fun to walk around Five Rivers and see the blooming plants, especially if I stay on the main roadways.

Looking ahead to Sunday, showers likely, mainly after 2pm. ๐ŸŒฆ๏ธ Partly sunny, with a high near 59. Southwest wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible. Going to want those farm boots ๐Ÿ‘ข when hiking Bennett Hill this weekend. I also kind of want to get out to Partridge Run to do a hike, but only if it’s not a mosh pit. I think the snow is gone. Typical average high for the weekend is 58 degrees.

In two weekends, ๐Ÿ•๏ธ if the weather is decent I’d like to take off a Friday or Monday, or maybe both and plan out a 3 to 4 night camping trip somewhere. Maybe back to NY 8 East Branch, or maybe to Schoharie or Madison County. ๐Ÿฎ Not sure if the roads in the Green Mountain National Forest would be open, but that’s an option too.

Looking ahead, there are 4 weeks until Average High is 70 ๐Ÿฎ when the sun will be setting at 8:07 pm with dusk at 8:37 pm. On that day in 2023, we had sunny and temperatures between 77 and 39 degrees. We hit a record high of 92 back in 1970. Before my time, despite what the internet advertisers think.

Cold but beautiful

Sunny morning for the shopping day ๐ŸŒž ๐Ÿ›’

Still a cold morning, but that sun puts you in a good mood. Off to get groceries and get going on my day. Still a fair amount of snow in the hilltowns, so I’ll have to consider that if I want to go out hiking later on.

Good morning! Today 7:30 PM Sunset ๐ŸŒ‡ . Partly cloudy and 35 degrees in Delmar, NY. โ›… There is a north breeze at 7 mph. ๐Ÿƒ. Temperatures will drop below freezing at tomorrow around 3 am. โ˜ƒ๏ธ

Started the morning with pancakes ๐Ÿฅž, you know the usual conventional type I make with oatmeal, carrots and bananas pulverized for sweetness, some milk and egg and a bit of whole-wheat flower for binder. Good stuff in my perspective, especially once topped with lots of cherries and blueberries and real maple syrup. ๐Ÿ Probably good for a sugar high too, but I figure the carrots and oatmeal will provide some fiber and the egg some fats to slow down the absorption and hopefully not damage my pancreas too much.  ๐Ÿฅ• Remember while all the kids were eating candy ๐Ÿฌ over the holiday weekend, I was staying away from all that crap.

Today will be mostly sunny ๐ŸŒž, with a high of 52 degrees at 5pm. Three degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around April 1st. North wind 7 to 11 mph. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies in the morning with some clearing in the afternoon. The high last year was 48 degrees. The record high of 87 was set in 2010. 3.2 inches of snow fell back in 1896.โ„ Should be warm enough to at least have the windows open, air things out a bit and get the humidity down. I re-installed the smoke detector as I think it will work better now that my apartment isn’t so humid and smokey from cooking.

Shopping is the top of the agenda this morning. ๐Ÿ” Truth is my pantry isn’t in terrible shape, but I want to shop today so I can avoid going later in the week. The grocery store is usually best for stock early on a Sunday morning, and then I’m done and can leave Big Red parked all morning. I should also re-fill my propane tank  ๐Ÿฎ lest I decide to head out of town for the weekend. Asparagus ๐ŸŒต is on my list now that we are in spring, plus I’m thinking maybe make red lentil soup for lunch today with a bunch more of those carrots, maybe mixed with some cottage cheese and topped with nutritional yeast. Sounds yummie. ๐Ÿ˜‹

Then maybe I’ll head out for a bike ride for a while. ๐Ÿšฒ๏ธ Nothing too major, maybe just a quick ride out to Five Rivers or Voorheesville. Honestly, it’s kind of a chilly not very nice day. That wind makes it cold, and there just isn’t a lot of warmth in the sun this morning. I was thinking about going to Partridge Run and crusing the backroads, looking for land, but I don’t want to hike in the snow. Next weekend I might camp out that way though. That said despite the cold wind, ๐ŸŒฌ๏ธ  it does make things a lot more cheery having some sun. ๐Ÿ˜€ Tomorrow looks much nicer for going back to work, on my bicycle, and then watching the eclipse in the afternoon.

Solar noon ๐ŸŒž is at 12:58 pm with sun having an altitude of 54.4° from the due south horizon (-16.4° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 4.3 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour ๐Ÿ… starts at 6:51 pm with the sun in the west (274°). ๐Ÿ“ธ The sunset is in the west (281°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 7:29 pm after setting for 2 minutes and 57 seconds with dusk around 7:57 pm, which is one minute and 8 seconds later than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ‡ The best time to look at the stars is after 8:32 pm. At sunset, look for mostly clear skies ๐ŸŒ„ and temperatures around 49 degrees. There will be a north-northeast breeze at 9 mph. Today will have 13 hours and 5 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 49 seconds over yesterday.

Yesterday the bike ride didn’t happen, ๐Ÿ“š๏ธ but I did get through reading an e-book and a physical book, one about the contracting process of building a house and the other about Tiny Houses. I am not that interest in a tiny house, but I want to learn as much as possible about the process of building a house and working with construction materials, plus I’m still thinking small but not tiny cabin style of house ๐Ÿ›– on lots of land. But will it happen this year? Maybe not. Okay, probably not. But I am learning a lot, and maybe if I do find a property that catches my eye and heart ๐Ÿฅฐ and I find a way to make peace  โœŒ๏ธ with the way things are in New York, I’ll be good.

Landlord was working on the unit next to mine,  ๐Ÿ˜๏ธ which I’m glad to see he’s improving before he re-rents it as it means I should be good in my current unit for another year, a bit at a somewhat higher rent. My apartment is still a dump, though I don’t blame myself that much for it at this point, but it’s not in anyone’s interest to improve my unit while I’m still here. I stay here because it’s cheap, not because it’s my only option. Been learning what it would take to improve my apartment, and while I won’t be doing it, I don’t feel guilty for things wearing out and being of need of repair over the past 15 years. I could have been more insistent on immediate repairs,  ๐Ÿ‘จ‍๐Ÿ”ง but honestly I don’t care that much about a building that ain’t mind and is mostly a bed between days at work and trips. At least I don’t think I’m in immediate risk of eviction. Worse comes to worse, I move  ๐Ÿšš and end up paying more in rent. ๐Ÿ’ธ

Tonight will be mostly clear ๐ŸŒƒ, with a low of 30 degrees at 5am. Four degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around March 29th. Northwest wind 5 to 8 mph. In 2023, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became mostly clear by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 28 degrees. The record low of 19 occurred back in 2018.

I am watching the forecast for tomorrow ๐ŸŒ˜ and it doesn’t look that bad for the eclipse. Sucks that I have to work, but I got eclipse glasses ๐Ÿ•ถ๏ธ for the whole team to enjoy watching the eclipse from the work parking lot most likely. Or maybe I’ll ride down to the Corning Preserve, though honestly I think the best view of the eclipse will be from the second floor of my building with the south side windows overlooking the Interstate 90 where the elevator is located.

Looking ahead, there are 4 weeks until Cinco de Mayo ๐Ÿค  when the sun will be setting at 8:01 pm with dusk at 8:31 pm. On that day in 2023, we had partly sunny, rain showers and temperatures between 64 and 40 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 68 degrees. I’m looking forward to do days like that. We hit a record high of 91 back in 1944.

Route 10 Farm

Back from Grandma Moses Country ๐Ÿ‘ต๐Ÿฝ๐ŸŽจ

You know it was worth an exploration, I tell myself even if it didn’t have the right feel for me. Pointed Rocks on the Batten Kill had been on my bucket list for a long time to hike – it’s a surprisingly long and steep hike outside of Adirondack and Catskill Park and the whole area around the Batten Kill is quite spectacular, full of birds and nature if not a pungent this time of year from the manuring. Shits gotta grow come the summer.

Good morning! Rain and 44 degrees in Delmar, NY. โ˜” There is a south breeze at 7 mph. ๐Ÿƒ. Temperatures will drop below freezing at tomorrow around 4 am. โ˜ƒ๏ธ

Honest, I wasn’t planning on going to Washington County yesterday ๐Ÿž but I ended up that way after looking at some houses, properties and land in Hoosic, Pittstown and Valley Falls. Rural country out that way but it didn’t have the right feel in my mind. I totally get why that former Research Services director used to live out in White Creek but that’s a bit too far away from work especially having to drive through Troy and all those other little speed traps and hick towns. ๐Ÿš“ Of course he did move to Pennsylvania as soon as he could retire.

I had wanted to hike Pointed Rocks and explore the area along the Batten Kill for some time now. ๐Ÿšถ ๐Ÿž๏ธ but somehow I never got up that way as there isn’t any place right nearby to camp, except maybe for the Green Mountain National Forest on the other side of Bennington. Nice country up along the Batten Kill State Forest and along NY 313, but certainly too far from Albany too commute. ๐Ÿšฆ๐Ÿš™๐Ÿš—๐Ÿšš๐Ÿ›ป There was an interesting property along NY 22 that was 20 acres of moutainside and woods, with a steep creek for micro-hydro that looked quite attractive from the road and on paper, if not for all those damn traffic lights, hick towns and NY 7 traffic cluster. Had a nice little mobile-home sized site on a ledge over the road, with a somewhat steep driveway but partially cleared. I think it was a former hunting camp. ๐Ÿ ๏ธ Looked like the neighbors would have been good, they’re distance away, have horses and a small pre-fab house. Price was good, but it’s all about the location.

And I didn’t have the natural attraction to Grandma Moses country that I have to the Heldebergs, and I don’t know anybody who currently lives out that way. ๐Ÿ‘จโ€๐Ÿš’ I’m sure if I got involved in the community, maybe became a volunteer firefighter I could make friends, but it’s still tough. ๐Ÿคทโ€โ™‚๏ธ Plus, despite all the kitsch Grandma Moses Painting, that area of state is quite poor. ๐Ÿ But I kind of like that, those are probably good friendly people who work hard, not yuppies.

Today will have showers likely, mainly before 8am. Mostly cloudy with some clearing later on ๐ŸŒฆ, with a high of 51 degrees at 4pm. Six degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around March 29th. South wind 7 to 15 mph becoming northwest in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 25 mph. 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, which became light rain by afternoon. The high last year was 47 degrees. The record high of 75 was set in 1990. 4.1 inches of snow fell back in 1982.โ„

The major plan for today is to go to the grocery store and get more groceries ๐Ÿ›’ fairly early on. I am as shocked as anyone that it’s already Sunday again and my pantry is fairly bare, although not as bad as some weeks in part because I stopped and got a few more things on the way home when driving in on Friday, as that was when I had my dentist appointment with that mean hygienist.๐Ÿฆท I am not going to put up with her abuse, she was abusive in that dentist chair how she treated me. I am going to cancel my next appointment and see if I can reschedule with my usual dental hygentist Hamid.

I might head out to Coeymans to do some more poking around later on the back roads. ๐Ÿ›ป That said, I’ve checked out many of the listings, and I’m kind of tired after all the driving and exploring yesterday. Hell of it is because I decided to head up to Washington County to hike, ๐Ÿšถ never made it down to southern Rensselaer County to explore some of the homes and properties around Lebanon Valley that are for sale. The thing is down there, you’re getting into the Taconics โ›ฐ๏ธ which are quite nice, but land prices go up there, and you start mixing with a lot NYC pukey-pukes down that way. Get south of the Berskshire Spur Thruway and there is some shit ton of NYC money that way, thanks to the Taconic Parkway. Not only is land is expensive, you know who is going to be living next door, people closer to Elliot Spitzer who is responsible for the burn ban, then some dirt-farming goat-rising good ol’ boy. ๐Ÿ‘›

Solar noon ๐ŸŒž is at 1:04 pm with sun having an altitude of 46.3ยฐ from the due south horizon (-24.6ยฐ vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 5.7 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour ๐Ÿ… starts at 6:28 pm with the sun in the west (263ยฐ). ๐Ÿ“ธ The sunset is in the west (269ยฐ) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 7:05 pm after setting for 2 minutes and 54 seconds with dusk around 7:32 pm, which is one minute and 10 seconds later than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ‡ At dusk you’ll see the Waxing Gibbous ๐ŸŒ” Moon in the south (172ยฐ) at an altitude of 75ยฐ from the horizon, 241,964 miles away. ๐Ÿš€ The best time to look at the stars is after 8:06 pm. At sunset, look for partly clear skies ๐ŸŒ„ and temperatures around 45 degrees. There will be a west-northwest breeze at 10 mph. Today will have 12 hours and 4 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 54 seconds over yesterday.

Another work week ahead, ๐Ÿ‘จโ€๐Ÿ’ผ back to being a professional rather then a cowboy-hat wearing good ol’ boy or so I play on the weekends. One more week until the long Easter Weekend when I’m hoping to get to the Adirondacks to camp ๐Ÿ•๏ธ and have a big ol’ fire ๐Ÿ”ฅ with flames mostly less then 3 feet high and not too much plastic, because you know the burn ban and stuff. ๐Ÿคฃ Ah, New York State. I should bring my .22 rifle and make some noise too while I’m up in the wilderness. It’s been too long since I’ve spent much time in the woods. ๐ŸŒฒ

Tonight will be partly cloudy ๐ŸŒƒ , with a low of 31 degrees at 5am. Four degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around March 30th. West wind around 8 mph. In 2023, we had light rain in the evening, which became cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 28 degrees. The record low of -08 occurred back in 1900.

As previously noted, there are 3 weeks until 7:30 PM Sunset ๐ŸŒ‡ when the sun will be setting at 7:30 pm with dusk at 7:57 pm. On that day in 2023, we had mostly sunny and temperatures between 48 and 34 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 55 degrees. We hit a record high of 87 back in 2010.

Walking Along the Truck Trail

Going to be a beautiful Saturday for a drive out in Rensselaer County ๐Ÿ›ป

Get your motor running, head out on the highway, looking for adventure and whatever comes my way.

Good morning! Happy Saturday. Going to be a beautiful start to the weekend for doing some driving around. Partly cloudy and 39 degrees in Delmar, NY. โ›… There is a west-northwest breeze at 6 mph. ๐Ÿƒ. Temperatures will drop below freezing at Monday around 2 am. โ˜ƒ๏ธ I do wish I could go out camping, but things are going to be muddy after the rain, plus I’m thinking a week from next Thursday of heading up to the Adirondacks for a three-day weekend, assuming they don’t get a shit ton of snow up north in the meantime or it’s pouring rain all Easter weekend. ๐Ÿ‡

Things are going better since I’ve been doing more research ๐Ÿ›– on housing options, and realizing I have to be more flexible on my thinking — even if it means a longer commute then is ideal to live rural. ๐Ÿ‘จโ€๐ŸŒพSpending a lot of money on gas โ›ฝ๏ธ and burning through cars ๐Ÿš— every 8-10 years ain’t fun, but I may have to push closer to 35 mile commute rather then the less 30 mile commute I was going for. The thing is in 8 years from my next car purchase in 2025, I’ll have built up my solar system and there will be far more options for electric vehicles. ๐Ÿ”Œ I really like some of the options for modular cabins, especially the smaller ones built to code for residential use at a factory and delivered to the site with full interior built. Right now I’m quite enthralled by the Zook Settler and similar style small-one floor code-compliant pre-built residential cabins. I am thinking one floor, no basement, smallest size for a smallest possible electrical and heating demand. I like the wood-walls, that won’t sure the dirt like drywall, and the metal roof for fire safety and insurance savings, lest an ember fall on the roof.

Then get an EPA-certified, efficient wood stove and a small heat pump and use one of the bedrooms as a mechanical room — for batteries, split-phase inverter, well pressure tank, and maybe eventually a washing machine and computer equipment. ๐Ÿ”‹ If I get serious about the map making business, I might eventually get an used plotter. I am thinking the heat pump can be used when I’m not there to keep things from freezing in winter. โ™จ๏ธ Wouldn’t run much though, as I’d keep the temperature low on the heat pump in the winter, ๐ŸŒจ๏ธ and the thing is a cabin built to 2018 federal energy standards, as required by NY State, passing blower efficiency tests, ๐ŸŒฌ๏ธis going to have minimal heat loss. I am going to need a quality gasoline generator like a Honda, which will have remote start, which can be triggered off inverter on low battery, which can keep things from freezing up in winter if I’m away for an extended time. Plus as much as I personally loathe air conditioning, the climate is warming ๐ŸŒŽ๏ธ and it sure would be nice to come home to on that sultry summer nights, especially when the batteries are full and it makes sense to be keeping the cabin cold rather then wasting the solar energy. ๐ŸงŠ Use a standard electric refrigerator and probably a gas stove converted to use propane — and in winter, sometimes use the wood stove to atop. If I’m only using propane for the stove, I can get away with 30 lb propane tanks, that I can throw in the pickup and get filled at any propane retailer rather then paying a big truck to come out there and be dependent on one supplier. That said, it’s going to be a lot of money, but I’ve saved for a long time, done well in the markets. What I’m building is far smaller then your typical suburban home and will consume far less energy, especially fossil energy.

Today will be partly sunny ๐ŸŒž, with a high of 54 degrees at 5pm. Nine degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around April 5th. West wind 5 to 8 mph. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies in the morning, remaining cloudy in the afternoon. The high last year was 51 degrees. The record high of 82 was set in 1990. 13.4 inches of snow fell back in 1956.โ„

At any rate, that’s all fun and games, ๐Ÿ•น๏ธ though first I have to find land that I love โค๏ธโ€๐Ÿ”ฅand is a good fit for me. The commute thing sucks, but I want to find a place that feels like and will be my home for the rest of my life.ย  ๐Ÿš— I am exploring Rensselaer County today, not because that’s necessarily where I will move, as I’m biased towards the Hilltowns of Albany County, but as far as birds eye distance goesย  ๐Ÿฆœ there’s more remote country, closer to work then in the Hilltowns, being that work in Menands. ๐Ÿ The roads kind of suck and traffic in Rensselaer County, (Hoosick Street and NY 7) but as a property owner, the conservative politics of land of Joe Bruno would suit me well. ๐Ÿ˜ƒ What’s good for my business, as I like to say, might not necessarily always be good for myself. Not only do I want to look at a list of parcels I’ve seen listed in Hoosick Falls, Petersburg and Grafton, I also want to explore some of Petersburg State Forest for mountain biking, hiking and camping ๐Ÿ•๏ธ ๐Ÿฅพ in the future. It’s fun to drive the back roads.

Solar noon ๐ŸŒž is at 1:05 pm with sun having an altitude of 45.9ยฐ from the due south horizon (-25ยฐ vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 5.8 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour ๐Ÿ… starts at 6:26 pm with the sun in the west (263ยฐ). ๐Ÿ“ธ The sunset is in the west (269ยฐ) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 7:04 pm after setting for 2 minutes and 53 seconds with dusk around 7:31 pm, which is one minute and 10 seconds later than yesterday. ๐ŸŒ‡ At dusk you’ll see the First Quarter ๐ŸŒ“ Moon in the southwest (215ยฐ) at an altitude of 73ยฐ from the horizon, 239,018 miles away. ๐Ÿš€ The best time to look at the stars is after 8:05 pm. At sunset, look for partly clear skies ๐ŸŒ„ and temperatures around 50 degrees. There will be a calm wind. Tomorrow will have 12 hours and 4 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 54 seconds over today.

For the Easter weekend, ๐Ÿฐ as I was noting, I really want to get out of town to go to the Adirondacks. The burn ban doesn’t apply to small campfires, and I don’t think it’s going to be bone dry up north at that point based on the forecast. ๐Ÿ”ฅ Plus I really want a good fire to help myself sleep betterย  ๐Ÿ›Œ and burn up some of the accumulated papers. I have nothing but disdain for the burn ban, but I understand the fire risk this time of year, as I know how easy it can be set your yard on fire, and as a future property owner I don’t want that to happen. ๐Ÿ˜๏ธ You can say what you want about New York State, but it pays my bills and it’s my home. Building standards mean I will end up with a quality, energy efficient building even if I have my views on the gun laws and open burning restrictions. Happy March 16th.

Tonight will have showers, mainly after 2am. ๐ŸŒง Low of 41 degrees at 6am. 14 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around April 22nd. Light southeast wind becoming south 6 to 11 mph in the evening. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. In 2023, we had partly cloudy skies. It got down to 32 degrees. The record low of -1 occurred back in 1916.

One month ๐Ÿ“… from now will be Average High is 60 ๐ŸŒท when the sun will be setting at 7:40 pm with dusk at 8:08 pm.

Snow and Ice Covered Truck Trail