Good morning! Happy Thursday. Two weeks to Latest Sunrise of the Winter 🌄️. Tomorrow is the first day of winter. Mostly sunny and 33 degrees in Delmar. Calm wind. Rather hazy though in the city. Fairly pleasant morning, but I’m more then a bit drowsy.💤

A nice morning but I had trouble getting going this morning, ☀ as I had too many cups of coffee at the Pine Bush dinner and that effected my sleep. ☕ Not only did I drink coffee with dinner, I drank more when I started to choke on one of the cookies during the dinner. Kind of a busy day yesterday but after it all I did make it to the Pine Bush dinner. 🌲Taking the local to work. 🚌

The sun will set at 4:24 pm with dusk around 4:56 pm, which is 28 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 At sunset, look for mostly cloudy skies ☁ and temperatures around 40 degrees. There will be a south-southeast breeze at 6 mph.

Today will have increasing clouds ☁, with a high of 41 degrees at 1pm. Seven degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around December 3rd. South wind 3 to 6 mph. A year ago, we had with more clouds in the afternoon. The high last year was 40 degrees. The record high of 61 was set in 1957. 8.4 inches of snow fell back in 1975.❄

Tonight will have a Waxing Gibbous Moon 🌔 with 97% illuminated with the moon rising at 3:03 pm. The moon will set at 5:51 am. December’s Cold Moon 🌕 will be tomorrow. The sun will rise at 7:21 am with the first light at 6:49 am, which is 32 seconds later than yesterday. 🌄 Tonight will have 14 hours and 57 minutes of darkness, an increase of 2 seconds over last night.

Tonight will rain, mainly after 9pm. The rain could be heavy at times. 🌧 Low of 39 degrees at 6pm. 20 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around October 18th. South wind around 6 mph becoming calm. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New precipitation amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible. Going to be a wet and warm night into the day tomorrow. In 2017, we had light snow in the evening. It got down to 21 degrees. The record low of -18 occurred back in 1942.

I continue to work on writing the code ⌨ for my niece’s flashing star, 💫 right now I’ve come up with 16 different color patterns. It’s a little hard to think of additional ones, although I’m sure there is more ramps and flashing patterns I could come up with. I want to try put as much in as possible in the code, as it would make more interesting, but after a while coming up with new patterns is hard.

The Pine Bush dinner was interesting but I’m not sure if I agree with having speakers pushing commercial products that they’re making money off of. 💰Geothermal is interesting and I guess there are many benefits to solar energy although I have my doubts about those large industrial solar facilities. I think there is a lot of questions that need to be asked about developing large tracks of farm land and forest,🎋 covering them with panels made out of hazardous materials that will pose risks for generations to come especially if they aren’t properly hauled off to landfills at the end of their lives. ⬛ Cow manure rots, farm fields revert to the woods by themselves without government intervening. But I guess I’m a minority voice, to be grouped in with the fossil fuel proponents just for asking questions of the government bureaucrats.

I will probably go out hiking somewhere on Sunday, maybe not too far away, 🚶 then out to the folks house for Christmas Eve. It looks like virtually all of the snow except for the highest locations of the Adirondacks will be gone after the heavy rains of Friday into Saturday. ☔ With the rain on Saturday, I will finish up working on my various Christmas gifts that I’ve been working on building. I got a bunch of perf and strip board in the mail the other day, for building further products.🔬 Always a good thing on cold winter nights, except for the drafts blowing smoke from the flux burning off into my face.

For the New Years Eve long weekend, I am considering going camping up in the Adirondacks or maybe Brookfield. 🏕 With the snow gone all over locally, and only a little left in the Adirondacks, it might be nice to get away. I still have camp food stored away, the high calorie stuff I don’t like to eat at home and plenty of propane for at least a few nights camping, although if I do a full three nights, I might get the tank to be filled to be safe rather then sorry. A nice fire is always good, and if we have some sunny weather, some hunting and hiking would be a lot of fun. I kind of like Brookfield because those campsites you can drive up into, as if I go there, it will be in snow-free weather. Plus good cellphone reception which can make the long nights pass quicker.

As previously noted, there are 2 weeks until Latest Sunrise of the Winter 🌄️ when the sun will be setting at 4:34 pm with dusk at 5:06 pm. On that day in 2018, we had partly sunny and temperatures between 22 and 7 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 31 degrees. We hit a record high of 61 back in 1913.

Happy Weekend! Tired but there is more to do so I’m ready to leave first this coming morning. Mostly clear and 28 degrees in Delmar. There is a west-northwest breeze at 11 mph. 🍃 with gusts up to 22 mph 💨💨💨. That wind is kind of cutting. Things will start to thaw out at Sunday around noontime. 🌡️

When I get home, I’m going to have a quick dinner then run to the laundromat and grocery store to pick up a few more items. Mostly just dish soap, I overlooked it yesterday. I’m going to see if the dollar store has a few ribbons and bows, that might make the campsite look really festive. 🎄 Tomorrow I’ll pick up some rock salt in case the campsite is ice – I don’t want to slip and fall on the ice, milk and a bag of firewood to get me started for the first night. I’ll need more that a bag but I’ll be able to cut and chop more, assuming I get there at a reasonable hour. Thinking about also getting a second lantern globe in Oneonta Walmart in case I accidentally break the one that’s on it.

Tonight will be partly cloudy 🌤, with a low of 13 degrees at 6am. 11 degrees below normal. Maximum wind chill around 11 at 7pm; Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming light after midnight. In 2017, we had cloudy skies, clearing in the early hours of the next day. It got down to 20 degrees. The record low of -3 occurred back in 1902.

Tonight will have a Waxing Crescent Moon 🌒 with 1% illuminated. The moon will rise at 8:13 am. The First Quarter Moon is next Friday with partly cloudy skies. The Cold Moon 🌝 is in 2 weeks. The sun will rise at 7:12 am with the first light at 6:40 am, which is 56 seconds later than yesterday. 🌄 Tonight will have 14 hours and 51 minutes of darkness, an increase of 59 seconds over last night.

Tomorrow will be partly sunny 🌞, with a high of 29 degrees at 2pm. Nine degrees below normal. Calm wind becoming southwest 5 to 7 mph in the afternoon. A year ago, we had light snow in the morning, remaining cloudy in the afternoon. The high last year was 38 degrees. The record high of 58 was set in 1927. 4.3 inches of snow fell back in 2001.❄

Looking ahead to Sunday, sunny, with a high near 34. 😎 Calm wind becoming southwest around 6 mph in the morning. Typical average high for the weekend is 38 degrees.

Got the big end of the year report in today and I have next week off for my trip. Probably will miss the office Christmas party but that’s fine. At lunch time I visited the ATM so I’ll have enough money should I need some. Also went to the Albany Public Library and got a few additional books so I’ll have lots to read. 📚

I’m a little worried about the darkness and the cold but I’ve certainly done these trips before and I’ve covered my bases and carefully planned everything out. Assuming there is a decent amount of sunshine for solar and my sanity I think it will be a good trip. If I get tired, or don’t want anymore darkness I can always drive home a bit early. One day at a time. Been a little sore and tired lately but hopefully some nice nights in the woods will help that. The stews I make should be good. 🍛 I am looking forward to long winter naps that are 12 hours long.

In four weeks on January 4 the sun will be setting at 4:35 pm,🌄 which is 13 minutes and 55 seconds later then tonight. In 2018 on that day, we had rain, drizzle, snow, sleet, fog, patches of fog, mist, cloudy skies and temperatures between 44 and 22 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 31 and 15 degrees. The record high of 64 degrees was set back in 1950.

Looking ahead, First Day of Winter ☃️ is in 2 weeks, 4:30 PM Sunset 🌆 is in 3 weeks, Winnie the Pooh Day 🍯 is in 6 weeks, 5 PM Sunset 🌆 is in 7 weeks, March 🌨 is in 12 weeks, Ides of March ✝ is in 14 weeks, 7:30 PM Sunset 🌇 is in 4 months, Memorial Day Weekend Starts 🏕️ is in 24 weeks and Dog Days of Summer 🌻 is in 30 weeks.

Good morning! Happy Saint Nicholas Day 🎅! That’s a holiday that involves wooden shoes that are compostable I believe. A refreshing change from all that plastic and styrofoam. Four weeks to Latest Sunrise of the Winter 🌄. Even while the evenings get longer the mornings will be darker. Snow flurries, gray and 24 degrees in Delmar.❄ There is a south-southwest breeze at 6 mph. 🍃. Things will start to thaw out at around 10 am. 🌡️

Today will be partly sunny 🌞, with a high of 38 degrees at 4pm. More sun later, or so I hope. Still haven’t fixed the lights in my office, so dark days are so dark. One degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around December 8th. Southwest wind 6 to 9 mph. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies. The high last year was 53 degrees. The record high of 68 was set in 2001. 12.5 inches of snow fell back in 2003.❄

The sun will set at 4:21 pm with dusk around 4:53 pm, which is 6 seconds earlier than yesterday. Big whoop. 🌇 At sunset, look for mostly cloudy skies ☁ and temperatures around 36 degrees. There will be a southwest breeze at 8 mph. Today will have 9 hours and 10 minutes of daytime, a decrease of one minute and 3 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will have a slight chance of snow showers after 8pm. Mostly cloudy 🌧, with a low of 23 degrees at 6am. Two degrees below normal, which is similiar to a typical night around December 10th. Southwest wind 8 to 10 mph becoming west after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 20%. In 2017, we had mostly clear skies with more clouds in the early hours of the next day. It got down to 26 degrees. The record low of -7 occurred back in 1901.

Tonight I’m going to go to Tractor Supply in Glenmont get my propane tank topped off and look at buying a good quality axe. 💨 My propane tank is more than half full but I want make sure I have a full tank that way I won’t have a cold night later next week. Running out of propane is no fun, especially winter camping.

Last night I loaded a bunch of my camping gear into the truck. As I noted yesterday, I tested out the heater and confirmed that id working well.♨ Heater smelled a little like pine sap when I first turned it on, must have gotten some sap on it last year.🌲 But it works well. I didn’t try out each hose, but I feel confident that both are working fine and are dirt-free. I am thinking about ordering another lantern globe from Walmart and picking it up either on Friday or Saturday, just to be safe and m

I am thinking about getting some warm white Christmas lights to decorate the campsite, and I found some non lighted decorations around the apartment. 🎄Long nights this time of year but I figure I can fill them with color. 🎁 Assuming we have as much sun as they are promising, I’m should have plenty of power for the long nights. In the winter, with out shading from the trees, the solar panel really does an awesome job.

Still chewing over what campsite is want to get, a year around plowed road is my strong preference, as is sheltered from the wind. That will keep me safe from an unexpected heavy snow fall, which seems unlikely based on next week’s forecast. Cell service also is nice to pass the time on the long nights. 🌃 I’d also like a good view of the stars from the site and lots of sun for the solar panel. I’m not sure if I can have all those things, and it’s possible certain campsites will be taken by hunters or inaccessible due to snow banks, although I could always shovel them out. But I have some good ones on mind.

One problem I may is getting water during this time of year, as many lakes may be frozen. I am sure there are some springs and ponds I can break to get water though. 🌊 I’ll bring six gallons of water, and then if I can need to get more water, I’ll break the ice or find some open water. I bet Seneca Lake still has open water that I could get from the shoreline, I don’t think that’s frozen yet. This time of year, I will make sure my water bottles are connected to a long rope in case I drop them, and they start to float away in the frigid water, as happened camping in November a few years back, and I almost permanently lost it in the drink.🚰

Looking ahead, there are 4 weeks until Latest Sunrise of the Winter 🌄 when the sun will be setting at 4:34 pm with dusk at 5:06 pm. On that day in 2018, we had rain, drizzle, freezing drizzle, mist, cloudy skies and temperatures between 37 and 31 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 31 degrees. We hit a record high of 61 back in 1913.