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Do you believe in magic? With today’s weather it will feel almost magical 🌞

At least when we see the sun later on this morning. Going to be a nice, spring like day once the clouds part. Or so I hope. My shoulder is still sore and achy, like from the Lyme I got years ago now, but I am fine. I feel a lot better now that I got my initial ideas sketched out for my off-grid property and cabin, even if it’s just a sketch and years worth of work ahead. I certainly like it much better then suburbanite, high consumption crap covered with vinyl-siding that dominates the real estate classifieds.

Good morning! Happy Sunday. Mostly cloudy and 45 degrees in Delmar, NY. ☁ There is a north-northwest breeze at 7 mph. 🍃. The skies will clear around 10 am.

I ended up opening the windows after heading to bed, 👩‍🚒 after I burned something on the kitchen stove cooking and it inevitably set off the fire alarm. 🔔  It was actually nice sleeping with the fresh air, and I am feeling a lot better the past few days, thought still a bit achy. I think it also helped that I started to draft out what I really want when I own my own land and build my house, and the reassurance from others that it’s possible. It feels good to know I don’t have to be stuck in surburbia forever, and that the only option isn’t vinyl siding and drywall with a big natural gas boiler and a 3,000 square foot home full of things soon to be garbage with a big mowed grass lawn. 🤮 It is possible to build that off-grid cabin I really want for a budget I can afford. And on that note, 😴 suddenly I am sleeping better.

Today will be partly sunny 🌞, with a high of 55 degrees at 1pm. 14 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around April 6th. Maximum dew point of 47 at 12pm. North wind 7 to 9 mph. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies in the morning, remaining cloudy in the afternoon. The high last year was 40 degrees. The record high of 64 was set in 2002. 10.9 inches of snow fell back in 1994.❄

On the list for today is buying the poster frames, 🖼️ for the artwork to decorate my new office. Along with a brighter light bulb for the desk, maybe a candle warmer, and groceries for the week. 🛒 My pantry is well depleted, I really need to get shopping. 🍏  🍇 Amazing how fast food comes and gets eaten around this place. I think I must have a very big appetite, but some of it is lower calorie value of the food I eat so I end up eating more, especially after ride back and forth to work on my bicycle. ♻️ I also need to return cans to get my deposit back and free up some space in the outside trash can.

Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:08 pm with sun having an altitude of 40.8° from the due south horizon (-30° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 7 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 5:10 pm with the sun in the west-southwest (256°). 📸 The sunset is in the west (262°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 5:48 pm after setting for 2 minutes and 56 seconds with dusk around 6:16 pm, which is one minute and 13 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 6:49 pm. At sunset, look for partly cloudy skies 🌃 and temperatures around 54 degrees. The dew point will be 47 degrees. There will be a north breeze at 7 mph. Today will have 11 hours and 24 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 52 seconds over yesterday.

In the afternoon going out to see the family 👨‍👩‍👧 and then over to my friend’s from Boy Scouts, to spend some time together, and learn what I can learn about how he put together his homestead outside of Greenville, rebuilding an old and vacant home. Now I’m thinking about building new, 👷‍♀️ but I want to gain whatever insight I can in my options and what contractors he worked with the process with the town building inspector. 🧭 The more I can learn about the process, the fewer costly mistakes I will likely make, or so I hope. For me, it’s so much about the money but living the life I want to live. 🏕️🥾🐷🐔

Tonight will be mostly cloudy 🌫️, with a low of 40 degrees at 5am. 18 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around April 22nd. North wind 3 to 6 mph. In 2023, we had cloudy skies in the evening, which became light snow by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 32 degrees. The record low of -20 occurred back in 1950. I can leave my windows open again tonight! 🔳 That’s great. I sleep so much better with fresh air.

Back in 1972, an airplane crashes in suburban Albany, off Holmesdale Ave in Albany (near Colvin Avenue and Washington Ave). Regional Carrier, Mohawk Airlines Flight 405 crashes as a result of a control malfunction and insufficient training in emergency procedures. 🛩️  Also today in 1873, U.S. Congress enacts the Comstock Law, making it illegal to send any “obscene, lewd, or lascivious” books through the mail. 📘 📬️ And in 1991, an amateur video captures the beating of Rodney King by Los Angeles police officers. 👮‍♀️

Looking ahead, next Sunday is Daylight Savings Time 🌆 when the sun will be setting at 6:57 pm with dusk at 7:24 pm (Daylight Savings Time). On that day in 2023, we had partly cloudy skies with snow showers and temperatures between 44 and 20 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 43 degrees. We hit a record high of 72 back in 1977. Before my time.

Sugar Loaf and Drowned Lands

It’s nice sleeping with the windows open 🔲

The fresh air is nice even if I don’t love all the road noise.

Good morning! Rain and 51 degrees in Delmar, NY. ☔ Breezy, ️18 mph breeze from the south-southeast 🌬 with gusts up to 28 mph 💨💨💨. The dew point is 50 degrees. Temperatures will drop below freezing at around 11 pm. ☃️

Pancakes 🥞 with fruit and maple 🍁 syrup this morning. I should get some locally bottled syrup as this point I’m sure the sugar houses are firing up. Coffee ☕ too but not to much as there is plenty in the office 🏢 to drink, lol 😂.

Rainy ☔ morning today, but I’m driving to work 🛻 as we are going to lunch to celebrate 🎉 the retiring director and I need a car to get to lunch plus I need to get money 💵. I also want to bring in some of my plants 🌿 and some of my other office stuff that’s been sitting at home while I’ve been in the temporary cubicle. 👞 I have big shoes to fill but I know I’ll do excellent work that I’m proud of in coming years. In some ways it’s a dream job – I’ve always loved working with computers and data – and I get to use the Unix text utilities and SQL every day. Plus lots of R and Python. 🖥 I miss the politics and working Capitol Hill but I’m hopeful to be more involved with that side of things come the autumn. 🗳 Those posters I’m sure once framed will be beautiful in my office. 🖼️

Today will have showers likely, mainly between 10am and 11am. Cloudy 🌦, with a high of 59 degrees at 2pm. 19 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around April 14th. Maximum dew point of 55 at 1pm. Breezy, with a south wind 18 to 22 mph, with gusts as high as 34 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible. A year ago, we had light snow in the morning, which became mostly sunny by afternoon. The high last year was 36 degrees. The record high of 63 was set in 1903. 9.7 inches of snow fell back in 1948.❄

I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy 😊 to have my rent check clear 💵 but it seems like my new landlord didn’t delay in cashing the check. It’s good to know he got paid and he’s not going to play games with Venmo. 🎮 While I don’t view Delmar to be my home forever, and hopefully not into next winter it buys time. Even with the June rent hike, this is still my cheapest option to live here. I don’t think I’ll come out ahead owning a home compared to renting a cheap place on the bus 🚍 line and riding to work 🚲 most days.

Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:09 pm with sun having an altitude of 39.3° from the due south horizon (-31.6° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 7.3 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 5:05 pm with the sun in the west-southwest (253°). 📸 The sunset is in the west (260°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 5:43 pm after setting for 2 minutes and 57 seconds with dusk around 6:11 pm, which is one minute and 14 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 6:44 pm. At sunset, look for rain 🌧 and temperatures around 58 degrees. The dew point will be 54 degrees. Breezy, 22 mph breeze ⛅ from the south with gusts up to 37mph. Tomorrow will have 11 hours and 15 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 51 seconds over today.

I’m still looking at better housing options even though my rent check cleared as saving money isn‘t the only thing in this world, I’m rapidly getting older 👴🏼 and as I settle into what is likely my career for the next twenty years, I should look for a lifestyle that I really want to live. As I noted yesterday, few things scare me more than dropping dead at age 64 and not living the life I want before then. Life isn’t guaranteed forever. Plus I’m super jealous of all my friends and colleagues who have land out in the country. 🚜 I shouldn’t be but I am.

I am basically pre-qualified for a mortgage after submitting a ton of documents but I haven’t followed up with the banks to get it in writing or get a letter ✉ of pre-approval. Part of it is I might not get a traditional mortgage should a buy a fixer up property or have a cabin built to my specifications. To be clear, I don’t want to stall now that the pressure is off but I want to make the right decision on what may define the place I call home my remaining working year. I am continuing to read a book 📖 about custom home building ⚒️ and the contracting process. Is that the right option for me? I don’t know but I don’t want to be stuck in a house too big with features I don’t want with a life I don’t want.

Tonight will rain showers, possibly mixing with snow after 10pm, then gradually ending. 🌧 Low of 24 degrees at 5am. One degree above normal, which is similar to a typical night around March 1st. Windy, with a south wind 23 to 30 mph becoming northwest after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 48 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. Little or no snow accumulation expected. 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 19 degrees. The record low of -2 occurred back in 2008.

Last night 🌃 I had more fried zucchini with onions and corn with spices. A good dinner followed by some mango and chopped apple 🍏 with cinnamon. Then I went for my evening walk 🚶. Rode both ways to work plus a short ride around North Albany. Been finalizing the details of moving into the new private office and getting the phones 📞 switched over to that office. Plants 🌿 are moving into that office today even if the retiring director still will be there a bit today.

Right now, a split verdict on the weekend. 😕 Saturday, a chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 51. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Sunday, partly sunny, with a high near 59. I still think it would be a nice night 🌃 to camp on Saturday if not too muddy. Today’s rain should reduce the fire risk though it also will reduce the snow. Typical average high for the weekend is 40 degrees.

One month 📅 from now the Average High is 50 🌸 when the sun will be setting at 7:18 pm with dusk at 7:45 pm (Daylight Savings Time). That sure will be nice when the heat is off and the windows open. And the evening commute much brighter 🔆.

Bullet hole

Ordered Artwork for My New Office 🎨

While I probably didn’t need the expense right now, my new office is so bland and the white walls needed something to cover them. I had a 24×36″ poster made up of an 2019 NAIP summer aerial photo of the Capital Region, a 11×16″ poster of the view from the Olson Firetower in West Virginia, and an 11×14″ poster of a waterfall in West Virginia surrounded by Mountain Laurel. I was going to do more, but I have only so much wall space and I still have to buy frames — and I’m $46 in the hole now without the frames. I also have some smaller photos I plan to move over from my old office, like my favorite photo of US 20 in Richfield Springs and a view off Crane Mountain. Then I will bring several of my plants into the new office.

An unnecessary expense, probably, but I will spend a lot of time in my office and I don’t have the wonderful views I once had over at the Alfred E Smith Building, but seeing pictures of West Virginia will put a smile on my face. Plus, the aerial photo will give me something to study when I’m talking on the phone or need something to distract me for a few seconds when the shit gets flying.

It’s like late April in February 🌷

Maybe no tulips yet but it’s going to be a real nice one – I’ve seen daffodils starting to spring up and probably in warmer more sheltered parts of the woods coltfoot can be found. I’m sure we’ll still have cold blasts like on Thursday but it gets harder and harder for extended cold come March.

Good morning! Happy Tuesday. Starting out cold but will warm up quickly. Partly sunny and 37 degrees in Delmar, NY. ☀ Calm wind.

Definitely riding to work today, 🚲 leaving early so I can possibly ride up via the upper Menands ramp to extend the ride on this beautiful morning. 🌅 Plus I always have a stack of work to do over at Data Services, as the data keeps pouring in. 🖥 Don’t get me wrong, I love 😍 the work but it’s non stop. Data is dirty, it needs processing, manually and programmatically, has to be synced to the databases and user 👤 permissions updated. The work never stops in the world of data. 🔢 I’m becoming such a pro with unix textutils – awk, sed, tr, grep and cut are my go to tools ⚙.

Today will have a chance of showers, mainly after 5pm. Mostly sunny 🌞, with a high of 63 degrees at 3pm. 24 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around April 22nd. I’ll take late April weather in February. Already opened a bunch of windows to let the smoke from cooking 🍳 and steam from showering out. 🌬️ Going to be windy, and you got to wonder about red flag 🚩 conditions although there is snow in the mountains ⛰ remaining for now. Light south wind increasing to 13 to 18 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies in the morning with a few breaks of sun the afternoon. The high last year was 35 degrees. The record high of 61 was set in 1997. 3.6 inches of snow fell back in 2019.❄

Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:09 pm with sun having an altitude of 38.9° from the due south horizon (-31.9° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 7.4 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 5:04 pm with the sun in the west-southwest (253°). 📸 The sunset is in the west (259°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 5:42 pm after setting for 2 minutes and 57 seconds with dusk around 6:10 pm, which is one minute and 15 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 6:43 pm. At sunset, look for rain 🌧 and temperatures around 60 degrees. Breezy, 16 mph breeze ⛅ from the south with gusts up to 28mph. Today will have 11 hours and 10 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 50 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will have showers. 🌧 Low of 51 degrees at 7pm. 30 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around May 24th. Maximum dew point of 50 at 6am. 🏖️ South wind 14 to 16 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. Leave the windows open? In 2023, we had cloudy skies in the evening, which became light snow by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 26 degrees. The record low of -10 occurred back in 1950.

Right now, a split verdict on the weekend. 😕 Saturday, mostly cloudy, with a high near 51. Sunday, partly sunny, with a high near 57. Typical average high for the weekend is 40 degrees. Still looks great for camping 🏕 but I got to be careful with fire.

Looking ahead, there are 3 weeks until Last Day of Winter 🏂 when the sun will be setting at 7:08 pm with dusk at 7:35 pm (Daylight Savings Time). On that day in 2023, we had partly sunny, snow showers and temperatures between 33 and 22 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 46 degrees. We hit a record high of 78 back in 2012.

Connected Farms

The thing I’m learning about looking at houses is there two kind of places, mold and mouse-infested with paint peeling and marble countertops and swanky shit. 🏘

The prior the intention is to get an FHA loan, tear out all of crap and send it to the landfill and replace with Home Depot cheap swank features, while the later is already covered with that marble crap and swank features, and already has had that tear out done. In some ways it makes me feel good knowing that I’m not totally responsible for trashing my apartment, as shit wears out if you not constantly repairing it. Things have a lot shorter lifespan and are designed to be sent to the mound on the outskirks of town much sooner then you might think. Maybe I’m too much of a horny buck goat myself, who sprays his beard with urine because it smells so good at least to a horny buck goat, and even though I don’t spray my own beard with urine, I find those to be such a spirit animal.

Good morning! Monday’s come back around again. Mostly cloudy and 35 degrees in Delmar, NY. ☁ There is a south-southeast breeze at 8 mph. 🍃. Temperatures will drop below freezing at around 10 pm. ☃️

I was listening to this audio book, Jennifer McGahan’s Flat Broke with Two Goats, 🎧 last week which of course had too many descriptions of goat sex and all things smelly and dirty about owning buck goats, listening while I ride to work, probably as I pass through the Delmar suburbs and the poverty South End, and people are horrified overhearing the audio with the often very descriptively smelly parts of goat farm life. But shit’s real, unlike those marble countertops they keep trying to push me towards when I look at Zillow ads. And vinyl siding. Have you ever seen how black that vinyl siding shit burns, like my childhood neighbors did with the scraps when they got their then new double-wide manufactured home? 🔥 Yuck. I’m cool with people burning shit out in the country, but vinyl siding is so toxic and nasty to burn. ☠

Today will be mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny ☁, with a high of 52 degrees at 3pm. 13 degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around March 31st. South wind 5 to 9 mph becoming north in the afternoon. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies in the morning with some clearing in the afternoon. The high last year was 39 degrees. The record high of 63 was set in 1976. 8.4 inches of snow fell back in 1972.❄

Going to be a great day for riding to work. 🚲 And maybe also at lunch time. That’s one of advantage of living in city, well the suburbs for now. Figure might as well take advantage of it while it’s a thing. 😀 Plus it’s a great cure for my anxiety. 🤪 Yesterday, I had multiple anxiety attacks as I’ve been incredibly stress about taking over management of the Data Services division 💻 all by myself this week, the whole situation about the rent check 📜, even though I know it will be fine as I mailed the paper check to my new landlord, as much as he doesn’t want a paper check, he has to accept it, 🤷‍♂️ and he pretty much agreed to it in writing. It should be in box by tomorrow at the latest, which is three days before it’s required. I know things will work out, but it’s really a tough time in my life, as I’m pulled in forty different directions. ◀️ ▶️ I am no longer in my twenties and thirties, the days of rambling in the wilderness 🌲 are probably coming to an end. But maybe becoming a hobby farmer is next, and heating with wood and having bonfires 🔥 out back in next.

Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:09 pm with sun having an altitude of 38.5° from the due south horizon (-32.3° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 7.5 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 5:03 pm with the sun in the west-southwest (252°). 📸 The sunset is in the west (259°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 5:41 pm after setting for 2 minutes and 58 seconds with dusk around 6:08 pm, which is one minute and 15 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 The best time to look at the stars is after 6:42 pm. At sunset, look for mostly clear skies 🌄 and temperatures around 48 degrees. There will be a north breeze at 8 mph. Today will have 11 hours and 7 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 49 seconds over yesterday.

I was really hoping to meet my friend from Boy Scouts yesterday to learn more about he financed and secured his 10-acre homestead outside of Greenville 🐐 but he got stuck working late. He works really long hours, but then again I had to do some work adding accounts for the data system on Sunday too. Everybody is quite busy. Started to go through the list of properties in the hilltowns with back taxes owed to county, studying acreages, aerial photos, and LIDAR to glean what knowledge I can. 🔍 I am not saying this guarantees I’ll find the right land for me for cheap, that frees up funds for building the homestead of my dreams that smells like horney buck goat or hogs 🐷 and isn’t afraid of some mud, 👃 but pushing the paper — well actually the GIS databases and property tax information can provide insight into who to send certified letters in hopes I might find a willing seller for a reasonable price. 🤝

I’m not afraid to haul some garbage and tires for the perfect property without the marble counter tops that I have nothing but disdain for. 🏚 Maybe next weekend I can get together with him, I think he has a lot of good ideas I need to learn about, because I don’t think a real estate agent will be pushing me to the right property. I’ve also started reading a e-book 📖 from Libby about the process of building your own home, 🏠 or restoring an existing property. I can haul garbage but I don’t trust myself with a hammer, 🔨 especially anything structural or supposed to look the least bit purty, not that I give a duck 🦆 about being purty but functional. I am also studying possibly having a cabin built to my specifications — there is lots of acerage available locally but so many of homes for sale have marble countertops and probably aren’t appropriate for raising hogs or burning shit out back without the neighbors calling the jack-booted thugs on you. 👩‍🚒 As my farmer friends like to post, happiness has a smell and it smells like barnyard. 👨‍🌾 Silage can be so pungent.

Tonight will be partly cloudy 🌤, with a low of 28 degrees at 2am. Seven degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around March 21st. North wind around 6 mph becoming calm in the evening. In 2023, we had light snow in the evening, which became mostly clear by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 23 degrees. The record low of -13 occurred back in 1940.

Awesome weekend on tap, with temperatures running 16 degrees above normal. 😎 Saturday, mostly sunny, with a high near 53. Sunday, partly sunny, with a high near 59. Typical average high for the weekend is 40 degrees. Maybe I can go camping. 🏕 I need some time in the wilderness. Nothing like a good ol’ fire to soothe the soul 🔥 especially if we get some rain this week and it lowers the fire risk. March camping might be a challenge if we’re under red-flag conditions much of the month, especially if it’s windy as much of the spring often is. Honestly, I don’t mind a bit of snow in March, but hopefully at least we will get some needed rain. 🌧

Looking ahead, there are 5 weeks until April Fools Day 🤡 when the sun will be setting at 7:23 pm with dusk at 7:50 pm (Daylight Savings Time). Day after Easter. 🐰 Early this year. On that day in 2023, we had rain and temperatures between 74 and 41 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 52 degrees. We hit a record high of 77 back in 1986.

Mohonk Mountain Overlook

Busy, busy, busy on this Hump Day ☀

Going to be fairly sunny and warm at least. I’m still feeling incredibly sore but I’m going to try to ride to work today. Such a nice day ahead.

Good morning! What day is it? A chilly start to Hump Day, but it should warm up quickly. Sunny and 18 degrees in Delmar, NY. 🌞 Calm wind. Things will start to thaw out at around 10 am. 🌡️

Just another really busy day ahead. 🚲 The bicycle ride if I feel up to it will be some needed solitude and relaxation. I was up later then usual last night so I did not get a real early start but the orange – oatmeal pancakes 🥞 were a nice sugary start to the morning. 🗃️ I already have a file full of stuff to review today, ignoring the call backs from banks wanting to sell me a mortgage and real estate agents salivating for my business. 😋 I am free to ignore their emails, text and calls. 📧

Today will be sunny 🌞, with a high of 42 degrees at 3pm. Four degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical day around March 6th. Light south wind increasing to 6 to 11 mph in the morning. Not too bad. A year ago, we had cloudy skies in the morning, which became mostly sunny by afternoon. The high last year was 46 degrees. A little warmer than today. The record high of 73 was set in 2018. 11.0 inches of snow fell back in 1929.❄

I got two different pre-qualification reports from banks 🏦 and I’m exceptionally well qualified for up to a house up to $400k in financing if I put 20% down. No way am I planning to buy something that fancy. I called an old friend from Boy Scouts and we’re going to look at some foreclosures and abandoned houses🏚️ on land. He bought his homestead fairly cheap and got a FHA loan and developed a financing plan that had contractors rebuild his house up to spec.

I really love the idea 💡 of saving a blighted, old farmstead – particularly a small cabin or house on acerage. I can certainly haul trash and tires to the dump, scrap metal to scrap yard, and work with the fire department 🧑‍🚒to have bonfires to burn up wood and woody debris. 🪵 Rent a bulldozer to bulldoze any old non toxic farm dumps, cover deep with rock and dirt. This way I could restore a house that might otherwise be demolished and recycle or repurpose as much of the waste as possible. ♻ It could be a lot of fun. Many things I’d have to rely on inspectors and contractors to repair 👷 but as my friend was saying those costs can be part of the mortgage. Plus all then I have control over how many gee gaws on the property, I’d rather have more acerage for goats 🐐 and pigs 🐽 than marble counter tops. Pigs after running a few ton of grain through can do miracles for poor quality land, but you want them well downwind of your house mPlus no neighbors right near by to smoke out with my fires or listen to the roar of their ATVs. 🔥

Solar noon 🌞 is at 12:10 pm with sun having an altitude of 36.7° from the due south horizon (-34.1° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 8.1 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour 🏅 starts at 4:56 pm with the sun in the west-southwest (250°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-southwest (256°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 5:35 pm after setting for 2 minutes and 59 seconds with dusk around 6:02 pm, which is one minute and 16 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 At dusk you’ll see the Full 🌝 Moon in the east (87°) at an altitude of 33° from the horizon, 248,471 miles away. 🚀 The best time to look at the stars is after 6:36 pm. At sunset, look for clear skies 🌄 and temperatures around 39 degrees. There will be a south breeze at 10 mph. Today will have 10 hours and 53 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 45 seconds over yesterday.

This evening I’m driving up to Troy 🛻 to be on TJ Kennedy’s Upstate Outdoors podcast. 🎧 It really should be a fun half hour to talk about some of my wilderness experiences ⛺, camping 🏕 and what my plans are for what is happening in my life. 🐐 It’s just so exciting to think I might be moving back out to the country again, and maybe it’s not the complete off-grid experience, I want to live simple and small, have acerage and so forth. 🏡 It’s almost as if I’m now ready to put the whole camping and wilderness experience behind me for a place that I can actually call my true home. Okay I haven’t found my abandoned farm property yet nor do I have a restoration plan in place but I am hopeful.

Tonight will be partly cloudy 🌃 , with a low of 27 degrees at 5am. Eight degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around March 18th. South wind 6 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 25 degrees. The record low of -8 occurred back in 1963.

I’m nervous about all the changes lately 😏 but I know good things will come. Maybe I’m pushing too quickly for change, there are big decisions ahead. I don’t have to return realtor or bank calls right away 🔕 they’re just trying to get me to part with tens of thousands of dollars 💵 and buy something wrong for me. 🏡 I need to do my homework, really study property and figure out what is right for me. Obviously that’s enough land where I can have things like bonfires and camp ⛺ without ever leaving home. I’ll miss the travel but I’m honestly ready to settle down. If I heat with wood 🪚 and can have fires out back that takes away from a lot of the reasons to spend weekends in the wilderness.

A picture perfect weekend on tap. 😎 Saturday, sunny, with a high near 27. That’s a bit cool for this time of year. Sunday, mostly sunny, with a high near 40. Sunday in particular would be great for searching the back roads for homes with that bud from boy scouting. Maybe I could also do an overnight in the woods on Saturday night. First though, I need to study bank and county foreclosure lists. 📃 Typical average high for the weekend is 38 degrees.

Looking ahead, next Wednesday is Average High is 40 ☀️ when the sun will be setting at 5:44 pm with dusk at 6:11 pm. On that day in 2023, we had snow showers, partly cloudy and temperatures between 36 and 26 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 40 degrees. We hit a record high of 63 back in 1903.

Photo.2013.03.03 15.25.18

Another busy day, though of a lot of it spent reading 📚

There is a lot to learn about becoming a first-time homeowner. But I have a bit of time as I’m early in the journey, but it’s something I am pretty determined to do this year. It makes sense from a financial perspective, and even more so from mental and physical health perspective. I need the security of a permanent home, not one at the whims of landlord or a dilapidated, moldy building while I’m the director of an important state government agency making good money. I loved my years living in the city and spending my weekends in the wilderness, but all good things must come to an end, to be birthed into new things.

Good evening! Mostly cloudy and 34 degrees in Delmar, NY. ☁ There is a west-southwest breeze at 10 mph. 🍃. There is a dusting of snow on the ground. ☃ Temperatures will drop below freezing at around 6 pm. ☃️

It’s an exciting time to be me, but also so scary. 🤯 I just keep looking around at things, knowing that it might not be tomorrow that it’s the last time I have a view, but much in my life that I once new and treasured will soon be gone. Like those final days in my office in Alfred E Smith Building when there was times I would just stare into my sunlight-filled corner office, that was increasingly packed up and empty, and out of the of windows at the sweeping views of the Hudson River and Downtown Albany. Knowing it would be gone when I moved to the suburban office in Menands. 😞

Getting out of this apartment will be good for me. 🏚 My licensed mental health counselor identified this as a major problem — and action I should be taking — three years ago. Maybe I should have kept going to see him, but it became a major expense in time and cost. 👩‍⚕️ It won’t happen tomorrow, and I’ll have to deal with new landlord until things are closed, which is likely many months away as I’m at the start of the journey. The guy has made it almost impossible to pay him except through his personal Venmo (or via human bank teller at a specific bank only during Monday through Friday, 9-4 PM), of him in a swimming pool and cigar in his mouth, which he uses in exchange to buy beer for his friends at the bar. 🍻 🚬 Sounds like fun, but certainly not respect. No phone number or address, just an email in case of emergencies. One that he doesn’t reply to emails. 📴  Yeah, that kind of landlord. When I own a home, I’ll miss the weekends in the wilderness, riding back and forth to work, and all the niceties of living in the city — walk to the library and park, but getting out of city will be good for me. But having a garden, livestock, a place for bonfires in backyard, and a wood stove it will be great. 🔥 🐐 🐔

Tonight will have a chance of snow showers, mainly before 3am. Mostly cloudy 🌧, with a low of 23 degrees at 6am. Four degrees above normal, which is similar to a typical night around March 5th. Southwest wind 9 to 13 mph becoming northwest after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 40%. Total nighttime snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible. In 2023, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 23 degrees. The record low of -07 occurred back in 1878.

Today I rode out to Voorheesville 🚲 and then went down to the library. Filled out more mortgage applications, 📞 chatted with another mortgage broker for a while on the phone. Spent a lot of time reading about personal finance, home ownership, and the process of buying a home. I’m on my third full-length e-book on this topic since Friday night. 📚 I’ve been quite the bookworm lately. Did more reading about my legal rights as a renter, and how to protect myself from the new landlord. Maybe I shouldn’t be so scared of him, but he reminds me of so many of school yard bullies of years past. But I have the law on my side, though I don’t trust this guy, so I am going to be real careful paying him, make sure I get receipts for all payments. Had red lentil soup for dinner, and white beans with leftover chilly for lunch. I’ve been exhausted from all the stress of it all. 😟 I’ve not been sleeping well. Maybe I’ll need more mental help as I go through this process. Good things are going to happen.

Tonight will have a Waxing Gibbous 🌔 Moon with 72% illuminated. At 4 PM, the moon was in the east (89°) at an altitude of 42° from the horizon, some 240,347 miles away from where you are looking up from the earth. 🚀 At the state speed limit of 55 mph, you’ll make it there by August 19th. Buckle up for safety! 💺 The Snow ❄ Moon is on Saturday, February 24. The darkest hour is at 12:10 am, followed by dawn at 6:21 am, and sun starting to rise at 6:50 am in the east-southeast (106°) and last for 3 minutes Sunrise is one minute and 26 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌄 The golden hour ends at 7:29 am with sun in the east-southeast (112°). Tonight will have 13 hours and 13 minutes of darkness, a decrease of 2 minutes and 44 seconds over last night.

Washington’s Birthday will be sunny 🌞, with a high of 31 degrees at 3pm. Six degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical Northwest wind 9 to 13 mph. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. The high last year was 47 degrees. The record high of 66 was set in 1981. 11.4 inches of snow fell back in 1972.❄

Another chilly day tomorrow, 🌬 so maybe I didn’t miss out on much by choosing to stay in town. 🏕 It’s good to save money, big purchases ahead, lol. Really hoping to catch up with the landlord tomorrow and see if I can get answers to my questions I emailed him when he stops by. ✉️ Hard to say for sure, as I’m going to go grocery shopping in morning 🛒, then maybe for a hike mid-afternoon and then out to the folks house 👪 for Sunday dinner, a day late due to the holiday weekend.

In four weeks on March 17 the sun will be setting in the west (270°) at 7:06 pm (Daylight Savings Time),🌄 which is one hour, 34 minutes and 9 seconds later then today. In 2023 on that day, we had rain showers, cloudy and temperatures between 47 and 32 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 45 and 26 degrees. The record high of 75 degrees was set back in 1990.

Looking ahead, tommorow is Presidents Day 🧓, Daylight Savings Time 🌆 is in 3 weeks, St. Patrick’s Day 🍀 is in 4 weeks, 7:30 PM Sunset 🌇 is in 7 weeks, Cinco de Mayo 🤠 is in 11 weeks, Mothers Day 👩‍ is in 12 weeks, Fathers Day 👨 is in 16 weeks, Primary Day 🗳️ is in 4 months, National Nude Day 👱 is in 21 weeks, Average High 70 🎑 is in 28 weeks, September 🍎 is in 28 weeks, 7 PM Sunset 🌆 is in 7 months, Autumn 🍂 is in 31 weeks, December 🎄 is in 41 weeks, Bill of Rights Day 📜 is in 43 weeks, Bake Cookies Day 🍪 is in 10 months and Days are Getting Longer ☀️ is in 44 weeks.

Edge