Good morning! Happy Saturday. Definitely a cold and rainy weekend.🌧 Three weeks to Regular Deer Season in Southern Zone 🦌. A cold rain is falling, but no snow or ice, around 38 degrees in North Syracuse. ☔ There is a east breeze at 13 mph. 🍃. The skies will clear Tuesday around 10 am.

Today will rain and rain. ☔ High of 41 degrees at 4pm. 15 degrees below normal. East wind 10 to 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Definitely a cold and wet day. New precipitation amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies. The high last year was 60 degrees. The record high of 79 was set in 1963. 1.7 inches of snow fell back in 2016.❄

The sun will set at 6:02 pm with dusk around 6:31 pm, which is one minute and 26 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌇 At sunset, look for rain 🌧 and 40 degrees. There will be a northeast breeze at 10 mph. Today will have 10 hours and 28 minutes of daytime, a decrease of 2 minutes and 42 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will rain. ☔ Low of 35 degrees at 4am. One degrees below normal. North wind 3 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. In 2017, we had mostly cloudy skies, clearing in the early hours of the next day. It got down to 37 degrees. The record low of 18 occurred back in 1974.

Governor Ronald Reagan in 1964 delivers a speech on behalf of the Republican candidate for president, Barry Goldwater. The speech launches his political career and comes to be known as “A Time for Choosing”. 🙉 Eventually he would become president in the 1980s, a time known for plastic and making a lot of money and being a good consumer.

There are 10 days, 10 hours and 36 minutes until the poll close on Election Day in New York. 🗳 This is the final weekend before GOTV starts next weekend. Busy times, but so be it. It’s just one more step in the whole process, that is playing out for another year. I got my absentee ballot today, and I will study it later, fill it out, and sending it back to Albany. I’m still leaning towards Larry Sharpe the libertarian dude for governor, then mostly Democrats down-ticket by voting on the Working Families line. Maybe a few people on the conservative line too. I’ll have to think about it. I try to keep my ballot interesting.📬

Last night, I went to Walmart and picked up some supplies. 🛍 I got another shirt and more canned goods to eat in the office. 🥫 I can’t wait until I am back home again and can eat normal food. Sure I could get take out or eat somewhere, but I hate all the packaging and waste. 🗑 I’d rather just have something in a recyclable can. Plus it’s hard to get time away from the office. It will be so much different when I’m out camping. 🏕 I can do so much more cooking on my great camp stove 🍳 and the camp oven. 🍞

As previously noted, there are 3 weeks until Regular Deer Season in Southern Zone 🦌 when the sun will be setting at 4:38 pm with dusk at 5:09 pm (Standard Time). On that day in 2017, we had mostly sunny skies and temperatures between 40 and 25 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 47 degrees. We hit a record high of 73 back in 1928.

Good evening! Mostly cloudy and 39 degrees in North Syracuse. ☁ There is a east breeze at 6 mph. 🍃. Not a terribly cold late October evening but hardly a great one either. Going to be a downright bad weekend. The skies will clear Tuesday around 11 am.

Tonight will have a chance of rain, mainly after 2am. Cloudy ☔ , with a low of 35 degrees at 6am. Two degrees below normal. East wind 6 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. Going to be all rain here. In 2017, we had cloudy skies. It got down to 42 degrees. The record low of 21 occurred back in 1950.

Tonight will have a Waning Gibbous Moon 🌖 with 92% illuminated. The moon will set at 10:20 am. The Last Quarter Moon is on Tuesday night with a chance of showers. The Beaver Moon 🌝 is on Thursday, November 22nd. The sun will rise at 7:32 am with the first light at 7:03 am, which is one minute and 15 seconds later than yesterday. 🌄 Mornings this time of year, especially with the clouds are so dark. I’m kind of glad that the time change is next week. Tonight will have 13 hours and 29 minutes of darkness, an increase of 2 minutes and 43 seconds over last night.

Tomorrow will rain. ☔ High of 39 degrees at 4pm. 17 degrees below normal. Northeast wind around 11 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New precipitation amounts between 1 and 2 inches possible. Definitely going to be a cold and wet day tomorrow. Glad I’m not camping. A year ago, we had light rain in the morning with a few breaks of sun the afternoon. The high last year was 60 degrees. The record high of 79 was set in 1963. 1.7 inches of snow fell back in 2016.❄ The past few years have been all over the map.

Looking ahead to Sunday, snow likely before 7am, then rain showers likely. 💧❄ Cloudy, with a high near 45. West wind 3 to 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible. Typical average high for the weekend is 56 degrees.

In four weeks on November 23 the sun will be setting at 4:34 pm (Standard Time),🌄 which is one hour, 29 minutes and 57 seconds earlier then tonight. In 2017 on that day, we had mostly cloudy skies and temperatures between 37 and 27 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 45 and 30 degrees. The record high of 72 degrees was set back in 1931.

Today wasn’t a bad day but a busy one. This evening in the office after hours while I was preparing for tomorrow I was watching some videos on muskrat trapping and prepping the furs. 🐀 I really should get some more trapping gear. It’s a great way to pass time in the woods and make a few bucks on the side too. Regulated trapping is a great way to help protect our natural resources. It’s key to understanding local history too.

I made my final purchase from Ali Express for a while or so I tell myself – an very inexpensive $1.50 Bluetooth dongle 🎧 – the idea being that the built in Bluetooth on my laptop doesn’t work very well and I would like to be able to lay in bed watching movies on my screen🎥 across the room without bothering my neighbors with the audio being potentially too loud. I also want to build some electronics projects controlled by Bluetooth from my laptop and the built-in Bluetooth just doesn’t work reliably.

I’m also starting to look at getting a good quality electric drill that I can use for various projects. 🔩 Although honestly maybe a handheld non electric drill might be better for making those LED signs through the board because it’s quieter and less likely to disturb my neighbors.

Two weeks from now if the weather is good I’ll be out on my first night of my camping trip. ⛺ It should be great assuming it’s not too wet, cold or dreary. I guess I don’t mind some cloudy days but I would much rather have blue skies when more wildlife is out, the solar panel charges, and my mood is better.:D My goal is to relax on this trip, get to know the land and spend less time rushing from point a to point b.

Looking ahead, Buy Nothing Day 🛍️ is in 4 weeks, Cyber Monday 🛍️ is a month away and Boxing Day 🥊 is in 2 months.

Good evening! Mostly cloudy and damp, 37 degrees in North Syracuse. ☁ Calm wind. The skies will clear next Wednesday around 7 pm. Hah! That’s been the story of my entire autumn here in Northern Onondaga County. But maybe things will change come my vacation which will be starting in two weeks.

Tonight will have a slight chance of rain showers between 10pm and 1am, then a slight chance of snow showers after 1am. Mostly cloudy ☔ , with a low of 34 degrees at 5am. Three degrees below normal. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. In 2017, we had cloudy skies. It got down to 46 degrees. The record low of 20 occurred back in 1952.

Tonight will have a Waning Gibbous Moon 🌖 with 97% illuminated. The moon will set at 9:12 am. The Last Quarter Moon is on Tuesday night with a chance of showers. The Beaver Moon 🌝 is in 4 weeks. The sun will rise at 7:31 am with the first light at 7:02 am, which is one minute and 16 seconds later than yesterday. 🌄 Tonight will have 13 hours and 27 minutes of darkness, an increase of 2 minutes and 43 seconds over last night. This time of the year the nights are long. Summer is just a memory. It will return eventually. 💤

Tomorrow will be mostly cloudy ☁, with a high of 49 degrees at 3pm. Seven degrees below normal. Light south wind. A year ago, we had mostly cloudy skies. The high last year was 54 degrees. The record high of 78 was set in 1963. There was a dusting of snow in 1997.❄

Not a particularly nice weekend on tap. 🙁 Saturday, rain, mainly after 7am. High near 44. East wind 8 to 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible. Sunday, showers likely. Cloudy, with a high near 45. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Typical average high for the weekend is 56 degrees.

At this point I’m more or less watching the long range 8-14 day outlook to see what my road trip will be like weather wise. Looks like it will be mild but potentially quite wet. 😰 This time of year it might prove to be quite bone chillingly cold. But if it’s only a few days of cold and wet, I’ll be fine, I’ll just have my tent and propane heater to make things warm and toasty. ⛺ I’m really looking forward to some nice nights in the wilderness.

The Facebook connection to my blog broke today again as it wasn’t happy that I wasn’t using SSL 🔐 but now I’ve upgraded to that and well it will make my WordPress password more secure by not sending it in clear text and maybe improve my Google Rankings.

I’m continuing to browse AliExpress in search of electronic components to use for projects this winter. 📟 Depending on how cold and snowy it is important might spend quite a bit of time building various things this winter. I have a lot of interesting ideas for projects and I figure I better get in on the cheap shipping before Trump takes that away.

Other than that, it’s been a really busy day at work. 💼 Just lots of mail and so many things going on. But I’m making good progress and it will be over soon, and my road trip will be under way before you know it. ⛺ That egg plant parm🍆 I had for dinner was good but not as good as a good campfire dinner before a long winter night. I look forward to the flags, the lights and the fire. 🔥

I got my absentee ballot 📮and now have to think about who I will vote for the year. I’m leaning towards that libertarian candidate for governor, Larry Sharpe not because I’m thrilled about him or expect him to win but I think it’s good to cast a protest vote. 🏤 Cuomo will be governor come January so my vote doesn’t really matter at any rate. I probably will vote for Tonko, Gillibrand and the usual crew although I could change my mind. In recent years my views have trended more conservative especially with my frustration with the Democratic Party over climate change. I mean if the party can’t be bothered to take action to solve the climate crisis, at least I can vote for one that will advocate for our second amendment rights. I don’t buy this vote for me I’m not as bad as the other side. Besides appointing Gorsuch to the Supreme Court, the whole Trump administration has been a disaster. Hopefully Trump gets spanked in the mid terms. At least that’s my take on politics.

In four weeks on November 22 the sun will be setting at 4:34 pm (Standard Time),🌄 which is one hour, 30 minutes and 46 seconds earlier then tonight. In 2017 on that day, we had rain, cloudy skies and temperatures between 46 and 34 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 45 and 30 degrees. The record high of 70 degrees was set back in 1931.

Looking ahead, November 🥧 is in 1 week, Thanksgiving 🦃 is in 4 weeks and Christmas 🎅 is in 2 months.

I find it hard to believe that November is a week away, Thanksgiving four weeks and Christmas in two months.🎄 Where did 2018 come and go so quickly? The winter is long and bleak in the northeast but at least in a few more weeks I’ll be home and the bus will get me to work even in the worst of weather. And if it’s not that cold and snowy I’m sure I’ll still have plenty of time to get away and spend a few nights camping in the winter. ⛄

Good morning! Happy October 🎃. The most colorful month of the year, as the greens of summer change to red and yellow, then to brown. Honestly though, I’m just looking forward to November. Things will get quiet after the election, then I’ll have sometime to spend enjoying the wilderness with nobody to bug me for a week or so. Thirty five days until election day. But in the meantime, next Monday is Columbus Day 🛥️ or Indigenous People Day 🤠.

Light rain and 54 degrees in North Syracuse. I hope you brought your umbrella. ☔ That said tomorrow is going to the real soaker. There is a north-northeast breeze at 6 mph. 🍃. The dew point is 51 degrees.  i am not complaining, at least it’s not raining ash out of the sky like that time I was in Niagara Falls. Talk about a depressing place.

Today will rain. ☔ High of 56 degrees at 4pm. Nine degrees below normal. North wind around 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. Not a real great day, but not as wet as tomorrow will be or so I’m told. 🌧 A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. The high last year was 66 degrees. The record high of 90 was set in 1927. There was a dusting of snow in 1946.❄

I got to say I’m glad that I’m not out camping in the rain, 🏕as pretty as it might be with all the leaves turning in the woods, because autumn camping in the rain tends to be rather wet and chilly — to say nothing of smoky from the campfire fighting the rain. It’s bearable with the big buddy heater, and it’s better then being home I guess, but it’s still kind of muddy and miserable.  That said, on sunny days, autumn camping is fantastic, even with the short days. You just have to make sure to get up early, especially after the time changes.

The sun will set at 6:44 pm with dusk around 7:13 pm, which is one minute and 47 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌆 At sunset, look for rain 🌧 and 55 degrees. The dew point will be 53 degrees. There will be a northeast breeze at 5 mph. Today will have 11 hours and 42 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 55 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will be scattered showers, mainly before 3am. Cloudy 🌂, with a low of 55 degrees at 6pm. Nine degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 54 at 11pm. East wind 3 to 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. In 2017, we had mostly clear skies. It got down to 39 degrees. The record low of 30 occurred back in 1972.

So I am still thinking about taking off part of Friday to hike Jones Hill, probably in the evening to watch the sunset, although the autumn leaves would be better to see at sunrise. 🍂 I guess we will see how things go. I could do an overnight in hammock, if it’s not too chilly, just backpack the hammock up the hill, bring a flashlight and a light dinner, 🔦 and maybe a blanket. I’m chewing over that. I don’t know though, I probably should be back pretty early in the morning, and I’m thinking I might want to shower before work.

Went to the store and bought more can goods. 🥫Lots of soup, canned pasta, macaroni and cheese, and vegetables.  It’s tough staying where I am in North Syracuse, not having a freezer or stove. I do have a microwave and refrigerator, but still the options are limited, because I am trying to do everything on tight of as budget as possible, and I’m kind of busy. 🍌 I guess I could eat out more, but I really get sick of restaurant food and I don’t like all the wasteful packaging it comes in.👨‍🍳 I guess to be fair, I don’t usually eat canned foot at home, and certainly not at camp for the most part — i rather have things in packaging I can burn up in the woods rather then haul to the transfer station.🥫

I am definitely looking forward to my November Road trip when I can do more cooking, have fires every night, 🔥 be able to sit back every night and relax. I am tired of seeing the suburbs every day, working too many hours, getting home and collapsing. I want a good meal cooked on a fire, then listening to the radio into evening. If it’s cold I can always set up a tent and relax there. I miss seeing the countryside being stuck into the office so  much these days.

As previously noted, next Monday is Columbus Day 🛥️ when the sun will be setting at 6:32 pm with dusk at 7:01 pm. On that day in 2017, we had rain, mist, mostly cloudy skies and temperatures between 80 and 61 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 63 degrees. We hit a record high of 80 back in 2017.