May 7, 2020 Night

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Good evening! Rain showers and 48 degrees in Delmar, NY. ☔ There is a west breeze at 8 mph. 🍃. Temperatures will drop below freezing at Saturday around 2 am and it will snow for a while. ☃️

Today was a modestly busy day at work 💼, I also worked down at the library parking lot for a bit. Got busy and didn’t have a chance really to research screen houses anymore. Hiked in the afternoon at Papscanee Nature Preserve and then got groceries at Aldi’s. I just like shopping 🏪 there during the pandemic as it’s fast in and out. They don’t have everything, I might do an online order at Wal-Mart if I can come up with $35 in things that I need.

While I was at the library there was a big protest past town hall about the quarantine business restrictions. ✊ It certainly was loud. 📢 Lots of horn honking. I think it’s good that people’s voices are being heard, it can’t only be the suits that are making all the decisions without the public’s voice being heard. 👓 Doctors and scientists know a lot but they can’t be the only voice heard from.

Tonight will have a chance of showers, mainly before 1am. Mostly cloudy early, then becoming mostly clear 🌧, with a low of 36 degrees at 6am. Nine degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around April 12th. West wind 8 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. In 2019, we had mostly clear skies. It got down to 44 degrees. The record low of 26 occurred back in 1968.

Tonight will have a Full 🌝 Moon with 99% illuminated. At 10 PM, the moon was in the southeast (128°) at an altitude of 13° from the horizon, some 229,566 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 October 28th. Buckle up for safety! 💺 The Flower 🌷 Moon is on Friday, May 22. The darkest hour is at 12:53 am, followed by dawn at 5:11 am, and sun starting to rise at 5:43 am in the east-northeast (66°) and last for 3 minutes and 10 seconds. Sunrise is one minute and 14 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌄 The golden hour ends at 6:22 am with sun in the east-northeast (73°). Tonight will have 9 hours and 37 minutes of darkness, a decrease of 2 minutes and 18 seconds over last night.

Tomorrow will have a chance of rain, mainly after 4pm. Increasing clouds 🌞, with a high of 55 degrees at 3pm. 12 degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around April 9th. Southwest wind 9 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. A year ago, we had cloudy skies in the morning, which became light rain by afternoon. The high last year was 67 degrees. The record high of 91 was set in 1936. There was a dusting of snow in 1977.❄

In four weeks on June 4 the sun will be setting in the west-northwest (302°) at 8:29 pm,🌄 which is 26 minutes and 26 seconds later then tonight. In 2019 on that day, we had partly sunny, rain showers and temperatures between 70 and 47 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 75 and 53 degrees. The record high of 97 degrees was set back in 1919.

Looking ahead, Strawberry Moon 🌕 is a month away.

🇺🇸🦅Only 15 days remain until the start of Memorial Day Weekend!🦅🇺🇸

Nice Way To Spend An Evening

What if the pandemic lasts for two years? 👾

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What if the pandemic lasts for two years? 👾

Some are saying that the Coronavirus pandemic may linger around for as long as two years with closures and social distancing measure being in effect for most of that time. Many businesses, parks and pools may be closed, we will have to go around and find alternative ways to conduct business and move forward on our lives.

I think I am already finding ways to make it work. Between using the library and Five Rivers Wi-Fi and my smartphone I’m able to connect to the internet and get work done. I continue to make good money and in some ways I’m actually saving money without bus fares or other activities to spend money on. I think my road trips this year will be closer to home and I’m thinking my summer vacation this year will be spend likely on Piseco Powley Road with a lot less traveling. That not only saves gas but wear and tear on the truck.

Honestly while a lot of things suck about it – including the potential lost of loved ones and friends to the virus or the risk of getting seriously sick – I don’t see only downsides. It’s a chance for me to save some money by all the aforementioned things allowing me to invest more in my future. While the fed rate is virtually zero, pulling down my certificate of deposit, the index funds are cheap now. Come a few years and certainly the fed rate will rise as will the markets as the economy returns. That will mean more savings and closer to owning that off grid property I desire.

You can say I’m lucky to have a good job that I can do from home and that my health is fairly good despite the pounds I’ve put on lately and the priblens I’ve had recently with Lyme Disease. But I’ve also struggled through the years, scrimped and saved while others spent and lived up life. While some may be the hand I’ve been dealt, I’m no fortunate son or suburbanite. I try to do my best every day for a better tomorrow.

Covid-19 road signs?

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I hope if New York spends $8 million on Covid-19 road signs they at least follow the Manual for Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) so they don’t get dinged by the federal government. The MUTCD is no joke, you follow it or you get fined.

Yes, they can have a pretty Coronavirus icon on the signs but they must use FHWA series fonts of the proper size and proportion and must be colored blue with white text. Or possibly black on white if it’s regulatory.