Good evening. Currently 76 degrees and modesty sticky with a dew point around 65. Otherwise pretty clear and the crickets are singing their song on this night that is muggy. By the time you read this post the Waning Crescent Moon will appear to the east. For break of daylight around 5:50 AM with a sunrise at 6:21 for those with a good view of the horizon. It’s amazing how fast the daylight has gotten shorter. Tomorrow’s sunset is 7:26 PM with twilight ending at 7:55 PM.

I’m quite excited to say I’ve walked my first half mile this evening since spraining my ankle two and a half weeks ago. For a boy that previously would walk 5 miles most days and not think much about hiking up mountains it doesn’t seem like much of an accomplishment. But it’s a tough road to recovery but I’m feeling better. It doesn’t hurt that much. The high ankle hiking boots help a lot. But I still am awkward walking and as I haven’t walked much lately my knees are weak. And there is still a little pain in my sprained ankle. But I’m hopeful for the autumn trips and being able to do lots of hiking by the second half of the month. As a kid who has never broken many bones it really is a eye opening experience on disability and pain.  The world is not a friendly place if you are disabled. A sprained ankle sucks especially if you normally walk around town and spend a lot of time in the back country. Maybe by next week I can do my evening walk or at least walk down to the library.

So I got my new phone, a Moto E Smartphone. I kind of like it. The reviews weren’t great compared to the Samsung Galaxy Ace Style which stopped working on two different phones, but once I got it, I was impressed with the size and the newer Android Kit Kat operating system. It seems fast and I really like the FM radio feature. I forgotten how much I missed being able to listen to live radio. It seems to work fine with my 64 gigabyte SD card, once I reformatted it. I will have to re-copy all my music back over again. Oh, well. Hopefully this phone will last longer.

Picked up my Remington 597 now that my NICS check finally cleared. It was annoying having to wait three full business days but they got the proceed, apparently today according to the paperwork. It’s a little 22LR with a synthetic stock and a cheap scope that I picked up for $180 plus sales tax, but as far as the background check system is concerned it’s a firearm subject to the normal checks. Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated by a 22LR rifle and it’s probably the most popular ammunition in cheap handguns, but the reality it’s mostly suited mostly for shooting squirrels in late season and plinking tin cans. It should be fun and cheap to shoot compared to my 20 gauge shotgun. Not as quiet or cheap as my GAMO Silent Cat Air Rifle but much more fun to shoot as an auto-reloader. Unlike the 22LR, I can use the air gun almost anywhere, as it’s not considered a firearm under NY State law. But the air gun is less fun. Excited to get somewhere at to Moose River Plains where I can try it out. I think I will look at buying some extra 10 round magazines tomorrow, just for convenience sake when I’m out and shooting.

Tomorrow I will pay off the credit card for the gun with cash savings, and probably buy an equal amount in index funds. I have decided when I buy toys I should also save for my future long term. That way I can eventually have my own land in a free state and get a 30 round magazine when I live there. Hah. And then I can get my concealed carry permit so I don’t have to deal with NICS delays in the future. And have fires and burn stuff.

It’s getting late. Time for bed. Good night.