December 26, 2022 Night

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Good evening! Mostly cloudy and 22 degrees in Delmar. ☁ Calm wind.There are 2 inches of snow on the ground. ☃ ️Things will start to thaw out at Wednesday around noontime. 🌡️

Back to work tomorrow 💼 after the holiday weekend and my week off. I wish the weather was better but at least I didn’t have to get up and go to work each day. 👣 But with the bad weather – cold or rain until Christmas Eve I had fallen behind on my steps.

Did 26,000 steps today – did Meads Lane and Five Rivers Environmental Education Center via Fisher Trail in the morning, Bennett Hill in the afternoon and then my evening walk. 🚶 And I got milk 🥛 for the morning.

Tonight will be mostly cloudy 🌥, with a low of 17 degrees at 1am. Three degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around January 6th. Maximum wind chill around 14 at 6am; South wind 3 to 5 mph. In 2021, we had cloudy skies. It got down to 26 degrees. The record low of -18 occurred back in 1914.

Tonight will have a Waxing Crescent 🌒 Moon with 17% illuminated. At 8 PM, the moon was in the west-southwest (242°) at an altitude of 3° from the horizon, some 227,290 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 June 17th. Buckle up for safety! 💺

The Wolf 🐺 Moon is on Friday, January 6. The darkest hour is at 11:57 pm, followed by dawn at 6:53 am, and sun starting to rise at 7:25 am in the east-southeast (122°) and last for 3 minutes and 25 seconds. Sunrise is 20 seconds later than yesterday. 🌄 The golden hour ends at 8:11 am with sun in the southeast (130°). Tonight will have 14 hours and 53 minutes of darkness, a decrease of 21 seconds over last night.

Tomorrow will be mostly sunny 🌞, with a high of 31 degrees at 2pm. Four degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical Southwest wind around 6 mph becoming calm in the afternoon. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies in the morning, remaining cloudy in the afternoon. The high last year was 34 degrees. The record high of 60 was set in 1895. 15.0 inches of snow fell back in 1894.❄

Should be a refreshing change 🚿 after all the cold and rain. I am going to go to the car wash 🚙 tomorrow and return cans 🥫 for recycling ♻ and pick up supplies for the rest of the week. The holiday weekend next week is improving – I can always get groceries in Richfield Springs if I end up heading out that way for New Years Eve.

In four weeks on January 23 the sun will be setting in the west-southwest (244°) at 4:58 pm,🌄 which is 28 minutes and 49 seconds later then tonight. In 2021 on that day, we had mostly sunny, snow showers and temperatures between 24 and 11 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 32 and 15 degrees. The record high of 64 degrees was set back in 1906.

Colored Ice

I listened to all ten episodes of Mother Country Radicals 🎧

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I listened to all ten episodes of Mother Country Radicals 🎧

What a fascinating podcast to hear in some of the old-timers voices, who took the fight for Civil Rights and Justice to the street, declared war on American Institutions and police, fought back in many cases with the same violence that was used against them. Blew up a few bathrooms and too many of them, especially black members, got shot by the police. As a student of modern history, it’s not a story I’m unfamiliar with, but still such a tragic story how it ends. But maybe there wasn’t much of an alternative ending possible.

Ultimately though the podcast is just a reminder of the high-personal cost that political involvement has. People who choose a life of political advocacy give up much of their own life, their families, their future for their cause. Where they mad? Where they terrorists? People said many of the same things about their predecessors, such as the founding fathers, or John Brown. Or the Whiskey Rebellion. Or the Racial Uprising in Summer 2020 or the fight of Ammond Bundy and his group of gun-toating cowboys. Or the January 6th Uprising.  But I’m not sure if the high cost was worth it. At least not to me. But without people willing to stick their heads out, and give their lives for our country, where we would be today? I’ve always believed a little unauthorized broken glass is a cost worth for advancing our country forward.

The older I’ve gotten, the more convinced that the political life is not for me. Every time I stick my neck out and speak out, it usually comes back to bite me. But maybe that’s the cost of progress. I honor such people, but I usually just refrain at this point. Legally, I have to be careful with state ethics law with my job. But more then that, I’d rather just play along, get along, go along, and make more money so I can invest in my future. Money can protect you from the ills of society, it allows you to hide from problems, and pay off those who are giving you a hard-time. Once I eventually move to my place in country, in the woods, I won’t have to deal with so many of the problems facing our cities and urban life — from the racist police to climate change.

While certainly government workers will have their statues and monuments created, along with naming every other highway Veterans Road, I would have to think the members of the Weather Underground and the Black Liberation Army were far braver then government workers who had the whole power of state behind them. I wish activists, rather than well paid government workers would get more respect. Small groups of committed individuals can make change, but it comes at a real cost to them personally.

Three more months of winter ❄

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Three more months of winter ❄

Walking out to Five Rivers today in the cold is a reminder of what is ahead – many weekends when the highlight of the week is the walk out to Five Rivers. As the wind whips around and it’s just cold.

April at this point is only three months ahead. It’s not that far away, especially as I try to keep myself busy with my focus on work which often is busy this time of year and I catch the evening or night time local home from work. 

While I might get out a few this winter, usually I stay closer to home and try to save money. I don’t like driving on snow covered roads and many of my favorite places are closed due to seasonal use only roads or parking is difficult due to high snow banks. 

There are a few holiday weekends in January and February, so maybe I’ll have a chance to get away. But often when it’s not snowing in the winter it is terribly cold with the wind.

April always comes. It can be cold too but rarely very snowy. Burn bans and closed roads can be a problem then too but often such things are a nuisance more then a problem. 

December 26, 2022 Morning

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Good morning! Happy Boxing Day. 📦 Probably a really day for having a big bonfire 🔥 with all that Christmas 🤶 packaging and wrappers. Stuff burns well.

Partly sunny and 21 degrees at the Five Rivers Environmental Education Center. ☀ Calm wind. There are 2 inches of snow on the ground. ☃ ️Things will start to thaw out at Wednesday around 11 am. 🌡️

After a rather cold past few days, things have warmed up nicely. The sun is shining and no wind. I’m out walking 🚶 back home from Five Rivers Environmental Education Center and the big loop over Meads Lane 🐮 and the Fisher Trail. Ice ❄ on the sidewalks is less bad today with the sun over the past few days but I wish the town would salt more. Wore the micro spikes at Five Rivers but they aren’t fun on asphalt.

Today will be mostly sunny 🌞, with a high of 28 degrees at 2pm. Seven degrees below normal. South wind 3 to 7 mph. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies in the morning, remaining cloudy in the afternoon. The high last year was 42 degrees. The record high of 59 was set in 1895. 13.9 inches of snow fell back in 1969.❄

Solar noon 🌞 is at 11:57 am with sun having an altitude of 24° from the due south horizon (-46.8° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 13.5 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer.

Once I get home going to take a quick shower 🚿 and get ready to head out to the folks house 🏡 for a family 👪 Christmas Party 🎅 with my parents, sister and niece.

The golden hour 🏅 starts at 3:43 pm with the sun in the southwest (230°). 📸 The sunset is in the west-southwest (238°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 4:29 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 25 seconds with dusk around 5:00 pm, which is 39 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 At dusk you’ll see the Waxing Crescent 🌒 Moon in the south-southwest (206°) at an altitude of 24° from the horizon, 227,153 miles away. 🚀 The best time to look at the stars is after 5:36 pm. At sunset, look for partly cloudy skies 🌃 and temperatures around 26 degrees. There will be a south breeze at 6 mph. Today will have 9 hours and 7 minutes of daytime, an increase of 18 seconds over yesterday.

This afternoon going to hike Bennett Hill 🗻 and then head home and maybe work on free code camp and the blog. 📝 Probably just a quiet 🤫 evening as I think about the upcoming work week after my week off.

Tonight will be mostly cloudy 🌥, with a low of 16 degrees at 4am. Four degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical night around January 11th. Maximum wind chill around 17 at 6pm; South wind 5 to 7 mph. In 2021, we had cloudy skies. It got down to 26 degrees. The record low of -18 occurred back in 1914.

Still looks rainy but mild for New Years Eve. 🎇 ☔ A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 49. Chance of precipitation is 50%. Typical average high for the weekend is 34 degrees.

Colored Ice