Time to get up
How climate change could disrupt maple syrup production in Upstate NY – syracuse.com
"Doug Thompson, 68, has been tapping maple trees since he was a kid growing up in the North Country. Like many long-time maple producers in Upstate New York, Thompson says things are changing."
"We’ve been making syrup here my whole lifetime,” said Thompson, who taps about 9,000 trees in and around Gouverneur, in St. Lawrence County. “In general, we’re seeing the maple season starting two weeks earlier than when I was a kid."
The Giant Rodents Eating Louisiana’s Coast
"Native to South America, wild nutria established populations in Louisiana in the early 1940s after fur farms released the rodents intentionally, or the critters escaped. In the 1950s, the state encouraged the nutria to spread, to make up for the decline of the native muskrat population — the pelts of which were once the primary commodity of the local fur trade. The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) argued nutria, “a docile and likeable rodent,” would be a “Godsend” for the state’s economy. Whether or not anyone actually came to like the large rodent, which, on average weighs around 14 pounds and has long orange buck teeth, LDWF was right about the economic boon: Between 1962 and 1982, hunters and trappers harvested an average 1.3 million nutria each year in the Louisiana wetlands."
"But a fur-market crash in the 1980s removed the incentives for trappers and left the nutria population unchecked. Initially, the state tried to save the marsh from the growing hordes of nutria by marketing the rodent as a culinary item, says Catherine Normand, a biologist at LDWF. The department enlisted celebrity chefs to create nutria recipes, and handed out samples at events along with stickers that read: “I ate nutria, and I liked it.” But the optics proved too great a hurdle. “It didn’t really take off,” says Normand, “because people can’t get over the fact that they have that long scaly tail that’s very, uh, very much like what a rat has.”"
"Following the nutria’s failed entry into the dining scene, LDWF tried another approach by replicating the conditions that had been keeping the nutria in check during the 60s and 70s. “They came up with the idea of essentially creating an artificial fur market,” says Normand. LDWF placed a $5 bounty on nutria and developed a system in which hunters and trappers sever the tails — which are distinctive from any other native mammals — and bring them to an assessor. Tails are also easier, Normand adds, to store in a freezer. "
Driving Along NY 8.
During the shoulder season of the year — when there is snow on the ground or a high risk of snow and ice — the East Branch of the Sacanadaga River is my place of choice to camp. I’ve always enjoyed the scenery of this rural highway through the Adirondack Wilderness. Some pictures of this highway …
And a short video of part of the drive from Fox Lair to Baker Mills …
The Housing Laddder
"An arcade game by Tim Hunkin. Try to get the house before you die."
March 27, 2019 Morning
Good morning! What day is it?Final Hump Day of March, of course. Five weeks to May 🕊. At least there is a few weeks in early May when there is no black flies. Sunny and 25 degrees in Delmar, NY. 🌞 Calm wind.Things will start to thaw out at around 10 am. 🌡️
Another cold but at least sunny morning. ❄ At least I think we are most likely done with snow for the year in the Albany area. I heard the heat click on for a while then shut off. I think tomorrow I’ll turn it off hopefully until late October or early November. It’s good that it’s going to warm up to the fifties by afternoon. 🌷Big Red accessory battery should be floating in a few hours. 🔋
Was a bit stiff and sore this morning but that’s part of growing old. 👴 I did get a fairly early start despite being relatively cold in my bedroom because the heat is turned down. Listening again to John Denver🎶 as the bus gently rocks on its journey downtown. 🚍Should be a nice days with lots of sun streaming into the office, good for taking a break and studying the mountains.
Today will be sunny 🌞, with a high of 50 degrees at 4pm. One degree above normal, which is similiar to a typical day around March 28th. Calm wind becoming south around 6 mph in the afternoon. A year ago, we had cloudy in the morning, which became mostly sunny by afternoon. The high last year was 48 degrees. The record high of 78 was set in 1998. 6.7 inches of snow fell back in 1959.❄
The sun will set at 7:16 pm with dusk around 7:44 pm, which is one minute and 9 seconds later than yesterday. 🌇 At sunset, look for clear skies 🌄 and temperatures around 42 degrees. There will be a south breeze at 6 mph. Today will have 12 hours and 30 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 54 seconds over yesterday.
Tonight will be mostly clear 🌃, with a low of 30 degrees at 4am. Typical for tonight. South wind around 7 mph. In 2018, we had partly cloudy in the evening, which became mostly sunny by the early hours of the morning. It got down to 36 degrees. The record low of 3 occurred back in 1923.
Tomorrow will be mostly sunny 🌞, with a high of 60 degrees at 3pm. 10 degrees above normal, which is similiar to a typical day around April 18th. That’s going to be super nice. South wind 9 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph. A year ago, we had cloudy in the morning, which became mostly sunny by afternoon. The high last year was 49 degrees. The record high of 85 was set in 1945. 14.2 inches of snow fell back in 1932.❄
Tuesday came and went. It was a good day, maybe fairly busy at work but it made the time go by quickly.💼 Took the 6:45 bus home, a virtually brand new bus, and then rode the exercise bike 🚲 for a half hour or so then went out for my evening walk. Hot dogs and baked beans for dinner with some frozen pineapple 🍍 and banana 🍌 slices for dessert. I’m not that much into health food but I’m on a budget and frozen fruit is often more tasty and affordable than junk food. It’s less packaging too.
Evening walk 🚶 was pleasant with lots of stars. 🌃 Chilly though. Looking forward to nicer weather when I can sit out back again. I think after tomorrow night the heat will be done for the year although I don’t see any balmy nights in the near future on tap but the hard freezing weather is nearly done for the year. I’d love 😍 nights when I can leave the windows open but not so hot I run the fan all night. The big box fan I have is remarkably energy hungry, using upwards of 60 watts each hour it’s run on high. I know fossil energy ⚡ is cheap but that seems awful wasteful. Sitting out back on a summers night listening to the spring peepers is really nice I must say. 🐸 Still too cold for that yet. For a while we had a Great Horned Owl in the neighborhood 🐭 who really gave a hoot.
Yesterday in the evening I went up to the old observation deck on the 31st floor of the Alfred E Smith Building 🏢 which is primarily used as a state conference room nowadays with the doors to the deck are closed off most of the year. Interesting to see up there, it’s too bad it’s closed to the general public nowadays. Neat to see it.📷 The anti jumping fence around the deck does kind of block the view though.
Finally set up my account with the state tax department to pay taxes quarterly to ensure I don’t risk an underpayment fine in 2020.😢 I keep cutting it closer each year and I really don’t want to pay a fine next year. Unfortunately there is no way to make automatic payments on and ongoing basis with the state tax department, although you can schedule four quarters of tax payments or out a full year on the website.💸 I’m going to just do enough so I have a margin of safety but hopefully only owe a small amount to the state next year. I mean I wouldn’t want the governor or the gestapo that he operates to profit on my interest.
Bought more milk at Stewart’s. 🐮Missplaced my milk card 💳 then found it later on. I have so many milk cards to redeem at some point in the future. I’m drinking less milk now though after discovering the wonders of cider vinegar and water though. 🍏 Saves money.
Each day I briefly log onto Facebook to see what my clients and some of my friends are up to but I find it’s hard to leave it on for more than a few minutes. 💻 I try to be very strategic with my use of social media – especially Facebook – updating the Save the Pine Bush page and my personal page, checking a few other things before shutting it down. It just brings much more joy to my life not getting swamped down by all of it. I think I would like Facebook better if it just was pictures of cattle, turkeys and deer.
Not a particularly nice weekend on tap. 😞 Saturday, a chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 68. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Maximum dew point of 50 at 1pm. Sunday, showers likely, mainly before 2pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 52. Chance of precipitation is 70%. Typical average high for the weekend is 51 degrees.
Again I have no idea what the weekend will look like for me 🌲but I have no real plans. My best guess is that I will be working Sunday. Maybe Saturday I can do the Save the Pine Bush Hike but I’m not holding my breath on that. The weekend will certainly be fairly mild. I guess March is leaving like a mud crusted lamb that smells like manure and wet wool.
The following week I’ll probably stay in town, take my bottles and cans to the recycling center ♻. Like usually happens this time of year, I’m running out of room in the outside trash cans so I’m starting to stack the bottles and cans in my truck. Then maybe start packing my truck for camping. ⛺Still thinking 💭 about heading out a few days before Good Friday. ➕ Probably still head out to the East Branch of the Sacandaga River and then maybe drive up through the Adirondacks to the North Country.
I do like my neighbors big jacked up truck. It makes mine look so small. 🚛 I just hate how all the kids in the neighborhood have nicer toys than me. So be it. Big Red is quite sweet on his own behalf and he’s paid for and seems to run better than my neighbors big diesel. But ultimately I think I primarily care more about eventually owning land and having fires to burn things whenever I want. 🔥
In four weeks on April 24 the sun will be setting at 7:47 pm,🌄 which is 31 minutes and 53 seconds later then today. In 2018 on that day, we had partly sunny skies with rain showers and temperatures between 70 and 45 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 62 and 40 degrees. The record high of 81 degrees was set back in 2001.
I do look forward to the weekends up in the wilderness, getting away from all of it for a few days. 🌿🌲🌳Then spending time down in the swimming 🏊 holes, kayaking and hiking in woods. The fires 🔥, the cold beer 🍻, the music 🎶 and the lights. 🎄
99 days until Independence Day this year. I know because it was hundred days when I wrote this blog post last night. 📝 It’s a Thursday this year and I assume they’ll give us off that Friday. 🎇I’m thinking about a long weekend that weekend at the Moose River Plains although I might change my mind. Maybe drive up to Speculator Tree Farm on Wednesday night then to the Plains first thing on Independence Day. 🎈I could change my mind, and certainly Memorial Day Weekend is long before then.
Looking ahead, Arbor Day 🌳 is a month away, May 🕊 is in 5 weeks, Memorial Day 🇺🇸 is in 2 months, 8:30 PM Sunset ️⛱️ is in 10 weeks, Primary Day 🗳️ is in 13 weeks, Altamont Fair Opens 🎡 is in 20 weeks, State Fair Opens 🎡 is in 21 weeks, September 11th 🇸 is in 24 weeks, More Night then Day 🌌 is in 26 weeks and Inauguration Day 2021 👴🏻 is in 95 weeks.
