Good evening! Clear and 69 degrees in Delmar, NY. Calm wind. The dew point is 64 degrees. A bit sticky but thatβs to be expected for the first day of July.
Weather wise I wouldnβt call it a banner day for starting off July alrgoufgt it is clear now but it was raining on and off all day. It even started to rain when I went down to the library to work on the park bench. I think it was fine to sit in the bench, it was outside and there was nobody too close. I miss walking down to the library after work. I also went for my evening walk. Itβs a pretty nice evening. Been watching some of the Traplines and Inlines YouTube channel out back.
Working down at the library Monday and Tuesday with the laptop and fan plugged in and forgetting about the inverter being left on meant my battery bank is a bit worn down although there was some sun to charge it today but not a lot. Iβm hoping tomorrow with the sun plus driving Iβll get my battery bank fully charged.
Tonight will have a slight chance of showers before 11pm. Patchy fog after midnight. Otherwise, mostly cloudy , with a low of 61 degrees at 4am. One degree above normal, which is similar to a typical night around July 3rd. Maximum dew point of 64 at 10pm. Calm wind. Chance of precipitation is 20%. In 2019, we had mostly clear skies. It became somewhat humid as the night progressed. It got down to 65 degrees. The record low of 40 occurred back in 1978.
Tonight will have a Waxing Gibbous Moon with 89% illuminated. At 10 PM, the moon was in the south (176Β°) at an altitude of 29Β° from the horizon, some 229,354 miles away from where you are looking up from the earth. At the state speed limit of 55 mph, youβll make it there by December 22nd. Buckle up for safety! The Buck Moon is on Saturday, July 4. The darkest hour is at 1:00 am, followed by dawn at 4:48 am, and sun starting to rise at 5:22 am in the east-northeast (57Β°) and last for 3 minutes and 27 seconds. Sunrise is 32 seconds later than yesterday. The golden hour ends at 6:05 am with sun in the east-northeast (64Β°).Tonight will have 8 hours and 45 minutes of darkness, an increase of 41 seconds over last night.
Tomorrow will have a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 3pm. Mostly sunny and hot , with a high of 90 degrees at 3pm. Eight degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 66 at 12pm. Calm wind becoming northwest around 6 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 20%. A year ago, we had mostly sunny skies. The high last year was 84 degrees. The record high of 98 was set in 1966.
So tomorrow is going to be a hot one. I have a big project for work and Iβll probably work down at the library for a while then down to the Henry Hudson Park and sit down by the river. I want to get some Sparklers at Walmart and a few other supplies, especially Bluetooth headphones.
Friday is a holiday at work and Iβm thinking of doing some hiking assuming itβs not too stormy. Saturday is Independence Day and Iβm thinking that looks like a good day to spend out fishing and then maybe going out to see the folks house. Then Sunday, Iβm thinking about heading out to Vermont and camping and working from there until the heat wave breaks sometime in the future. Nothing is set in stone but it seems like a good plan.
I like the idea of Vermont as I can set up camp and work from there all week. Once concern I do have is that I might not be real close to a general store for ice and thatβs important with it being so hot. I guess I can avoid things that have to be cool but I want cold drinks when camping. Plus the sites with the best solar power are going to be less nice in the sun. Maybe the whole idea isnβt set in marble yet.
In four weeks on July 29 the sun will be setting in the west-northwest (296Β°) at 8:18 pm, which is 18 minutes and 15 seconds earlier then tonight. In 2019 on that day, we had hot, humid, mostly sunny, thunderstorm and temperatures between 92 and 67 degrees. Typically, you have temperatures between 82 and 62 degrees. The record high of 97 degrees was set back in 1894.
I am listening to the Love of the Land YouTube channel and this just cracked me up β¦
A few months ago I had that cow preg checked, and I was told that she should calf in two or three months. Maybe thatβs math metric, eh, I donβt know.
I decided to walk down to the Bethlehem Library and work on the WI-FI from the outside park bench. I am tired of driving everywhere, I feel like I donβt get enough exercise. The danger from Coronavirus is pretty low from touching surfaces, most of it seems to be passed from person to person indoors, from mouth droplets. So I think itβs safe enough some evenings to walk down to the library β walking is good exercise and it gives Big Red a break for a while. I feel like I donβt walk as much these days as I used to.
"Starting annual pay for an NYPD officer is only $42,000 but it quickly soars to $85,000 after five and a half years on the force. With abundant opportunities for overtime, that can boost annual pay to over $100,000 per year. Higher-ranking members of the force fare even better. Officers also qualify for full medical coverage, full prescription, vision and dental coverage, unlimited sick pay and 26 days of paid vacation per year.
But itβs the pension plan that provides the golden handcuffs that bind any would-be rebel to his or her job. NYPD officers can retire after 22 years on the force and receive half their annual pay every year for the rest of their lives. The pension formula is based in part on average pay during the final three or five years on the force when an officer will try to rack up as much
overtime as they can get.
Mass protest movements like Occupy and Black Lives Matter annoy the fuck out of cops β the long hours, the disrespect from many demonstrators, their refusal to follow orders or be in awe of authority. But truth be told, mass protest movements are also a windfall for police officers in the final stages of their careers.
As Joe Biden would say, hereβs the deal. Most NYPD officers retire in their mid-40s. If they live to be 80, they will collect close to $2 million in pension payments on top of the roughly $2 million they earn during their active-duty years. Thatβs $3.5 to $4 million in lifetime earnings, plus all the non-cash benefits for 22 years of work. For the white-shirted commanders who love to throw protesters around like rag dolls, itβs far more.
Would you make the trade-off? Twenty-two of the best years of your life spent as a cop in return for a lifetime of economic security? For many, the terms are irresistible. In 2019, the NYPD had 36,038 active officers on payroll plus another 53,441 retirees and beneficiaries.Think of it as affirmative action for bullies; a Scandanavian-style welfare state for a warrior caste deeply committed to its mission β suppressing the lower classes to keep the city safe and profitable for market-rate real estate and its occupants."
You know, the President has me thinking about how good pigs in a blanket really are. The trick is to mix it up, with a good relish, a spicy cheese, maybe some bacon or other goodies inside.
Walked back to Beaver Lake at Moose River Plains, for the first time in many years. Itβs a beautiful, quiet lake and with a stiff breeze on the lake shore and an ample bathe of DEET, itβs pretty free of horse flies for a change.