WEATHER, COMMUNITY WATCH, ETC.

Finishing up work out of town this morning and will be back on the mountain this afternoon.  Feisty storms are inbound from TN later today, and damaging wind gusts are likely, along with very heavy rainfall.  We took some good erosion on our gravel roads from a week ago Thursday, and more can be expected from this round, unfortunately.

There is also a freeze warning for areas above 3500 feet for Saturday morning.  The weather can't make up it's mind whether it wants to be early summer or late winter.  :-)

I think I speak for everybody that we live in a beautiful, peaceful, safe place.  The latter, unfortunately, is not always a given.  We're a private entity, Apple Creek Acres,  and our roads are as well; while the sheriff's office does make some passes through now and then, they can't cite for driving violations...in the same light, we can't enforce our 'suggested' speed limit, either. However, there are some things the sheriff can do, and things we can do to help them help us.

Recently, there has been increased activity from and complaints about two motorcycles that come from the mirror curve.  Setting aside the noise issue from over-revved engines, the complaints I've heard about are first-hand accounts of dangerous driving on their part.  Personally, I can't help but to hear them, but I've never encountered them on the road.

The sheriff's office has an officer dedicated to Community Watch programs.  If you have encountered a suspicious or unsafe situation, you are urged to call them at 
828-452-6666
As well, you should follow up with a board member with that information, so it can be disseminated. Everyone's vigilance is appreciated.

Bob

WILDFLOWER UPDATE

Went out this afternoon and just perused the greening mountainside, and here is what I saw flowering at this time.  Some are coming in a couple of weeks later than 'normal', and the Trillium won't explode for another week or so.  The lone Bellwort I photographed was an anomally as most aren't blooming just yet. Anyhow, enjoy, and click on any picture to enlarge.  (all pics off the end of Staymon Road at 3775', fyi)

BLOODROOT

DUTCHMAN'S BREECHES

SQUIRREL CORN

CUT-LEAVED TOOTHWORT

WOOD ANEMONE

(little bit on the way out as it is purple-ish)

SPRING BEAUTY

LARGE FLOWERED BELLWORT

TRILLIUM READY TO BLOOM

Bob

STORMY EVENING/NIGHT AHEAD

~640am Thursday  4-11-13   (click to enlarge)

"Red sky in morning, sailors take warning..."

By supper time tonight our skies should be rockin' and rollin' with raucous thunderstorms.  It's been quite a system with significant snows on the north/northwest side and plenty of severe storms and tornadoes on the southeast side of the system...and that's the part that approaches later today.

Always hard to pop a tornado in the mountains given the geography, but very gusty winds are expected, as well as periods of hail and good ol' lightning.  Power outages seem very likely, but I will not be on the mountain when this all hits.  The favored ETA is around 6pm, increasing in likelihood after dark.  Chances should be tailing off before sunrise as the system moves east.

The other component is too much rain for our own good. 1.5" to over 2" will be a common tally, with isolated areas getting 3"+.

Bob

ADVISORY UPDATE

Brrrrrrrd feeder

snap, crackle, pop!

Buckeye bud

2pm and 30 degrees

 Our Winter Weather Advisory has been extended until 6pm.  Just got back from Waynesville and roads all the way up to my house are perfectly fine...no ice, no slush.  Freezing rain and some lightly accumulating sleet are making very heavy limbs hanging down into the road, especially the pines around the mirror curve and below.

30 on my deck, and it's dangerously icy and slippery there and on my stairs.  It's right at 32 on the driveway.

April, huh...

Bob

DUES TO GO UP TO $2,000

APRIL FOOL'S!!! Sorry, just couldn't resist that one.  :-)  

What a brilliant day began this morning...picked up 1.24" of rain this past weekend, so we're good to go in the moisture department.  Alas, still a pretty chilly week moving in by tomorrow.  If I didn't know better, our impending wildflower explosion is a bit delayed this spring, thanks to our cold snowy run of late.  I'll be posting those pics as I get them, as I like to catalog my property every season.  Here are a few I took just this morning:

Trout Lilly

Hepatica

Cut-leaved Toothwort (immature)

Here are a couple of more pics you can click to enlarge...the one from Sunday morning had quite the quality of a painting, what with the light and unusual clouds, fog, etc.  Happy April, y'all!

Monday AM  April 1, 2013

Sunday AM March 31, 2013

Bob