JUNE UPDATE, THOUGHTS, WHAT'S AHEAD

(click on pics to enlarge)

I've been meaning to post an update for a while, but I have had very little shareable news come my way.  Nonetheless, there are some things worth mentioning, so I figured I'd start with some sunrises/dawns from home.  Now that school is out and I'm not leaving the mountain at O'dark-thirty to drive a yellow tin can, I get to enjoy the beginning of new days.  Around 5:30am the birds start singing en force, and the lanscape begins to slowly brighten.  A lot of mornings it is a subtle transition, while others make a postcard.  My favorite of the shots above is the third one down, with the crescent moon hanging above the skyglow above Lake Junaluska.  Coffee seems to taste extra nice then, too.  :-)

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Over the past weeks we've had some good rains, and if Staymon Road is any indication, the grading/rolling of our side roads some time ago took very, very well.  Very happy to see that.  I also want to thank everyone for their patience with  Apple Creek Road closing part of a day to put in the culvert down low...when paving takes place, that little ditch will be filled in, of course.  Gravel put in there did get washed out in one of our downpours.

Here's the thing about any roads, but especially our roads:  Water is the number one source of deterioration and damage, and must be controlled and channeled as needed to protect the road sides and bed.  That trouble gets compounded with freezing temperatures and water crossing the road, for obvious reasons.

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The upcoming HOA Annual Meeting in either late August or early September.  I mentioned this before, and some of you have talked about it.  All along our board is staffed with those that volunteer to fill the positions of president, vie-president, treasurer, and secretary, for the minimum.  You get lot dues paid (for one lot) by doing so, and the majority of work concerns paving/grading, and winter weather issues.  There are other things, of course, like lot owners that refuse to pay dues, but there is a retained lawyer to handle that.  The past few years, very few have stepped forward, which means the former board stays in place.  I think I speak for them to say they need a break as they've been in place a few years.  BUT...and this is a seriously big 'but'...

We in Apple Creek HOA are a lot closer than we think to having an outside third party take over the HOA, which is done in many areas.  Rest assured this will cause bigger issues, among others the jacking up of annual fees.  Our current $300/year fee per lot is a steal of a deal, hands down, and one of the least expensive around.  Do we really want to start paying $1,000 or more annually, which is an entirely reasonable outcome?  I'm hoping we will have those interested to let it be known.  Throwing it out there for now...

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On a lighter note, the first Friday of each month from May through December, downtown Waynesville has "Art After Dark" from 6p-9p.  A lot of galleries are open, and a few stores, as well, often with light snacks (I can never spell the horse-doober word!).  Friday July 5, I will be playing and demonstrating with my Native American style flutes that I've been making for 22 years, at the Haywood County Arts Council storefront (86 North Main Street).  For those that live near me, you have heard flute music lilting through the air at times.  If you're out and about, please stop by and say howdy!

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And ending on an even lighter note, bears on your deck are one thing....but how about a turkey on your car?  She was nice enough to leave a greeting card when she flew away...  :-/

Bob

ROAD WORK WEDNESDAY

Apple Creek Road will be closed this Wednesday, May 1, from 10am-3pm for scheduled road work.  That's all the information I have.

Bob

NOTHIN' LIKE APRIL SNOWFLAKES, EH?

From the vault: Bull Elk bugling, Cataloochee Valley Herd
(click to enlarge)

It's a minor thing, this cold shot incoming that will drop our temps from a high near 80 today to a low near 30 Thursday morning.  But before the cold arrives, we have pretty gusty winds coming in today and tonight, along with rain and possibly some good rumbles of thunder.  Cooler air invades for Wednesday, but more showers will be possible.  

It's the overnight hours into Thursday morning that the cold air aloft can keep snow mixing in with the (limited) rain to the surface, and maybe a temporary accumulation before melting.  Roads should be fine given the warmth of the ground and the not-so-low temps...and in case your jaw is open, we have seen snow here in May.  This is just one of those. "Aw, I was enjoying the great spring weather...". 

Good news is that the temps start to rebound after a chilly Thursday and Friday, with Sunday being the pick weekend day with sunny highs back into the mid and upper 60s.

Bob

WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 3PM TODAY

Icing on Edison light @1230pm today

Been sitting at 30/31 degrees for several hours here at the end of Staymon, and vegetation has a nice coating of ice, especially any evergreens, which are drooping down into the roads.  The National Weather Service posted our area in the advisory which you can read about HERE.  Icing is most evident above the double hairpin curves, elevation-wise. We need a lot of things, but a third consecutive day of power outages isn't one of them.

Hopefully, the temp will creep upward this afternoon and avert any problems.  The roads are fine, just be careful on your decks and stairs.

Bob

WIND ADVISORY AND STUFF

Repost of Ring-neck drake at Lake Junaluska years ago,  Click to enlarge.

Such a scientific word, "stuff", eh?  We all enjoyed a 4-hour power outage last night, and with more strong wind slated for this afternoon through tomorrow mid-day, it could happen again.  This area has a lot of dead/dying/weakened ash and locust trees that more easily come down in strong winds.  A Wind Advisory is in place for ACA from 1pm today for a 24-hour period.  Click HERE for details.

As our precipitation ends tonight, temps will plummet well down into the 20s, but at least the cold temps soon mitigate after one day.

In retrospect, thank goodness our surface temps stayed above 32 degrees with all the snow that was falling last Saturday.  I was fine with that!

Ah, and Leap Year is here as tomorrow is Feb. 29.  If you are wondering when leap years occur, divide any year by four.  If it divides cleanly, then it's a Leap Year.  The history of a Leap Year goes FAR back in time, in case you were wondering.  Click HERE for a good article on it from TIME.

Daylight Saving is just around the corner, but not this weekend.  It will be the following weekend, March 10.

That's all the news from Lake Wobegon, saddle pals.

Bob

HERE WE GO AGAIN....

 

Dawn 2/18/2024 from the end of Staymon Rd.

A quick-hitting band of snow showers will cross our area later this afternoon and evening.  Strong winds will once again accompany this clipper, but those winds will also limit accumulations.

Speaking of accumulations, this is yet another piddly amount that may not accumulate in the valleys or lower ACA (outside of a dusting).  The higher portions of Apple Creek could get 0.25"-0.75" on the ground if a couple of the models verify.

The wind and temperatures could limit accumulations.  I woke up to 36 degrees on Staymon, so the roads should not become an issue unless there is a temporary coating from a heavy burst. Temps will fall later this afternoon en route to a cold start for Sunday.

The good news is that we'll have unusually mild weather next week, with the possibility of strong thunderstorms nearby Wednesday.  The polar jet stream is finally starting to wobble our way after exiting northern Europe, so we'll have to see if it pays us a visit sometime in March.

(raising a glass of wine...)  Salut!

Bob

LIGHT SNOW SHOWERS BY MORNING

 "Light" is the operative word.  A quick hitting shot of cold air will be in place Saturday before starting to rebound some Sunday.  There is very little moisture with tonight's cold front, but the cold air will most likely squeeze out some wintry mix precipitation through Saturday morning.  I don't foresee any road issues given our temperate days of late.  Any accumulations would be insignificant.

Winter is far from over, and we all cringe over a potential late freeze to plants and crops. But after getting last month's Duke Energy bill, I'll take all the milder weather I can get.  Just not tomorrow....

Bob