Mountain Living - August 2015
The Dog Days of Summer!
The proverbial “dog days of summer” have arrived in the mountains of western North Carolina. The term dog days of summer is the name for the sultry period of summer, typically from July 3 to August 11. The Old Farmer’s Almanac explains “the phrase Dog Days conjures up the hottest, most sultry days of summer, coinciding with the rising, at sunrise, of Sirius, the dog star”. The ancient Greeks and Romans believed Sirius to be the brightest star in the summer night, so bright that it was thought that the earth received heat from the big Dog Star, thus creating a stretch of hot and sultry weather. The ancient Greek poet, Homer, wrote in the Iliad :
Sirius rises late in the dark, liquid sky
On summer nights, star of stars,
Orion’s Dog they call it, brightest
Of all, but an evil portent, bringing heat
And fevers to suffering humanity.
Although the dog days of summer are certainly some of the warmest days of the season, the heat is not due to the added radiation from a faraway star, but rather is the direct result of the earth’s tilt toward the sun. Nevertheless, this has been a particularly hot and dry summer – we are still about 4” below our normal rainfall in the mountains and are very much in need of rain. Having said off of this, it is perhaps one of the more lush summers I have witnessed in my seven years in Junaluska Highlands as our trees look green and healthy.
Construction activity continues in our community with two homes under construction and one lot undergoing site preparation. Please remember as you prepare you lot for construction, all county, state, and federal laws regarding erosion control must be adhered to. Any questions on this policy should be referred to the chair of our ARC committee, Ron Brunsvold, or to any member of the ARC. Additional requirements can be found in the Design and Development Guidelines that are posted to the website and are constantly being reviewed by the ARC and our Board. Prior to actual construction of homes, plans must be submitted and approved by the ARC to ensure compliance with the Covenants and Restrictions, a copy of which is also available on the website or through the Haywood County Register of Deeds.
Lastly, just as a reminder, our water provider, Junaluska Sanitary District (JSD) has announced a 5% increase in the water rates due to the Waynesville water rate increase. This rate increase will become effective with the August billings. Please remember to conserve water wherever possible to preserve our precious natural resource.
That’s all for now.
Mac
