March 2003 Archived Columns

3/30/2003

Yesterday was the opening day of trout season, and while the weather didn’t completely cooperate, it seems to have been a pretty good day. The little bit of rain in the morning didn’t stain the streams too badly, and it was warm enough to fish, if a bit breezy. The opening day isn’t as big a deal as it used to be, because the river is now open year-round, but it is still a significant event. A lot of folks have their houses full with people who want to fish, and it’s a darn good excuse to have a little party. Traditionally, opening day began the mountain tourist season, but these days, we have people in town pretty much all winter long.

This morning (Sunday) it was about 32º on top, and there was a little dusting of snow on the cars. I couldn’t see Hemp Top, but there was a pretty good coating of snow on Watson Mountain (up on the North Carolina line) and some snow on Piney Mountain, off Hardscrabble Road. As I came into work this morning, it was still spitting a little grapple, or pebbly sleet. The streams still looked in pretty good shape, despite the drizzle last night.

The Ducktown Museum is celebrating its 25th Anniversary. Located on the site of the old Burra-Burra mine in Ducktown, the museum is well worth a visit for the historic photographs and the insight into the sociology and economy of the Copper Basin area. Visit them on the web at www.gamineral.org/commercial-burra-burra.htm . There are opportunities for collecting Garnet, Pyrite, Chalcopyrite, Pyrrhotite, and Actinolite (by appointment, as explained on the website).

The Mountain Scholar Bookshop has moved up the street from their old location next to Great Eats, to 679-A, East Main Street. They’ve got a great collection of books on things of local interest, cabins and cabin decoration, and nature. You can now sit by the fireplace and sip coffee while you browse the books and take in the local scene. Contact the bookstore at 706.632.1993.

While we are on the topic of books, the Fannin County Public Library needs volunteers and members. The library offers many services including Internet access, fax, and copy machine. You can also register to vote there. The Friends of the Library sponsors interesting events and publishes a quarterly newsletter. There are local author book signings scheduled for April 8th and April 10th at 3:00. George Woodruff (Miracle at St. Luke's) and Elaine Jordan (Indian Trail Trees) are signing on the 8th. On the 10th, Claudia Staton, Jan Farley, and Bettie Sellers and others are signing. In order to build the new library (an architect’s rendering is on display at the library), $1 million must be raised locally. The land has already been donated. The library is located downtown at 105-A Mountain Street, and can be reached by email at fanninlibrary@hotmail.com or by phone at 706.632.5263.

3/26/2003

The weather has continued warm, with highs in the low 70s. The cherry trees are in bloom, and it's been very nice. The pollen just started to be visible on cars, but we are nowhere near as far along as Atlanta. I'm told it's still worse in Atlanta than in Canton, so the worst has not come our way yet.

We've seen a lot of wildlife lately. Cynthia saw an immature Barred Owl playing in the lane on her way home from an evening meeting (about 9 PM), and I saw the first woodchuck last weekend. I've seen a pair of Canada Geese on little Cutcane Creek, and this morning we saw a grouse wandering down the lane like he had his mind on something else. I've yet to hear the first turkey gobble, but it's also fair to say that I haven't had much porch time in the past few days.

I understand that the Gilmer County Courthouse has been condemned, and will be closed tomorrow. This may be related to District Attorney Roger Queen's bad fall last week, which left him with a broken neck. In any case, if the courthouse remains closed, real estate closings in Gilmer County may be delayed indefinitely due to the inability to conduct title searches.

I'll have a better assessment of our office activity this weekend, but I can say that our website hits fell dramatically during the first days of the war, and bounced back on the weekend. At this point, I believe we're back to near normal levels.

Folks who are interested in view property need to get up before the leaves come on the trees, so they can see what they're buying. It won't be long before we're back to our summer coat of green.

If you're coming up for the opening day of trout on Saturday, at this point I can say that the streams are clear and they have plenty of water. If it doesn't rain, it should be a good one.

3/16/2003

The weather was pretty nice last week, with a few spots of showers. The forsythia is blooming up on top, and Cynthia and I had our first dinner on the porch Sunday evening. I’m sure a lot of other people beat us to it, because we’re up on top of the ridge, and there is almost always a breeze up there that makes it a bit chillier than it is in more protected spots. My neighbor’s retriever took her first two swims in the lake yesterday, another sign that spring is coming.

If you haven’t been up in a while, you should probably make plans to visit soon. It’s been pretty wonderful lately, and the opening day of trout is March 29th. People who have seen Della’s Diner at the new theater report that it is a bang-up production, well worth seeing, and things are beginning to happen all over the mountains. See my calendar listings for details

I haven’t heard the first turkey gobble yet, but if the weather stays warm, I expect I’ll hear it soon. For those of you who need a little refresher in Woodcraft 101, the usually secretive and wily, wild male turkey loses all sense of decorum when the mating season comes, and you often find them talking their heads off on their roosts or wandering along the roads. Turkey season comes in next Saturday, March 22, and runs until May 15. Usually, it’s a little too cool in the mountains for the turkeys to go into the rut by opening day, but it may happen this year. In the Wildlife Management Areas, there are specific days for turkey hunting. For these, check specific areas at www.dnr.state.ga.us .

If you are out in the woods during turkey season, I recommend a blaze orange cap. You should definitely not wear purple. During mating season, turkeys will often gobble in response to things like crow calls and owl calls. If you are out in the woods and you hear these things, remember that it may be a turkey hunter making those calls. If, after listening for a while, it sounds real bogus, it's definitely a turkey hunter. Turkey hunters also sometimes gobble in the hopes of attracting another male turkey who wants to fight. Be cautious if you hear these sounds. Female turkeys talk, but do not gobble. The male is most easily identified by the beard, which looks like a small bunch of horse hair protruding from the chest that grows to about four inches.

The best time to observe them is probably shortly before dusk, a time the turkey hunters call “flying up time.” When the shadows underneath the trees start to darken such that a fox might sneak up on them, the turkeys fly up to roost. The old gobbler will be with his harem, and he’ll generally be very talkative right after flying up. The jakes, yearling males, will position themselves on the fringes of the old gobbler’s territory, in the hopes of attracting one of his females. They generally stay pretty quiet, but you will usually hear them gobble once or twice just before dark. In the morning, after it's light enough, the turkeys will fly down, and you’ll often hear quite a bit of turkey talk at this point, as the old gobbler pursues his females. The classic turkey hunting strategy is to locate the roost at night and return before light the next morning. The hunter sits with his back to a tree, and calls as a hen, hoping to attract the gobbler. You can also call as a gobbler, which often brings the old gobbler running, but it is a risky strategy, because other hunters may be in the woods.

Last week was the tenth anniversary of the great blizzard of 1993 (March 13). This was a genuine disaster that brought down many trees and left much of the county without power for up to three weeks. The wind was really savage. There’s an area just above the bridge over Hemptown Creek on Cutcane Road that is completely denuded of trees from that storm. Just to tell one story, the man whose cabin I have listed up on Picklesimer Mountain told me that he felt he had to go to his neighbor’s house, two lots down the lane, to get something. The snow was up to his thighs, and when he started back, he was afraid he wouldn't make it.

I missed it myself. When I heard it was going to snow, I almost came up from Atlanta on a lark. If I had, I’d have probably been here for a couple of weeks, because a huge tree blew down across my driveway, and it took a couple of weeks for the roads to be cleared back in to where I live. I've heard that we had three feet of snow on My Mountain, and you know, our average annual snowfall is six inches, usually in dribs and drabs. A lot of the long-term residents remember how tough it was to get through that one, where they got water, and exactly how they coped. John Brown told me that he knew it was serious when he saw the National Guard in Hummers driving up Old Loving Road. Another man told me that because it was snowing pretty hard, his father asked him to drive him to work. After he got him there, he decided to it was best not to go to work himself. So he just went home to made preparations and get the supplies he figured he needed. In the end, he had thirteen people with him in his little cabin.

3/10/2003

It dried out quite a bit last week, and the weather has a definite spring-like feel. The oaks are budding up, and I saw daffodils on top of My Mountain this weekend. Saturday was a beautiful day that almost reached 70°, and Sunday was about the same, except for a bit of a breeze on top. Today (Monday) started out around 34°, and it’s a beautiful, bluebird day.

We weren’t quite as busy in the office this weekend as I anticipated. With the nice weather, my theory is that everybody had to stay home and mow the lawn. But there’s no doubt we’re on the cusp of the busy season. If you are thinking of selling your property, now is the time to list. If you are interested in seeing what bargains remain after the winter, now’s the time. Because the fall season was mostly a rainout, we still have a very good inventory of properties in all categories, except perhaps for new construction. As the weather continues to improve, we’ll see a number of new cabin starts, and we’ll begin to list these just as soon as the electric and plumbing is completed.

Another tip for returning cabin owners: If you have turned off the water and drained the system down, be sure to remember to turn on the water and let the hot water tank fill up before turning on the fuses to the hot water heater (if you have electric hot water). If the fuses are turned on when the tank is empty, the heating elements self-destruct almost instantly. Open the hot water tap and let it stay open until you have a good flow of water. At that point, the tank should be filled, and it should be safe to turn the fuses back on. If you've put antifreeze in the commodes, remember that it is fatally attractive to dogs, who will drink it because of its sweet smell. Be sure to keep the dogs away from the toilets or keep the lids down until you can flush them thoroughly.

The Blue Ridge Scenic Railway is ready to start its sixth season March 14. The trains should be running Friday and Saturday through June. Trains depart from the old depot in downtown Blue Ridge. The trip is a leisurely run along the river to Copperhill, Tennessee. If the water level is low enough (if they aren’t releasing from the dam) you can see the old Cherokee fish trap along the way. There is time for lunch and visiting the shops in Copperhill before the return to Blue Ridge. The trip is a great favorite with kids, who seem to love the blue line separating Tennessee from Georgia. For more information, call 706.632.9833 or 800.934.1898. Or visit the website at www.brscenic.com.

3/3/2003

It was rainy and warmer for most of last week. The roads took yet another beating, and the streams were stained and a foot or two below flood stage. The rain tapered off toward the weekend, and things are somewhat dried out at this point. This morning (Monday) was a beautiful clear day that started out at about 25°. It was so nice that I couldn’t resist taking a short hike before going into work. I expect we will see almost 60° by late afternoon.

We were fairly busy in the office, despite the rain. I believe things are gearing up for a big spring selling season, and the time has come for people who want to sell their property to get it listed and on the market before the opening day of trout (March 29th).

People who haven’t been up for a while probably should make plans to get up soon to check their cabins. It’s been very rainy, and a number of people have told me that they’ve discovered roof leaks and other problems due to the rain. It’s also time for folks to get together on road maintenance issues. Since it’s been so dry for the past four years, we haven’t had to do much. But, believe me, after this winter, there are road issues.

People with allergies should start thinking about getting the yard work done before the trees pollinate. I generally figure that we are about three weeks behind Atlanta in a normal year. My notes for last year say that I noticed the first symptoms on March 15, and that allergy conditions were really bad by April 15. There are a few items on my personal chore list that I try to get done before it all starts, in addition to the general yardwork. First, I spray the foundation, three feet up the wall and three feet of the dirt, with Diazinon. That reduces the number of creepy crawly things in the house considerably. (If you have pets, keep them inside until it is very well dried.) Second, I restock the woodpile. (The old rule was one year on the ground, to dry out the wood so it doesn’t spark and pop and burn holes in your floor in front of the fireplace.) It’s best to get it off the ground. I use concrete blocks, but the News Observer usually has palettes free for the asking. If you aren’t going to barbecue with it, you can spray the woodpile, too. It keeps the boring beetles down, and should be OK as long as you aren’t burning it in the fireplace anytime soon. Finally, when I figure the trees are starting to put out new roots, I treat the septic tank with root destroyer (copper sulfate). That kills back the roots to some extent and helps avoid the need to have it rooted by a plumber periodically.

The Blue Ridge Community Theater is ready to show off their new performance space, a 132-seat theater in the revitalized Hampton Square that was built mostly with volunteer labor. Della’s Diner, directed by well-known playwright Dan Pruitt, runs from March 14-16, 21-23, 28-30. You can find Hampton Square by going down the hill from McDonald’s and the United Community Bank and turning left at the bottom of the hill, then left again. Tickets start at $12.50. Call 706.632.9223 or visit www.blueridgecommunitytheater.com. We have a very strong theater group, and I think you’ll be very pleased with the new performance space. Everyone who contributed to this important project deserves our thanks!

The Epworth General store continues to have a great selection of outdoor clothing at half price. I’ve picked up some nice Field & Stream mesh back fishing shirts and some other items. Call Mr. & Mrs. Jeans at 706.492.7662.

Finally, Fannin-Gilmer Habitat For Humanity is building their first house in Blue Ridge. The land was donated by A.L. Stepp, the former county commissioner and developer, and last week, the United Community Bank donated $1,000 and the Appalachian Community Bank donated $2500. Shortly before he died, Mr. Stepp challenged other local developers to match his contribution by donating land in their developments, and it would be wonderful if they did. As the project moves into the construction phase, there will be a need for people who know how to swing a hammer. If you want to volunteer or contribute to this very worthy project, please call Sharon Bush at 706.632.6337.

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