@czarbucks@vmst.io

Engineer. Atheist. Misanthrope.

Maryland -> Orlando -> Asheville

But what if this *weren't* a rhetorical question?

(A perfect Santa hat thanks to eclectech)

Notes: 28088
Following: 0
Followers: 0

Edge
@czarbucks@vmst.io

Quick #introduction for me

Mid-atlantic -> Orlando -> Asheville

#Twitter refugee (13 years) mostly I follow intelligent people, and try to learn.

Varied interests, just about everything, #hiking #photography #nature #weather #technology #trees #dogs #law #politics #science #econ #medicine #health

Thank you for letting us invade your lovely space, hope we don't mess anything up. And I appreciate your patience up front.

Edge
@czarbucks@vmst.io

Another Wednesday, another early morning.

Good luck, everyone.

Throwback cookie picture, because why not?

A red cooling rack is topped with 9 Madeline cookies, cooling. They were later dipped in chocolate, and quite good. This is some years ago now.

The cookies are shaped something like a shell, and have a rich, soft, buttery texture.

Edge
@czarbucks@vmst.io

Following in @NorcalGma2@sfba.social footsteps (sort-of) I baked some muffins this morning for the #drywall guys. Mine were from a mix, but they seemed to like them regardless.

The #HVAC people lost out on the 2 dozen donuts I had for them in not showing up that day, so they're on their own from here on.

Not my favorite project, will be glad when this is over.

Edge
@czarbucks@vmst.io

Basement project continues with drywall installation into its 3rd day. Yesterday in the afternoon my BlueAir kicked off and reported that the #IAQ was 72. I stopped the HVAC and started the Corsi box, but this surprised me - they haven't begun mudding or sanding yet (although they are cutting some of the pieces.)

Not looking forward to the rest of the week, we may not get to use the HVAC even with all the plastic hung up around it in the basement.

Glad to be at this point, but wow.

#AQI #Construction #Drywall

Edge
@czarbucks@vmst.io

#FotoVorschlag "Less than 500m from home"

In 2017 this hot air balloon landed behind our home. We had only moved in a couple of months earlier, and I thought this might happen often. It's never happened again.

Looking off of our deck towards the road next to our house, and the next intersection. A multi-colored hot air balloon has just landed in the street. Their "chase van" is already there to get their passengers. I would guess that was a terrifying landing, considering all of our tress! This was October, when the balloons are a frequent sight in the area... just not this close.

Edge
@czarbucks@vmst.io

#SilentSunday #BlueRidgeMountains

A view from the top of the Devil's Courthouse near Asheville, along the Blue Ridge Parkway in Asheville, NC from August 2023. We cannot currently get to this spot due to tremendous damage to the road (and doubtless the trails) due to Helen last September.

This was about dawn that day, although the sun is actually coming up to my left behind the trees and outcropping. The outlook here is at 5720' and the sides down into the gully are home to nesting Pergrine Falcons, and tightly controlled to keep people out. The walk up is quite steep, although much of it is macadam.

Some spruce trees line the view, and the valley is full of fog, while color begins in the distance, shading from red to orange to yellow to green and then blue. We were a few minutes later than I'd hoped, but still a gorgeous spot.

Edge
@czarbucks@vmst.io

#SilentSunday #Orchids

Some of a huge assortment of orchids at the Charlotte Botanical Garden in 2022. The indoor (very humid!) space was full of beautiful, tropical plants.

This is a photo of 3 blooms on a diagonal from upper left to lower right, and they are a yellow-orange background with dark pink veining all over the petals, and deep and bright throats. Leaves of different plants are a healthy green behind them.

More orchids from the botanical garden in Charlotte, NC. This photo shows 2 different flower spikes, each with a profusion of different-shaded pink flowers (at least 7 on each on.)

As someone who has tried (and failed) to grow little ones garnered at a grocery store, seeing this was amazing.

Edge
@czarbucks@vmst.io

Excellent piece from the #AVLWatchdog about #Manna #FoodBank our supplier of groceries to 225 organizations here in #WNC

Cuts to #SNAP & the 2 programs that helped organizations like Manna purchase fresh food from local farmers have cut deeply into their funding, and this is AFTER Helene completely destroyed their warehouse and all of their systems.

They've set up in a new location, & are trying, with community support, to meet the expanding need here for food.

This should be the role of government - to ensure its citizens are not hungry. My local community will not be able to bridge this shortfall.

https://avlwatchdog.org/snap-cuts-may-double-already-soaring-demand-for-food-from-manna/

Edge
@czarbucks@vmst.io

The official CzarBucks™ CO2 and PM2.5 sensing head has gone off here this afternoon, with the #IAQ reading a PM of 38 and a CO2 of 884 in the house.

Must say, "ouch."

Now at least running the corsi and hepa, with those loud noises trying to balance out the drywall installation in the basment.

#AQI #CO2 #Smoke

Edge
@czarbucks@vmst.io

#AQI has gone up in our region this morning, and I can feel it. No open windows today, will just have to deal with the high #CO2 instead.

Hoping everyone who wants to/have to be outside can take care.

#NCwx #Asheville

Screencap from PurpleAir showing circles representing outdoor air quality in much of the US and Canada. For my region, the bad stuff has shifted west (over us) so we are now in the red/orange sections, while the coast is more green/yellow. Some of the readings this morning in Asheville are 102 and 113. My PWS is not happy. My poor air detector (my head) is reporting the same thing.

Edge
@czarbucks@vmst.io

I'm not sure what it is, but I'm feeling the gravitational attraction...

#BloomScrolling #Flowers

A lovely yellow-orange, 5-petal flower bloom shines in front of a mass of its healthy green leaves. They are so bright one can almost not make out any detail on them, and the center of the bloom is so dark I think we are being pulled inside a singularity.