Lawrence Charters, Author at Sunland North

Volunteerism alive and well in Division 17 — and a light show

October 30, 2021

A big thanks to Tom Steffen, Mike Bresnahan (and his truck), Fritz Field and Anita Lewis for all the work pruning trees, pruning plants and general cleanup of the trees and plants on the east boundary of the driving range property and unit 311 Blakely.

Plus: sparkles. There is a chance we will see the aurora this weekend.

https://www.seattlemet.com/travel-and-outdoors/2021/10/northern-lights-near-seattle

Keeping our homes safe and costs down

October 26, 2021

This morning I walked for over an hour through our neighborhood.

I decided that while I was getting exercise I would check the status of the hose bibbs. Winter is sneaking up on us and I certainly did not want a repeat of frozen water pipes we experienced several years ago. I managed to walk 6245 steps. Burned 683 calories

I met new homeowners, spoke with other residents and disconnected several dozen hoses from our house bibbs.. Several of the hose bibbs were turned on.

Please talk with your neighbors, if possible help them. If you need help disconnecting your hose bibb, please let me know. My service is free. I will do whatever I can to keep your and my HOA insurance costs down.

best regards,

mike j

Michael L Johnson

Member at Large

Division 17 HOA, Sunland North

member-at-large@sunlandnorth.org

High wind advisory

October 23, 2021

The National Weather Service has issued a high wind advisory, effective from now through 6 a.m. Monday. A large cyclonic storm off the Pacific Coast may bring high winds, power outages, and wind-blown debris, with gusts from 35 to 50 mph.

Please secure outdoor furniture, pets, and loved ones, and anything else that might become airborne.

Sunland North October 2021 Board Agenda, October 13, 2021

October 10, 2021

October 13, 2021, 2:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m., at The Gathering Place, 135 Fairway Drive

Note: While Washington State health officials are permitting such meetings, please note it is recommended that unvaccinated folks avoid such meetings, and everyone should wear a mask when in such gatherings to protect others. Clallam County is currently seeing a High rate of COVID-19 infections. https://www.clallam.net/coronavirus/

The October Board meeting agenda may be found here: October 2021 Board Agenda.

Cold weather and wind

October 7, 2021

Cold weather and hoses

This week the weather is projected to dip to near freezing, which means it is time to remove your garden hoses from outside faucets and bring them into the garage. Even a mild freeze can freeze water in garden hoses, causing water to back up inside your home, freeze, and split pipes. This can cause very extensive, and expensive, damage.

Please check your outside faucets and remove all hoses. Your floors, rugs, furniture, and other possessions will appreciate it.

Additionally: think about moving inside fuchsias and other flowers that I have trouble spelling.

Wind

For those who may be new to the area, Sequim gets plenty of sunshine, and generally mild weather in spring, summer, fall, and winter. But Sequim also gets wind.

The wind doesn’t need a messy stormfront with clouds and rain and thunder. The area can have a clear-skies windstorm that reaches 40-50 mph or more. Windstorms are particularly common in the fall and early winter.

With this in mind, please think about how you can secure chairs, tables, toys, relatives, and anything else that the wind might pick up and toss against your home or car or passing neighbor. Last fall, I was hit by a plastic flower pot that came sailing through the air from somewhere to the west.

Landscape update and one other issue

October 4, 2021

Fall has arrived. I write to share a brief landscaping update and a couple of reminders.

Regarding irrigation: Given the amount of rain we have been receiving, all irrigation control panels have been set to “Off.” As is expected, we continue to repair leaks and replace faulty values and sprinkler heads.
Regarding pruning: General pruning will begin as plant life goes dormant. Expect to see our crew cutting and trimming by the middle of
December. It is best to move birdbaths, figurines/statuary, and electric or battery light strands away from bushes that require pruning, so that proper pruning can take place and debris removed. Moving personal items out of harm’s way is not the responsibility of our landscaping crew. And what about your favorite bush that you prefer pruning? Please clearly mark individual bushes with signs (the wind won’t blow off!) that indicate “DO NOT PRUNE.”
Regarding mowing, leaves, and fertilizer application: Cutting wet grass (especially when the ground is soaked) with large mowers is always a challenge and a risk. The usual weekly mowing routine will change to reflect the seasonal realities. Early leaves will be mulched whenever lawns are mowed; all remaining leaves will be collected and removed before winter. A final fertilizer (granulated) treatment will be applied before the end of the year.

If you have concerns or need assistance with landscaping issues, please contact me at landscaping@sunlandnorth.org. I’ll do my best to reply within 48 hours.

Here’s to a great fall!

Tom Steffen
Landscape Coordinator

And on a completely different subject: several residents have notified me that they found flyers in their mailboxes this morning. It is a violation of federal law for anyone to put anything in a mailbox except the owner and the U.S. Postal Service. Please report such violations to the U.S. Postal Service. Sunland North can’t act on your behalf; you must report the issue.