Heat wave

The past week in Norris has been sizzling hot, along with many areas of the country that have been experiencing excessive heat and drought-like conditions. We’ve had heat advisories almost every day for the past four days; temperatures have been in the low 100s, and humidity has hovered around 30% during the hottest time of the day. According to Norris Dam TVA rain gauge data, June has received only 1.9” of rain; typical rainfall is around 4” to 5” in June. (Click here for UT’s Climate Data resource page where you can explore links to weather information.)

hot temperatures and hot peppers from the garden

The heat and lack of rain have had an impact on some of the trees and shrubs that were planted last fall. The dogwood and witch hazel trees, along with the hydrangeas, are exhibiting signs of distress—signs that I didn’t pick up on, but can now see (thank you to Valerie for pointing them out). They’re getting extra water until temperatures reach normal levels again.  

witch hazel and hydrangeas

The meadow that was planted in May is holding up well. Some areas (like the sloped sections in the backyard) were a bit drier before the heat wave started, so I was already watering them. The rest of the meadow plants will be watered every few days for the next couple weeks. 

meadow in backyard (with Emmet chairs courtesy of Room & Board, and fire pit)

The garden soil is dry, but that hasn’t slowed the garden plants down at all. The tomatoes, peppers, and chard are healthy and producing quite a bit. Carrots are big enough to be pulled, there are several eggplants that will be ready soon, and zucchini plants are blossoming. Unfortunately, the cauliflower was overtaken by bugs that ate through all the leaves, so I had to pull those out. I’m guessing that the organically rich soil has made a difference in the garden; without such good soil, perhaps the garden wouldn’t be faring so well during the heat. 

eggplant

zucchini plant in bloom

abundance of tomatoes

The good news is there’s a 30% chance of thunderstorms on Tuesday and Wednesday this week. Even if it only rains for a short time, it will bring relief to the dry earth and help replenish the cistern as well.

Springtime in Norris

One day after the first day of spring, flowering plants are already in bloom, grasses are growing, and insects are buzzing. It’s a beautiful time of year in this part of the country! The winter was the fourth warmest on record, and plants are coming out of dormancy sooner than usual. Most of the country had a mild winter and is seeing warm temperatures already (see this map showing land surface temperature anomalies in North America).

buds on the dogwood tree in the front yard

Temperatures in the past week have reached the high 70s and even into the 80s. The average temperature for March is in the low 50s, so the heat is rather early this year; 80 degree temps don’t usually hit until May.

buds on the plants on the side of the driveway

Along with the blooms and warmer air come allergies, the sound of lawn mowers, and longer daylight hours. The bees and wasps are out and often hit the windows as they fly around, looking for a place to make a nest. Crickets are already chirping at night.

wasp on the kitchen window

Although it’s been warm during the day, the house is comfortable inside. Windows and ceiling fans keep the air circulating. Nighttime temperatures are still in the 50s, helping the house stay cooler during the daytime.

many redbuds are in bloom throughout norris

The leaves on the trees we see out the kitchen window haven’t quite filled in yet, so we’ll have a view of the sunrise for a little while longer. Next week the forecast calls for rain and temperatures in the 70s--hopefully bringing a reprieve from the heat for a while longer yet.

sunrise through the trees

A week of winter

snow in the backyard

The weather in Norris this winter has felt almost spring-like, with the exception of the past week. Temperature highs have been in the low to high 50s, and the forecast for the coming week is for more of the same—highs in the mid 50s and lows in the 30s and 40s. According to the Farmers’ Almanac, Tennessee’s winter this year is going to be very mild and very wet. 

map available here

But back to the past week. Outside, the temperatures dropped into the 30s for the highs and into the 20s for the lows, and we received about an inch of snow over a two day period. We drove to campus the day after the Norris snowfall, and noticed there was no snow in Knoxville. Norris is about 1085’ in elevation, and Knoxville is about 890’, according to non-scientific measurements taken from Google Earth. While this isn’t a significant difference in elevation, the Norris/Clinton area sits on the edge of the Cumberland Plateau and the weather patterns here are different than those in Knoxville (more information here).

norris is around the 'e' in plateau (original map here)

While it was cold outside over the past week, we had our first chance to experience what it’s like inside the house during much colder temperatures. The house is very airtight, which means no cold air rushing in through gaps in windows—a welcome change from the unsealed windows in the historic building where we lived in downtown Knoxville. The heaters in the living area and swing space keep the living space warm, but we’re not using the bedroom heater. The bedroom is an enclosed area with a standard height ceiling, and stays warm enough that heat isn’t needed even at night. The loft is the warmest area in the house because it benefits from the rising heat; it’s a couple degrees warmer than the main floor.

view from the picture window at the front of the house

The short winter preview has given us an idea of what to expect inside the house when (if?) the temperatures drop again. As for more snow, time will tell if the Almanac is right and we receive more rain in the coming months instead. 

It's raining, it's pouring

The past few weeks have been busy with end of the semester activities—final papers, tests, and presentations. The fall semester is over and now it’s time to enjoy the break and the holidays before classes begin again in January. There’s no snow on the ground yet, and with a forecast of rain and temperatures in the low 50s for the next five days, no chance for a snowy Christmas this year.

Speaking of rain, this fall was especially rainy. Not only did we observe many days with rain, but I recorded rainfall in a rain gauge for my fall semester Bionformatics class (bioinformatics, also known as environmental informatics, includes the collecting, linking, storage, organization, analysis, delivery, and application of biological data and information). One of our projects required us to record rainfall at our residence on a daily basis, and at the end of the semester, prepare a report with rainfall data, analysis, metadata, a data management plan, and conclusions.

my rain gauge, holding 3" of rain; the student research self emptying bucket on pole 

I installed my rain gauge on the side of the electrical/garbage wooden enclosure. It’s a wedge shaped plastic gauge, and is easy to remove for readings. The student researchers are also monitoring rainfall, but they are using a self emptying bucket with a sensor that sends measurements electronically. Their white bucket is installed on the utility pole, and can be seen in the background.

The total number of days in my study was 85, and 28% of the days monitored received rainfall. September 5th, the first day of recorded rainfall, happened to be during Tropical Storm Lee, and 6.10” of rain fell that day. September topped out at 9.86”. October’s total was lower at 4.92”, but November had much more rain than usual at 9.06”. The chart below compares the rainfall I recorded to the monthly normals (30 year averages based on the period of 1971-2000).

In the course of the project, I discovered the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Region Precipitation website. The TVA has rain gauges throughout the region and uses the data to make water management decisions. I compared my data taken at the house with the measurements taken at the Norris Dam, and the rainfall amounts were very close.

In light of all the fall rain, the rainwater cistern for the house (it provides water for the clothes washer and toilet tank) was most likely never empty. It’s great to be living in a house where the rainwater is being reused and also in constant supply.

Fall Equinox

September 23rd marked the first day of fall for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere. With the change in seasons comes one of the most exciting aspects of landscape design: planting for multi-season interest.


Landscapes, and the plants we find in them, are evolving milieus that reflect the changes in atmospheric and ground temperatures, duration of daylight, and amount of precipitation among other things. This becomes most evident to us as the seasons change, and natural things begin to ready themselves for the months ahead. The gardens at the New Norris House all serve an ecological function, whether it is to filter rainwater, remediate greywater, or reduce heat island effects. However, plants were chosen not only for their functionality, but also for their year-round beauty. The planting design reflects this as different species were grouped and located in relation to each other based on when they bloom or have interesting foliage.


The uppermost image shows the changes in the landscape palette at a conceptual level, while the above chart provides a monthly sequence of interest. An example, the below image shows two native grasses. While both grasses have a cool green to blueish tint in the spring and summer, Panicum virgatum 'Shenandoah' (in backgorund) develops burgundy streaks in the fall. When Schizachyrium scoparium 'The Blues' (foreground) is planted next to Panicum its airy, golden blooms form a fantastic complimentary relationship that is only evident in the fall.


Anyone want to go on a plant walk?

Spring Semester Begins

The winter break is over and we are ready to get back to work for the spring. The weather has turned considerably colder than when our class was last working at the end of November. Hopefully, within the next two weeks we will complete the insulation of the roof and will be able to heat the home a lot more efficiently with temporary heaters. Generally speaking, the division of work between this semester and last semester is that we will be focusing primarily on the interior this spring (while last fall was mostly about the exterior).

There is a mounting list of tasks to complete as we continue our march towards a early summer completion date. Classes begin next week and we will have a new batch of students to begin investigating a variety of design and construction issues remaining. This semester our class will be open to 4th and 5th year students, as well as the possibility of hosting Polish exchange students who come to the School of Architecture every spring. After two full years of working on the project-- I can honestly say the class dynamic has been different every semester, and expect a similar outcome this spring.

A very brief summary of our primary focuses this spring includes:

• Design and fabricate all interior casework and built in furniture (kitchen, bedroom, and swing room)
• All mechanical, plumbing, and electrical fixtures/units still need to be installed
• Installing rainwater catchment system (which arrived Monday!)
• Drywall installation on ceiling and around windows
• Install interior and exterior doors
• Interior furnishings
• Making preparations for a landscape work to be done when the weather turns around

Give Thanks

So far things are coming along swiftly at the site despite weather setbacks. The East and South elevations are about 95% done with the furring and the insect screen has completely blanketed the Southern elevation. All that is left is to get the window blocking paired up with the supports for the steel canopies on both of these elevations. Passersby might be curious as to why we are placing screen on the elevations. This is because our siding is somewhat like vertical board and batten siding but without the battens. We hope the screens will prevent insects from nesting between the vertical planks of Atlantic White cedar.

It is exciting to see things showing progress as we attempt to complete the exterior in time before the end of the semester. Let's hope we can manage to find a break in weather this week so that our roofers and other site work can be completed before the week finishes out. Next week is Thanksgiving and of the many topics of discussion on the worksite include our hunger for the feasts that shall occur next week. This has been able to keep us striving along with that final goal of some accomplishment. Also this gives us an opportunity to give thanks for being able to work on such a project. I am thankful for this experience to work in a design/build project. I am also thankful for having such a great team of peers, professors, contractors, as well as other professionals that have contributed to the learning process this semester.