Vote Early!

April 11th is the deadline to register to vote or update your registration for the May 6th Primary!

A NC resident who is qualified to vote but who misses the 25-day deadline for voter registration may register and vote at a One-Stop Site during the One-Stop Absentee Voting period.

Voting is important! Did you know that there are three ways to vote early?

Think you know everything there is to know about rabies? It is still out there, and still contagious. Find out how to protect yourself.

Even if your flower garden is mostly perennials, you can probably still use some annuals in the garden.

Hear about the farming in Fairview, the Cane Creek swimming hole, sledding down Biltmore Avenue in the 1930s, the war years and more.

Buncombe County Human Services has set up 6 Community Forums seeking input and ideas about how the County provides health services, child care & social services & workforce development.

This week we are featuring some Asheville Humane Society animals that need a loving home.

Congratulations to Missy English of Weaverville for her Coconut Shrimp recipe!

Research has shown that laugher is beneficial to our health. Humor has been known to improve our emotional and mental health but it also has benefits to our physical health and the prevention of chronic diseases as well. Here are some ways that laugher help:

• Stimulates our organs by enhancing our intake of oxygen-rich air, stimulating our hearts, lungs and muscles and increasing endorphins that are released by the brain.
• Gives our body a work out. A hearty laugh works our stomach muscles and can burn calories equal to other abdominal exercises.
• Lowers Blood Pressure by initially increasing our hearts rates in ways similar to a stress response but then this increase is followed by a decrease which results in a relaxed feeling.
• Laughter decreases stress hormones and soothes tension and eases the stomach digestion and other physical symptoms of stress.
• Improves the immune system by increasing infection fighting antibodies and increasing cell activities that are beneficial to fighting diseases such as cancer.
• Laughter may increase the production of our bodies own painkillers.
• Stimulates both sides of our brain to enhance learning.
• Increases personal satisfaction so that we are happier in our professional and personal relationships. This satisfaction leads to greater job satisfaction and feelings of personal accomplishments.

With all these benefits of laughter, don’t forget to see the “sunny side” of situations. Keep a few favorite comics or jokes around to remind you to smile, laugh or see the positives when the going gets rough.

If you have had basement moisture problems in the past, now is the time to begin searching the causes before our spring rains. With 95% of the water entering the basement of most homes coming from poorly-controlled surface runoff, it is a good place to start your search.

Water always follows the path of least resistance, so providing an uninterrupted route to channel water away from the foundation walls is always superior to using “waterproofing”¹ to keep it out. Some of the areas around your home that will need to be checked or maintained for surface runoff are:

• Cracks between the driveway and house
• Clogged drain tiles
• The soil around the house must slope away from the foundation
• Sewer back-up
• Flower beds that hold water
• Broken/clogged storm drains

Water can also enter through:

• Openings in foundation walls through cracks, holes, gaps in mortar, entry points for water pipe, sewer lines and other penetrations.
• Porosity of the walls and/or floor materials and mortar.

¹ Waterproofing is a coating on the exterior of the foundation walls to reduce the surface dampness inside.

For more information, call Buncombe County Cooperative Extension at 255-5522.

Is it any wonder that April is Garden Month in North Carolina? It may not be quite time to plant the summer vegetables, but what a great time to start to get outdoors and clean up the landscape and prepare for spring planting.

Gardening is an activity that can be enjoyed by young and old alike. It is an excellent form of physical exercise as well as a good way to reduce mental stress. Celebrate Garden Month by introducing a friend or a child to the joys of gardening. Encourage them to dig in the dirt or just take them for a stroll in a public garden.

For more information, call Buncombe County Cooperative Extension at 255-5522. 

• Recycles 408.8 pounds per year
• Composts 138.7 pounds per year
• Disposes 1131.5 pounds per year 

Source: “Municipal Solid Waste Generation, Recycling, and Disposal in the United States: Facts and Figures for 2006,” U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

On Wednesday, April 16th at 2:00 pm, Sgt. Staggs from the NC Highway Patrol will present a free program focused on issues that teen drivers face. (This is an early release day for Buncombe County Schools.)

Teenage drivers have the highest crash risk of any age group and traffic accidents are the leading cause of teen fatalities. The problem is worse among 16 year-olds because of limited driving experience and an immaturity that often results in risk-taking behind the wheel.

The program will be held at Buncombe County Parks & Recreation Admistration Office. Deadline to register is April 11th. Visit buncombecounty.org/parks or call Grace Young at 828-250-4265 for additional information.