Drought musings
Feb. 4th, 2009 02:57 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
callistotoniThis article, http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/02/04/MNV415MGLA.DTL , inspires me to write down something I've been thinking about.
I am a Californian. It's a big state, but I come from the Land of Brown Rolling Hills. But for a brief time each year, those hills turn emerald green. Then we get poppies blooming, and lupins, and the cherry and apple trees bloom, and it all looks like a freaking easter basket for a little while. This happens, of course, because from about November through late March it rains.
Well, the hills have finally turned green around the barn do to some recent rain, but mostly the hills are still pretty brown (sort of like camoflage). We've had very little rain this season, along with some unseasonably high temps (which admittedly have made my winter barn time much pleasanter than usual). We haven't had our normal amount of rain, and the snowpack has been below normal, for a couple of years now. Because of this there's been talk of water rationing for several years going. But this year I think rationing will really happen.
I was in high school the last time CA had a serious drought (back in the mid to late '70s). I remember rationing. I remember what a pain it was to shower: turn on water, get wet, turn off water, soap up, turn on water, rinse off. Toliets were disgusting (I'm very squeemish in that department). No watering of lawns, so yards looked really sad. To this day I never leave water running when I brush my teeth (wet toothbrush, turn off water, brush teeth, turn on water and rinse).
Amusing side note: It was brought home to me that I'm a Californian and J/S is not when we went to the B&B in November. This was the first time that we had stayed together outside of a camping SCA event. J/S left the water running while brushing his teeth, and my gut reaction to that was to be really surprized and taken aback. And then, of course, it hit me: water is not in such short supply in OR; not exactly a drought culture up there... :-0
Water rationing. Fun times (not). And, OMG, there are *so* many more people living here than there was in the '70s.
And it feels weird to me to know that up north they are having an unusual amount of rain and snow, while we're having warm weather and a drought. In CA, there's no fight like a water fight. Why do I have a feeling this might get politically unpleasant? :-/
I am a Californian. It's a big state, but I come from the Land of Brown Rolling Hills. But for a brief time each year, those hills turn emerald green. Then we get poppies blooming, and lupins, and the cherry and apple trees bloom, and it all looks like a freaking easter basket for a little while. This happens, of course, because from about November through late March it rains.
Well, the hills have finally turned green around the barn do to some recent rain, but mostly the hills are still pretty brown (sort of like camoflage). We've had very little rain this season, along with some unseasonably high temps (which admittedly have made my winter barn time much pleasanter than usual). We haven't had our normal amount of rain, and the snowpack has been below normal, for a couple of years now. Because of this there's been talk of water rationing for several years going. But this year I think rationing will really happen.
I was in high school the last time CA had a serious drought (back in the mid to late '70s). I remember rationing. I remember what a pain it was to shower: turn on water, get wet, turn off water, soap up, turn on water, rinse off. Toliets were disgusting (I'm very squeemish in that department). No watering of lawns, so yards looked really sad. To this day I never leave water running when I brush my teeth (wet toothbrush, turn off water, brush teeth, turn on water and rinse).
Amusing side note: It was brought home to me that I'm a Californian and J/S is not when we went to the B&B in November. This was the first time that we had stayed together outside of a camping SCA event. J/S left the water running while brushing his teeth, and my gut reaction to that was to be really surprized and taken aback. And then, of course, it hit me: water is not in such short supply in OR; not exactly a drought culture up there... :-0
Water rationing. Fun times (not). And, OMG, there are *so* many more people living here than there was in the '70s.
And it feels weird to me to know that up north they are having an unusual amount of rain and snow, while we're having warm weather and a drought. In CA, there's no fight like a water fight. Why do I have a feeling this might get politically unpleasant? :-/
