Our rain chance that had been forecast for today looks like it has dried up overnight. At least according to my weather app.
A few years back I started noticing a weather pattern that I dubbed “The Big Crispy” here in my bioregion. In spring, the hot weather starts before the normal spring/summer rainy season kicks in. And then again in fall, the summer heat lingers long after the rainy season ends. The two “Big Crispy” intervals seem to be getting longer. Do you notice anything similar in your area?
Well, maybe rain will come today still. And no use fretting over things I can’t control. Sharing with other people, even in writing, gives comfort. Wherever you are, I hope you are getting a nice amount of rain, and are not beset by drought-flood extremes.
Hand-carrying water from my rainbarrels is great exercise for me, as is walking the stepping-stones (they are tricky, which is partially intentional – fosters alertness).
Thoughts:
1) I am trying to get more of my neighbors & friends to see the value of installing rainbarrels — seems like more folks should be open to it, the more disasters we have all over the USA and the world that shut off water and electricity;
2) A big part of why I am so disheartened by rainfall shortage is that I strongly believe that land-management practices (by homeowners and by governments) are responsible in huge part for pushing us into desertification. It’s frustrating to watch. I get discouraged trying to find people who will listen to me about this.
But, it occurred to me just now that I need to be like WATER: persistent, and flowing in the direction where I see an opening. One strong potential entry point I see is “promoting urban food-growing.” There’s a lot of enthusiasm from many different factions right now about that, and it’s a perfect Trojan Horse for rainwater collection, soil-building, mulching etc.
Also: Practicing gratitude is key. It is a soft cool cloudy morning.
Suggested action steps for creating a buffer against drought-flood extremes:
• Get at least one rainbarrel. Even one is a great start. Once you see how great it is to have a big container of free water from the sky, on hand for all sorts of emergency uses (and everyday uses too!), you’ll be hooked.
• Cultivate a dense micro-forest garden on your yard or balcony. Every little bit helps (microclimate is powerful!), and also, your visual example will influence other people. Terrible at growing plants? Me too! Start with natives or other locally adapted plants; they’re tougher. Note, you might have to make a little up-front investment (both in terms of acquiring plants and watering them at first to get them established), but it’s well worth it.
• Mulch and compost are other “water storage buffers” that are easy to implement even if you don’t have plants or want to mess with plants.
• Encourage your city government to plant more trees and other vegetation; encourage likeminded citizens to make known to your local leaders that this is a priority.
Further Exploration:
Babying Transplants Through the Hot Dry Time, and Celebrating Small Wins (a YouTube video I did awhile back)