It’s official: today’s Wall Street Journal calls it “the worst drought across the central U.S. since 1988.” My location only rates an “abnormally dry” designation according to the US Drought Monitor, but we’re definitely getting nervous about our water supply. I briefly sketched some of our family’s experiences with drought in this post, but I’d like to point out two essays recently added to the sidebar that go into greater detail on this topic. A few things have changed since then. We have a different clothes washer that uses less water per load, but we have two more family members. We have a new, supposedly water conserving toilet, but it doesn’t work right. And, of course, everyone’s gotten older.
For tonight, they’re predicting a 40% chance of isolated thunderstorms. Those isolated storms seem to keep missing us, or else drop so little rain the driveway doesn’t get wet. Of course, tonight could be our lucky night. Today the temperature reached a record high for this year, at least on our thermometer. We went from a low of 59.2 this morning at 5:57 am to a high of 101.3 at 2:02 pm (degrees Fahrenheit).
About Kathy Purdy
Kathy Purdy discovered the joys of writing in fourth grade, when she started corresponding with a former classmate. She's been writing letters ever since, first on looseleaf, then electronically, and now as weblog entries. That makes you, the blog reader, her pen pal. Her first independent (though frustrating) attempts at gardening were made in high school, though the gardening bug didn't bite hard until her mid-thirties, when she found herself mistress of a rural home on 15 acres. • USDA Hardiness Zone:4 • AHS Heat Zone: 3 • Location: rural; Southern Tier of NY • Geographic type: foothills of Appalachian Mountains • Soil Type: acid clay • Experience level: intermediate • Particular interests: colchicums, narcissus, cottage gardening, NY native plants, gardening with/for children
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The drought broke a couple of years ago here in Central NJ. But now I know that my water bills are bogus. They are always the same, year round, despite the fact I was out watering the gardens every day during the growing season during the drought!
I envy you. A low of 59.2F sounds refreshing. When it gets hot here, it stays hot during the night, only dropping into the 80′s.
I think it would be helpful if, when they post, people would give some clue as to what part of the country they live in. It is a bad drought but all over the central U.S. is a big area. Up here inthe U.P. of Michigan the fire danger is very high, (lots of dry woods) and no burning allowed, with lawns turning brown, etc. and having to water a lot, it has been a different kind of summer. We seldom have the high humidity we have been having, one of the reasons we like it up here. I have to keep on checking some clients to remind them to water.
People don’t realize how deep down dry it is.
We have a hundred year old maple in our yard and my son, who has an excavating business, fixed up a 1000 gal. propane tank as a water tank, can pump it out of a stream or lake, and put 900 gal on our yard for the sake of the tree.It disappeared immediately. Of course, we have a foot of loam with pure sand underneath, so things dry out in a hurry! Fortunate to have an enterprising son. Some have wells and are concerned about using too much and depleteing them, but I haven’t heard of any real problems. May all of and your gardens make it through this summer!
I’m dry too…have given up watering my peppers and tomatoes (and they look like it) and only water the corn. The isolated storms evaporate before they get here! I am thinking of trying to do an indian rain dance.
Nice to see Rundy writings- I really enjoy them.
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