Everybody Talks About the Weather...

I haven't sewn a thing this week--been too busy playing with the new computer. I still need to find a place to put the printer, as it needs a phone jack for the fax, and hook up the wireless mouse, (does that make sense?), and install some of the old programs. But I've been able to go through some old emails and see the photos and videos sent to me. The monitor on the old computer had gotten so dark, I couldn't see most things. Later this week, I'm going to try to install EQ5. I've had it for 2-3 years now, but the old computer just didn't have enough memory to run it.

The humidity and temperatures have dropped some, so I spent some time in the yard yesterday, trimming the bushes and weeding the flowerbeds. It was eerily quiet in the neighborhood--kind of like a September school morning. I wonder if everyone is taking a last vacation before school starts. I heard no power tool noises, no children's voices, no lawnmowers rumbling. Of course THAT's because there's no grass to cut. It isn't growing.

It hasn't rained in 4 weeks now, and we're under "exceptional" drought warnings. That's the most severe. Last year we were experiencing drought conditions, but we got a little more precipitation in the winter and early spring, so they lifted the "no burn" restrictions. However, we never really caught up, and now it's worse. No watering of outdoor plants except vegetable gardens--and then only once a week.

They even shut down the water for the car washes for 2 days, until the owners met with the city council and protested. As one owner put it, "We still have bills to pay." The newspaper said 3 of the establishments recycle their water, but didn't name which ones they were. I suppose those who don't might suffer a loss of business if we knew who they were.

So I am trying to remember to shut the water off while I brush my teeth, and use minimal conditioner on my hair, so as to cut down the rinse time. I'm even reluctantly abiding by the old saying "If it's yellow, let it mellow" and not flushing every time. I guess I'm going to keep pitchers close by the sink to fill up with the cold water that must run before I get the hot water needed to wash the dishes. Of course, I could just omit the mopping and cleaning and laundry.... nah, not willing to make that sacrifice.

The lawn crunches under my feet--especially over the septic tank. You can clearly see the outline of it. Before we went on restrictions, I set the sprinkler over that area to water my plants, and the leaking of the sprinkler temporarily watered part of that patch, causing a bit of green over the tank.


It's hard to watch the new grass and the heather I planted die. Hard to see everything so lifeless and drooping.


Even the trees are beginning to show it.



I'm really worried about this one. I'm not sure if it's due to the drought or something else, but we'll probably have to have it taken down before winter so it doesn't fall and block the street.


It must be hard for the critters to scrabble for food, too, so I will pick up a couple of bags of bird seed tomorrow on the way home from work to refill the feeders. I cheated and filled the birdbath while I was out there, too. If the birds start dying, the bugs and mosquitoes will take over, so I figure the little bit I put in the birdbath may not be an act of conservation, but it is certainly a preservation measure.

We really need some rain.