Program Note
My apologies for the lack of column yesterday (Monday). Our power went out at 5:30 A.M. Sunday morning, when a power pole with four transformers on it blew over in a storm, about 20 or 30 houses down our street. The power stayed off for the next 46 hours. It came back on a little after 4:00 this morning, and then we had to deal with refrigerator salvage and other fun stuff in the wee hours. As this wasn't enough fun for one weekend, in the middle of all this we had car problems (fuel pump died), and had to arrange for a tow to the shop. So, as I said, it's been a busy couple of days! I'm getting caught up on what's been going on, and will be writing a new column later today, but again, my apologies for the silence yesterday -- it was due to circumstances beyond my control. The silver lining? The California drought is definitely over, with all of these storms marching through.
-- Chris Weigant
Follow Chris on Twitter: @ChrisWeigant
I feel for ya, CW... :(
I read somewhere that California went from severe drought to 216% ABOVE normal rainfall in a very short time...
Stay safe and hope things get better...
Michale -
Thanks.
I finally looked it up. From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck, a wrapup of how Californians have ALWAYS seen the rain cycle:
I have spoken of the rich years when the rainfall was plentiful. But there were dry years too, and they put a terror on the valley. The water came in a thirty-year cycle. There would be five or six wet and wonderful years when there might be nineteen to twenty-five inches of rain, and the land would shout with grass. Then would come six or seven pretty good years of twelve to sixteen inches of rain. And then the dry years would come, and sometimes there would be only seven or eight inches of rain. The land dried up and the grasses headed out miserably a few inches high and great bare scabby places appeared in the valley. The live oaks got a crusty look and the sagebrush was gray. The land cracked and the springs dried up and the cattle listlessly nibbled dry twigs. Then the farmers and the ranchers would be filled with disgust for the Salinas Valley. The cows would grow thin and sometimes starve to death. People would have to haul water in barrels to their farms just for drinking. Some families would sell out for nearly nothing and move away. And it never failed that during the dry years the people forgot about the rich years, and during the wet years they lost all memory of the dry years. It was always that way.
'Twas always thus...
:-)
-CW
Well, it's obvious and I don't know why we haven't seen His tweets celebrating it (no doubt he is too humble). Since the election, we've gone from 7% non-drought area to 36% non-drought area.
http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/Home/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?CA
Donald Trump has solved California's water problems!
Donald Trump has solved California's water problems!
My gods, yer right!!!!
Trump is making California wet again!!!!! :D
Trump is making California wet again!!!!!
Er... uh.... well, you know what I mean... :D