Water Water Everywhere

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Still raining here in the Pacific Northwest. We are only 4 and a half months into the new year and we have had 6 record rainfall events.
It just doesn't want to stop. Getting crops in the ground was a challenge this year as we had to work in between storm systems, sometimes in raincoats. We sowed directly into the ground most everything, except for some tomatoes and green beans we sprouted under a grow light.
Had to get as much in as I could because I will be laid up for a few weeks due to a knee replacement surgery scheduled tomorrow. I had the right one done last October and it is just now getting back to full usefulness. Good timing though as I usually just sit around and watch the stuff grow this time of the season anyway.
I know a lot of folks are having the opposite problem with not enough water. California is in acute drought and has been for years now. I'm beginning to wonder if they will start having water "brownouts" like they do electricity.
Or both!
Just what they need, on top of $6 a gallon gas. Then throw in food prices that are soaring and no baby food formula, and the smell of revolution wafts through the air!
Well, maybe not revolution. But a few busted windows fer sure.
I don't know, how much worse would it have to get before people start gathering in the streets and public squares?
What are your thoughts? The thread is open.

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Shortages of water (or ineffective use of water supplies), vertical spikes in food and energy prices,
and the obvious ineptitude of government agencies to adapt to these changes are leaving the
populous worried about the present. And the prospects for our future are bleak indeed. Seems
certain areas of this country are either too dry or too wet. Where are the efforts to mitigate
this swelling of potential catastrophes? Apparently not very high on the local and national to-do
list. For shame.

Thanks for the OT earthling!

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earthling1's picture

@QMS
Just what I needed, thanks.
I think everything hinges on what happens re: Ukraine. TPTB are absolutely depending on robbing Russia of it's wealth. Otherwise, an invasion of Venezuela to snatch their oil is in the cards. It's the "right kind" of oil and would bring gas and diesel prices down enough to sate us proles.
Have a good day.

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6 users have voted.

Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.

Lookout's picture

Gardening is hard on your knees and back, but keeps you flexible and mobile. Wishing you fast healing.

We've had 29" of rain this year up till May, but we've gone dry this month just 1.1" so far in May. More is due this weekend. We're watering almost daily, and getting good yields of broccoli, spinach, lettuce, kale, collards, radish, beets, and snow peas....all we can eat and want to process. We've been freezing some things. Hope the rain has you off and growing well.

Today at trade day the conversation came around to voting as GA is having their primary. Everyone said there is no one they want to vote for. One said they were voting against Marjorie Greene. I commented that at least she objected to the $40 B Ukraine package. So I think (at least round here) most people feel the government isn't working for us. Will they hit the streets? No. They feel it is hopeless, and I suspect that is the case in many places across the nation.

Thanks for the OT!

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9 users have voted.

“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

earthling1's picture

@Lookout
You are lucky to get an early start. Sounds like good healthy meals on your table already!)
My potatoes are breaking ground and the onions are greening up and taking root.
Going to plant the broccoli starts today. The last planting I will be doing for a few weeks.
Rand Paul was against the $40 billion giveaway also. He had some great bullet points against it, but I don't think it's going to matter.
Our government is totally out of our control.
Thanks for posting.

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5 users have voted.

Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.

enhydra lutris's picture

allegedly the worst in a century or so, but California is largely desert (less than 10 inches of precipitation per year). The real problem is that we have failed to adapt to that and have also developed a moderately water dependent economy, exacerbated by unmanageable population growth. Beyond that, at both state and federal levels, policies that were enacted long ago to encourage settlement and development of the west have continued to this day, including policies based on providing great amounts of highly subsidized and hence seriously underpriced water.

Supposed to get to the lower seventies here in the east bay today. With any luck I'll get my pea shoots transplanted and start another batch. My personal favorite outdoor bed has one huge Italian parsley going to seed, a bit of leftover clover from some prior period and some 2 "rows" of carrots direct seeded out near the edges among a lot of broadcast clover seeds to see if I can grow both at the same time. I hope to plant something else in between said "rows", if only my pea transplants, though I'm hoping to get those into one or more containers instead.

Thanks for the OT and for something to think about beyond all the madness.

be well and have a good one

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9 users have voted.

That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

earthling1's picture

@enhydra lutris
the great migration to California after the war in the early 50s. A real Real McCoys story and my granpa was a spittin' image of Walter Brennan. Growing up in Southern Cal in the 50s and 60s was an amazing experience.
The ensuing population explosion and the water issues over the following decades ruined everything. I left in the late 90s and never looked back, mostly because of exorbitant costs of living increases and real estate/rental prices prohibited any return.
Once you cash out and leave Cali, it's almost impossible to ever return.
I still visit though. A slow meandering trip down Hiway 1 or I-101 all the way to Anza Borrego SP is a wintertime favorite.
With gas prices the way they are, I don't know if thats gonna be possible anymore.
Thanks for posting.

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6 users have voted.

Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.

enhydra lutris's picture

@earthling1

then moved to Berkeley 1) to go to school and 2) to get away from all of the right wing craziness down there. Except for a short period in the Mendocino woods I've been in the East Bay ever since - can't leave, as you know. Almost every winter or spring or sometimes both I have headed south to, yep, Anza Borrego Desert State Park.

A slow meandering trip down Hiway 1 or I-101 all the way to Anza Borrego SP is a wintertime favorite.

We slowly went from tent camping to a small travel trailer, but favored getting into the desert through Tehachipi pass, and returning via 1 & 101. Sold the trailer a couple of years ago but still made the run, except down via 101 to Solvang and after a day or two there out to Borrego via Palm Springs/Indio. Missed this year, however because of illness and other issues, but can't wait for next year.. Thinking home to Cambria or Pismo, then Indio, then Borrego, and return via Pismo.

be well and have a good one

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5 users have voted.

That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

earthling1's picture

@enhydra lutris
thru Tehachapi, Apple Valley, Joshua Tree SP, Anza Borrego, and then a few days in Carlsbad.
We go around LA.
The north coast of Cali is spectacular, especially on Highway 1.
A little known fact: you can pull over and park for the night at any pullout along the coast as long as it's not posted othewise.
We spent many a nights listening to crashing waves just feet away and nobody around for miles.
Really miss that.

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8 users have voted.

Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.

enhydra lutris's picture

@earthling1

changed, if you can get completely off of the road in ABDSP you can camp, though they prohibit open fires on the ground and littering, so it's best to be self-contained.

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4 users have voted.

That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

earthling1's picture

@enhydra lutris
We camped at The Slots for 3 days and then drove 4 miles up a sand wash to just under Font Point and stayed a week. And we didn't see a single soul the whole time.
The park is an International Dark Skies designated site.
As awesome at night as it is during the day.

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6 users have voted.

Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.

enhydra lutris's picture

@earthling1

held stargazing parties at the interpretive center when we were there and there were folks participating who had serious aperture telescopes and one that was fed to seriously huge monitor. Both times we were in our travel trailer at Palm Canyon so we could just walk over there through the desert which was very cool.

be well and have a good one

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5 users have voted.

That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

@enhydra lutris doubled since I was in HS here in the 70s. We thought things were getting kind of crowded back when the state population was 20m.

Back in the 80s, as heavy rainfall El Niño events became more common at the time, you occasionally heard the local SoCal media refer to climate in this area as "semi-tropical". Those days are gone with the long-term drought. Now it's semi-desert, comparable to Israel. And a dry climate that cannot support 40m people.

Also there's the need to reform the water management of state agriculture -- it uses some 80% of the water. A need to do more recycling of water for non-potable uses. And the need to increase rain capturing. Then there's the idea of building a pipeline to bring excess water down from the NW, probably at a cost roughly equivalent to what we are sending to Ukraine -- so far $53.7b. Not sure what OR or WA would think of us taking their water.

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earthling1's picture

@wokkamile
of Washington and Oregon are suffering severe drought conditions also, so I would think we could drop off some water to them on the way to you guys.
Phat chance!
We have to protect Ukraine's border and save the Nazis Freedom Fighters.
Thanks for posting.

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6 users have voted.

Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.

enhydra lutris's picture

@wokkamile @wokkamile

a lot of the state still didn't get over 10 inches of precipitation, and they were a bit of an aberration.

be well and have a good one

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5 users have voted.

That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

We have a family reunion planned there in June, and already we are checking on fires and smoke.

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8 users have voted.

"Without the right to offend, freedom of speech does not exist." Taslima Nasrin

earthling1's picture

@Fishtroller 02
going now down in Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak. Hope you are safely away from that. And upwind.
Wish I could send some of this rain your way.
The climate here is changing in ways no one expected. Last June's heat wave reached temps of 116° in Portland and up to 118° in the eastern high country. Historic temps never seen before.
Even hundreds of miles north of here, in Canada, temps were exceeding 121°.
And now.....rain. And snow in the Cascades. They are still skiing on Mt. Hood!
Mother Earth is screaming at us, but who is listening?
I hope your get together goes well.
Thanks for posting.

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6 users have voted.

Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.

@earthling1

southeast of downtown Santa Fe, so we are not anywhere near the big fire. They are keeping an eye on Taos though. They did stop the fire outside of Las Vegas. The other fire we have been eyeing is west of where we are (Cerro Palado fire). It is much smaller and is about 40% contained. They've closed Bandalier monument though. Hope it opens before we get there. It's a good place to take kids to hike.
I can not believe those temps in the northwest that you quoted!

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"Without the right to offend, freedom of speech does not exist." Taslima Nasrin