I’ve Seen Fire and I’ve Seen Rain

This is the story of summer. The summer lost to fire and rain.

At least we hope it will rain because they say a deluge is coming.

Summer zipped by. July was one of the hottest on record. And August was a blur.

Where did it go?

It burned up in smoke with most of the Pacific coast on fire. Not to exclude Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming…I have left anyone out?

Oh yes, California.

Last summer I wrote a post about the infamous drought that has plagued not only California, but also most of the west coast. At that time, it was predicted there was roughly eighteen months supply left of water for the whole state.

Yet, have things improved?

Sadly, no.

And things continue to spiral into a dearthy trend producing unemployed migrant workers as they watch the San Joaquin Valley (the breadbasket of the nation, if not the world) sink one foot per year due to intense aquatic drilling, causing a breakdown of infrastructure, leaving no water in parts of Tulare county to drink, let alone flush a toilet.

If this weren’t serious, why would Los Angeles purchase over 90 million plastic balls covered in black carbon to shield the water from evaporating at a cost of 33 million dollars?

I know this is old news. Yet, what were these people thinking?

The Sylmar reservoir holds 3.3 billion gallons of water, enough to supply the entire city for up to three weeks.

Three weeks?

That’s it?

33 million dollars for three weeks of water?

Not to mention these 90 million balls are black. Last time I checked, black attracts the sun, which in turn will heat 90 million balls made of polyethylene. Granted, polyethylene is a common plastic material used mostly for grocery bags. But what happens when this plastic heats up?

Polyethylene is a byproduct of crude oil and toxic material. I don’t even want to think about the breakdown of those 90 million black, solar heated balls into the city’s water system.

Needless to say, this is a fiery topic that has caused much controversy. An act of desperation perhaps? Still it does make one think. How much water does California actually have? And how long will it last?

Thus, I think it’s time for rain.

Over the last week, Washington state went from the hottest summer ever, to instant fall – rain, wind and below seasonal temperatures. One can only hope the rest of the west coast will follow suit.

They say El Niño is coming with lots of rain in the forecast, a deluge of sorts. Cause that’s the only way rain happens during an El Niño season. Floods, mudslides, sinkholes, you name it, are expected. It will be newsworthy, that’s for sure.

So bring it on!

Meanwhile, in my neck of the woods, we’ll be enjoying this:

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Sing it James…

“I’ve seen fire and I’ve seen rain.

I’ve seen sunny days that I thought would never end.

I’ve seen lonely times when I could not find a friend,

but I always thought that I’d see you again.”
 

So what do you think? How was your summer? How do you feel about the drought and the case of the 90 million black carbon balls? Any unusual weather in your neighborhood? Fire? Rain anyone?
 

Cheers everyone! I hope that life is treating you well. And as always, thank you so much for all your support and wonderful comments!
Karen

14 thoughts on “I’ve Seen Fire and I’ve Seen Rain

  1. Julia

    We had a glorious downpour on Wednesday afternoon, and newly-retired husband and I practically danced in it. The grass greened up, the air cleared. More! More. Terrific lightning photo. Matches your mood?
    Julia recently posted..ConnectingMy Profile

    Reply
    1. Karen Post author

      Oh, I bet you did Julia. You’ve had a very dry summer also. Nothing like a good rain to freshen things up a bit. About the lightning…Not a big fan. But it is a sideshow here in the Valley of the Sun. 🙂

      Reply
  2. Jennette Marie Powell

    We had a cool, wet summer in SW Ohio. My daughter did a study abroad in Germany this year, and my husband told her: “You were gone for 49 days, and it rained here on 40 of them.” Many times I wished I could send some of that rain to CA!

    Daughter had weird weather in Germany, too. Much cooler than normal when she arrived, and by the end of her trip, 100 degrees in Berlin, which is almost unheard of!
    Jennette Marie Powell recently posted..How Routines can Free us from GuiltMy Profile

    Reply
    1. Karen Post author

      Hi Jennette! Sounds like you’ve had strange weather too. 40 days of rain? Are you sure you don’t need to build an Ark? At least you had cooler temperatures. But you must have webbed feet with all that rain. And yes, Europe has had unseasonably hot temps, quite unusual for that area. Things are definitely a little catawampus right now. Hope you enjoy the fall. 🙂

      Reply
  3. Yvette Carol

    Wow, love that image. You know what, I think the crazy weather conditions are being felt everywhere. Spring has sprung down here in NZ. So far we’ve had grey skies, torrential rain, storms, and it’s still freezing!

    Reply
    1. Karen Post author

      Spring, already Yvette? Wow, that’s early, although I’m sure you aren’t complaining. Yeah, that’s a typical monsoon storm in the valley. It can be quite intense. Stay warm and safe! 🙂

      Reply
  4. Kassandra Lamb

    Oh my! The weather has been a bit weirder than usual here in Central Florida as well. It was cooler than usual at the beginning of summer, but it’s stinking hot now.

    I really feel for California. That’s a lot of people and crops to keep hydrated. May the rains come soon, but not too hard.
    Kassandra Lamb recently posted..Getting A Round TuitMy Profile

    Reply
    1. Karen Post author

      You’re having strange weather too Kassandra? I hear ya. I’m not a big fan of the heat. Can’t imagine suffering with the humidity also. Yep, it’s hard not to feel for California and those who live there. A lot of adjustments are having to be made. Stay cool girl. And congrats on your newest book! 🙂

      Reply
  5. Patricia

    Well here in Vicksburg, it’s been unusually dry this summer as well, at least that’s what I’m told. Perhaps that dryness followed us from California. Thank goodness the fires did not. I am not missing those at all.

    I’ll be doing my rain dance and hoping it works.

    Hang in there.

    Patricia Rickrode
    w/a Jansen Schmidt
    Patricia recently posted..Witchore and Other Southern WordsMy Profile

    Reply
    1. Karen Post author

      Patricia, be thankful for the dry weather there. It can be mighty humid in your new area. Perhaps it did follow you. And I’m quite sure you aren’t missing the fires. Keep dancing girlfriend! 🙂

      Reply
    1. Karen Post author

      Hi Susie! Yes, I am. And yes, that picture was taken here at the beginning of the week. We do get some monster storms rolling through. So you’ve had some goofy weather too. What is normal these days, I would like to know. 🙂

      Reply

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