Hell Really Is On Earth.... Disguised As Weather

Yes, this is another whine from moi! We're still in the middle of this gawd awful drought, paired with stifling 100 + degree temperatures. I now know what a beached whale feels like. They feel like wilting crap, just before a slow and very painful demise. Local lawns, trees and shrubs are beginning to exhibit signs of failure, even death, as if there had not been enough vegetation carnage after that 14 day freeze we experienced in March. Then came the heat. No Spring this year. We simply went from freezing winter temperatures, straight to  heat and onward to triple digit heat. There has been no rain for many, many moons, Kimosabes. Really, it just goes to further prove my theory that Hell is on earth, while we're here. We get the goodies after death, I suppose. Well, it seems that way for the earth itself, anyway.

It's safe to say that following last summer's carnage by rain, we are now being ravaged with the mirror opposite. I swear I'll never whine about too much rain ever again! I guess last year wasn't the year to invest in landscaping. Most of that investment we made is *kaput*, at this point.


So, when I heard there was going to be a Pray For Rain Flash Mob downtown in the Plaza the other night, I packed it up and headed there to strengthen the prayer power and hopefully get a video of the Flash Mob. I'm shameless, if nothing. Let me just clarify here that most West Texas folks just don't quite *get* the whole Flash Mob idea. There was nothing organized about the affair, plus it was just plain difficult to hear what anyone was saying. Out of a population of 120,000, a mere 50 to 75 people showed up. I. Was. One. Of. Them.  It wasn't even my church.  I dare you not to get a giggle:

Yes, their hearts were in the right place, but the whole attempt at a Flash Mob was really quite misleading since perhaps 5 people in attendance actually knew what a flash mob was (several 13 year olds and one 58 year old). Small groups of people standing around conversing in quiet prayer wasn't exactly what I was expecting. I was just sure it would be some great organized prayer-put-to-song, or something. I propose that if you're having a Prayer Meeting to ask the Lord for rain, then do it somewhere inside, where it might be a few degrees cooler, and call it what it is. A. Prayer. Meeting.  Seriously, it was 103 degrees and there were old people there... like me.

And, did it rain? I think not. Perhaps it rained somewhere in the world, but it did not rain here. Thankfully, the Texas wildfires are under control for now, but the conditions are ripe for more. Last I heard, New Mexico is taking its turn at the fire devastation now. Oh. Joy. My favorite ski area is in dire danger of being burned, as they've had no rain either. Of course, that makes sense since they didn't get any substantial snowfall this year, and thus, no Spring run-off.


All of this fire and drought is not something I would wish on my worst enemy. This is what I imagine Hell to be like, only multiplied a few zillion times...


I tell you that I spend basically 2 t0 3 hours per day hand watering everything. We are in water rationing mode, so even though we have a water well, we are still trying to conserve as much as possible, but shrubs and trees and plants are still dying at a rapid rate. The sun is just killer in the afternoons. I spend perhaps 5 minutes at a time outside and come in wanting to jump in the freezer. Forget doing your hair more than every 3 days. You sweat 5 minutes after getting it clean, so it smells again, already. Ugh.


 


On another note, the foxes left for one of their other summer homes. Between the guys replacing the water well pump and pipes, and the guys doing a yard cleanup, they apparently didn't care for all the activity. Wah. However, we do have dozens of birds who come in the yard to feed every day. Then they go out front to poop all over our newly redone driveway. Grrr. By law, we aren't allowed to wash it off with city water during the water rationing that's in effect now, so it stays until the rains come. If they ever come.




In other news, did I mention it still hasn't rained? So, what else is new with you?