The rain storms New England has experienced this week have been an unbelievable inconvenience for so many people. Many Northeastern states had to be declared disaster areas. It is awfully frustrating the way we are constantly at the mercy of Mother Nature and always at odds with what she offers us. Personally, I think her timing is off a bit.
Every year on May 1st my town automatically begins a system of water rationing. It kicks in regardless of how much rain we have had prior to May 1st. Residents are only allowed to water their lawns 1 day per week. We are not supposed to fill pools or use any other large quantities of water at one time. No outside car washing is allowed either. My town has a series of wells that provide our water; when lawn watering is added to the water consumption equation, these wells can empty pretty fast. Some residents have gone so far as to have wells dug on their properties for the sole purpose of being able to water their lawns whenever they want to. They don't think about the fact that by using their personal lawn watering wells, they are lowering the water table for the rest of us that use the town wells. To be fair, there are some residents that do not receive any town water and instead have wells for all of their water needs. I am not referring to these residents. They had no option to hook into town water when they built their homes.
In the heat of the summer, we all pray for rain to help us keep our lawns and gardens growing. We want rain to cool off the hot weather and give our air conditioners a break. We want rain to water crops and keep the food growing, and to keep the lakes and rivers up to their normal levels. In summer, we are at the mercy of Mother Nature and many times, she withholds water from us. Maybe she does this to make us realize how lucky we are to have fresh water at our disposal and to remind us not to waste water. Point taken. Mother Nature: some rain,now please.
During other times, like this week, we receive SO MUCH RAIN that our yards, wells, drainage systems don't have any way to handle or contain it. Dams flow over or are destroyed, basements flood ruining anything that happens to lurk there, backyards turn to mud or sog or worse...sinkholes. Roads get washed away, some people see their houses wash away as the erosion of beaches advance toward the inevitable. Highways close temporarily due to flooding, tunnels close, mass transit has to stop running in some places. Some people drive into raging water that is crossing a road and risk not only their vehicles but their lives.
As a species, we are ill prepared to deal with the consequences when we receive all the water we have asked Mother Nature for. OK, so she was a little bit late in getting it to us. We wanted it last summer, she gave it to us this spring. And, ok, she gave it to us ALL AT ONCE. But beggars can't be choosers! You would think we would be used to it. This is not the first major monsoon situation we have ever experienced in New England. Downpours of this magnitude are far between but they do happen occasionally. Ok Mother Nature, you can turn the faucet off now, we are all set!
It would be nice to get the rain when we want it and in the amount we want it. It would be ideal if we could receive about one inch of rain per week, late on a Sunday night every week. That would not ruin many plans, Saturday and Sunday picnics would be safe, pool parties, outdoor weddings, sporting events, etc. Lawns would receive the rain they need for the week, gardens would be watered. Unfortunately this is not how Mother Nature works at all. She tends to drench us at the most inopportune times and when we want a little she either gives us none or a lot! She likes to fool with us.
We are but a small example of the extremes of nature, though. There are places on Earth that are much more at odds with Mother Nature than we are. So many countries in Africa receive little to no rain every year. There is so much famine due to drought conditions caused by the lack of rain. Those people are not worried about a burnt lawn, or water rationing. They are worried about survival. And yet, they have no more control over Mother Nature than we do. Africa is not the only continent that deals with drought, we just see so many images of their dire situation that it is the first one that comes to mind. There are also areas on Earth that receive either massive downpours in the form of monsoons, like India, or almost constant rain, like the rain forests of Central and South America.
What to do with all of the water? Its too bad we can't bottle it and use it during the hot dry summer months when we thirst for even a drop of water to fall. But, we can't. We have to soldier on, and deal with Mother Nature and all the wonder she hurls on us when SHE feels like it. And we need to be glad we live in a country that has a better water distribution system than most other parts of the world. So, rememeber that and keep smiling as you bail out your basement!
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