Droughtwatch....

[mdehners]

It's strange watching the news with all the rain disasters here in a Drought zone. As it looks now, we're headed to a repeat of a couple yrs ago when the wells began to run dry. Even the Native vegetation's looking scorched and most of this Spring's seedlings are "toast". Local municipal water's expensive so you can tell who has and doesn't have a house well by the state of their properties. Unfortunately, most of these are very shallow(since you only have to dig deep ones for Human consumption...)and are already showing water table drops by outgassing SUlphur. It's not at levels yet to damage average plants but when it comes in contact with man-made items the crystals percipitate out formed yellow-brown stains. OUrs is deep enough that it could be certified as Potable but there's no need to spend the money. Come an EOTWAWKI, a generator or even a manual pump'll provide for us....
One sign of drought is that there isn't enough Native vegetation and hungry "critters" come looking. An early sign was the possums gnawing on the Malangas and Taroes, since they're Irritating raw. You have to be hungry to eat one raw! We've also got catterpillars in the Tomatoes and Melons, the kinds you don't see in normal yrs because their preferred nurse plants are available. Looks like I'll be picking up some BT, though I don't like to because it'll affect both the catterpillars of species I like as well as those I don't but with food this expensive....
Truth,
Pat