Spring brings good news for California and weather-beaten Santa Barbara County, where we've battled fires and a drought that's lasted 7 years. In Santa Barbara, or paradise as locals like to call the town, signs of its verdant past have returned, and most important, rain. The rain brings much needed water to Lake Cachuma, the county's reservoir, now at nearly forty percent capacity. A year ago the lake resembled a few puddle splashes. Friends that have lived here for several decades speak of a time when Lake Cachuma spilled over into the Santa Ynez River.
However, experts warn not to do too much celebrating over the resent rush of rains. I'm sure it's hard for restaurants not to fall into old habits of offering water at the table. Only a few months ago, a person had to be parched enough to beg for a glass of water. Now, waiters carry ice filled jugs of cold water and are eager to fill a glass. I realize this is standard practice for most restaurants, but after so many years of drought in Santa Barbara, I'm still surprised when I don't have to ask for water. Water has been such a luxury and I've grown to appreciate water more than ever.
Everywhere the hills remind me of Ireland. I feel lucky and grateful to see green hills and green lawns. For so many years, I've kept my lawn brown and have turned off my sprinkler due to the drought, but thanks to all the glorious rain we've received all the neighboring lawns are green again. As I mentioned earlier, it's too early to celebrate the end of the drought and I hope the best practices and water saving solutions continue to be part of everyone's routine. I know I won't go back to turning on the sprinkler for my lawn or freely flushing the toilet if merely yellow or taking long showers (something I've actually never done, but now my showers are quicker than ever before).
One of my favorite things about the rain is curling up with a good book. Currently, I'm reading Claudia D. Hernandez's Knitting the Fog (interview coming soon). Until then, enjoy the rain and enjoy a good book.
Melinda, you hit on something I thought about before the rains came. In California, we'd heard nothing but drought and fire and a parched state. Yet, as I drove from San Fernando across to the I-14, east towards Soledad Canyon, once virgin land, I saw nothing but sawed-off mountaintops and scores of new homes under construction, and not just simple single story family homes but two story monstrosities which would surely suck up more water and electricity. Now, after the rains, we learn that many of these homes were built on faulty foundations and shifting lands. It seems that developers own rule Sacramento. With out-of-control construction, no matter how much rain we get, every year will be another drought.
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