Dust or Pollen

It was a beautiful day today, and fortunately, I was able to accomplish all of my chores and errands, and still have the opportunity to sit outside for more than 3 hours.  And, I am enjoying it very much.  Thanks to WIFI I can even blog from my back yard!  But, the problem is I have been sneezing, coughing and hacking since shortly after taking to the back yard.  I am not sure what the problem is, dust or pollen or both.  We are in a drought, and although we got some rain this last week, we are still in a drought.  The problem with rain in the desert and semi-arid regions is that it takes very little rain to awaken some plants, cause them to sprout, bloom, produce pollen, and get ready to reproduce again the next time it rains.  

So, I am not sure what is in the air.  But, whatever it is, we will deal with it. 

Drought

We are in a drought.  Friday morning, there was some heavy condensation, but no real rain.  It is getting warm, although the overnight temperatures have been in the 20s.  We are looking at dry and windy weather, which means we are in danger of wildfires.  Not so good.  

A Nice Rain

As predicted by the National Weather Service http://www.srh.noaa.gov/graphicast.php?site=lub we are having rain today.  There were prospects of severe weather and flash flooding, and there has probably been some of that, thanks to Hurricane Norbert's outliers, in various parts of the Southwest.  But in Lubbock, we have had misty rains, gently rains, intermittent rains.  I have not heard thunder. I have not seen lightning.  It has been a grey day, with the clouds thickening and thinning throughout the day, but no severe weather.

For the most part, the rains are coming in from the south and west. Last night, I opened the north window protected by the front porch, the east facing window in the spare bedroom, and the south facing windows over my bed.  I figured if the rains became really bad from the south, I would be awoken by rain coming in on me.  Or, if there were severe storms, with the open windows, I would hear them.

Well, when I woke this morning, the house was dry. There was .5 inch of rain in the rain gauge.

This is a good rain.  Hopefully it will help the drought, fill some reservoirs, and help the farmers.  I know this is cotton harvest time, so rain may not be good for the cotton farmers. I am not sure about other farmers.

It also has cooled the air.  So, from highs of 104° just a few days ago we are in the mid 60°s today.  That, too is a nice change.  The air is very comfortable.

This is nice.

There is Something in the Air

So, after some rains earlier in the summer, it turned very, very dry.  Now, the last week or less has had some humidity with slight chances of rain. We have even had some sprinkles. This is the condition that leads people to complain of congestion and possible allergies.  The amount of rain does nothing more than stir up the dust.  It may help the plants but not much.

I have slept with my windows open a couple of nights, or sat out late reading a couple of nights.  I have had some nasal congestion, but mostly, I notice my eyes look puffy, like I have been crying (I have not.)  My eyes even feel like I have been crying. This is frustrating, because my eyes feel gritty, dry and hot.  Normal saline eye drops do not help. I found my Similasan http://www.similasanusa.com/ eye drops in my little 3-1-1 bag from when I flew in June.  I was referred to Similasan by an optometrist.  That helps better than regular saline solution.  I just forget to get them out.

I know I do all the wrong things for my eyes:  I spend too much time on the computer. I read in dim light. And, I can feel the irritation to my eyes when I am at the pool.  But that is life. I try to do better.  But I do not. 

And, The Rains Came

We are so thankful that the rains have come to West Texas.  The temperature has been in the 70's°, the wind has been mild, and the rains have been intermittent. The amounts have varied, but today Lubbock officially has seen close to, if not 2 inches of rain. When I got home from work, the official total was 1.84 inches. About an hour later, it was 1.93 inches.

The rains have not been torrential, so this allows for some soaking into the ground, especially if the ground was not hardened to hardpan due to drought.  Hopefully, the rains will help the farmers, help the Ogallala Aquifer http://ogallala.ars.usda.gov/, and Lake Alan Henry http://www.lakealanhenry.com/, Lubbock's newest reservoir. 

Having said that, there has been some localized flash flooding. But not too bad.

Although the temperature has dropped outside, and I have opened the windows to let the fresh air in, my house has not cooled off noticeably, and has been between 77 ° and 80°.  That is discouraging.   My bedroom cools off well, but the other rooms do not do so well.

I am grateful for the rain, and the cooler weather.

Buffalo Grass

Ten years ago, I bought some Bufflalo Grass plugs for my yard.  Not wild buffalo grass but a hybrid version designed to use in lawns. I planted the plugs, and had hopes that they would do as predicted: grow well in the dry heat and eventually take over.

Well, the plugs had to be watered regularly until they took hold and my life that year got crazy, and it did not happen. 

Since then, every year, I see a smattering of Buffalo Grass.  At first, a very small smattering, but occasionally even some grass goes to seed.  Two years ago, I gave up watering. The drought was so bad and the air so hot that because of the limited watering we were allowed, if I complied with the water regulations, would not sustain my grass.  Nor my neighbor's grass.  I kept most of my trees, shrubs and vines going.  But the grape vines did not do well, so I cut those back this spring.

Last year I watered some, enough to keep the vines, shrubs and trees going, as I have done this year.  However, this year, there is a split in the hose, as I had water,  I move the hose around and it waters various parts of the yard. 

With the two plus inches of rain we have had in the last couple of weeks, my grass has started growing. The front yard is taken over by purslane http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/WEEDS/purslane.html.  I tried eating it last year, but it did not sit well with me, although it is edible. 

The backyard took off with the rain.  I let the Bermuda grass go to seed before mowing.  But, I noticed an interesting phenomenon:  the Buffalo Grass is really spreading.  I have to think it is taking over where the Bermuda was weak.  It has spread beyond the area where I first planted the plugs, ten years ago!  I am so excited.  I hope it will continue to spread. Buffalo Grass

Rain in the Desert

Lubbock is not in the desert, technically.  We are technically considered "semi-arid."  I am not sure what that means, except that our average rainfall is higher than a true desert.  But we have the sweltering heat, the dry, dusty winds, and the very often, cool nights in the summer.  And the regular low humidity.

Last week, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday nights we had rain showers. Wednesday was the evening  when the winds were 60 to 80 mph, and did so much damage.  My rain gauge had 1 inch of rain. Friday morning, after the Thursday night rain, my rain gauge had .25 inches of rain. And Saturday morning, the rain gauge had .5 inches of rain. I might add that each night, I had my south-facing bedroom windows locked open about 3 inches, and no rain came in. So, the rain was not from the south.

The rain is good, and helps the plants, and lawns, and adds water to the water bodies around here.

This Friday morning, as I was getting ready for work, I saw large, very widely spaced intermittent drops of rain. I was reminded of the cartoons of Wiley Coyote, dashing between raindrops to stay dry.  Whoever made that cartoon understood rain in the desert.  You can almost actually do that.  Sometimes, the rain is so sparse, the drops are truly that few and far in between. 

Additionally, virga http://weather.about.com/od/v/g/virga.htm happens a lot. And, we have mud rain http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rain_dust.  I  experienced this the first year I lived in Lubbock, 1977, when I was returning to Lubbock by plane on a business trip.

Rain in the desert is interesting. It can cause flash floods.  It stimulates plants that have been dormant for very long periods of time, allows them to blossom and do what plants need to do to procreate, and then, go dormant again.

Desert animals also maximize rains.  Nature is truly amazing in the adaptions that have occurred over the years, to allow plants and animals to exist in harsh environments.

A Thunder Storm

I woke before the alarm went off this morning.  I am not sure why. It might have been an encroaching electric storm. I could not go back to sleep, so I got up.  I thought I saw some flashes, and checked the windows: no emergency vehicles near by.  It was lightning.  I did not hear thunder for some time. I decided to take a shower, although I know the risk of being struck by lightning if someone is near plumbing, since it conducts electricity, during an electric storm.  After the shower, the storm moved in closer, and was even over head at one point, judged by the lack of time between the lightning and thunder. The lights blinked three times, once long enought that I had to reset the microwave clock. The other clocks have batter back ups that help when there is a brief outage.

Tonight I checked the rain gauge. There was 3/4 inch in the gauge. That is good. We may get some more tonight or this weekend. That, too is good.

I do not want strong, damaging storms. But the rain is important for us, for the farmers, for the resevoirs. The kind of thunder storm we had today is the kind we want.

Dry Skin Season

I suffer from dry skin, and have for years.  It usually gets worse the deeper we go into the winter season.  But it is early for me to be noticing that my skin is dry and itchy.  It stands to reason, though. This has been a very dry year, and it lack of humidity results in the moisture being sucked from the skin.  I do not hydrate well at work, especially on very busy days. And we have been very stressed and busy.

I can take some preventive measures that include body lotions, body wash with moisturizers, less hot water, and remembering to keep well hydrated when I can.  

The effects of the drought are amazingly complex.

Rain in Lubbock

On August 11, 2011, we finally received some rain in Lubbock, after months of drought. The amount of rain was variable, depending upon  where in the city it was monitored, but my rain gauge had 2.5 inches.  Parts of the city experienced flash flooding.

The consequences of this rain include that my yard has greened up, and required mowing for the second time this year.

Another consequence is that the playa lakes are full or fuller, and therefore more attractive to birds in the area.

We need additional rain, but are grateful for what we received.  Additionally, before the rain, we were in a pattern of 100° or plus temperatures. While the high temperatures have continued, they have not always been in the 100° range.

This is a difficult place to live in the summer.  But, it is less difficult than the New Mexico and Arizona communities that are in deserts. 

Suffering the Heat

Much has been said about the extreme and persistent heat that has enveloped the south, southeast and southwest of the United States this year. There seems to be no relief.  We on the South Plains of West Texas are used to hot summers, with evenings that cool off into the low 70s or even 60s, that give us relief.  This year, that has not happened. Not only are we repeatedly seeing day time highs in the above 100s, but the evening temperatures are in the high 70s, and there is no natural relief. 

We are admonished to wear light colored, loose fitting clothing, drink plenty of fluids, and find air conditioned options if we do not have air conditioning at home.  Air conditioned options include malls, libraries, movie theaters, restaurants.

I work in a building in which one of the chillers is not working. Sometimes, I am in a comfortable environment, and sometimes, I am in an environment that is too cold.  But, this year, sometimes, I am in a situation in which the air becomes too warm and stifling.

For me, one of the side effects of this heat is that, although I try to stay hydrated, my eyes feel dried out.  I use eye drops to help, and they do. But the dry itchy feeling is uncomfortable.

My sleep is not generally affected by the heat: I am blessed that I can afford to air condition my house so it can be cool enough to offer me a good night's sleep.

But, I am still suffering the heat.  I have limited watering my yard to keep my shrubs and trees alive. The grass near them responds positively.  I do not go out in the evening, as I do not want to be in the oppressive heat any more than I have to. I try to remember to adjust my use of appliances to off peak times.

But, let us face it, we are in a heat emergency.  My wish is that there will be some natural relief.

I have not addressed the drought. And, in this session, I will not. 

Sustainable and Renewable

So the current trend is to try to use sustainable and renewable energy sources.  One touted is ethanol, frequently made from corn. 

So, what happens, as is happening this year, if there is a widespread drought, and no corn is raised?

As my favorite sportscaster commented today, if you eat or wear clothing, you  are in agribusiness, and are being effected by the drought. It will have a major economic effect on Lubbock, which has an economy that is integrally tied to agriculture. 

It will have an effect on food, fuel, clothing.  It will dry up moneys for charities. It will slow purchases, and the retail industry will retract. Fewer jobs will mean less spending will mean fewer jobs, etc.

We keep thinking we have solved the problem of fuel and energy sources, and we get our come-uppance.  This year, the earthquake in Japan made proponents of nuclear power have to re-defend and re-think their solution. And, made many others think twice about nuclear power as a solution.

It is true that this is "a small world after all."  A drought in Texas can influence other parts of the world. 

Weather related disasters have swept across the country this year.  So there are many places in this country where agriculture, industry and residences are having to rebuild. While rebuilding refuels the economy, from whence do the funds come?  Insurance companies, savings, and government assistance.  Insurance claims cause increased rates.  Savings depletes cash reserves.  Government assistance grows the already way too large debt.  

What is the answer?  I do not know.

Smoke Again

I wrote yesterday about smoke, and how I like some smoke odors, and smoked meat and cheese.

This morning, there is smoke odor in the air that I dislike. It is an acrid smoke, and reminds of the smoke produced by cotton seed hulls burning, a process that I believe is illegal but happens often.

The fires damaging so much of this nation are heading close:  Friday morning the Lubbuck Avalanche Journal documented that one house burned and another was charred before a fire was under control in the city.  Today, KCBD Channel 11 is carrying a story about a fire west of Lubbock in Cochran County, and a story about 3 homes that burned in Floydada, northeast of Lubbock.  Because of the high winds, these fires are dangerous, as are so many of the other fires in the country.

Fingernails on a Blackboard

All of you have heard the noise: the screech of fingernails on a blackboard. This is a sound that will stand your hair on end, and cause physical pain when you hear it.

I was watching a local weather station tonight. I will not name the station, but they advertised video of the dust storm that blew through earlier this evening, and while I was out in that storm, I wanted to see the video.  It was impressive: it showed the visibility going to zero as the dust blew through.

The announcers changed, so the gentleman who narrated the dust storm video was no longer speaking, and a female forecaster was on the air. Her voice was abrasive, very much like fingernails on a blackboard. I can not believe that she was broadcasting.  What are they thinking? It was awful.

The Brown Fields of Texas

We are in a drought.  This has been well documented.  And, the farm fields around Lubbock, even the irrigated ones, are not growing anything.  Which is why, when the wind blows, there is dust in the air.

As I flew in from Dallas on June 7, 2011, this became starkly, appallingly apparent.  Flying over farm fields, they were all brown.  The fields in Texas are set up in squares, and many have pivot irrigation systems http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Center_pivot_irrigation in them.  You can tell they have these systems because there is a dark brown circle in the section of land, but nothing was growing.

I am not talking in sporadic places.  I am talking about field after field after field, for much of the area over which we flew, coming from Dallas to Lubbock, which is some 330 miles.  So for mile after mile after mile, it appears that nothing is growing.

Can you imagine what this means to the farmer whose livelihood is at stake?  And, then the consumer: food, cotton, feed for animals.  And the economy: In Lubbock, when the cotton crop is good, the economy booms.  And, thus it is for many, many other communities in Texas.

This is sad, and frightening.  I was asked recently if I thought we were in another Dust Bowl.  I said no, unconvincingly, I think, because, while I do not want to be an alarmist, we certainly are experiencing a horrible drought.  For it to be a Dust Bowl, this has to happen for more than one season.  But, for now, yes, we are experiencing a horrible drought.

Neighbors are not watering, because to have any effect, it requires watering every day.  A co-worker, who lives in the country, and has a well has a garden.  He tells me he has to water every day.  The ground is just sucking up the water, and his plants dry out in the extreme heat.

We are in a drought.