Linda's Heart
It's SPRING in West Texas!
Today is a lovely spring day. Wind coming later, 25-35 mph. I have all four sunroom windows open, but they'll have to be closed when the wind picks up. I think I've told you that a breeze extends to 25 mph here. Above that, it's wind.
Our redbud tree is blooming, our pecan tree is leafing, and all over town, new leaves and blooms are emerging. We're way past freezing temperatures at night. Electric blankets folded and stored in closets. Coats and sweaters and sweatshirts pushed to the back of closets. Short sleeves!!!!
Our lawns, front, side, and back, are brown, just like everyone else's lawns in this area. The Ogalala Aquifer that was once considered immortal has been lowered considerably by hundreds of wells being drilled for irrigation. The result? In 2011, the city issued a warning about the diminishing water supply, and asked residents not to water lawns more than twice a week.
We water ours occasionally during the winter, and only at night the rest of the year. Chuck worked for the Water District for years. He regularly measured all the wells in the county. He knows how much water remains, and how fast the level is falling.
The Aquifer has always had arsenic in the water, but when the water level was high, it was still safe to drink. Now, the arsenic level is too high to drink. It’s the same amount of arsenic as the past, but it’s in much less water, which increases the percentage per gallon.
We installed an RO system in 2012. It’s the only water we use for drinking and cooking, coffee, tea (etc.). Our kitties drink RO water, too.
We stopped trying to have flowers, other than our rose bushes, around our house about ten years ago. The drought in 2011 killed a lot of our foundation plants. We’ve also lost a lot of our roses. Only two in a row of 12 has leafed out. We'll start watering them this weekend, but only at night. We learned in the mountains how to conserve water. Even half a cup is precious.
I hope all of you are having lovely spring weather. The Weather Channel is saying that summer temperatures will begin a month or two earlier this year, making 2025 hotter than last year. Our humidity level is really low. The excessive heat evaporates any water close to the surface.
We’ve always wanted to spend summers of our retirement years in the mountains near Cloudcroft, NM. Since we had to go back to work in 2020, that may not be possible. But that’s still our dream.
Many thanks to all of my subscribers. Before long, I’ll be publishing my most recent novel. I’ll be happy to provide free copies to my subscribers in exchange for an honest review on Amazon. When Amazon sees a lot of reviews on a book, they’re likely to promote the book! I’ll include the first chapter in my next letter to all of you!
Hugs and Happiness to Everyone!
Linda