What's going on, Albuquerque?
Oh, Albuquerque. It's not you. It's me. Really, it's me. (update: Actually, it's not me. It's some of our elected leaders)
So, I was house sitting for some friends in western Colorado. (That's the kind of thing you get to do when you're a freelance writer, and you can work from pretty much anywhere.) I was up there from July 7 through the end of last week.
Whenever I'd check the news, weather, etc. I'd read all about flash flooding and rain and all sorts of wonderful things like that. When I returned, I saw that my tomato plans were outrageously humongous--one has even attached itself to the lower branches of a tree and is climbing the tree. So I knew that it had rained a lot.
And I just assumed (I know, I know, I remember my seventh grade English teacher's words: "to assume makes an ass out of you and me." It was the first time I'd heard a grown up -- other than one related to me -- say the word "ass.") Anyway, I just assumed that once I returned to Abq that maybe, just maybe it would rain.
But uh, here I am, waiting. Waiting. And it hasn't rained at my house once since I've returned. The clouds boomed two loud thunder claps yesterday afternoon. But nada rain.
I'm pretending that if I blog about it--write publicly about my obsession with myself and my control over the weather--that the rain gods will choose to make an ass out of me and send down some rain today.
(please?)
UPDATE:
Holy crap, so while I'm beating myself up about being some sort of anti-rain demon, folks are totally out of control with their water use. And not only that, but these folks are local lawmakers. According to the story in this morning's Abq Journal, :
"Bernalillo County Commissioner Tim Cummins paid $1,745 to use more than 942,000 gallons of water for his Tanoan home in 2007..." (Cummins is also a member of the water utility authority board)
Here's more from the story:
Other board members were either at or below average residential water use from August 2007 through this month, with the exception of Cadigan and Councilor Trudy Jones. Annual Albuquerque averages for homes with sprinkler systems are between 120,000 and 140,000 gallons per year.
Cadigan has been at the forefront of the water conservation push in Albuquerque and has sponsored controversial bills in the past year that would force conservation measures on commercial and residential properties.
Cadigan's usage, about 217,000 gallons from August 2007 through June, was higher in the winter months but evened out to average levels in the summer.
and more:
Jones, who has used 252,000 gallons in the past 12 months, said she has a front lawn that is required by her Northeast Heights neighborhood association.
"I don't know what else to say," Jones said. "We have a lawn. It stays green."
Maybe these folks should take their own courses on saving water. Or find a house in a neighborhood that doesn't mandate water waste. Or...well, I'm going to stop typing now because I'm so freaking annoyed.
If you'd like to contact any members of the water utility authority, by the way, you can find their email addresses and phone numbers here.
Whenever I'd check the news, weather, etc. I'd read all about flash flooding and rain and all sorts of wonderful things like that. When I returned, I saw that my tomato plans were outrageously humongous--one has even attached itself to the lower branches of a tree and is climbing the tree. So I knew that it had rained a lot.
And I just assumed (I know, I know, I remember my seventh grade English teacher's words: "to assume makes an ass out of you and me." It was the first time I'd heard a grown up -- other than one related to me -- say the word "ass.") Anyway, I just assumed that once I returned to Abq that maybe, just maybe it would rain.
But uh, here I am, waiting. Waiting. And it hasn't rained at my house once since I've returned. The clouds boomed two loud thunder claps yesterday afternoon. But nada rain.
I'm pretending that if I blog about it--write publicly about my obsession with myself and my control over the weather--that the rain gods will choose to make an ass out of me and send down some rain today.
(please?)
UPDATE:
Holy crap, so while I'm beating myself up about being some sort of anti-rain demon, folks are totally out of control with their water use. And not only that, but these folks are local lawmakers. According to the story in this morning's Abq Journal, :
"Bernalillo County Commissioner Tim Cummins paid $1,745 to use more than 942,000 gallons of water for his Tanoan home in 2007..." (Cummins is also a member of the water utility authority board)
Here's more from the story:
Other board members were either at or below average residential water use from August 2007 through this month, with the exception of Cadigan and Councilor Trudy Jones. Annual Albuquerque averages for homes with sprinkler systems are between 120,000 and 140,000 gallons per year.
Cadigan has been at the forefront of the water conservation push in Albuquerque and has sponsored controversial bills in the past year that would force conservation measures on commercial and residential properties.
Cadigan's usage, about 217,000 gallons from August 2007 through June, was higher in the winter months but evened out to average levels in the summer.
and more:
Jones, who has used 252,000 gallons in the past 12 months, said she has a front lawn that is required by her Northeast Heights neighborhood association.
"I don't know what else to say," Jones said. "We have a lawn. It stays green."
Maybe these folks should take their own courses on saving water. Or find a house in a neighborhood that doesn't mandate water waste. Or...well, I'm going to stop typing now because I'm so freaking annoyed.
If you'd like to contact any members of the water utility authority, by the way, you can find their email addresses and phone numbers here.
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Comment by Jesstagirl on July 29, 2008 at 4:01pm -
Awww, you chased the rain away! Maybe you should go back to Colorado?! (And I swear I mean that in the nicest way possible so we can get some rain again!). Hmm...but then again, if you go back you don't get the rain.
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Comment by Shifty on July 29, 2008 at 5:16pm -
It stopped raining because I put away my lounge chair cushions, took the lid off the compost bin, dragged the baby pool under the gutter to catch rain, and lowered the number of minutes on the garden drip timer. It's my fault! Blame me!
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Comment by Laura on July 29, 2008 at 5:18pm -
Thanks for the show of solidarity, Shifty! I sure appreciate it.
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Comment by Phil_0 on July 29, 2008 at 7:35pm -
It's been wet! This is already the 4th-wettest July ever. Another 2/10 of an inch this month will move us into third, and the wettest July this decade.
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Comment by SoyJames on July 30, 2008 at 10:58pm -
Dude. I am totally washing my car tomorrow. AND (bonus!) my sunroof is stuck OPEN. It's totally gonna rain. Soon. At least before I get my sunroof fixed...
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Comment by Lee on July 31, 2008 at 8:50am -
wait a second... their is a neighborhood association in Albq. that requires you have a grass lawn ?? and someone on the water authority board actually lives there ?
Doesn't this seem like a huge, glaring contradiction ?
Comment
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