Jay Cronley: So dry that wet's not even a memory
BY JAY CRONLEY World Staff Columnist
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
1/22/13 at 5:09 AM
How bad is the drought?
A young boy in the neighborhood said he was not even sure what a good rain looked like. He was about 4 years of age and had no recollection of fat rain drops hitting the kitchen window in lazy unison, pancakes on the grill.
He remembered mostly this of life so far - just another sunny day.
He was being wheeled around the neighborhood by his mother. My dog and I met the two of them in the street as we had all swerved off the curb to avoid one of a number of water sprinklers going full-throttle in the middle of January.
Winds of change: The conversation turned to how much we needed rain, as the drought maps on the local and national news shows had seemed to expand as you watched, with thousands of more acres entering danger zones with each viewing.
It's as though the jet stream was being manipulated by an enemy of the state, the moisture whisked around the most arid areas, toward Canada.
The drought lanes seem much more dangerous than tornado alley.
Our moisture now seems to come as a result of violent downbursts. There's no rhythm to any of the recent rains, just booms and flash floods.
Farmland is rock dry.
Fescue and winter rye lawns in the city have turned dusty silver over a lack of moisture.
Rivers and lakes are vanishing, ocean coastlines are encroaching.
Ski resorts in Colorado are emphasizing the rum due to a lack of snow. Cross-country skiing is replacing downhill action, if you don't mind pulling all your stomach muscles.
Having to run yard sprinklers in the dead of winter makes water-rationing seem possible even before next summer.
Deluge of dryness: Concerning the kid who said he couldn't remember exactly what a decent rain was: It had sprinkled pretty heavily a few weeks ago. But the boy's mom said they had all been laid up with colds then and hadn't noticed much.
The boy said he remembered some thunder and lightning, but no nourishing steady rain lasting most of the day or night.
Hadn't there been something of a deluge in August?
A cloudburst in October?
Wasn't there a picture of the young fellow somewhere in a bright yellow rain slicker?
Making mud pies out back?
Jumping in puddles?
Nope.
A good-size kid with no memories in the rain - that's dry.
Original Print Headline: So dry that wet's not even a memory
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