Over the past few months when everyone was complaining about how the "weather" ruined the economy, in my head I chuckled and thought - you haven't seen anything yet baby. It's becoming (now) more obvious to everyone that weather was not the full picture. But even if it was - the snow had an effect for two months where people didn't go to work.
California however grows half of the stuff you eat - and we pretty much haven't had rain since January. We most likely will not get any rain until mid October. That is 10 months roughly with barely any rain at all. Baring any heavenly monsoon moisture like we got two days ago (pictures included). Yeah it was only a couple of drops, but when you are stranded in the desert - you will enjoy almost anything.
Our whole growing season was effed. I think the weather is actually part of the problem - just not the weather they were complaining about. In the coming weeks I predict this is going to gain huge steam and it's even going to affect the price of real estate. No foolies.
Every single day you can see people are giving up on watering their lawns. The dryness is so deep now that only the really dedicated persist. Which is me obviously because I'm writing about this. Yards actually add a significant amount to the price of a home. Which I have learned through trial and error. They are just a ton of work, and people do not want to put in that effort or money. People would just rather make that someone else's problem. Well, now that is every one's problem. It can shave 10-20 grand off your home. And don't even get me started on the price reductions. July is proving to be ugly already. This is without an ugly defect like a yard that looks like it could set itself on fire. But it's not just the lawns. The trees are starting to become really ragged. I know the Oaks can look completely dead at the end of summer and come back. Pine trees are getting that dead Christmas tree look, and the eucalyptus are really suffering and starting to look more like a match stick than the pines.
The drought has been trickling through the economy for roughly six months now. Farming towns are becoming ghost towns as people leave to find work in places like Texas or Washington. We are getting the stage now where gardeners have almost assuredly have started to lose work. Soon, it will be a LOT of work because it's just so hard to get any moisture at all into the soil. Even I feel like giving up. Nurseries will start not being able to turn over plants. Truck drivers will be affected because they are not hauling all the greenery we eat and plant. This is going to become much more noticeable to everyone in the coming weeks. I mean, we just don't normally get any rain this time of year. Unlike Texas who can at least count on one or two hurricanes.
And then.... there are the fines that are getting more ugly by the week. Just to put a fine point on why so many gardeners are just going to lose their jobs, basically. The latest proposal? If water runs from your lawn to the street you could face a 500 dollar a day fine. And anyone that is tasked to enforce laws will be able to write you a ticket. So, I suppose in theory if a meter maid rolled up to your place and saw water in the street they could in fact write you a ticket for 500 bucks. A couple of days ago there was a golf course that was actually going to close because their water bill had gone up 50%! The city stepped in to help because golf courses bring them money and they can't do that if they are fined out of existence.
So yeah. It's going to get wild over the next few months. And when they blame the weather this quarter, it could actually be really true.
I've actually already gotten past the fire part of this drought. (I think). Now I've actually started getting a little freaked at what will happen when it actually rains.
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