As I sit here writing this it’s raining outside. I can’t even begin to explain what a wonderful sound that is to me. My coworkers laughed at me when I said “I’m so happy to see the rain coming down I could cry.” They just don’t understand, and many people don’t.
I don’t know about ‘climate change’ or global warming or weather cycles- I’m not smart enough to determine which of these is the true cause of California’s current drought. All I know is that it has been at least three years since we’ve seen any significant rainfall. And it bodes ill for all of us. All aspects of life are affected when we get no rain. Pastures for livestock don’t grow and the price of meat increases. Crops require more water and so the price of grain and vegetables increases. Lakes, rivers and reservoirs don’t fill up, so water has to be shipped in from elsewhere. Or recreational lakes don’t draw tourists and the local communities surrounding them suffers.
If we don’t get good rains then the wild herbivores like deer, antelope and other things die, creating a lack of food for wild carnivores. And when wild carnivores lack food in their natural habitat they come looking for food in neighborhoods, nearby farms and in places they ‘don’t belong.’ Grasses and bushes keep the dirt in place and with no rain, those plants die and precious top soil quickly erodes.
Raining means more than just wet cars and wearing jackets- its presence, or lack of, causes a ripple effect across species and seasons.
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