H2O.

“Inflatable pool full of dad's hot air

I was three years old

Splashin' everywhere

And so began my love affair

With water.”

I was talking with a friend today whose daughter is in graduate school out in Colorado. She is focusing on environmental engineering with an emphasis on water. Seriously. Once I heard “grad school” and then “environmental engineering,” I knew she was a lot smarter than old “you know who.” It was the “water” focus that piqued my interest. I knew what that was.

For many years I worked with a magazine based in the Western US. Although it was difficult to comprehend at times, they talked about the politics of water in the region. Here in the Midwest we really don’t think too much about water until we have an over abundance of it usually thanks to floods. Sure, we have had droughts, but in general, that’s the least of what we worry about. That is not the situation out West.

I remember talking with friends who live in California, Northern and Southern, who would describe what it was like dealing with a scarcity of water. Sure they have a big pond to the West, but try drinking it. I learned of people using “grey” water as part of their fight against droughts; simply, that’s when they place a bucket in their shower, or another area where clean water is used, and then re-use it in their gardens or any situation where fresh water is not as necessary. From a Midwestern perspective, I can’t imagine it. However, if my water bill were as high as theirs, I would be happy to carry a bucket into the shower.

Today must be weather day.

This afternoon on our weekly conference call, my boss was commenting on the Nor’Easter heading toward New York and the Northeast. They were bracing for some really bad weather. For some reason, and it usually happens this way, he said, “So are you having a Nor’Easter in   Chicago?” I paused and trying not be a smart-ss said, “We live in the Midwest, we don’t have Nor’Easters. We have tornados, floods and cold weather, though.” He laughed, but it was not the kind of laugh you like to hear. But, he asked the question and I answered it.

Certainly I’ll be watching the weather to the East, we really don’t need any catastrophic storms right now, we have enough going on in America.  

The photo above was taken several years ago while I was traveling in Ohio. Having come from Chicago that morning, and experiencing some “wicked” storms before I had left, I knew what was going to happen in the next few hours. I was right, that evening there was a downpour unlike no other, mix it with tornado warnings, and a long night of thunder and lightening and there was plenty of water. In the end there was no damage, but I know people who live out West would have seen all the water as a blessing. 

Thanks for stopping by.