South western Colorado for all intents and purposes is considered the high desert. The irrigation water that we use here in Montrose County is delivered to us via the reservoir at the Blue Mesa. Somewhere around the first of April until mid-October the water begins to flow from up there to down here. Normal folks, like Mike and I, use it to water lawns and gardens. Our landlord Bill uses it to water his fields of alfalfa and corn. The onion fields near Spring Creek and Olathe are nourished by its moisture as well as orchards which grow the fruit that in part fuels this area's wine industry. Even my dear community of Olathe relies upon irrigation water to grow the most delicious corn that I have ever bitten into, "Olathe Sweet Corn". Without the melting snow that fills up the reservoir that pipes the water into our ditches here in these parts, we'd be pretty much in big trouble. Thank goodness the founding fathers had the foresight to insist upon the opening of the Gunnison Tunnel, way back in 1909. That nearly 6-mile long tunnel diverts water from the Gunnison River as it flows in the Black Canyon of the Gunnison to those who desperately need the water in this valley around the city of Montrose. Without it? Well, suffice it to say that without it, things would be most certainly and strikingly different than they are today.
Water, especially the lack of it, was a topic of conversation for both Mike and I as we traveled to Twentynine Palms, California on spring break last week. Mike's step-mother, Maggie, lives in the heart of the Mojave Desert and has for many years now. The state of California, facing what appears to be its worst drought ever, is in dire straights with its need for moisture. Although no mandatory rationing is in effect, people just like Maggie understand full well the pressing need to be as ultra conservative as possible. When Governor Jerry Brown asked his state's citizens to start thinking about every way possible that they could save water as individuals/families, folks listened. I grew up in a time and in family (just like you guys did) where simple things such as making sure you flushed the toilet each time you used it were really expected of you. Growing up in a family with 9 people in it, no one wanted to be the one who walked in the bathroom and had to say...."Geesch, WHO didn't flush the toilet?" Now it would be much more commonplace to have a mother or father admonish their children to only flush the toilet if it was absolutely necessary. We may think of this "flush the toilet after every fourth use" practice as the most unappealing idea ever heard of, but if you are living where even the few gallons of water it takes to perform the simple act of moving waste products into the septic system are precious, well then you might tend to look at it in a different way. Knowing what I knew prior to visiting California, I felt guilty taking much more than a quick 4 minute shower. When I helped Maggie with washing the dishes after supper, I was very aware of how much water I was using, all the while thinking of how I could conserve even more. Oh, the things that we people take for granted on this earth. I'm just about positive I've wasted my share of water in this life and then some.
I remember a couple of years back when my part of the world, the great state of Kansas, was undergoing some pretty dry times. Although nothing even close to California's current predicament, our state was wondering daily IF and WHEN the next moisture would even come. People were washing their cars, planning outdoor activities, leaving the windows down on their vehicles, and a thousand other things that usually bring UNWANTED rain. The end result was that a lot of people drove to picnics in clean cars with their windows rolled down for some time to come. Later the dry spell broke but it does make a person think of just how much water we use and sometimes wastefully so each and every day. My name is on the guilty list but each day I try hard to do better.
Last night we decided to take a walk along a different route than we normally do. We cut across the field along a dirt path that most of the farmers use to travel from one field to another. As we turned the corner, I heard Mike say to me "Hey look at the ditch! They turned the water on." Last year I didn't understand what that meant but this year I do. Perhaps that means I am more used to being here and that's probably a good thing. It won't be long before the alfalfa fields all around us are being flooded with the gift of a good drink of water and sooner or later, Mike will have to walk down the road a ways to turn on the water for our own garden and lawn. For every drop of water we drink, bathe in, cook with, wash our clothing in, and soak up the earth around us in, we give thanks. Whether it is a couple of drops or enough to shower in, all of us should be most grateful.
Have a great Friday everyone out there! We are alive and well along the Western Slopes here in the Centennial State, Colorado. Take good care of yourselves dear friends and family because I really like having you around :)
The views from along our walk last evening that remind us that spring is here, crops are growing and water from the Blue Mesa is needed ASAP~
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