The dry, dry summer of 2010

Why do we fail to appreciate something until it is gone? This summer has been one of the driest on record where I live and for the very first time (in my whole life), we have rapidly moved from Stage 1 water restrictions to Stage 4.

Stage 4 water restrictions mean that you are not allowed to water anything...period. No watering lawns, flower beds, gardens. No Sunday afternoons washing your car in the driveway. No children playing in the sprinkler. Large fines for anyone doing any of the above, bylaw officers paroling the neighbourhoods. It felt.....scary.

Water is not a right. Water is a resource that must be conserved and protected. It can be gone in a heartbeat. We must remember this.