The Drought of North Carolina

Some of you may know that we are in the middle of a 2-year drought. In our county, the drought is at a serious level - D4: Exceptional Drought Conditions. Climate control says that this is the driest year in 113 years of recorded weather in North Carolina.

Falls Lake is the primary source of water for our county and covers over 12,000 acres of land. They're saying that if we don't get some relief before the summer months, the lake will run dry. Our county has about 80 days of water left - some counties have half that - many counties are completely out and getting water from areas nearby. Falls Lake is almost 8 feet below its normal level.

This weekend, we decided to drive up to the lake to see for ourselves. The sights were shocking. Gnarled roots of lakeside trees were dry and exposed. Buoys at the end of fishing docks were resting on the ground of the lake bed. Barren trees were toppled. While driving over one of the many bridges of Falls Lake, it was like looking at a landscape of mini islands everywhere - so much of the water had subsided.

As I was taking pictures, it felt strange walking on the floor of the lake. I found old stumps where I could imagine fish hiding from the shadows of overhead boats. I found crumpled and faded aluminum cans lodged in the sand. And thousands of beautiful river rocks like a blanket covering the shore.

We tried to explain the seriousness of a drought to my daughter. How in certain parts of the world, droughts have resulted in famine and starvation. It's really striking, when you think about it, how dependent we are on the resources of the earth and how suddenly they can disappear.

And so we've installed our low-flow shower heads and reduced our water consumption as much as possible. Instead of throwing out the stale water in the dog bowl, I pour it in the plants. We turn the water off when brushing our teeth and as much as possible while doing the dishes. My car hasn't been washed in months (although that's not really because of the water restrictions, it really is because I just never wash my car... much to my husbands chagrin - but now I have good reason!) and we don't water the plants outside.

But on those days when we do get a little rain, oh, it's such a relief. I feel like the earth is gulping it in, I can almost see the joy in the trees.

I know our lake will survive - I have hope and, now, a deep respect for the waters of the earth.

(See more photos from our trip at Sunniviews...)

Happy Tappy Feet

This past week, my daughter's clogging class hosted a "parent viewing" night where we are invited into the classroom to take pictures or videos. The woman who owns the dance studio just moved to a larger location, which is really nice - there are more classrooms and they all have viewing windows. It's fun to watch all the classes as they're happening, but there is just something about being inside the room that makes it so much more impressive. Especially with clogging!

I never knew that much about clogging before we signed my daughter up for her class. Originally, I was looking for either Irish Dance or Tap but both classes were full. Clogging is very similar to both of these styles, but the neat thing about clogging are the jingle taps attached to the bottom of the shoes. Because of the extra metal plates, the sounds is much louder with a little extra vibration to it.

Interestingly enough, clogging originated in the Appalachian Mountains and was performed to traditional country and bluegrass songs. (It's the official dance of the state of North Carolina!) My daughter's class is not traditional and they dance to all types of music. Their recital song is Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground) by Michael Jackson and they usually warm up to the songs from the High School Musical soundtrack!

I love watching these little kids pounding out the clogging steps. It sounds so powerful when they're all on the same rhythm - it really is incredible and they are so, so cute!

Here is a little clip of what we got to see... Enjoy! And if you're interested in learning more about clogging, I found a great website that has lots of resources and fun facts. See Double Toe Times.

Anticipating Snow

We don't get much snow in these parts of North Carolina. I guess that's why people move to the south, to get away from all the cold weather. (This picture I took last year from our one big "snowstorm" - see Sunniviews for more) We moved here for different reasons, so I guess that is what makes all the difference.

Every winter, I wish for snow. I have a big, cheerful snowman flag that I hang on front of the house with the words proudly announcing "Let It Snow!" The flag is my prayer, my mantra, my plea to the heavens. I long for enough snow to build a snowman just like like the one on my flag.

When I was about 7 years old, growing up in Pennsylvania, we had plenty of snow. One year, the family gathered at my grandparents house just after a fresh snow. We built a snowman so high, my dad had to haul out the 7 foot ladder to put his hat on. It was so astonishing, a reporter came out to take some photos for a special feature in the newspaper!

I have memories of waking up to a White Christmas, crunching through knee-high drifts with my snow boots, building glittering snow tunnels as though we were Eskimos building elaborate igloos. I can clearly remember an old photo of my mom in the 70's, standing beside a wall of snow plowed so high, that even on her tippy-toes, reaching as high as her slender fingers would allow, she still could not touch the top. Even though I don't necessarily need 10-foot drifts, just a foot or so would make life interesting.

Last week they called for snow. It was supposed to roll in at about midnight. If there is one thing I love, it's beautiful white flurries falling from a midnight sky. I was at choir a few hours before, my mind preoccupied with anticipation. I watched the moon for signs and went to bed giddy. The next morning, I woke to freezing rain and a 2-hour delay at my daughter's school.

But then, 2 days later, they called for another winter storm. This one was much bigger, the snow band descending on us like a great tidal wave. Oh, we were in for it. Four inches, maybe more! The snow would fall for hours, maybe all night. The best thing about this storm was that it was going to hit on the coming Saturday. No worrying about work, schools or traffic - we could enjoy the snow all day long! I dreamed of the snow. I imagined the soft snowflakes falling on my cheeks, landing softly in my hair. I imagined looking at a perfect snowflake perched on the tip of my gloved finger. I imagined a snowball fight with my daughter and snow angels decorating our lawn.

Saturday came. The storm was estimated to hit at noon. I was drawn to the news reports and sky gazing for some sort of sign. I started cleaning to get all the chores out of the way so that we could enjoy it. Noon came and went. The neighborhood kids started asking every 5 minutes when it would start. I looked at the sky and turned to the news. They re-estimated early afternoon, then late afternoon, then early evening. The kids went home. Finally, at dark, the snow began to fall.

Oh, it was lovely. Great big beautiful flakes swirling around the night sky. I enjoyed it for about 5 minutes before we rushed out for dinner at a friend's house. While we were there, I kept peeking over my shoulder out the window as the flurries became slower and slower, finally stopping just before we left. The accumulation was about 1/2 an inch on grassy areas and melted the next morning before the sun even had a chance to peek above the horizon.

I imagine if I lived in a place that got snow all the time, I wouldn't be nearly as fond of it. You know what they say, too much of a good thing... But I look at websites and magazines with photos of winter wonderlands: peaceful, sparkling blankets of snow falling like soft feathers from the sky. Ah, so beautiful - such a hallmark of winter.

Perhaps next year, I'll just accept the fact that the snow is not coming and book an Alaskan Cruise instead!