You may have heard that it never rains in California. This is not true. It’s just that other places, it can rain any time of the year. But here, we have the rainy season, say October-March, and the dry season, maybe April-September.
The climate, it seemed really strange during the first year here.
We arrived in the fall and we got torrents of rain throughout the winter. Whenever I got too homesick, I’d turn on The Weather Channel and watch the endless blizzards and think the rain was nothing to complain.
Then came the spring and every day was picture postcard perfect. Of course, I kept expecting it would rain. Especially the early morning as it was frequently overcast. The ex-man would say not to worry, it wouldn’t rain. About this one thing, he was always right.
The lack of precipitation, it does take a toll. By summer, the hills that were lush and green had turned dusty and brown. We adjusted, learning to set the sprinkler system just right. Too little moisture and the grass would burn. Too much hydration and the lawn would mold.
This weather pattern, after while it became the new normal.
Shortly following our one-year anniversary in the Golden State, I was working at my desk one afternoon when I became aware of a sound. It was familiar, but I could not quite place it. I glanced through the window. The rain was falling.
I began to weep like a farmer whose crops had been saved.
Well, that was a long time ago. A very long time ago. And today, we got the first splash of rain for the season. We really need it. We’re in the fourth year of a serious drought. The trees are dying. I should be crying. But, I got nothing. I seem to be in the midst of my own dry spell.
© 2015 Jaclyn Schrier. All rights reserved.
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