Drought

It has been very dull and boring here. The summer is here and everyone is out doing other things.

This is just an observation. We are in our fifth year of below normal rainfall here in western Oregon. This year, since the rainy season began in October, we are about 24 inches behind normal. I can tell how dry it has been because of the fresh wood that I am turning. Normally, at this time of year, I would expect that a fresh cut tree would give me, the walls, and ceiling a drenching shower with all of the water in it. Instead, all I get is a few spots on my glasses, and a bit of surface water on the bowl. the bowls are drying in less than half the normal time. This is just too weird. robo hippy

Reply to
robo hippy
Loading thread data ...

And yet the powers that be insist we need more data before we do anything about global warming or global climate change... Heaven forbid we take any pre-emptive action to protect the environment.

Reply to
Andy

You're confusing "weather" with "climate".

Reply to
Dave Hinz

We've been in a similar period until last summer...this year so far has been normal, altho we're starting to get really dry again. (Of course, just now we're trying to finish up wheat harvest so we'd be glad to see another few days of no severe storms and dry, then some moisture.)

Reply to
Duane Bozarth

Let's see in Portland area you have received about 55% of the normal rainfall this year compared to the 1970 to 2000 average. Yet Southern California has received almost 200% of it's normal rainfall in the same time. Using micro-measurements to predict or track macro changes is not good science. That being said there is no doubt that the worlds climate is changing. The questions that have relevance are. What is man's effect in that and what can we do to change the current trends? We are far better off spending money and time fixing what we can with clean water, open space, cleaning up some of the industrial messes and such quality of life issues that buying into some one world solution where the burden is lain on the big nations and all the "developing nations" continue business as normal.

It's another one of those subjects where newsgroup postings will not change anyone's mind but it's Friday and I just couldn't restrain myself. If you want to make a difference this weekend take a bag along on your hike and pick up trash in the state park as you go along, don't put more fertilizer on your grass and make sure you turn off the lights when you leave the room. Think local it makes a real difference.

Sorry for the rant. Allen

Reply to
Allen

wow.. come south for a while!

Central CA. has almost 3 times "average" rain fall this winter and we're draining reservoirs twice this year... once to make room for all the rain, the

2nd time to make room for all the run off from melting snow... The down side is that now we have way more grass and shrubs turning brown in the 100+ heat and creating a really dangerous fire hazard..

We've been turning pine and fir from the Sequoia Nat. forest and it's so wet that we figure that it had to be under the snow all winter... I have towels tacked to the ceiling over the lathe and a plastic sheet between the lathe and workbench, and I'm still spraying water all over the shop.. Come On Down!!

mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

Reply to
mac davis

Actually, this post was supposed to go to the rec turners group. It was late thirty when I did this after several long nights getting ready for the nest two shows, this weekend and next. What gets me is that weather drought or monsoons, they blame it on El Nino, and or la Nina. The year before the drought started, we had double the normal rainfall. I guess that is why they call it 'average' rainfall. robo hippy

Reply to
robo hippy

Funny that you mention crops, Dave... A neighbor is a county Ag inspector and she's been working WAY too much overtime this month.. She was saying last night that the "stone crops" (peaches, plums, etc.) usually are ready to pick in mid or late July, but it's been such a wet winter and hot spring/summer that they've been picking them since early June... (shortly after a spring rain storm screwed up the raisin crop, a biggie around here)

mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

Reply to
mac davis

Allen, I agree completely - our primary responsibility definitely has to be our personal choices. The products we spray on our lawn, the cars we drive, how much we drive, the foods we eat, and even the woods we choose all have impacts beyond our yards or driveways or kitchens or shops.

Reply to
Andy

On 1 Jul 2005 00:02:08 -0700, the opaque "robo hippy" spake:

I'm down in GP and we're 3" ahead of normal for the dry season, 7 vs

4". There was so much rain that the apple trees got hit and we won't be getting many apples this year as a result. My St. John's Wort is suffering from powdery mildew and half has died off so far.

Amazing differences for just a 100 mile separation, wot? (Eugene, right?)

- This product cruelly tested on defenseless furry animals - --------------------------------------------------------

formatting link
Web App & Database Programming

Reply to
Larry Jaques

Well, the last certainly doesn't follow from the preceding...and it's not totally clear there's anything outside other normal cycles despite the claims of proponents of the theory...

said, :) there's certainly reason to consider environmental impact.

Reply to
Duane Bozarth

Right with you there, buddy. Seems like there's nowhere you can go ANYWHERE... shore, parks, even state forests... and there's plastic bags, bottles and wrappers wherever you go. Not to mention "empty" plastic cigarette lighters. They're like mushrooms... everywhere.

If "Littering" becomes an olympic sport, the USA will take the gold, silver, and bronze medals every year. It IS a local thing, people. Pick up the first plastic bag you see in the woods, and I'll bet you can fill it with other litter in 15 minutes. You'll feel a little better when you drop it off in a trash can.

Back to the shop. Gotta finish the solid walnut bathtub before the plumber gets here.

Jeff

Reply to
Jeff Gagnon

Yep...areas such as where you are tend (over the long run) to have something more nearly resembling an average. Here, where virtually our entire annual rainfall (which averages on the order of 18") comes in the form of scattered thunderstorms in the spring/early summer, the thought of any year being "average" is a statistical concept.

Three years ago was the driest we've recorded at the farm since Grandpa came in 1912--less than 7". That beat the lowest of the "Dirty Thirties" Dust Bowl year by over 2". Last year was something over 27", third-highest in town since they began keeping records in 1888 (only a blink in time, of course). It's only slightly under a 1% probability that any given day is a new "record" for us... :)

Reply to
Duane Bozarth

Reply to
John DeBoo

I guess that's my point Duane. I buy into global climatic change but I do not buy into global warming nor do I believe that man's totally responsible for said changes as they well be cyclic stuff that's been going on for millions of years nor am I convinced we can break that change cycle. What we can do is make sure where we hang out every day is clean and we can drink the water and fish in it and it's not all paved and I have wood to build stuff with and I have deer to hunt and pheasant for the Finn McCool the Wonder pup to chase (and me to shoot and eat). It all comes down to quality of life. I don't want to live in a bubble so I do what can to keep my part neat and clean.

Allen

Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorius triumphs, even though checkered by failure... than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.

Theodore Roosevelt

Reply to
Allen Epps

BINGO! We're actually still in the most recent Ice Age. Throughout most of the earth's existence, it's been a *lot* warmer than it is now.

I'm not even convinced we should *try*.

Ayup.

Reply to
Doug Miller

This is part of a Cycle. When I moved to western Oregon in 1970 we had cold, snowy winters. Then it got warm and dry. Then the Californians moved here. Then it got wet. Then it got dry. then ...

Reply to
Lobby Dosser

... but at what part of the cycle do the Caliofornians leave? Asking, because they seem to be moving to Tucson also. :-)

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ If you're gonna be dumb, you better be tough +--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Reply to
Mark & Juanita

I haven't seen that part yet. I'm hoping I live that long. :o)

Sure way of knowing they're Californians is they whine a lot during the wet cycles. Tucson they probably whine during the Real Hot cycles.

Reply to
Lobby Dosser

HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.