tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5118905778148213851.post2930108242006339944..comments2024-01-09T21:25:58.789-05:00Comments on Writing the Witchy Way: The Price of WaterDeborah Blakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15329035354859726659noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5118905778148213851.post-53118083600152818852014-02-14T08:13:37.912-05:002014-02-14T08:13:37.912-05:00Yoinks! The only thing worse than no water is too ...Yoinks! The only thing worse than no water is too much water. We've had two major floods here since 2006, and there is one local town which has literally been wiped off the map--too much damage to rebuild most of it. <br />My 1st Baba Yaga novel, WIckedly Dangerous, actually has fracking in it. Great minds...Deborah Blakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04032614187237072683noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5118905778148213851.post-73604084732055108282014-02-14T08:02:08.991-05:002014-02-14T08:02:08.991-05:00Hey, we have your missing water over here in the U...Hey, we have your missing water over here in the UK - please, come and reclaim it! Our ground is saturated, our coasts are washing away, and thousands of people's homes are up to chest deep in water.<br />We also had a massive anti-fracking campaign locally, but the news guys were way more interested in the protests and the celebrities who got involved, than they were in the basic debate about the refusal of the government to acknowledge the potential harm the process can cause to the environment. If it makes money, it must be safe...<br />Oh, and the urban fantasy novel I released recently has environmental and ecological themes, with the main character being a water elemental - because I think water is a precious resource taken too much for granted. <br />;)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5118905778148213851.post-60385235639621605532014-02-13T21:19:58.571-05:002014-02-13T21:19:58.571-05:00Too true! I don't realize how much of my life ...Too true! I don't realize how much of my life revolves around electricity until the power goes out...<br />And a few years ago we had major flooding (the evil twin brother of drought). My house was fine, except the basement, where the sump pump worked overtime and still the water rose to within an inch of the electrical box. But I have a septic system, out here in the country, and when the water table is high enough, the septic tank becomes so filled with water, you can't flush the toilet. The water simply has no place to go. After 3 days of that, I REALLY appreciated a working system.Deborah Blakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04032614187237072683noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5118905778148213851.post-87312005165388783292014-02-13T21:16:28.964-05:002014-02-13T21:16:28.964-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.Deborah Blakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04032614187237072683noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5118905778148213851.post-30573839605225277122014-02-13T21:15:11.434-05:002014-02-13T21:15:11.434-05:00The pump was replaced three years ago--it died on ...The pump was replaced three years ago--it died on a Thanksgiving night, when I had a couple of friends staying with me. Thank goodness for a decent plumber, who actually came out on the Friday after T-day and (with the help of his nephew) pulled up all 340 feet to get to the actual pump. The good thing about a deep well is that I rarely have to worry about running out of water. There has only been one summer in the 12 years I've lived here where it was dry enough that I had to worry. But the deep ones are also likely to be full of mineral (hard water), and tricky to deal with when something goes wrong.)<br /><br />It sounds like you have your water use down to a science!Deborah Blakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04032614187237072683noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5118905778148213851.post-11413726190340018682014-02-13T20:50:21.198-05:002014-02-13T20:50:21.198-05:00I live in South Florida where we pay for our water...I live in South Florida where we pay for our water based on the amount we use. We also have watering restrictions limiting how often and on what days we can water our grass. For me, it's twice a week before 10:00 a.m. and after 4:00 p.m. to minimize evaporation. This includes watering using well as opposed to city water. <br /><br />The water in our house is city water and we also have a well to water our grass. This saves not just the cost of the water but sewage rates as sewage is assessed based on the amount of water drawn from the municipality.<br /><br />I grew up in western PA in the country with a well. We didn't wash the car on the same day as doing laundry to be sure we didn't draw too much water at the same time. <br /><br />I've lived with the well situation and also with not being able to use my city water if a boil water alert is issued. I grew up being very aware that water can become a limited commodity and was not to be wasted or taken for granted. I was taught not to waste anything, water included. That idea is one I still believe in.<br /><br />I feel your pain about the water treatment bill. Last year we had to replace our pump and the equipment needed for our sprinkler system. Luckily we didn't have to redrill the well.Cathy Mnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5118905778148213851.post-45076182767853484502014-02-13T17:23:37.949-05:002014-02-13T17:23:37.949-05:00The best way to get people to appreciate the price...The best way to get people to appreciate the price of water is to take it away from them for, oh, even six hours might do the trick. My parents have had to turn the water off numerous times to deal with problems and, of course, at that moment you suddenly have to wash dishes, do laundry, shower, etc etc. It can be quite frustrating.<br /><br />Tied with our world of water is sewage, yet another behind the scenes thing that we really take for granted until it's suddenly gone, and I'm sure everyone's got horror stories about that at least!Miss Archivehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01220675630176656585noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5118905778148213851.post-16401174493015663592014-02-13T16:31:48.595-05:002014-02-13T16:31:48.595-05:00I couldn't have said it better myself, Skye. Y...I couldn't have said it better myself, Skye. You have a really good point about hemp--that one is so ridiculous, since the plant that hemp is made out of, despite being related to the cannabis plant pot comes from, has no ability to get people high. The fact that it is illegal is just nuts. (Hemp seed oil is also highly nutritious.)Deborah Blakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04032614187237072683noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5118905778148213851.post-64118858664736390972014-02-13T15:45:49.008-05:002014-02-13T15:45:49.008-05:00In the Pacific Northwest, the water has always com...In the Pacific Northwest, the water has always come to us in the form of rain in the lowlands and snowpacks and glaciers in the mountains. This year we have had very little rain and the mountains are nearly bare: I foresee a drought. In Seattle. I've been through one before and it's not pretty. In addition, our power comes from water and when that water is in short supply, it's going to have an impact on the power.<br /><br />I think that any endeavor that requires far more resources put in to the system than product that comes out is a burden and unsustainable. As much as I adore cotton clothing, I think we should take away the cotton lobby's power and allow things like ramie, hemp, and other similar crops to be grown in our country. Yes, this could be death of the cotton industry, but the birth of more sustainable industries; less expensive to produce means more profitable. How is this not obvious?<br /><br />And population pileup in deserts: yikes! Can you say Southern California? And Arizona? It just seems weird to me to want to live somewhere that has gone past the potential to support the population living there.<br /><br />Sigh. Rant over. Water is important and undervalued in the developed world.Skyehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02353637836935659079noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5118905778148213851.post-39863815905800580922014-02-13T13:39:14.976-05:002014-02-13T13:39:14.976-05:00Susan, I wish more people were as aware as you are...Susan, I wish more people were as aware as you are! That drought just gets scarier and scarier.Deborah Blakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04032614187237072683noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5118905778148213851.post-57026774778857937122014-02-13T12:11:55.190-05:002014-02-13T12:11:55.190-05:00I've lived in the Desert Southwest for more th...I've lived in the Desert Southwest for more than 30 years. We've been in a vicious drought for more than 20 of those. Water is NOT free. Whenever I go anywhere, I'm always checking out "where does the water come from." A while back, I was visiting Mt. Vernon, outside of DC, and touring the gardens. It's on the Potomac, but the river is way on the other side of a HUGE hill. I finally asked the guide where the water source was - I didn't see a well anywhere. She looked at me as if I had two heads, and looked up at the puffy white clouds. "Oh, nevermind. I forgot - the water comes to you." Where I live, the water does NOT come to you - you have to get it, and you have to know where to find it. It didn't take long for me to adapt to "the water doesn't come to you!"Susanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12765149759682835131noreply@blogger.com