The volume of rain we have been getting has been approaching ridiculous levels. We went about six months with virtually no rain, and then this last week or so we get about a year’s worth all at once. Although we need the rain, it pains me to see so much of it fall all at once. It’s all going to waste. I stand outside on my front porch and watch a river of fresh water rushing off to the drainage system that will deliver it all to the Gulf of Mexico. Meanwhile, two months from now we’ll be in the middle of another drought and all of that water will be long gone. If I were inclined to care for my lawn, I would kill for a cistern or something similar to catch and store all of that run-off rain water. Once you get beyond the cost of building the thing, you would have free water for irrigation. Oh well, it was nice to see the rain.

Anyone who has known me for any length of time (or has seen my house) knows that our family does not highly value non-human life. You tell me how long a plant can live without water and I’ll tell you how long it will last in my care. So it was with mixed feelings that the city made a contribution to the Kauffman Lawn Rehabilitation Project. The city recently finished installing a reclaimed water line leading to our property. While installing the line, they had to dig up one corner of our lot, between the sidewalk and the street. Technically, this is not considered part of “our” lot – at least I don’t think it does. Anyway, the city has been graciously planting sod to replace the grass that they’ve been tearing up. The only problem was that they didn’t have to tear up any grass while working on our side of the street (not much anyway). Regardless, they put down sod where they had disturbed the land. As a result, we now have a four foot square of green grass in the corner of our yard. I really didn’t think our yard looked that bad, but the new square of grass really highlights how horrible it really is – a kind of green badge of shame for the rest of our yard. Making matters worse, it really rained a lot right after they put it down. We haven’t gotten as much rain in the last nine months as we got in the last week. All of that rain means little to dirt, but a lot to fresh new sod. The new sod wouldn’t have looked better if, on the eighth day God had said, “let there be green grass at the Kauffman’s.”