Is it a solid? Is it a liquid? Easy for you to say, but even some of the most brilliant minds on our planet don’t seem to be sure. It changes.
Water can be a liquid, a solid, or a gas. It’s amazing. When it is put into an open container or on a non-porous surface it evaporates, changing from a liquid to a gas. Water takes so many forms Water vapour droplets are often too small to be seen with our eyes. A perfect example is a sneeze or a cough. |
Refreshing drinks in summer are made with water. For an added touch of cool, water magically turns into ice. In winter we find all manner of sports and fun with it, in the same solid water.
Water evaporates from bodies of water as well as from lakes, puddles, spills, plants and animals. Everything in our world cannot survive without it.
Our treated water is originally sourced from our surrounding lakes. But right now they are drying up rapidly. In our particular area giant siphons are now employed to keep us supplied.
Under what was our normal until this year, the dormant saffron corms would have received their first welcome rain from the beginning of September. After that, there’d be a wondrous perfumed delight every morning, as I carefully collected hundreds of blooms.
This year there’s sparse growth. I doubt there will be much of a harvest.
In our area, we have different levels of dryness signposted, each of which demands different behaviours from us.
Level 1 - you can water outside from 7-9 a.m. and p.m. too
Level 2 - watering outside once per day.
Level 3 - no outdoor sprinkling
Level 4 - ban on all outdoor use.
And at present, we’ve just gone into Level 5! Never knew there was such a thing here!
This is harsh.
We are forbidden to use any municipal water outside. Urged to cut our water usage inside, in any way we can. There’s a raft of possibilities to help us with this!
One of the most helpful things is to collect water from your shower (very quick shower, of course.) Obviously collect water from cooking for your plants. Make sure it’s cooled before you use it though, otherwise, it will mean more rapid death for them.
Full loads when you run your clothes washing machines or dishwasher.
We won’t go into flushing your toilets at this time. Some things are better left unwritten. But it is good to have low-flush toilets. If you have the older ones try putting a brick into the cistern, so it doesn’t use as much of the precious water.
We grew up thinking water would always be there for us. Present times in many places on the globe help us to understand we all need to appreciate it and conserve it as if our lives depend on it.
Actually, they do.