We're in a Serious Drought!

52 is the number of days officials in Durham, NC say is left before we run out of "easily accessible premium water." This was the information I read in my morning newspaper.

I knew we were having some drought issues but I didn't realize we are really down to the wire now! We've had some sporadic periods of rain but NOTHING in comparison to the torrential downpours other parts of the country has seen. As a matter of fact, I don't think we've had a decent amount of rain in over a year.

Our primary source of water comes from Lake Michie. When I drove past the lake a couple of months ago, it looked more like a dried up swamp but I guess it just didn't register with me. City officials say they have a temporary solution which is to connection 500 million gallons in the quarry to its main water supply. They estimate that would add another 25 days to the overall supply.

I guess that means I'll have to stop watering my well-kept lawn and washing my brand new car. I guess I could put laundry aside for a week instead of washing every other day and there's no reason to run the dishwater when I can wash by hand once a week. If push comes to shove, I may only "flush" twice a day instead of the current 20 flushes.

But.....giving up the 45 minute shower may cause this "baby boomer in menopause" to have to go to jail on principle.