A Day in a Life with the Sierra Drought

 By Cal Orey

I remember Tahoe snow...

UPDATE: Here comes the rain/snow!

Living at Lake Tahoe during the winter and experiencing a severe drought is eerie. But today was super strange. The sun was out early...but the temp was cold. The wind chill colder. In the afternoon the sky turned gray and I sensed a snowstorm was in the works. How in the world did the weathermen miss it? (I didn't. On Oct. 19 I posted on this blog that snow would come late Jan./Feb.)  And there is still time while Texas up to Maine are getting white powder and we are seeing dry ground. Odd.  I will envision precip...and perhaps make ice cream snowballs to toy with fate and hopefully put the drought on the back burner, so to speak...

Envisioning rain, snow for the West Coast...

Sure, we didn't even get an inch at lake level but it was fun to see the clouds, flurries, and well, it's all we got, man. No black ice either. Is this it? Maybe not. I will forecast (again) something significant in February. Probably 50-50 we will get a significant snowstorm. Usually we get dumped on during the Dog Show...that is bliss. During this time in the previous years I'd be shoveling snow  y the hour and bringing in firewood; peeking at the fence throughout the night to see inches of snow rising. Now, I'm eagerly waiting for the pool to reopen next week. Craving swimming so much the way my Aussie needs his walkies.

So here I sit, trying to chill and finding myself somewhere in between work and vacation. Well, there is a nice fire crackling in front of me. (I did it all by myself.) Two dogs are walked and sleeping. And the kitty is behind me. Enjoyed making Stuffed Peppers and will most likely hit the kitchen tomorrow: Strawberry Scones or Coconut Nut Muffins or maybe another vegetarian dish.

Hope Aussies or Brittanys win Dog Show  this year.

The above words were written last night. I love my Aussie waking me up at 5:30 AM to do his business and eat. Not. But he did allow me to go back to slumberland for one hour. Nice. He's going through a phase at night where he (I think this dog is approaching 50 lbs.) plops his body on top of mine for about an hour. Then, he jumps off the bed and goes to his large "man cave" next to bed. 

Fluffy slippers are part of "me" time

So, feeling in rest and relaxation mode. Warning: Once you get into the zone it's hard to leave it. 

Today? Treadmill with pup; fire all day/night; spring cleaning; and, I suppose, I will answer the phone for the "psychic" networks. I truly want to bathe the Aussie but he loathes the hair dryer. I suppose I can towel dry him, turn up the heat, and let him dry lying by the fire. Maybe a good brushing will do the trick until it's a bit warmer outside. Yep, still in chilling mode.