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Blog Entry 17 of 21 BeccaBlog

Hi everyone, I'm glad you found your way to the blog section. I've been asked, "What's a blog?" more than a few times since starting to talk to people about YourHub.com. Blog is simply short for Web log and you can think of it as an online journal where you can wax philosphic on subjects large or small, international or personal. Just remember if you choose to add the blog to the YourHub listings, anyone can read what you write. My blog, most likely, will just be about random thoughts and observations and hopefully will spur conversation either on local topics or local effects of wider-reaching topics. Please feel free to leave comments with your own views -- or better yet, start your own blog and write about it!

Blog Url: http://vc.yourhub.com/~RebeccaWhitnall

Rain, rain go away

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Contributed by: YourHub.com on 4/30/2007

It smells like Christmas time. For some people, that might conjure up the aroma of cookies baking or of a fresh cut pine tree.

For me, for today at least, while I sit here writing on a rainy Friday, it's that distinct waft of wet pavement, sidewalk and asphalt, that rises from the ground.
I suppose it speaks to how lucky we are weather-wise in Southern California; it rains so infrequently that this particular rain smell reminds me mostly of an event in the dead of winter.

I say lucky, though I don't particularly know why.

I suppose it can be a hassle but rain's not a bad thing. At some point, I liked rainy days full of puddle stomping or cuddling inside with a book as I listened to it peck against panes of glass.

But somewhere my feelings toward it, like so many other things as I age, have grown crotchety.

Friday morning, for example, when I awoke to the sounds of a heavy rain fall, all I could think about was my commute to the other side of the county, of the traffic delays it would cause and that if it didn't let up, how I wouldn't be able to go kayaking over the weekend.

Gone were the thoughts of how green it would make the yard, the flowers it would bring and all that, but I should be thankful. We are-according to my YourHub.com colleague Jon, the office weather guru-in the midst of the second driest year on record. And, with Friday's rain, we're still 8 inches under the average 14.6" we should have by this time of year.

Is this due to man-induced global warming? Are we in a natural long-term cycle? Maybe.

But then could someone explain to me the seven inches of wet in one day my friends in New York received with that nor'wester not long ago?

I don't pretend to know the answer where global warming's concerned but given that Saturday was Earth Day, it seems appropriate to share some water conservation tips from the folks at bewaterwise.com, a family of Southern California water agencies, including the Calleguas Municipal Water District.

Here's what they suggest to help conserve water:

*Use only as much water on your lawn as you need to. Step on your grass. If it springs back when you lift your foot, it doesn't need water. Use the watering calculator and watering index to learn just how much you should water. Saves 750 to 1,500 gallons a month.

* Fix leaky faucets, plumbing joints and your sprinkler system. Saves 20 gallons a day for every leak stopped.

* Replace a portion of your lawn with beautiful native and California Friendly plants. Saves 1,000 to 1,800 gallons a month depending on your climate.

* Run only full loads in the washing machine and dishwasher. Saves 300 to 800 gallons a month.

* Use a broom instead of a hose to clean driveways and sidewalks. Saves 150 gallons or more each time.

* Shorten your showers. Even a one- or two-minute reduction can save up to 700 gallons per month.

* Don't use the toilet as a wastebasket. Saves 400 to 600 gallons a month.

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