How Bad the Drought

If someone were traveling through Texas for the first time, they would (understandably) think that Texas is just like it was shown in all the old John Ford/John Wayne films (that were actually filmed in Monument Valley) - a desert from end to end.

A few years ago, a friend of mine who had never been to Texas (and who now lives in Texas) asked me if there were trees in Texas.  "Of course," I told him.  There are mountains and huge, tall trees and green grass everywhere.  But driving out to Big Bend a couple of weeks ago, I was shocked at how many trees were dead along the way.  And not just any trees - cedar trees - one of the most pervasive, hardest trees to kill.  Dead, everywhere.  

As we drove, we saw dead deer everywhere.  We saw some live deer, too, but they were all half-starved and bony.

Even in the desert, which I had assumed would be more resistant to drought conditions, the normally vibrant and alive desert floor was brown and yellow with dead vegetation and cactus.

As I drove to Pflugerville over the weekend, I looked around at what should be grassland and saw nothing but dirt.  Cattle everywhere I looked are roaming through fields of dirt looking for and source of vegetation.

The drought is bad, my friends.  We've started watering the 100+ year-old oak trees in our yard because the leaves are starting to turn a sickly yellow.  I'm not looking forward to next month's water bill, but if we can save our trees it will be worth it.

Kristi and I took the opportunity on Monday to ride out bikes out at Lake Somerville.  We were able to walk out on a beach that hasn't been there since before the lake was created.  We walked a hundred yards out into what should've been water.  It was striking.

The drought is bad.

We've gotten some relief from the record heat, at least.  But what we need is water, and a lot of it (just hopefully not all at once).  It' been said many times before that God blessed Texas, and I believe it.  But now we need God save Texas, as well.