I say yes, you say no, OR People are Strange

While you east coasters opine away at your snow and cold (and I've mentioned this with nary a comment, maybe none, from any of you),  California is in the worst drought in recorded history.  Nope, you probably don't care one or another, but here is how it will affect you:

"The state produces 99 percent of the artichokes grown in the US, 44 percent of the asparagus, a fifth of cabbage, two-thirds of carrots, half of bell peppers, 89 percent of cauliflower, 94 percent of broccoli, and 95 percent of celery.  Leafy greens?  California's got the market cornered:  90 percent of the leaf lettuce we consume, along with and 83 percent of Romaine lettuce and 83 percent of the fresh spinach, come from the big state on the left side of the map.  Cali also cranks a third of total fresh tomatoes consumed in the U.S. - and 95 percent of the ones destined for cans and other processing purposes.

As for fruit, I get that 86 percent of lemons and a quarter of oranges come from there: its sunny climate makes it perfect for citrus, and lemons store relatively well.  Ninety percent of avocados?  Fine.  But 84 percent of peaches, 88 percent of fresh strawberries and 97 percent fresh plums (woah to the prune takers at BCO for their bones)."

Can't cut/paste, so you can look for this quote on rightsidernews.com

I will be building raised beds in my backyard this year, as I fear this will be my only source of kale, chard and lettuce this year.  << The cancer fighters!  Governor Brown has declared it an Emergency and all agriculture water will be going to permanent crops - i.e. trees.  Not only was 2013 the driest year in California's recorded weather history, January was the driest month in California recorded weather history. (Our biggest months for moisture are December and January.....precip only comes in winter.)  There is a permanent high pressure sitting over much of the West and it is directing cold air your way (cause I figure except for Mary and GG, all are sitting much further east, based on discussions here).

Gads, even John Boehner is coming to California today, to investigate.

Kam, DH was talking about the California drought last night because it affects their business. The company has blueberries growing in Bakersfield and the dry will damage the next crop if they don't get rain soon. They are getting water from the aquifer  but it is not enough. So it doesn't just affect the USA.

Was on skype talking to DGS aged 2 &3/4 and told him I would see him in June and he said 'oh good Granny you can see the snow.' I think folks will want it long gone by then.

I will admit, I was enjoying this winter, hiking in January in the woods - unheard of, ever!  I live in a ski town and it is really hurting our local economy, as well as the whole Sierra Nevada.  That's just the tip of the iceberg, so to speak.  Allyson's example multiplied my millions.  California is a fire ecosystem and as much as man has beaten that back over the last century, the average increase in temperature of 1 or 2 degrees in last decade or two has caused our fires to become bigger and more unmanageable (fuels dry out faster once spring rains done with the warmer temps).  I remember when the biggest forest fires we would have in the West would be 100,000 acres....now 300,000 acres plus is not uncommon.   Affect upon agriculture will be catastrophic.

I'm officially concerned now.  I think this could have a huge impact on the US economy, and maybe further outreaching. 

Sunny - yes, I adore our governor too, though living near the Oregon border, we get our news from Oregon rather from California, so I'm somewhat out of touch with local politics.  He's not afraid to raise taxes, I know that.  It has helped us climb out of the debt that the Enron debacle and Schwarzennegar got us into.

My gf in Oakland told me casually, one day, that Gov Brown and his wife came to her house for breakfast last year.  She rents a couple of rooms in her house and one of her roommates is politically involved.  My gf found herself cooking breakfast for the governor and his wife.

Texas has been in a multi year drought as well. The lakes are all dangerously low. It'll take a disastrous hurricane to even begin to fill them. 

These talking heads just can't put a perspective on the entire earth.  

I grew up in Md.   We had blizzards, ice storms, 3 week power outages, heavy snows, it happens. We are just getting soft.   Blizzard of 66 sticks in my head because I was old enough to enjoy it as a teen. 

jackie - we got it last night, lasting until sat.  Wake up temp was 6 below, weather report said "dangerous, 30 below wind chill" - which I can't verify, I didn't go to the street to get my paper until WELL after sun rise, but tho' bright, wow, this is COLD.  "Moisture" on inside of windowsill is ice...tee, hee....ICE!  But its warm inside, well, in the low 60's which is warm in a very small place, wearing NE "indoor" clothes ;-)

Is it Texas where I saw pictures of entire lakes drying up?

Blue, you know you are killing we gals on diets! 

Fortunately it's just a picture or it would now be gone!

Ok, you know its too cold when...........you put your pug out the door on the deck and he poops two feet from the door!    And pees on the throw rug coming in!

I don't envy you guys suffering the cold.  Believe it or not, we have red flag warnings tonite until tomorrow morning (high fire danger) above 3500' elevation.  That would include one ski area.  This is just too odd.  I was out gardening yesterday - watering my plants!!  (They should be under several feet of snow.)

Still pursuing a kitten replacement.  I've entered the world of purebreds and boy am I getting a education, fast.  Been through the ringer.  Demand far exceeds supply for the breed I want - little did I know.  In the meantime, my other cat has become the perpetual meower in her grief.  It is almost too much to take.  I may give up soon on the purebred kitten idea.

Stay warm everybody - looks like this weather is gonna last a while.  Never got above about 5 degrees here today. BRUTAL, windy, sunny, but not possible to go outside.  Thanks to the World for Hot Cocoa & marshmallow fluff

LOL - even for "winter" - this is W-A-A-A-A-A-Y not the usual for winter :-)))))))

Bren - not normal, is well, a wee bit of an understatement. Woke up to  -6, and about 25 mph winds, bright sun, and not a flake of snow has melted. MINUS SIX.  this is absurd....know it's worse in the upper midwest, still feel so awful for people dependent on propane....