Off The Beaten Path

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Georgia, United States
Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some people move our souls to dance. They awaken us to new understanding with the passing whisper of their wisdom. Some people make the sky more beautiful to gaze upon. They stay in our lives for awhile, leave footprints on our hearts, and we are never ever the same.

Sunday, September 30

A Water Ban

It is late and I should go to bed, but I decided to blog for a bit.....while I listen to Akela's music...thank you Akela for having music. I always love your selections and I really need the soothing effects of music tonight.

Today the State of Georgia put the Northern counties of Georgia on a total water ban. What this means is, we aren't allowed to water anything. For most people here that won't be much of an issue, they have nothing to water except a bit of grass, and most don't ever water their grass. But I have invested in bulbs, perennials, shrubs, lilies, bushes, trees and annuals for the last seven years. Although everything is fairly established, they can not go completely without water and be expected to live. I do not think anyone in the Water Department Office has any idea how depressed it is to me to have the one and only thing that I have as my past time and my entertainment, not to mention my sanity, ripped from my grasp. They are forcing me into being a criminal and stealing water. Not that I won't be paying for it, because I am already paying a 25% premium for using more than the 8 cubic yards that we are allowed each month.

Last night on the news at 11:00 they showed a map of the State of Georgia, and they showed the counties that would not be allowed to use water, and it was ONLY the top northern counties. What makes this especially egregious is the fact that the lower part of Georgia has been getting rain water on an ongoing basis so they really won't need to water.

Georgia sends water through the dam at lake Allatoona each day at 4:00 o'clock, for 20min they raise the river by about 14 feet and send more water over to Alabama than the whole city of Cartersville would use in a full month. The unfairness of the water ban is causing me a lot of emotional pain right now.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh Nea,

I wish I could send you some water to Georgia. We have had plenty of rain over here, more than enough. This fall has been quite wet so far.

I have to put on my raincoat and take the umbrella along every day when I go to work.

Thank you for visiting my blog and leaving a comment which I answered there.

http://olivia-kroth.blog.de.vu

Akelamalu said...

I'm so glad you enjoy my music Nea, I'm always a little apprehensive when I change my playlist in case it puts people off reading, but there's always the stop button! :)

What a shame you can't water your garden, it seems very unfair. You could always take 10 baths a day and use your bath water!

I wish I could send you some of our water - we're never short in England!

PS You have an award to collect m'dear. x

Neoma said...

hello Olivia, I too wish I could establish a pipeline from somewhere that there is lots of water......Georgia has never been a waterless state. And it isn't that we don't get rain, we do. But they are building houses here faster than you can shake a stick, without increasing any water holding tanks....no new dams and the dam we have someone in his wisdom sold off the water rights to another state. We sit in one of the rainiest states in the US, five inches a month, but can't use water from the faucet in the yard. it won't get better either, they are building a 3000 house complex near here.....and THEY can water for 30 days after they plant new grass. Grass is not an issue for me, I can let my grass go, but my costly Hydrangeas and my crepe myrtles, and my lilies I will water.....regardless.....if as you say, I have to just take a dozen baths and then take the water out in a bucket......haha

Neoma said...

Hi Akela, I always love your choice of music...it is so soothing. i don't care for anything really modern, just the old favorites, are my favorites.

Oh that was you that mentioned the 10 baths...I got confused.........well as YOU say, I can just bathe a lot and then send the water to the yard. Someone at the water company suggested using the water run off from the air conditioning. I TURNED off my air conditioning as soon as it cooled off a bit. Imagine running up your electric bill, to get a little run off for your garden. Now that
really makes sense...haha

I have been changing my blogger lately and everytime I do, I loose all of my widgets and have to start over. Wish I could figure out a way to change templates without losing my awards, and links and such........

Thank you for the award Akela, I will be over......to see.....

Neoma said...

Yes, Olivia, this is my new blog, the old one was called A Southern View, it is now nothing but spam.....the only thing that remains is the title...and the picture that I used under it.

Libby said...

oh, nea, this is SUCH a bunch of bs! i'm so sorry! you have the most beautiful flowers & gardens...i don't care if you have to collect all of your neighbors' bathwater, please!!

Catch said...

oh Nea..I would water my plants anyway....at least enough for them to survive. You have so much time invested in them and they are so beautiful....

Neoma said...

Hi LIbby, it would be like me sending my children out in traffic to play, my not watering my flowers. And it IS BS.....they aren't restricking any water use in Southern Georgia, it is just us hicks up here in the north that are being restricked. The people in Buckhead are safe, they can have their million dollar lawns.....

The problem with Georgia, if they don't get five inches of rain a month, they call it a drought. Yes it hasn't rained as much as it should, but they are still letting water over the Allatoona dam everyday. And then they say the lake is going down a foot a week, well YEh....

Neoma said...

Hi Catch, they will have to haul me off to jail before I will quit watering my flowers. I have decided......even if I have to sneak out in the middle of the night. My neighbor says, well they can tell you have been watering by your bill. I say, HOW do they know that I don't have 12 kids.....

Dr.John said...

Let us know when they jail you. The government always tries to help us by messing up our life.

Neoma said...

Hi Dr. John, I have watered once since the ban, just a bit, I am still hoping for rain, although none is in sight. Were is a good hurricane when you need one.

Are you feeling a bit better? I know what it is like to have days and days when all you can do is rest......but we gotta do what we gotta do.