Day 14: Drought

MONDAY. Everyone mentions the drought at least once a day here. It's almost religious. Weather forecasters deliver the same drone each night at six o'clock: "No rain in the forecast," and then they sigh. June marks the beginning of monsoon season in New Mexico, typically the season when most of the yearly rainfall occurs. Yet, Albuquerque and much of New Mexico (and the entire southwest) have not seen a "juicy summer" since 1999, when the second highest rainfall in Albuquerque's history was recorded. I was stunned to learn that the average summer total rainfall is around 6 inches. In Florida, it isn't unusual to see totals of 4-6 inches in a single day!

Water conservation is, obviously, of paramount importance in desert areas. Much of the city's water supply is pumped from a depth of a staggering 1800 feet. Incentives and rebates are offered to residents, and it's hard to talk about water conservation without hearing the word "xeriscaping." I have only learned about xeriscaping in the past several weeks, thanks to my exceptionally knowledgeable and environmentally-conscious friend, Maryellen.

Literally, the word xeriscaping comes from a combination of two other words: "xeri," derived from the Greek word "xeros" for dry; and "scape," meaning a kind of view or scene. While xeriscape translates to mean "dry scene," in practice xeriscaping means simply landscaping with slow-growing, drought tolerant plants to conserve water and reduce yard trimmings. A popular practice, there's even a Xeriscaping Conference held each year in Albuquerque. Xeriscaping isn't specific to New Mexico. It is practiced all over the U.S. and Canada where water is an issue.

The City of Albuquerque maintains a water conservation website that features xeriscaping information and other water saving ideas. It seems strange to think people need convincing that water conservation is critical in the desert, yet the website asks: "Why Xeriscaping?" The answer:

• Xeriscaping saves water.
• Xeriscaping saves time (de-emphasizing the use of
  bluegrass lawns and thirsty plants, which take time to maintain).
• Xeriscaping saves money.

OK, I'm convinced. Besides, native drought-resistant plants can be quite beautiful and certainly enhance the appearance of adobe homes so common in New Mexico.


I have also learned about "zero-scaping," which is not unlike xeriscaping in that it saves water, but is far less interesting, relying on rocks and single plantings of cactus or yucca. Xeriscaping can be quite lush. Zero-scaping is stark. Xeriscaping is artful, creative, a blend of diversity and texture. Zeroscaping is bland and boring. But it does save water.

My personal mission on this trip to New Mexico is to do a rain dance every evening. It probably won't work, but it will help me shed the pounds that Flying Star Cafe's decadent chocolate desserts are adding to my otherwise small frame. Their chocolate mousse cake nearly flies off the plate and applies itself directly to my posterior.

I just checked the extended forecast on weather.com, and the words "scattered thunderstorms" appear several times next week. Perhaps my gyrations are helping.