BLESSINGS THAT BITE

Know what I hate? I hate it when it's so freakin' hot out that you can't even stand to open a window in the wee hours of the morn, before the sun comes up. That's what I hate! And that's what Texas is usually like, at least four months out of the year. Crikey!

We've been really blessed this year, with the coolest early summer in years, and much more rain than usual, as well. Just got another inch, in fact, along with that lightening storm that jolted us out of bed the other night. Can't believe we're heading into August with a full rain tank! Imagine my surprise, then, when I read in the paper this week that all of this rain has only IN-creased our chances of wildfires later this summer and fall!

Unfortunately, this rain hasn't nearly made up for years of drought and overdevelopment, so our lakes and aquifers are still way low. What it did do is give all of the native grasses an extra growth spurt late in the season, making them much taller and more lush than usual. Now that real summer has finally set in, it won't be long before most of Texas will be under serious water restrictions, and once all those lush grasses become dry and parched? Well, that leaves all the more combustible tender to help a wildfire spread quickly.

Who would a' thunk?