Why I Pray About Rain

I have a lot of opinions, especially about religion and politics, but I don't write about them here. I think my garden blog ought to be about plants and birds and dirt and compost. God does make it into my blog from time to time, because, despite all evidence to the contrary, I think that God does exist and is, at this moment, working in the world. (I have numerous suggestions for how God might run things more effectively, but for some reason, he has not yet asked my opinion. )

I am going to break my rule today and write about an event down in Atlanta, where the governor convened an interfaith public prayer for rain to alleviate the drought. I don't know a thing about the governor, don't know whether he's a statesman or a demagogue or something in between, I don't even know if he's a Republican or a Democrat. (I'm neither, and wish a pox on both their houses, but, like I said, I don't write about politics here.)

I do know about the drought, however, and I do a lot of praying, so I think I'm qualified to write on this subject. (Granted, my prayers often involve screaming at God, or praying that I can get through the day without choking the life out of some jackass who richly deserves it, but anyway...) As soon as I saw this story, I predicted three responses.

Militant atheists would criticize the governor for using a public forum to promote religion.
Militant Christians would make him a hero for the home team (at least until they realized that he invited Jewish, Muslim, and Hindu clergy to participate as well).
A lot of people would say, "Whatever," and go back to watching television.

I'd like to offer what I hope is a thoughtful Christian perspective on the whole subject of praying for rain. Thoughtful comments, whether you agree or dissent, are welcome. If you're not interested, check back tomorrow. I promise my next post will be about gardening.

The first question, of course, is whether or not God exists. That can't be proven one way or the other; there's a lot of evidence against God's existence, but there is a fair amount of evidence in favor as well. I would refer the reader to Mere Christianity by CS Lewis, Simply Christian by NT Wright, and Why Religion Matters by Huston Smith. (The first two are limited to Christianity, while Smith discusses all of the major religions.) All three writers are intelligent, well-educated, and open minded--none of this "The Bible says it, so that settles it" certainty that passes for religious discourse these days.

So assuming there is a God, why pray for rain? Is God unaware of the drought? Is God going to alter the track of a low pressure system at the behest of a Georgia governor or a Greensboro gardener?

The real problem here is a view of prayer that sees God as a cosmic butler (albeit much more capricious than any actual butler who values his job). It's not quite as simple as asking for something and, if you've been good enough or you've asked in the right way or if you follow the right religion, you get it. Prayer is not manipulating supernatural powers to do your bidding--that's magic.

I think the reason for praying is to allow God to begin the work of transforming the person doing the praying. We all need to be transformed from our self-centered, fearful, angry, arrogant, greedy selves into something different and beautiful. Prayer should begin the work of putting a person in a right relationship with both God and the world.

That's a big topic, being in a right relationship with the world, and whole books have been written on that subject. This is a blog post, not a book, and it's about rain, so let me go right to that subject.

The right way, in my view, to pray about rain, is not just asking for rain when we are in the middle of a drought, but saying a quiet "Thank you" for the rain whenever it comes and treating water (and for that matter, the whole earth) as a gift, and handling it as such. The amazing thing that happens is that you start to be more careful with water, to tread more lightly on the earth as a whole, to consider how your actions affect other people, the animals, and the plants. (Of course, one does not need to be religious to live this way. Christians have been notoriously unconcerned about environmental issues and have been put to shame on this front by people who do not profess any faith but live, as well as they can, in a right relationship with the earth. There are encouraging signs that this may be changing.)

When you are living in such a relationship with God and the created order, then of course, when a drought comes, you ask for rain and trust in God to send it as he sees fit. You pray as though everything depends on God, and you conserve as though everything depends on you.

If God does send rain in a timely manner, enough even to fill the lakes to overflowing, what do we do then? Go back to wasting water like we own the clouds? Or make permanent changes in the way we live, the way we relate to the water and the air and the land. That is the acid test of any person's religious faith: does it have the power to change that person for the better?

The Results Are In

Rainfall totals at LMAID World Headquarters came to about 4.25 inches! (Counting last Friday's rain, we got 5 inches exactly for the week.) Contrast that with 5.5 inches in the last four-plus months, and you see why we are all so excited.

The rains didn't solve the drought problem by any means. The lakes are still very low, and the winter is forecast to be dry, so it's too soon to be "dancing in the end zone." It would take 2 or 3 more storms like this one to get us where we need to be, so if you're in Greensboro and reading this, take quick showers and don't be playing in the hose! (And quit worrying about your grass!)

Speaking of grass, guess what I did today. (Hint: the ground was soft and easy to dig in.) Stay tuned for Sunday's post.

Finally!!!

Over the weekend, word leaked out from the various weather services that a great deal of rain may be heading our way. The forecast called for rain to start Wednesday, which it did...in Burlington, where I work. All day Wednesday it rained, and I daydreamed of my plants getting a good drenching, only to come home and find about one good spit's worth of water in my gauge.

I try not to get mad at God. It doesn't do any good, and I usually look foolish. But I couldn't help it. I kicked the deck rail in disgust, sending splinters flying into the yard (it's rotten, so it splinters easily) and stomped back inside, slamming the door behind me.

"Is this your idea of a sick joke?" I demanded, in a loud and angry voice that sent my cat scurrying under the sofa. "Well it's not funny. What are you doing, putting some kind of dome over Greensboro? You said ask for what you need. Well, we need rain. Not 'want.' 'Need.' And I've asked. Nicely. Several times. And so have a lot of my garden blogging friends, if for no other reason than they are tired reading my complaints about the drought. What do you want? Tell me what you want and I'll do it, JUST SEND US SOME RAIN!!!"

I was reminded of a story about the 16th century Christian mystic, Saint Teresa of Avila, who, after nearly drowning in some sort of accident, looked up at the heavens and said to God, "If this is how you treat your friends it's no wonder you have so few of them." (I think I would have liked Teresa.)

Anyway, the rains finally came last night, and have continued all day. As of 6pm, we had almost 1.5" and the forecast is for more rain tonight and tomorrow! Thanks to all of you who have sent good thoughts and prayers for rain to NC. We all appreciate it very much.

Oh, yeah, God...thank you too. Sorry about the deck rail incident.

Running Out of Water

This is...or was...Lake Townsend, which supplies Greensboro's drinking water. The city estimates that we have about 3 months of water left before we run out.
Normally, the water extends to the trees.
The car wash offers a suggestion...
This church appeals directly to the Source...What else can we do? I mean, besides prohibit country clubs from watering their golf courses, or tell people, "You get x number of gallons per month. Once you use it up, we turn off your meter until next month." But that would take leadership.

Fall Colors

The goldfinches are beginning their fall molt, when they lose the bright yellow feathers they've worn all summer, and get a new coat of muted brown.

My Autumn Blaze maple that I planted two autumns ago, is getting its fall colors too.

As are the dogwoods.

It's nice to see another color besides brown in the yard. Tomorrow will be our 30th consecutive day with no rain, and temperatures will be back in the 80s this week, 10-12 degrees higher than where they should be. I am so tired of spending every spare minute watering; I now understand people who buy condos because they don't want to deal with a yard. If Teresa would let me, I'd move downtown and do all my gardening in containers on the balcony.

Endless Summer

24 consecutive days without rain.
1 day of rain in the last 40
63 days above 90 degrees

Frustration

I know you're tired of weather stats from Greensboro, but indulge me in a little complaining on this first day of autumn, with the temperature a crisp 92 degrees...That is the 59th day this year it has been above 90. The average is 27 days.

I went back and did some checking on rainfall too.

Since June 5:

25 days with measurable rainfall--normal is 40 days
5.5 inches of rain total--normal 15.13 inches
Average amount of rain per shower--.22 inches
Days with more than a quarter inch of rain: 6

That last one is what has really ticked me off this summer. When it does rain, it is barely enough to dampen the ground, let alone soak down to the roots. I am thinking seriously about giving up my garden. Well, not really, but I am giving up anything and everything whose water needs are anything other than minimal. I don't care if my garden looks like it was planted by the Highway Department.

Here are the plants that have done well with minimal or no watering from me this summer. Expect to see a lot more of these in my garden in coming years.

Pyracantha "Mojave"
Lantana "Miss Huff"
Cherry Laurel "Otto Luyken"
Spirea "Little Princess" and "Anthony Waterer"
Forsythia
Gardenia
Butterfly Bush
Nandina
Crape Myrtle

Things I might try more of:
Viburnum
Burning Bush
Emerald Arborvitae

Biggest Disappointment:
Japanese Holly "Soft Touch" These are supposed to be indestructible, but every one of my new plantings has either:

a) died
b) almost died and now is cut back to miniscule proportions
c) got lots of brown stems
d) got burned leaves

They are supposed to like full sun; I planted them in good soil and, as we say in NC "liked to busted my @$$ keeping the &^$# things watered all summer."
Has anybody else had experience with these, for good or ill?

As for perennials, call me Daylily Man. Or Yarrow Man. Or maybe Butterfly Weed Man. Or maybe I'll just let the Virginia Creeper take over and grow wherever it wants.

Can you tell I'm in a bad mood? All I've got to say is this: if the temperature is going to be 15 degrees above normal every freakin' day this summer, I had better not see the first bit of ice or frost all winter. In fact, I'd better be going down the waterslide on Christmas Day and lathering on sunscreen in February...

And if that's not enough, the Tar Heels football team is so abysmal, we're already counting the days until basketball season. Forty-one, in case you're wondering.

Good Riddance to Summer

In two weeks, according to the calendar, the Summer of 2007 will be over. I will not be sorry. This has been the hottest, driest summer that anyone can remember. What little rain that has fallen has come in quarter-inch showers, two and three weeks apart, separated by day after day of scorching, oppressive heat that saps the vitality of the land, the plants, the animals, and the people.

Every day, I consult the long-range forecast on Accuweather. For nearly a month now, the false prophets of the weather world have promised cooler temperatures "next week," but "next week" never comes. The "normal" temperatures for any given day are laughable: 87 is the normal August high for Greensboro; almost every day in August was between 97 and 102. The "normal for today, September 9, is 81. I think it was 94 today. This has gone on day after day after day for more than a month.

I feel like I'm living in some suburban version of a Dust Bowl novel. The whole landscape is dry and brown and crackly, dessicated and dead-looking. The few green plants left alive are wilted. I water them, and they perk up, but the next day brings nine hours of merciless sun and heat, and by the time I get home, the life has again been sucked out of them, and of me.

Every decade, it seems, has its own defining weather event. In the 1970s, in South Carolina, it was the Big Snow of 1973 which dropped 18 inches on the state (with absolutely no warning) and flattened a large tobacco warehouse in my hometown. In 1989, Hurricane Hugo cut a huge swath of destruction from Charleston to Boone. In the Blizzard of 93, ACC fans plowed through a foot of snow to get to the ACC Basketball Tournament in Charlotte. Images of all of these are seared in my mind as clearly as in any photo album. The summer of 2007 may be the defining event of this decade, but in a different way. It is not sudden or dramatic like a hurricane or snowstorm; there is no excitement of sledding down hills or walking through knee-deep water in the street, just a slow wilting of hope. This is what I will remember from this summer.

A woefully inadequate weapon.



















Our 21 year old air conditioner. If it dies tomorrow, it has earned our gratitude by bravely soldiering on through this most hellish of summers.













That's all I feel like doing too, Andy.

Cool Cat

How hot is it? So hot that Andy let me pour water on his back to cool him off.

Specifically, it is 100 degrees at LMAID World Headquarters.

Hot Weather Makes Me Ill

Tuesday's High: 99
Wednesday's High: 101
Thursday's High: 102

Rain Since June 1st: 2.5"

(Linguistic Note for Non-Southerners: In common parlance down here, "ill" is synonymous with "cranky, irritated, and generally pissed off." It is pronounced with two syllables. A person in this state should not be trifled with.)

Every day that I arrive home before dark, I walk around each of my flowerbeds to see how things are doing. On Tuesday, the rose looked fine. Today, I go out and find every leaf brown and brittle. This is a rose that has thrived on neglect for years in the hottest part of the yard. Was this week just the final straw?

Weather like this makes me wonder why I even bother. I come home and find my plants dead or dying because I lack both the time and the money to soak them with water every day. Then I spend what few hours I have between work and bedtime standing out in the jungle heat, holding a hose and getting bitten by mosquitoes that are probably carrying West Nile virus, just so I can keep my few remaining plants that look like this...

from dying.

Maybe I ought to just give up gardening, cocoon myself in air-conditioned comfort, lie on the sofa eating Chee-Tos and watching stupid television shows like the rest of America, never setting foot outside except to go from house to car to Wal-Mart. A lot of people seem perfectly happy doing that.

But no, I'm that idiot with the watering can, trying to coax plants back to life, promising them, swearing to them that if they can just hang on a bit longer, a cloud will appear in the sky and their roots will again know the taste of rain. They no longer believe me.

Rain!!!

You visit the earth and water it,
You greatly enrich it...
You water its furrows abundantly, settling its ridges,
softening it with showers,
and blessing its growth.
Psalm 65: 9-10

I woke up this morning to the sound of raindrops. All day the rain fell, 1.25 inches worth. It was a soft rain and the air was cool, so I worked outside all afternoon, getting soaked and muddy, pulling weeds, expanding the back border, and setting out some beebalm, cannas, Siberian and bearded iris, daffodils, heuchera, and daylilies.

You know you've had a good day in the garden when your jeans must be hosed off before they can even go in the washing machine...

Blooms in the NC Desert

It is DRY, people!!! It's so dry the weeds (the ones in the lawn, that is) are dying. The weeds in my flowerbeds, however, have their thirsts quenched regularly and are growing like mad.

It seems like it used to rain when I was a kid. I remember the smell of rain, the rumble of thunder, lightning popping, and thick, heavy raindrops pelting my back as I pedaled hard to get home before the heavens opened up. I remember ditches full of water, and tadpoles. Now, it seems like every summer we go weeks and weeks without even the hope of rain.

As long as the city will permit me, I keep my flowerbeds watered. (Pretty soon, I guess I'll be saving bath water and hauling it out in buckets...) Fortunately, most of my plants are fairly drought tolerant; mostly I'm just trying to keep the new plantings alive.

My summer flowers are starting to bloom, including:

Lilies

Coneflower ("Rocky Top???")

More lilies

Beardtongue