Do you remember Spahn and Sain and Pray for Rain from my earlier writing?

That was a story about baseball, rain … and yes, prayer. Many of us around the western United States have been praying for rain and doing what we can to conserve what little water we have received in recent years.

As I write this on Friday evening, the parched west has received some welcome precipitation in recent days. Thank God! But, what we have received thus far is but a drop in the bucket of what we need. Since we last discussed Spahn and Sain, Governor Jerry Brown has proclaimed California officially in a state of drought, asking all California residents to decrease their water usage by at least 20%, and President Barack Obama has scheduled himself to be in Fresno, CA on Friday, February 14th to discuss and learn more about our states historic drought.

Let me share some current updates from around California:

Current yearly rainfall totals as of February 7, 2014

Los Angeles - 1.27 inches YTD (Normal – 7.47 inches)
San Luis Obispo – 1.69 inches YTD (Normal – 13.33 inches)
Fresno – 2.16 inches YTD (Normal – 6.37 inches)
San Francisco – 3.27 inches YTD (Normal – 12.81 inches)

And these totals are after the first round of storms!

Though we have had a little moisture, reservoirs and ground water tables have not noticeably risen and the storms that came and delivered rain were a warm “Pineapple Express”, leaving much smaller snowpack than had been hoped for.

As I think about the rainfall, it reminds me of the economic crisis of a few years back. That particular crisis in many ways changed some people’s habits for the better. People started experimenting with growing their own food – fruits, herbs and vegetables – both for economic and health reasons. Even though the economy is improving and many have more cash flow, the habits, for some, of growing their own food, has stuck.

I guess that is the hope that we all can cling to with this water crisis that we are currently enduring. A hope that new and better habits will take hold, whether the rains continue or not.