Adios, Winter. Hello, Water Conservation.

I could count with one finger the number of times snow fell on the valley this winter. One.

When in a normal year, we we would get an entire season of freezing to sub-freezing weather, days of snow, waking up to a couple feet of snow, this season, all we got is a lonely one. One.

It's a sad reality and I certainly hope this isn't the new normal. Especially in a valley dependent on snowpack for water supply, a four year drought is terrifying. California has already mandated a 25% cut in water consumption. Although we have only had a 10% cut imposed (rather gently) by the water company, I feel we should do more to conserve.

A few practical things we're going to try to do this spring/summer:

• Rip out the grass in our backyard. It's a useless patch and it's the hardest thing to maintain. We can barely keep it alive despite watering it like there's no tomorrow. In its place we're dreaming of converting it into a lounge area with composite flooring. More seating space for backyard parties!

• While we wait for the shower to spit out hot water, we're going to start collecting that water with a bucket which will we'll use to water outdoor plants.

• We collect the rinsewater from washing produce in a watering can to use for watering indoor plants.

• We fill up the dishwasher to the brim before running it. Same goes for the washing machine.

Adios, winter. We miss you and we certainly hope you'll make a ferocious comeback in 2015.

#adventure #renotahoe