Water: A "Need" for Life on Earth

As the long heat wave continues on the east coast (and elsewhere, I'm sure) walking in the forest Saturday was a dry, scrunchy world that has been July 2017. Storms continue to dump rain all around Quail but all have missed here. Dogwoods are dying, moss paths are brown and brittle; the world is parched, craving a few drops of water.  Sadly, that's all we got Saturday night and again Sunday morning as two more storms skirt here leaving 0.05" of rain each time.  But, what a difference a tenth of an inch makes. The moss is green and spongy, the air is cleaner and cool and pleasant; the desert is gone and it almost feels like a rain forest again; and with 1/10 of an inch.
The air here quickly heated up, more deluges missed to the south last night and life here is hunkering down because, a tenth of an inch is not going to do it for long but it's amazing what a little moisture will do. While I'm in a major drought the flip side of the planet Earth weather coin was taking place just 30 miles to the north and west, the Orange County fair was ended abruptly Saturday when straight line winds tossed tables and ripped down tents; "we'll be back next year" fair sponsors
said.
If you have clear skies tonight, the one day past new moon will be very low in the west, a very thin crescent, and below Mercury and Regulus, the heart of Leo.  Our natural satellite will be above the star/planet combo tomorrow night and just above bright Jupiter this Friday.
Forecasts call for cooler drier weather starting tomorrow for the Old Dominion so get out and watch the moon start another moonthly trip around our planet. When this trip is done, the August new moon will place the moon directly in front of the sun; the Great American Eclipse, when the moon's shadow will race across the US from Oregon to South Carolina. Hope you are somewhere along the shadow path as I plan to be August 21.Until then get out and realize, hot or cold, this is the best planet there is; enjoy today on Earth.

The Breyer dog in the pond; it's good being a water dog!!