Image Credit: Compilation/Jennifer Stahn

Summer is here. The sprinklers are on. The smell of barbequed meat is in the air. The playgrounds are full of kids and their watchful parents. And it’s not even June. The summer in Kamloops is heating up to be great.

My biggest worry at this point is how I’ll keep my lawn green. There are already patches of brown. The heat and lack of rain do not bode well given my typical sporadic efforts at watering.

Though I’d like to water more often, in the end, I usually water about once a week. More would be better for keeping the grass emerald green, but as it is the grass does stay green, though with a bit of brown mixed in.

Luckily, none of my immediate neighbours have pristine lawns either, though their grass tends to be greener than mine. As long as I look like I’m making an effort, they give me words of encouragement. Once in a while, one of them may even mow my lawn as well — one of them already has. I think it would be bad form to overwater the grass if it means they have to mow it even more often.

It has been interesting to see how different people in my neighbourhood have dealt with the installation of the water meters in Kamloops. On my block, it appears people are still watering the same amount as they did before the meters were installed. Everyone’s grass looks about the same as it did before: mostly green with some brown.

One block over, some homeowners have replaced all or part of their front lawns with rocks and xeriscape plants. It is clear that they have decided they want to use less water but want a landscaped yard. Some of the yards do look quite attractive, though I am not partial to rocks. It’s hard to play badminton on boulders.

There are a few houses in the neighbourhood where the lawns have been left to die. There is no evidence of watering at all. I think these might be renters, but I’m not sure. Whether owners or renters, it seems they don’t want to pay for the water to keep the grass green. That’s a shame, since the first portion of water is provided at a flat rate, no matter how much is used.

I water very sparingly, not because I want to conserve water, but truth be told because I don’t get around to it as often as I’d like. At the end of the summer, my lawn is still more green than brown, and the amount I pay is still lower than it was when I received a fixed fee bill for water. I’ve learned from personal experience that it doesn’t take that much water to keep the lawn alive.

I love the summer, and I think it’s great it’s started early. Now I just have to get out and water my lawn.

— Nancy Bepple is a recovering politician and local news junkie. She expects she will never recover from her love of the banjo.

News from © iNFOnews, 2015