Wondering Whether Weather is Fixable

I had a lovely chat with Mom last night. We didn't fix the world, or the troublesome weather, but we made some progress in both.

We're very concerned that the tax dollars we 'little people' have to pay (google Leona Helmsley if you forgot the reference) are getting sucked out of this country and squandered in other countries faster that you can say, "Infrastructure."

Things are so broken right here in the U.S.A. Children aren't getting fed properly, health care isn't very caring, and we have cities collapsing from within. Water mains, dams, gas lines, and electrical lines are as old as me... and in even worse shape. Roads develop car-eating potholes faster than money can be found to fix them.

One of those potholes tried to eat my car just the other day. After my jarred bones settled back into their approximate places, I started wondering. "Why, if they don't fix the road, can't they at least put up a sign? Perhaps a linear drawing of a pit, with jagged, toothlike edges? And a mini-cooper falling into it?"

The weather has done a real number on everything this year, not just the roads. There's so much excess rain where Mom lives that crops and lawns have root-rot. They haven't even recovered from the last series of floods. When Mom has the arthritis in her hands checked out, she's pretty sure the Doc will find rust.

In contrast, we're in a severe drought here in California. It's so bad that people who run the water while brushing their teeth could face some pretty stiff punishment. ("What are you in for, Jim?" "Excessive brushing, with intent to rinse. My dentist ratted me out.")

Mom and I decided that it would be great to catch all that Midwestern rainwater before it hits the ground, and funnel it into gigantic tubs mounted on 18-wheelers. The whole convoy would drive out to California and fill our empty reservoirs. Perfect! 

The trouble is, how much water would still be in the tubs when they got here? By the time the trucks hit a few of those giant, car-eating potholes, probably not much.

So, it's back to the drawing board for Mom and me. Maybe we'll solve the world next week.