Seneca is surrounded by green! To be fair, most of that is greasewood, which is almost always green. But I think it’s even MORE green – GREENER – with the infusion of fresh rainwater lately.
Interestingly, with just 1.43 inch(es?) of rain from July 22 to present (and not a whole heckuva lot before that), the U.S. Drought Monitor has downgraded us from the exceptional (worst) category of drought to just severe. (We’re in south-central San Miguel County (third county north in the far southwestern corner of Colorado) and slightly into north-central Dolores County (second county north) on the map.) That looks good on paper, but it’s still extremely dry here with cracked ground and trails of dust, and we can always use more rain.
Speaking of more rain needed, California and Oregon and other areas are experiencing exceptionally severe drought conditions, heat and unrelenting wind, and those places definitely can use some rain. So many lives have been devastated because of those intense wildfires, and we offer prayers for safety for all the residents and firefighters in harm’s way.
Spring Creek Basin Mustangs 
The rain is a blessing and the Basin will still need more moisture. Keep praying for rain.
Now a week and a day without rain, with smoke in the sky, and we are beyond ready for another drizzle!
It’s great to see Seneca again, TJ; thanks for this photo! And yes – drought fire, smoke, dust. Things are so difficult for all of us in the west. Prayers for everyone on the front lines whether farmers, ranchers, firefighters or evacuees.
Amen.
💔🙏🙏
You’re right in the middle of it. Stay safe!!
San Luis Valley, here. I have a hard time understanding how “exceptional” differs substantially from “severe”. It’s all pretty bad. We have gotten about 1/2 inch in the recent “rains.” Thankfully, the mountains have gotten more. I love “your” horses.
Agreed, re: the apparently minute differences in the level of drought categories. You guys really haven’t gotten much rain at all?! But your area is out of drought, says the U.S. Drought Monitor for Colorado?! Yeah, I don’t understand it at all. I hope you get more rain in the valley. And thank you; we think our mustangs are pretty special. 🙂
I don’t know how that drought monitor monitors, but it does say we’re out of drought… As you know, there is just a lot of politics around water… I love seeing your horses.
Martha, I agree about the Drought Monitor’s monitoring ability?! I certainly don’t WANT us to be in exceptional drought … but I find it hard to believe that after only 1.43 inches of rain, we’ve dropped two categories? Another week without rain, and it’s still *very badly and most awfully* DRY. Vehicles leave dust trails for miles – again. The ground is cracked. The rain did infuse our struggling vegetation with some growth nutrients, so I’m grateful for even that little. And yes, the neverending politics. …
🙏🙏🙏
Lots of prayers into the universe!
I took time off from ‘work’ to try to catch up on ‘news’ as of Thursday? Friday? The wildfire.org site showed 1,418 fires burning – the map was a cluster of markers, for fires, and I couldn’t filter out the overlay quickly, of lightening strikes – either –
In the western USA, stretching from the northern border all the way south – and then I managed to read about Greece and their fires – too, even though my heart hurt so much, I could hardly bear to educate myself through viewing/reading – sigh –
Read about entire towns that disappeared over night – saw a church that was nothing but a pile of charwood, and the marquees beside it, that somehow was unscathed and was updated to remind folks, “hell has arrived on earth’
I returned to ‘social media’ to try and catch up with a more compassionate heart when folks post things about “Armageddon’ having arrived….because, well, it surely looks like it in so many places, for so many folks – –
Greasewood or not – always green, but greener now?
I’m so Happy to visit here, see the horses and the green, and water, and conservation of such things continuing on – at least there, in small, incremental ways – dust clouds, fighting stallions, etc, because, – while the world in so many places, burns, in some places, exists pictures, tales, work and care, exist in the harshness of all that surrounds us (biosphere) and a reminder of, “there are places where Mother Nature reins supreme and humans work with her, instead of against her.’ 😀
Thanks so much, TamrahJo! It really made my day to read this! 🙂 Very early on when I was starting to visit the horses (how did that become so long ago?), I noticed that no matter what I was dealing with otherwise, as soon as I entered the basin and started looking for – and finding – the horses, my whole being underwent a complete shift, and everything that wasn’t right in front of me just fell away into the “doesn’t matter” category. They’ve really taught me to be in the present and to be grateful. There’s much to worry about in today’s world … but there’s also so much to love and cherish. Thanks. 🙂
You are sure doing your ‘part’ to provide virtual options for folks to engage in ‘what matters/doesn’t’ inner sorting while surfing cyber land, IMO, for sure! 😀