Drought Solutions?

I continue to be frustrated with the handling of the ongoing drought here in the Southeast. Still no outdoor watering allowed. Also no car washing or pressure washing allowed either. You are not even allowed to use grey water from your house for outside watering! So for most people it goes to waste because most are not going to collect it at this point to flush their toilets, which is what the county "suggests" you do. Meanwhile, it's been raining quite a bit this winter.

Local resevoir, today

Same resevoir last fall

I have refrained from planting anything. Or even planning my garden, my January ritual. And it is driving me crazy. Apparently this is more than one of life's small pleasures for me. I bought these pansies in a fit of rebellion the other day. And they were difficult to find. No one is selling flowers. Or seeds. The forecast is for another dry summer, and of course there is no way to know. I can't help but remember that "they "forcast a very busy hurricane season for 2006 and for 2007 (after Katrina) and it never materialized. But, we don't know, and we have to conserve or risk running out of drinking water. And, I am not the only rebellious gardner I know. People are planting, with the eternal optimism required to be this sort of person anyway, that we will get enough rain to sustain us this year. Then today in the paper I saw this:Make Your Own Rain Barrel

Woo Hoo!!!! I feel like a new woman! I'm going to try it next week-end. Or go out and buy one. Meanwhile, I'll be looking thru my seed catalogs...