I know… it could be worse. I heard from blogger friend “B” in GB that it was even hotter than here in the Low Lands. I wish I could send him some cooler weather so he can get out and photograph more beautiful butterflies!
Yes, it is the hottest, driest summer I have ever experienced in The Netherlands. We were off to pick up some bargain fencing for our garden when I realized on our drive how bad things really are here with the drought.
Starting to drive over the Waal (it is called the Rijn River in Germany) The river normally is at the level of where all the sand is to the left of the photo. Hummmm….the river was very low! I read this morning near the border with Germany it is only 50cm in places making it nearly impossible for cargo ship traffic. The dry grass along the roadway and railways are so brown in places you can see where small fires had started and burned along the way.
The Lek was the other river we crossed over yesterday, it also was so low that the locks that lead from a smaller river into the Lek were open completely as the water levels were the same. Not something that we normally see here.
Hard to see that this river is very low but normally it is a lock where boats wait until the water level is lowered or raised to get from the Lek into this river.
Hummmm… when are we getting rain for my garden?
Hot and dry! Hauling water every day from a canal water holding tank on the other side of the garden is not what I would call fun. Luckily my Minnesota farming roots provided me with tons of water bucket experience.
We finally got (only in the very West of the country) rain yesterday. About 2 cm or just under a inch. Not enough to not have to haul more water to fill the barrels this morning but enough that I don’t have to water plants today.
Hummm… I have finally insects in the garden.
This bee was found on my marigold on the hottest day of the year. I am happy I was able to provide a nice stopping place.Hummm… all I could think of when I saw this was one of Queen’s song, Fat Bottom Girls. But, I guess wishing everyone a nice vacation when they had to work was nice.Hummm… I was worried that the Hubby was going to run off the road! There was a theme yesterday! Then I wondered silently why there were only women representing…hummm…a bit unfair! Then we passed a truck with a man in a shower! Sorry, no picture on that but I did laugh!
With all the things we have on our plate recently from the drought, heat, water shortages, high gas prices, higher food prices, Ukraine/Russian war, possible nuclear holocaust if either side gets really stupid, we were hit with a totally new one yesterday…wait for it… solar flares! Yup, we were given 12 hours notice that solar flares could disrupt our electric grid, cell phone service, gps navigation systems! But, not to worry, don’t panic, the government has it all under control!!!
Which both the Hubby and I looked at each other and started laughing so hard I started to cry! Really?!
It is enough to make all the therapists in this country rich from all the new patients they will have streaming in their doors.
So if you don’t hear from us for awhile…maybe we got zapped with gamma rays from the solar flares…
With the COP26 starting yesterday in Glasgow, Scotland I think each of us that write about nature and our passions with it owe our readers how climate change is effecting our world.
WE SEE IT!
A Minnesota conifer suffering from the summer drought conditions.
What will the next generations see?
Will they be able to enjoy the natural world, the healing properties of being outside, the variety of flora and fauna that currently exists?
Will the next generations only be able to read blogs like mine and others about how the natural world was before the great climate disaster?
Brown grass in this normally lush marsh area in Carlton County
I hope there is still time to stop the fast changes we are seeing and experiencing. We have made it a personal project here at The Cedar Journal to reduce our footprint. A difficult task since Hubby works and earns his living from the airlines.
How can we do better?
We struggle each day to limit our plastic consumption (mainly because I hate seeing the crap floating in our waters around the world!).
What more can we as individuals do to improve our own individual surroundings to help limit the bigger global climate changes?
This question I ask each of my readers to consider and make changes where you can.
We (the Hubby and I) came to the conclusion that governments and big business must be part of the answer! Consumers can do only so much. Large companies must find a profitable way to stop or limit the production of goods from fossil fuels.
I thought about climate this fall during my trip to Minnesota more than I ever have before. The signs of the Minnesota summer drought were everywhere. Dry grass, tree tops that were brown, rivers that were dry rock beds with puddles that trapped fish and lacked the flow that provides oxygen to those fish. Yes, dead fish floating in those puddles.
A local field that was very dry.
When I was on my last paddle of my vacation in the Portage River, one of the inlet rivers that feeds the Moosehead Lake at Moose Lake, Minnesota, I witnessed drought damage to conifer trees. Needles brown.
The Moosehorn River system around Moose Lake, Minnesota
A friend (Kate) and I had decided to enjoy the last day on the water before my flight back to The Netherlands.
It was cool and windy but it wasn’t going to stop us from enjoying what little time we had left before I flew out of Duluth.
Kate is one of my oldest friends. She purchased my old Happy 4th blue 8 foot Otter kayak from me when I upgraded several years ago. I provided me many years of service and now recycled to a new owner, it has had many hours of enjoyment to Kate. This was the first time would kayak together. It made me happy seeing my two old friends (Kate and The Happy 4th) on the water paddling with me and my newer kayak.
Paddling on the Moosehead Lake. Kate is paddling my former kayak, The Happy 4th.
We arrived at the Moose Lake boat launch and unloaded out kayaks. I mentally noted how nice it was to have help getting my 12 foot kayak down to the water. Mostly it is a challenge and each year that passes I find it more so. Since it has been two years since my Minnesota kayak has floated on the water I felt it also got heavier from being in storage… Is that possible?
We slid into the water and paddled across the slightly choppy lake to the Moose Horn River inlet. This is the river that feeds the Moosehead Lake from the North passing through Big Hanging Horn Lake on its journey towards the Kettle River and then into the St Croix River.
The inlet of the Moose Horn River.
The inlet into the Moose Horn River was weedy and low but to our surprise there were hundreds of migrating geese hiding and feeding in the shallows. The water exploded with the flight of birds. Kate was able to capture the shot as they lifted off the water in a noisy fury. Two kayakers was two, too many, for these geese!
Migratory Canada geese taking off.
We paddled our way towards the Portage River inlet. This is one part of the Moosehead Lake I have never explored. New to Kate too. The wide inlet seemed still as glass as we paddled, protected from the wind blowing across the Moosehead, we now floated more than paddled along our route.
Kate capturing nature from her kayak on the Portage River.
I always like floating or paddling on these sort of river routes. Most are rarely paddled and feel remote. The Portage River has this feel although we could hear the constant I35 traffic that speeds North and South, less than a mile away as we paddled.
Slowly paddling the Portage River.
As we paddled we took notice of the world along the river shoreline. A house here and there, a sawmill that neither of us knew about. Then a curve in the river, brought again isolation and natural surroundings.
Another curve brought a surprise beaver dam that extended the width of the river. I slowly paddled up to check out if we could just paddle over the top and continue up river. I suggested we not attempt. We turned our boats back the way we came.
As I checked out the beaver dam across the Portage River, Kate captured a picture of me in my kayak.
My hope is that these special moments can continue to be shared with friends and family without the fear of extreme climate changes. That the generations that come after us will also find moments to share with friends in nature.
These moments are rare, when old friends can share a common experience. This was a priceless moment spent on a Northern Minnesota waterway.
The moment is now world leaders, big corporations, mining of fossil fuel companies, what future will you give humanity?
I have to face it, I do not like it when people talk trash about me. Â In the past, I have been called crazy, selfish, witch, and many other very un-flattering things. Â Some of those did have the effect intended and pissed me off.
So now it is my turn to talk trash about some of my fellow humans.
The Cedar Journal 