’tis the season’, is short for “this is the season” and it is often used around Christmas time to inform people that this is the season to celebrate and rejoice and also spread the Christmas cheer. ’tis the season’ is also the title of a children’s book by Ann M. Martin. For more information, check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%27Tis_the_Season .

If it is so dry, then why are you planting tomatos, squash, and peppers? This is faith that it won’t be so dry forever. Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things unseen. Without faith, life is impossible.

When I was in Albuquerque in the late sixties, I didn’t even realize that tomatoes, squash, and peppers would even grow in such a dry climate. Then, I found out that many of my friends on the base were growing these and other veggies very successfully in their backyards, even though they did have to water them incessantly. Also, we planted a double row of beautiful popular trees which lined the driveway into to goat farm, and they grew rapidly to become beautiful trees, which really stood out in the high desert because they were about the only ones around for miles. That’s the key there! They were the only ones around for miles. Today, I’ve noticed on Google that they are no longer there except for a few dried stems. Obviously, popular trees were not native to the high desert of New Mexico. The moral is that only those plants that are native to the climate should be grown. It was nice to have lived on a base for four years that had beautiful, green grass, but I quickly noticed that the Air Force had to water that grass just about every morning most of the year around for it to remain beautifully green. Is this sustainable? Evidently not! If one chooses to live in the desert, then let one survive with desert practicalities.

It is probably possible to build a grandiose water pipeline from the eastern section of the country as well as the western section and have them meet in the manner that the continental railroad met at Promontory Point, Utah in the late 19th century along with desalinization plants on both coast and nuclear power stations along the route to provide the power to lift the vast quantity of water. The big question is would it be worth the effort and the expense to completely change the climate in such a radical way? It will require the entire engineering output of MIT for half a century just to write the environmental impact statement. The EPA would surely require a environmental impact statement for such a grandiose project rather it is done by public or private funds.

In retrospect, it is sad to learn that so much of that greenery that I enjoyed on Kirtland AFB, the former Sandia Base, the former Monzano Base, Hyder Park and other city parks in southeast Albuquerque as well as downtown along the river rapidly disappear. It may be a question of sustainablility. I use to wonder how the environment of the high desert could support a population of 300,000 people. Now, I am really wondering whether or not a population of over one million and growing is sustainable on the high desert, especially in an American culture where vast quantities of pure water have become so important.

I came to love Albuquerque, but something has to give. As President Obama has said, change is inevitable. Either a limit must be placed on the population growth, or grandiose water projects must be dreamed, planned, built, and implemented. Louisiana just ain’t going to like the Southwest taking their water. It may render extinct a snail darter or two. Nevada ain’t going to like taking in all the nuclear waster from the power generating plants required to lift it onto the high desert. I hope the engineers and politicians can be found with sufficient guts to make the necessary plans, to dream the right dreams, and to get the job done.