Sprinkler Paradox

Today the two ministers of my church, Rev. Jeanne Pupke and Auspicious Jots (otherwise known as Rev. Alane C. Miles) gave a water service today. Rev. Miles mentioned that when she usually goes to Texas, she usually finds brown grass and easily available swimming pools. But this year, with Texas' rain and floods, the grass was all green. She really found it surprising to find a lush green Dallas. But the swimming pools could not be used because they kept closing them due to thunder. She also mentioned that you could hear the sound of sprinklers all over the place; that is, tsh, tsh, tsh, tsh… . But not this year.

I have had to use a sprinkler this summer in the Richmond, Virginia, area. There was no rain for a while and the counties were imposing all sorts of restrictions, such as even-odd sprinkling. These were voluntary, but they were threatening to make it mandatory. Then came a 6-inch deluge. It is the most I have ever seen from a storm here, exceeding Fran, Isabel, and Gaston. Three other storms came here and dumped their rain and lightninged and thundered all over the place. So now I don't need the sprinkler. I do need it now, however, because another drought threatens, and I have newly planted grass.

Which brings me to this point. I threatened to use the sprinkler after the 6-inch storm, because the drought had ended. But I didn't use it then. I didn't need to. Not with 6 inches in the ground. Earlier, I did really need to sprinkle, since we were not getting much rain. But the county said I could water only on certain days.

Which brings me to this principle, which I call the Sprinkler Paradox:

When you can use the sprinkler, you do not need to, because there is enough rain. But when no rain comes, and you really need the sprinkler, that's when the local governments tell you that you can't.

I am not sure how to get out of this paradox, but it confronts every homeowner who has a lawn to keep up.