A quick road trip this past weekend to Kerrville, San Antonio and Port Aransas to visit relatives reminded me again, how vast this state of ours is. And how much we need to pay attention to our water use. We chose the leisurely route - US 281.  Green fields quickly turned to brown as we headed south. The Kerrville-San Antonio area is in the middle of a historic drought. Temperatures have been brutally hot, with July temperatures being on track to set records. Average rainfall for Kerrville is 34 inches. Last year they had 13.66 and only 8 inches so far this year. In San Antonio, they can only water once a week between 3-8am or 8-10 pm and no watering on weekends.

Low-water use plants - native and well adapted - have become a necessity. Smart gardeners are replacing their large yards of turf with natural plantings. These yards look like they belong in this area. They are so much more pleasing to the eye.

It is also quite dry in the Port Aransas area. At least they can go enjoy the water on the beach.