The Egret Has Landed

...although it may have realized it was lost when it landed in a cactus garden. It does give height to a rather flat spot, it casts a nice shadow and it's metal...all of which make it a suitable for a garden full of quirky birds, metal and real!

After a weekend of springlike temperatures, a strong wind is blowing the clouds back in and the temperatures are expected to drop to unseasonable lows. We are even being warned of possible snowflakes in the valleys!

I have been thinking about climate change, the rise of disastrous fires, floods, cyclones hurricanes and freezing weather. I'm not sure if we can attribute earthquakes to climate change, but they have to be considered in the mix because they are certainly disasters of great magnitude. Having become something of a veteran of wildfires, it is my observation that nobody can really be prepared for disasters of such magnitude. 

When Dana was a baby I quickly became a firm believer that it was impossible to 'baby proof' a house. We could do all the obvious things, but she would always find a way to get into mischief. Climbing up a neighbor's bookcase and bringing the whole thing over on herself, and crawling into the back yard and eating mushrooms of unknowwn provenance in the lawn come to mind...

I think the same thing is true of natural disasters. We can be prepared to the extent of our knowledge, but sometimes we just have to live through a disaster of greater magnitude than we have ever experienced to know how to prepare for the next one....And live in a place that has the resources and the time to put the right 'fixes' in place. There are so many aspects of climate change and extreme weather that are completely out of our control that sometimes all we can do is respond to what has already happened in order to develop and execute the right protections.
And a lot still depends on luck. 

My heart goes out to the victims and survivors of the earthquakes of Syria and Turkey and the catastrophic storms and flooding in New Zealand. I hope that they can learn from what has happened and have the resources not only to recover but to rebuild. It won't be quick or easy and it won't be cheap, but it is always possible. Especially if we can find ways to come together and share knowledge and resources. 

We know that climate change is upon us and what it is capable of. If only we can find the will to cooperate...