I am enjoying a long luxurious shower when it occurs to me that I haven’t showered like this in ages unless I am vacationing someplace wet. I hurriedly finish up.

I am visiting a friend who has been ill with covid. Despite her long recovery she still has multiple loaves of fresh baked zucchini bread for her guests. We wander out to see the zucchini growing and her garden is exquisite and abundant, with flowering bushes towering over my head. We collect flowers for wreaths, everyone is wearing flowers.

I begin to wonder how they have the water to maintain this garden, I think I have not seen flowers in such abundance that we can wear them in ages, and I compare it to my own parched land. I am not sure if I should be happy for my friend – this generous, giving person – that she has water, or angry that she is using so much when I cannot.

I am walking holding my daughter close when I come upon an old friend who long ago moved away. She tells me she has moved back for the summers but will still be wintering in Florida because she does not like the winters here in Northern CA. Confused, I say, “but you know it never rains here anymore?”