Archive: Opinions

I know this may come as a shock to some of you, but it has been a wet spring. Since the beginning of April, it has either rained or snowed nearly every day. According to some sources, it has rained for the past 21 days in some or all parts of Tompkins County.

The exceptionally high amount of rain has wreaked havoc throughout the Finger Lakes region. Myers Park has seen the lake rise to levels rivaling the flood of 1993. As of Wednesday, the point remains completely underwater, the marina unusable, and transformed much of the park into a marsh. Local authorities have prohibited all boating on Cayuga Lake.

Area farmers have been affected by the continual rain as well. In a normal year, most of the fields would have been plowed, disked, and planted with a variety of crops. This year, fields remain untouched as excess water gathers into pools creating a patchwork of small islands. The window for planting peas, lettuce, spinach and other leafy vegetables is nearly closed. For those who enjoy sweet corn, there is still hope, but you will have to wait until mid-July to taste locally grown corn.

Apple growers are also expressing concern with the rainy season. Mold could form on the trees and blossoms adversely affecting the fruit. If there is a chance for the blossoms to bloom, the rain might keep away the honey bees. These bees are responsible for pollinating the thousands of trees throughout the region, and like most of us, bees do not work in the rain.

If anyone were foolish enough to go out into the fields with equipment, they would find themselves in quite a bind. Tractors pulling plows would churn up the rain soaked soil creating pits of mud. Equipment would get stuck up to the axle and remain stranded until the soil dried out. The damage to the fields would take years to repair as the mud would harden making the land unmanageable.

But take heart lovers of locally grown fruits and vegetables. Nature has a way of balancing things out. She has created this excess rain, so too she can solve the problem with a few days of sunny dry weather. When this occurs, we can start up our tractors, rototillers, and other garden machines and begin to plant. Until then, we need to exercise patience and restraint. Sit back, offer up a prayer, a promise or simply sing a few bars of "You are my sunshine." That just might do the trick. And that is to the point.

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