I simply want to take a moment to say that — in all my years of reading the Gazette — I have never encountered a Commentary/Letters section as relevant, well-written and non ax-grinding/dead horse-kicking/ox-goring and positive as those very pages in the Aug. 10 edition.

From Jason Reese’s Commentary “Okie local” to (hopefully) the last word on the Kerns, it was superb.

I was particularly taken by the observations and concerns expressed by Ron Ferrell (Letters, “Green lawns or drinking water?”) from Jones, regarding the virtual insanity of squandering — in a time of drought — the water that sustains human life, in order to keep lawns green.

What are those people thinking?

Oh. Wait: Apparently, they aren’t. Especially those who over-water their lawns to the point at which the excess is running onto the street, into the gutter and on down to the storm drains. Of course, The Pro-Lawnist Nay-Sayers would probably claim that this is all just another part of The Great Water Cycle that they may vaguely remember from elementary school. Perhaps a teaching from about the same time as they learned not to stick metal utensils into the wall sockets from which the never-ending supply of electricity “flows like water.”

In the interests of water conservation — and wise water usage — may I suggest that two books be added to the “required reading” list at some of our Institutions of Lower/Basic Learning: The first volume of “Dune” by Frank Herbert and “Stranger in a Strange Land” by Robert Heinlein. Both of those extended stories/ parables are (almost) guaranteed to give youngsters a better appreciation of the ultimate value of H2O. And without even bringing “religious stuff” into the discussion: like the account of Jesus at the Samaritan well or biblical references to “good stewardship.”

Please be advised that no horses, oxen nor axes were harmed in the creation of this letter.

(Although style, punctuation and egos may have suffered a little.)

—John D. Carlson
The Village

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