I also live in Central Coast CA and brown is the color of summer here.

My dad used to say we were always water rationed because the folks in Southern California had to water their sidewalks and fill their swimming pools.

I wouldn't go that far however, we are allowed to water outdoors 2 days a week. Odd number addresses Sat and Wed before 9am or after 5pm, even number Sun and Thursday.

I feel bad that I've been living in my own little world, not understanding what kind of heat and drought other folks are facing. I feel very, very, lucky to have green lawns, trees, and gardens.

And so far this year, only one day over one hundred degrees. (Although that is supposed to be changing this week.) We've had a weird weather year here. I'm the one that had snow covering my tulips at the end of April http://debzpicaday.blogspot.com/2011...58-of-365.html

I hope all that need rain get it soon, and those who need relief from the heat get it as well!

Here is another little gem of stupidity in the San Antonio area. Each housing development has a "Home Owner's Association" with strict guidelines to follow or the home owner will be fined! I can imagine, not being inside the city limits, that the front yard has to be neatly cared for and the grass cannot be replaced with anything like a native plant garden or just rocks and cactus. To maintain the lawn so that it can survive until next spring, there has to be some sort of watering - probably hand held with a hose. I would not think that a whole new yard of grass comes cheaply these days. As a matter of fact, a new industry has sprung up where you can hire someone to stand out with a hose and water your yard!
The "H O A" is so strict with the home owners that last year, they made a man take down his flagpole with the U.S. flag because it is NOT in the "H O A" guidelines to have a flagpole in the front yard. ?? Whose house is it anyways? Another was sited for painting his garage door the "wrong color"! This was all on the local news.

We live in an arid area in the mountains, and watering a lawn is just not something that happens here, Everyone has native plants and grasses in their yard and they are brown from late spring when the rains stop, until fall when the rains start again. I have learned to live with it, but do crave just a small area of grass to walk in in my bare feet.

We also have brown grass, but wonderful green weeds. We finally got about 2" of rain yesterday. It had not rained for over a month, so we needed same desperately. The soil was soft enough that we could get into the flower beds and work today. We only lasted two hours as the temps raised to over 80 in a very short time. And then tomorrow . . .

We are in our 35th day of 100º+ temps, and no rain. Our grass has crunched when you walk on it for several months now.

My lawn is a nice lush green, only because we have had rain. In fact yesterday afternoon we got 2 1/4 inches of rain in about 45 minutes. My husband has yet to use the sprinkler on the lawn as the rain seems to come at the right time.

Here in Northwest Texas we have broken many high temp records. Today is our 64th day of temps over 100
Our grass is brown because it hasn't rain in several months and we are using water to try to keep our trees alive. We are currently on water restrictions and it may get worse before it gets better. We pray every day for rain.

My "lawn" is various shades of green and brown. I can't grow grass for anything, no matter what the weather! LOL I gave up trying a long time ago. I mow whenever there is enough to mow. I'm pretty good at growing perennials, though and I water them daily with the water I drain from the dehumidifier in the basement. In this hot, humid weather, I empty that thing twice a day and it has a 2 gallon capacity.

In AZ everything would be dead and dried out if it wasn't for watering and we have to water at least three days a week to just keep things barely alive. We have had an extremely dry summer the last two years and everything dries out within 48 hrs. I have to water by hand and it's very tiring and takes too much time away from the sewing room.