Everything is early this year.
For those with gardens, this has been apparent for a couple of months.
You’ve probably already planted many of the seeds and seedlings you wouldn’t normally dare to put outdoors until the long weekend in May.
Flowers, shrubs and trees have burst into bloom all at once, coming quickly, only to be quickly over.
So, too, has come the need to water your garden.
The soil is already hard as rock in some places it’s so dry.
So much for that early spring weed you hadn’t gotten to yet.
Unless you water first, it’s going to be tough to get at the roots.
The wildfire season has come upon us early as well.
The Coastal Fire Centre, of which the Cowichan Valley is a part, banned open burning at the end of last week, though it hasn’t yet banned campfires.
That, too, could be on the way a lot sooner than in previous years, so if you’ve got a camping trip planned, it’s probably a good idea to prepare yourself for cooking without flames.
The fire danger index seemed to skip moderate altogether and leap directly to high, where it now sits in many places.
In Crofton on the weekend two homes were damaged in a fire that spread in a matter of minutes. An outbuilding and an RV were destroyed in the blaze.
Everyone is understandably wary of just how fast fire can spread in these already dry summer-like conditions, after the wildfire that forced the evacuation of the entire community of Fort McMurray and surrounding smaller settlements.
Another wildfire in Alberta was prompting more evacuations near the community of Fox Creek on Sunday.
That fire grew from 60 to over 800 hectares in a matter of hours.
It’s worrying to consider what it will be like in a month or two months time. The traditionally driest months are still to come.
It’s not just us. NASA reports that last month was the hottest April on record dating back to the 19th century.
Clearly our climate is seeing changes that are going to force us to adapt.
It means we can’t take water for granted like we’re used to doing, for example.
Long showers, washing the car every weekend, and powerwashing the driveway aren’t going to be sustainable summertime regulars.
Storing more water when it’s abundant in the winter is going to become more of a priority, too.
Adaptation also includes basics like not throwing cigarette butts out the car window, or dropping them into the mulch beside the sidwalk. And put out your campfire. All of our lives are on the line.