There’s an old saying – “Be careful what you ask for”. To an extent, I think that could be true of the weather recently. All of us are prone to complaining about the lack of moisture in our region on an ongoing basis. During the time that our new building was under construction, the overall lack of wet weather (both through a lot of the summer of 2017 and the winter last year) helped keep construction on time by preventing weather delays. Since late this summer, we have been blessed with abundant rainfall – much more than normal for this time of year. Fortunately, the timing of these rains was such that it didn’t interfere greatly with building progress.
As the late summer and early fall have progressed with continued rainfall, one result has been that our “cover grass” – the ground cover that was seeded on the outlying areas around the building and up to the highway, has received adequate moisture to germinate and grow exceedingly well. The green cover that now exists on the north side of the hospital is MUCH healthier than anyone expected. These outlying areas will be re-seeded this winter with permanent cover grasses. Those grasses will consist of native mixes of short and tall grasses and wildflowers native to Kansas. With the moisture base well established in the subsoil, it is now expected that those plantings will do well and establish a permanent cover. This permanent cover is important not only for appearance but also to help control erosion and control blowing snow and dust.
Yes, I’m pretty certain we will have some snow this winter and in subsequent years, and having healthy stands of native grasses will definitely play a role in helping control blowing and drifting.
That’s the upside of the moisture.
Right now, as many of you are aware, the continuing rainfall is hindering farmers in their attempts to harvest fall crops and plant winter wheat. The moisture we enjoyed through late summer and early fall has meant that estimates for crop yield are higher than normal, but the fields are too wet to get the heavy equipment in to do the harvest. I tell my “city friends” frequently that even with the tremendous advances in agricultural science that continuously improve yields, the weather is still a huge, uncontrollable factor affecting the production of crops. This, in turn, affects not only the availability and price of food that consumers see at the grocery store but greatly impact the economic well-being of the farmers who produce it. My father, grandfather, and great-grandfather all farmed in various areas of North America. If any of them were alive today, none of them would have any concept of the technology and cost of equipment used by farmers today. I am continually impressed with the changes in farming practice used today, as well as the efforts made by farmers to stay abreast of those changes. Like those in medical practice, farmers have to continually learn throughout their careers.
The higher amount of moisture (including a little bit of early snow this past week) and cooler weather have turned thoughts to the winter ahead. There are two types of predictions that we in healthcare pay attention to each fall.
One is the same as the population as a whole: Will we have a cold, wet (snowy) winter this year, or a milder, drier winter? The second is shared by some of the public, but probably not to as great an extent as those in healthcare: How bad will the “flu season” be this year?
None of us can predict from year to year exactly which strains of influenza virus will predominate across the world or our part of it. Nor can we predict how it will affect the population. We do know, though that every year there is some amount of influenza (along with other seasonal illnesses) that affects our population. That time of year is upon us. Although we have not seen an uptick in the presence of influenza locally yet, there has been a report of the first death of the year in Kansas attributed to the illness. So we know it’s coming. And we also know that there are things that each person can do to help minimize their chances of being affected.
One of the important things is good hygiene. This week, in “celebration” of National Infection Prevention Week, the staff at SCMH are undergoing reminder or refresher training in handwashing techniques. It might seem silly, but simple handwashing is the single most effective way to stop the spread of all diseases. As we approach “flu season,” though, this attention is especially timely.
The second important prevention technique for influenza is immunization. Preventive immunizations against influenza are available without an appointment at Smith County Family Practice. We strongly encourage our staff to receive the annual immunization before the end of October, and we encourage the public to do the same.
Meanwhile, stay dry and enjoy the beautiful fall weather.