Ah, the crunch of grass beneath your feet … wait a minute. Grass isn’t supposed to sound like that. Especially not in early July.

I don’t know about the rest of you, but I have found the weather conditions of this young summer to be brutal. Already in late June, the grass on my lawn had turned mostly brown and had pretty much stopped growing.

Sure, that happens here in Eastern Ohio, but it usually doesn’t occur until late August when summer is winding down.

After the more-than-abundant rainfall we received this spring, it seems hard to believe that we now seem to be in a drought. With strong thunderstorms in the forecast in the coming days, though, perhaps that will change.

I will admit that I needed a break from mowing and trimming every single weekend. But my yard’s appearance certainly hasn’t benefited from the current, bone dry situation.

Instead of lush, green grass looking shaggy and a bit unkempt, my lawn now sports scattered tall weeds that resist being cut with just about any tool. In fact, they tend to wind themselves around my weed trimmer and choke it out.

Of course, we have had dry summers before. But this one makes it hard to deny or simply ignore the notion that a warming planet will be a changing planet — and most scientists say it won’t be changing for the better.

Watering the lawn to try and improve its color and texture just seems like sticking your head in the sand. Not only are you not really getting to the root of the problem, so to speak, but you are also using up a precious resource.

Perhaps it’s time to think about little things we all can do to make a difference. Maybe invest in solar-powered lights or solar panels for your home. Drive in more fuel-efficient ways. Concentrate on wasting less — of everything.

It might not be time to scream about climate change from the rooftops just yet, but wouldn’t it be smart to take some action to help us avoid getting there?

I think I will go sort out the recycling now and deliver it to JB Green Team.