Water water?

Well today we got our 30 day notice about the water stating that the city of Tecumseh would be buying water from the city of Shawnee. They use a chemical called Chloramine which can cause serious problems with people on dialysis or with fish. I all ready have problems with the water anyway. When I take showers I become ill the next day or so. The dr told me it is likely a reaction of my lupus and to basically treat it as an allergic reaction because that is pretty much what it is. Not to the water itself but to the chemicals used in treating it. This last shower I had was pretty bad my skin was very red for the rest of the night and part of the next day and felt and looked as though I were severely sunburned. (Still hurts some) and I also have some respiratory problems from it like allergies. In any case I am going to have to use a lot of caution when using the new water source. Likely the reason my reaction was so bad this last time was as the lake empties more and more (it is pretty much completely gone at this point) they have to get through all that sediment and such ....well I'm sure you get the idea there. You are basically getting the treated version of what is left on the bottom of a pond. Because that is basically all that is left there is a small pond and not even that. 
Now I've also noticed all our pine and cedar trees have dropped all needles which is a sign of severe drought. I'd been noticing it and it hadn't really registered til I started watching the other trees around start to bloom with an early spring. On a good note this apparently save me some of my serious allergies I normally suffer as I am allergic to pine and cedar. On a bad note this means the drought is very significant which I really all ready knew. Plus pine needles make for some great tinder and there are a lot of pine trees around so as wildfire danger increases...which it is... this could be a problem. 
I have about resigned to calling myself a prepper. I hate to in a way but honestly I guess I fit the title somewhat even if it is loosely. I never feel prepared for anything. I am trying though and I usually say I'd rather be prepared and have nothing happen than not be and have everything happen and be left feeling lost. I am not an extreme one by any means at all. I am storing water mainly because I've been hearing some alarming news and also because of the drought, the severe weather that has changed across the country...though I've noticed tornado alley seems to have relocated more towards  Missouri and all off in the other direction. We've now been through just about every weather condition it seems that is possible, drought, tornadoes, blizzards, and I see the reason to be prepared even if for just that. I don't believe in the "end of the world" I believe in a rapidly changing world which really is just how it always has been. In any case I am storing water because that is a big thing. If you have it set aside then you have it and it stores pretty much forever it seems as long as it is stored in a clean container etc. Also in times of drought like now we use the outside containers that may have water in them (til they start evaporating like last year) for the chickens and plants that we are trying to keep alive. 
That is something else with the early spring we thought we'd risk it and try to start some seedlings early and so far they are starting to sprout. We are hoping they take hold and will grow. We are experimenting with different ideas to help them stay alive in drought conditions. We want a greenhouse but since we don't have that yet (looking at some plans to make one) we are trying some other ideas out. Using the water from the run off of an a/c during the summer...if it will keep going I am looking at the likely hood of another extreme summer like last year well into the 100's (stayed about 110 or so in the shade and in the sun the thermometer was going way higher of course) in that kind of heat there can be power outages as everyone is running a/cs and such. Anyway we are wanting to try directing the run off into a planter we have and I am going to put my herb plants in there. I all ready have a basil sprouting. I want tomato trees if I can keep them alive. We want to use canvas as partial shade. We are also looking for drought resistant plants.  
On another note about the water one thing I've seen is where they are wanting to replace an aging infrastructure that is constantly losing water through leaks. AWWA report on infrastructure. There 
is also some fear that the dustbowl will return by some...concerns about dustbowl return and there is this Drought monitor They have our location under long term moderate but it seems our little local area is more like severe. It has not changed really from when they had it noted as exceptional. Minute amounts of rain that make no difference is really the only reason they changed it I think. The lake continued to fall. I am sure there are other factors in there that they considered but still...
It is quite noticable to anyone that we are going through some changes as I'm sure the earth has gone through in the past (Antartica used to be a tropical area) The changes right now seem rather rapid but who knows... 
Will post more later. I've been in a blogging mood lately.