With no running water in the house, it was difficult to wash or dry laundry in the winter.

WSJ: After Adoption Law, Russia Debates Seizure of Children

Officials with the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise said Wednesday in their first 2013 summer outlook that a dry winter and expected warming trend mean the potential for significant fire activity will be above normal on the West Coast, in the Southwest and portions of Idaho and Montana.

NPR: Fire Forces Evacuation Of Campus, Homes In Calif.

Conversely, in the winter, cows consume more fiber-rich, dry matter, hence richer milk.

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He said a "lucky window" of four days in May when dry weather had allowed him to fill his barn with silage for the winter, whereas his neighbouring farmer had suffered six weeks of "relentless" rain.

BBC: Devon farmers 'struggling to feed their families'

Even in Iraq's winter, new green growth is already forcing its way up among the dry stalks.

NPR: Iraq's Marshlands Face A Second Death By Drought