Rain?

The skies are gray and overcast. There is a threat of rain.

But only a threat. No large, life-giving drops are falling to take the sting from the parched earth. Mother Nature's tongue is hanging out and the sky offers no succor.

Hello, Autumn.

The leaves have finally - finally - begun their annual parade of color. The reds outside my window are muted; the oaks still sport green leaves. The poplars have yellow and brown coloring. Fall is not at its peak yet, but I don't expect to see anything striking.

Beneath those green oaks, a turkey hen delicately picks up her feet. Her head bobs as she grasps insects. She stops and stands erect, looking ... looking. She fluffs her feathers and moves on, down the hill to vanish into the gully.

The air is moving with a breeze; the limbs of the blue spruce dance a slow waltz. The sun might break through the haze - yes, there it is, casting its rays across the dry, brown land.

No rain today, no salvation for the thirsty.