We Could Stand A Little Rain

One of the things I love about fall is the smell of woods smoke. When I was in the military, I lived in a tropical paradise with exotic birds and other creatures.
The barracks were on a finger of land between the Atlantic Ocean and the Bay of Colon, Panama. I was there for 18 months and every day after work, we were snorkeling, biking, hiking, swimming or doing other beach stuff.
The downside to my "military vacation" was there were no seasons. The country was lush and green all year around. For sun worshipers, this was a great thing, but for me, I missed the fall. I missed the colors, the sounds, the tastes, and the smells. Especially the smell of burning leaves.
Autumn this year has been different here in Empire. The woods around here are dry as tender and today when I caught the scent of burning leaves, I got very uneasy because the last thing we need is a forest fire. As it turns out, a neighbor was burning some debris, but he kept it under control.
I have a mountain of limbs, pine straw, pine cones, and leaves that I plan to burn as soon as we get some rain.
Our great nephew Stone's birthday is on Halloween and we usually have his party here at our house because we have wide open spaces, an old barn which is perfect for scaring the crap out of little kids, and we have a great place to have a bonfire.
We talked to Stone's parents this weekend and told them that we can host the party but if we don't have rain, we can't have a bonfire. I know Stone will be disappointed because the fire is the hub of the activity at his parties.
So, I may have to take my blog-buddy Charlene's advice and do a nakid raindance out in the back yard. At this point, I'd do just about anything to get a little rain.