Still Wishing for Rain

One of the neatest features of our beautiful New Mexico skies is that we can see for so many miles. Without trees and large buildings to get in the way, the skies and the horizons get their full due.

And when what is in the sky and on the horizon is rain and the promise of rain, we can get really excited. Our expected annual rainfall here in southwest New Mexico is only about 10 inches. According to the digital rain gauge on our patio, we've only received a little over an inch and a half in the last 12 months. That makes images of rain so much more precious.

When I was a child, my mother sometimes explained what was happening in the skies according to the way she had been taught in eastern Nebraska. Rain seen from a distance often appears to be falling diagonally, due to the accompanying wind. The Indians (nearby Sioux -- or Lakota -- people) called that "walking rain," she told me.  I loved that description.

So when I saw walking rain that appeared to be red and pink, falling onto the nearby Robledo Mountains from riotous violet, orange and gray clouds, I was mesmerized.

"Red Walking Rain"

Great Spirit, send some of that rain walking this way!

Inspiration:  More New Mexico skies, color and wonder.