Autumn Sunday

The farmers around us are scalping their fields of soybeans and corn. The hazy dust kicked up by farm machinery lightly coats all of Ohio. We haven't had rain here in Auglaize County for weeks. I've not yet planted the three roses I bought because the ground is too hard to break. They will be ok in their pots until rains come to soften the soil, I think.
Distinct signs of autumn: cobwebs clinging to shrubbery, all strung with dewdrops in the morning; thick fog rolling over the country roads late every night; pumpkins and gourds and apples. Above, a little watercolor I did of deer eating fallen apples--definitely a sign of fall!
Speaking of gourds, my husband, mother-in-law and I went to the annual gourd festival at the Darke County Fairgrounds in Greenville, OH. Last year my husband garnered a fistful of ribbons for his entries there, but this year the lack of rain meant a poor crop. He should have entered anyway as there were precious few entries. Everyone suffered a similar fate with their gourd patch, apparently. As if the lack of rain wasn't bad enough in itself, insects, desperate for moisture, begin to attack any growing thing. Even the hard shells of gourds take a gnawing, leaving them scarred and unusable for crafting.
Even so, we bought fresh seed for next year. Always in the autumn, seeds of hope for next year's garden are sown and begin to grow--a hope that keeps one going through the cold months of winter. Original watercolor by JulenaJo.