William Shalimar looked at the driving rain from the upstairs veranda door. It had been seven days since the solar arrays on the saw-tooth roof had generated electricity. When he'd installed them in 2123, five years ago, the salesman had promised 150 generating days per year. Baltimore would be lucky to get one hundred days of sun this year. Holding his hurricane coat against the wind and rain, William slipped out the door quickly. Carefully stepping over the solar panels to his small meteorological station on the roof's edge, William leaned forward and read the level of the meniscus in the rain gauge.
   The unrelenting downpour bothered him only a little. His calf-length black neoKevlar overcoat and yellow hat covered him pretty well.
   The reading taken, William swiveled around, surveying the land on the side of his house from the porch top perch. The roots of his largest tulip tree on the bank of the tributary  creek at the rim of his lot were seriously undercut in this

latest storm. William was glad that the pruning and thinning of bushes and trees had been done this spring. The fifty-five foot tulip tree leaned perceptibly from the perpendicular, but away from the house. When it fell, it would be deeper into other trees.
   A flickering light in the bedroom caught his eye as he savored his isolation. Meri's shadow wavered through the shades as she walked in front of the cold light. Tonight was the chemistry department's annual end of semester jubilee. She was already getting dressed.

   William left his nor'easter hanging on the hooks in the veranda mudroom. The wetness of his pant legs and socks were cold against his skin. Quickly he tossed them into the sonic dryer. They'd be ready for reuse when he returned from the party later tonight.
   Meri had her favorite interVision show on. She looked up when he entered their room. She dabbed on perfume.
"Do you like it, William?" she asked, tilting her head to expose her fragrant neck.
William shook his head. Not as 'No', but to try to clear his interior thoughts. His mouth unavoidably twisted with a mild vexation, but he quickly brought it under control. He knew