Rain Is A Good Thing

One of the more popular country songs on the radio here in West Texas has these lyrics…

My daddy spent his life lookin' up at the sky
He'd cuss, kick the dust, sayin' son it's way too dry
It clouds up in the city, the weather man complains
But where I come from, rain is a good thing


Rain makes corn, corn makes whiskey
Whiskey makes my baby feel a little frisky
Back roads are boggin' up, my buddies pile up in my truck
We hunt our honeys down, we take 'em into town
Start washin' all our worries down the drain
Rain is a good thing

My daddy was a cop…and rain meant traffic accidents. I understand Luke Bryan’s song so very well given this summer in Snyder, Texas. This weekend, we got a half-inch of rain. Doesn’t seem like much by St. Louis standards. Here, it was cause for celebration. Every prayer in West Texas includes a mention of rain…and prayerful thanks were sent up after this weekend’s dust settler…

Let me paint a picture for those who don’t understand…

-At the college, we use the city’s discarded sewer water to try and keep our golf course, baseball and softball diamonds green. We sunk a 400 foot well to keep our soccer field alive. Water is not a thing to waste on one’s lawn.

-Lake J.B. Thomas, the main water source for the city, is currently at less than three-percent capacity. The last time it was full was sometime in the early 1960s.

-Through the end of July, Snyder had received less than five inches of rain for the calendar year.

-A main attraction in the county park in Snyder, a prairie dog village, has been the latest casualty of the drought. For decades, a small contingent of the cute rodents would pop to the surface and grab food from adoring visitors. The prairie dogs really like McDonald’s fries…..but could be persuaded to eat a carrot or two if pressed. The drought claimed all of the prairie dogs which has created a furor as people vent over the loss.

-I haven’t mowed all year. The lawn is dead. And my purchase of a new riding lawn mower last fall looks pretty stupid. Sort of like buying multiple umbrellas….or worrying about mold.

Multiple consecutive days of plus 100 degree heat coupled with the dry conditions have really tested the demeanor of the folks here. And in some cases…..the heat and drought have won.

Yep, I have come to understand…..

Rain is a good thing.

In fact, living here this summer has made me yearn for it.

Rain most definitely is a good thing.