“It really is dry.” “Sure is wet.” “It’d be good if the rain would stop.” “Sure be nice to get some of that rain.”

Those comments were all heard within just a few minutes of each other last Friday morning.

Conversations all depended on location sometimes just a few miles down the road and others from the state’s borders.

While areas pleaded for raindrops out of all the crashing thunder, lightning, fierce winds, very little came from the sky. Meanwhile with identical weather predictions, neighboring counties were being warned about flash flooding.

Weather forecasters are certainly the most popular airwaves stars. Well at least the best known, anticipated, listened to, talked about. When right they’re patted on the back, but more often remarks aren’t very nice because predictions are frequently wrong.

Credit given when due, the forecasters are just human doing the very best they can. Despite all historical records and technical modern-day devices, only the Supreme Power knows what the weather’s going to be. And He keeps changing his mind all of the time

One thing for certain: “It always has rained.” Sometimes too late, sometimes too early, but in all of history moisture has arrived at some time.

Interesting how dry winter and spring were with prayers for moisture to fill ponds, get creeks running, and make plants grow. Then some received the rainfall, while many were still quite shy.

Low and behold, at the most critical time, nearly everybody in the eastern half of the state received ample moisture. Yet drought maps indicated extreme dry conditions in various western areas and other parts of the country.

Remembering years and decades gone by, old timers, appreciative of May rains, aired their wisdom. “When it stops raining, sometimes, it’ll take a long time to start again.” They were right, as moisture dried away lush prairies and feed grain plants curled in stress, needing a good soaking.

However, with abundant tame grass hay, native grasslands adding pounds to grazing cattle, optimism remains for big grain crops. “It’s a long time before harvest.”

One thing everybody in agriculture agrees: “The weather is never just right.”

Reminded of Psalm 135:10: “God, our Lord, does just as He pleases however, wherever, whenever. He makes the weather: dry and drought, strong northerly winds, clouds and thunder, lightning and rain.”

Frank J. Buchman is a lifelong rancher from Alta Vista, a lifetime newspaper writer, syndicated national ag writer and a radio marketing consultant. He writes a weekly column to share A Cowboy’s Faith.