The three-rattlesnake theory and other tales about rain

Longtime rancher R.C. "Bob" Bennett recalls the painful seven-year drought of the 1950s and a familiar phrase often uttered by his friend, the late Jake Mayfield. Back in the late 1980s, Bennett often would ask Mayfield when he reckoned rain would fall, and he'd get the same reply. "Every day, we're one day closer to the next rain," Mayfield was known to say. The drought lasted from 1950 until 1957, as both Bennett, 81, and T.O. Midkiff, 76, recalled recently in separate conversations. The year 1951 saw only 4.24 inches of precipitation, which ranks as the driest year on record, according to National Weather Service archives. It appears we're on track for a similar year. Like most of us, these long-time ranchers are praying for rain. But Midkiff has his own method of predicting rain. "If you see three rattlesnakes crawling around in one day, I guarantee you'll get a measurable amount of rain within a mile of that area within three days." He hasn't seen three rattlesnakes in one day for quite some time...more