A city slicker, visiting the countryside, saw an old farmer sitting on his porch, staring intently at the sky. The city slicker, trying to make conversation, asked, “Looks like rain, huh?”
The farmer grunted. “Nope.”
The city slicker was surprised. “Really? The sky is getting dark, and I just heard thunder. My phone even says there’s a 90% chance of rain!”
The farmer slowly shook his head. “Ain’t gonna rain.”
Confused, the city slicker pressed on. “How can you be so sure? Are you using some kind of special weather station? Or do you have a secret app?”
The farmer chuckled, a dry, raspy sound. “Don’t need no fancy apps or stations, son. I got my own way of tellin’ the weather.”
The city slicker was intrigued. “Oh? What’s that, sir?”
The farmer pointed to his old, mangy dog, Buster, who was lying lazily on the porch. “See Buster there?”
“Yes,” the city slicker said, looking at the dog.
“Well,” the farmer explained, “if Buster’s lying on the porch, it ain’t gonna rain.”
The city slicker looked at the dog, then back at the farmer, completely baffled. “And if he’s not lying on the porch?”
The farmer took a long pause, then looked the city slicker dead in the eye. “Then he’s inside, and it’s already raining!“