It started with me at an early age. Our farm was located on top of a hill, and we could see the weather coming from the west and then view it to the east as it descended upon Frewsburg and then into the hills around Frew Run and Bone Run.

Weather became even more a part of my life when I started flying. When you first start flying a plane, you can only fly when the weather is good…it takes time to earn an instrument ticket so that you can fly in clouds and in low visibility.

Back then, we had just the beginnings of weather radar, and so the FAA Flight Service Stations across the country would report their weather by teletype. You had to learn to read the shorthand symbols that were used, but, by so doing, you could find out the weather at your destination and at airports in between. Was it cloudy, windy, what kind of precipitation, was visibility limited, what was the temperature etc.? It could all be deciphered from those teletype messages. You didn’t want to take off and then be unable to land.

Today, of course, many airplanes and virtually all commercial flights have weather radar right in the cockpit. You can request changes with FAA flight control while enroute to keep away from bad weather.

To me it is mesmerizing just to watch the weather radar on my computer. You can dial in your own location or watch what is happening nationally. You can see the storm systems move and get a sense of what the weather is, and what it will be, at least for the next day or two.

Computers, of course, have made weather prediction better. We now have years and even decades of data showing how weather has acted or developed in the past…and so the weatherman is pretty good at letting you know at least what to expect in the next 24 or 48 hours.

However, the further out you go in time…the less predictable the predictions are. When my wife tells me what her cell phone is predicting for the weather next week or in two weeks, I take it with a grain of salt.

And, sadly, the weather can still change in a moment and do the unexpected…as was apparently the case in the recent flash-flooding in Texas that claimed so many lives.

Weather has been and still is the giant in the room. During World War II, D-Day was delayed because of strong winds, and typhoons sank ships in the Pacific. Hurricanes today can destroy coastal communities.

There are fewer surprises today because of our better understanding of the weather, especially though the use of satellite imagery. But, storms and bad weather can still pop-up unexpectedly.

There is one axiom about the weather which has remained constant over time…you have to respect it. Most aircraft accidents associated with the weather are actually accidents caused by pilots who have put their airplane in a place where it should not have been. Car and boat accidents also happen when people don’t pay attention and drive into dangerous conditions.

Enough said. The next time you are bored and don’t know which TV show you want to watch…just go to Accu Weather or a similar site and watch the weather come and go. Watching the weather is interesting. It can be quite a show and beats most of what Hollywood produces!

Rolland Kidder is a Stow resident.