Water

Around here water is a treasured commodity, one which allows ranchers to do many things. The water we get comes in many forms.


Downpours as you can see here are fast and furious. This shows the water as it is coming off the corner of our house during a recent downpour. Now, these are good things since they cause running water that is filtered into the tanks to help the livestock.




We also get water in the form of hail. Hail also comes in many sizes.




As you can see in these pictures we have some very small, dime sized hail. But even our hail is sporadic and hard to forecast.






And then we get the nice steady rains that help the grass to grow and flowers to bloom. The kids get excited about it all!



Water is always welcome and vital to the way of life around here. From the morning dew to a downpour, water is on every one's minds and in many prayers around here.

Art

Oh, to be a tree. We are so similar to a tree in that we are small and simple in comparison to our world. Yet, when we are backed by something as majestic and unique as a sunset we can become so much more! My vision is to become a piece of art such as this tree for my Master. To stand tall and unwavering with the light of my Lord shining through each branch turning what alone is an insignificant thing into something awe-inspiring. Just a thought!

Purple

So, I decided that I love taking pictures! As we go on family walks around the area, I have been snapping photos here and there and I think I have found a theme: Purple.








Everything seems to be a shade of purple this month. So, I decided to share some purple from the ranch.





Now, as you can see not all the purple is a native inhabitant of west Texas. The Iris's are planted in Granny's gardens, but they are just so beautiful they cannot be left out.












Here are some of the things we see out in the grazing pastures:














The colors are quite impressive from lavender to violet with many shades in between.



The shapes also very along with just how "safe" they are to examine!

Spring

Tis the Season for Blue bonnets.










As you can see they are in full bloom and flourishing. We don't have quite as big spreads of them as in SA, but they are still a beautiful site just the same.




Blue bonnets aren't the only thing blooming around here! We have oats!



Our oats are heading out a bit early, but they are a welcome sight. As a former San Antonian I really didn't expect the day that I would exclaim at the magnificence of a field of oats, but here we are. We are marking a new era in our

lives as we rejoice at the crops God has granted and the rain He sent so that we could quite possibly get out of the horrible drought that has left the ranchers here searching for hay in other states or selling off their cattle due to lack of water and food. Another joy I have found in coming out here to the middle of "nowhere" is finding out how to be self sufficient. We don't have to go to a store to feed the cows, horses and other living things out here. We can grow what we want to eat and feed. This is such an awesome concept that has been pushed aside by so many for the sake of convenience.

Well, I challenge you to find the same amount of gratitude and pride in running to the store for your convenience foods as watching something grow from a mere seed.

Praying for the rain, and getting excited over the first glimpse of green. Fearing the frosty late cold fronts, yet leaving them in God's hands to be rewarded with fields of...OATS!

We didn't plant much this year, but we plan to increase our productiveness for next season and possibly add some winter wheat since the crops are in a little early. We may even get 2 cuts this season which would be awesome. But for now, I leave you with the joy of survival and flourishment of our vegetation.

Welcome to the Ranch

Welcome to the new blog and welcome to the Cottle Ranch in West Texas. As you can see from the wreath, it is springtime here and for ranchers this means crops. Thankfully, we have had lots of rain this month and we will actually have some early oats. I will post pictures of that soon. For now, I want to share our non-traditional ranch house.As you can see, our home is a metal building. This is not what you would assume would be a house, but I assure you it looks completely different on the inside. I am very happy with how it turned out and even happier that my husband and I designed it. We have had much help from family and friends to get it to move-in condition and although it isn't finished on the inside, we are extremely pleased with it!