Thank goodness God was in control of the rain this year and not congress. During July, August and September we got good rains statewide. Albuquerque also got a pretty good share of this rain fall. Our water table increased several feet even without input from the Rio Grande water flow. Some areas are still dry and needing rain. Albuquerque people, according to this morning’s Albuquerque Journal, used 6 % less water than in 2012….That’s great, however, some of the yards in my neighborhood suffered some until the rains started. Our grass was sure pitiful until it got the rain, that’s for sure. It is still looking pretty good but it is ready for another good shower…. I was talking to a Roswell area cowboy who’s boss sold off most of his cattle due to no grass and the high cost of hay early in the year, suffering a loss on the sale. During the monsoon rainy season their ranch got real good moisture and now the grass is about knee high. He said his boss sure wished he had his cattle back. That’s sad, but it is the nature of ranching, good years have to provide for the bad years…. I really like ranchers and their abilities….They can do more things and do them all well….Seems like all of them can be accountants,  do mechanic work, do carpentry, wield, use their imagination to improve conditions, dig wells, get by on a little of nothing and get a dang old pickup to run many years beyond a normal life span, and get a woman to live on a ranch and wear  old shirts and jeans, work on the ranch, still cook, be a mom and wife and love every minute of it. My hat is off to the American Cowboy…..Some mighty good folks in some lonely places and they love it…..Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Rancher……Pete Hester