Entries tagged as ‘cows’
I have a special luxury in life of memories and places. And I remember how to get there. We live in a big city but this is what speaks to me.
Exit here, take a right and go to the end of the road, Yes, the road ends, Take a right at the stop sign. As you go through town, take a left at the light. Yes, THE light. Keep going 2.3 miles and take a left.
This is a sign you’re in God’s country. Make a turn on a country road in nearly any state in the US and there are the most amazing sights to see, and people to meet.
I’ve lived in these places and have family who lives there still. I used to turn on the light in the guest bathroom at Jim’s folks place and have cows lowing at me. Now I leave the light off so they know I’m not Joe and I’m not about to go out to feed them. But I have fed them grain and gave a baby calf a bucket full of milk as his mom had twins and he was foresaken.
But I’m not going by for this weekend’s festivities though I would have liked to help Margie cook for the cowboys. While I won’t let Zoe out off-leash there in an unfenced area (she has no idea of traffic) everyone who drives by waves hello. Now where can you get that kind of camaraderie except in the country!
Categories: Editorial
Tagged: cows
Now that my loving husband has fixed my wireless keyboard (thank you love) I can write again. It got low on batteries so I put four new ones in and one was bad.
So, Jim’s father, my very own Bovine Yoda with over 30 years running a dairy and now a ranch, says that the north/south orientation I read on a blog then heard on tonight’s news is bunk.
Here’s what he had to say, according to m-i-l Margie.
“They are full of s***. Cows do orient their body when on uneven
terrain, to keep the head up higher than their butts. I’ve been out
there many a morning with the cows all lying down and they lie down in
every direction. They also feed the same way. Sometimes they will line
up like a lawnmower, in a fan shape and graze on line, especially when
turned out in a new area.”
“If there were no fences, I believe they would migrate some, like the
buffalo, according to the seasons and available vegetation.”
We are now witnessing some Boer goat behavior and they are much like the
cattle in grazing and resting body orientation.
One of the most interesting animal behaviors Joe has ever witnessed was
when a small group of about 20 beef cows, in a very large pasture with
very little human interaction, went into defensive mode making a circle
with their heads facing out to protect their calves against a small
group of 3-4 coyotes. When Joe got closer the coyotes ran off.”
So that’s the news from the ranch. Just call this post “Bovine MythBusters.” Dee
Categories: Education
Tagged: cows
The other day I poured Jim a bowl of raisin bran cereal, sliced strawberries on top, placed a spoon in it and left it to him to pour the milk and get to it before invisible ants found the fruit and bran.
He poured the milk and tasted it. First he thought the milk was bad (our old frig was being fussy) but that was not the case. His diagnosis is that the cows were eating onions.
As a boy, he grew up on a dairy and they’d get their milk directly from the milk barn. Jim knows nothing about cooking but when he tells me the cows have been eating onions, I believe him.
Categories: Editorial
Tagged: cows
