Background Switcher (Hidden)

The Long Run 9/23/12

Thursday, October 11, 2012

September 23, and it was 36 degrees at wakeup. Oh, fall has a start this year, a good start. It was a novel feeling to wait for it to warm up enough to go out for my long Sunday run. I'd been anticipating it all week. And decided I had to bring my camera along. You'll understand why.



There are now a dozen cattle in the haymeadow, as there were last fall. I was elated when they were trucked over and let loose. They're all heifers, look like mostly Limousins, a couple of Hereford/Angus, with a lovely, very young black bull who could either be Angus or Limousin. Still thinking about him, but leaning toward Limousin.

I love having cows near because I find them fascinating and very beautiful, especially when backlit. 


Backlit cows' breath hangs
On silvergold morning air
Good thing light changes.
I'd stand here all day
rooted, ogling the beasts
Shaggy thick angels.


They give me someone to talk to. This is quite a spooky wild little bunch and I'm having fun gentling them, working with their natural curiosity to befriend them. 


Chet Baker likes having cows around, too.

He really wants to play with them. Truth told, he'd probably like to herd them a bit, or at least get them running so he can give chase. 


I love this shot. Hard to believe that tiny little live wire in the upper right quadrant is all that keeps us apart. Sometimes it doesn't work too well.


Cows, being herd animals, are often inspired to follow when you run ahead of them. I guess they figure you have a reason to run and they'd better get going, too. Last year's bunch ran with me until they got bored doing it. This bunch is very green and excitable, and they run alongside me whenever I go out.  Chet got pretty excited, too, when the cows took off and quick as lightning he slipped under the wire and frisked a little bit with them.  CHET CHET CHET GET OUTTA THERE!!


I saw him rear up on his hinders and jump at this boss cow. She responded by bogging her head and hooking his shoulder with her nose. It wasn't a full-on butt, but it wasn't nothing, either. She caught Chet on the shoulder and shoved him aside. At that point he decided to listen to me and come back under the tiny fine wire to the road. The ear position here says it all.


Hm. Those things are large. And strong, and harder than they look. Perhaps Mether is right about going under the wire.


If you would like, I can speak to your dog about coming in the pasture with my wimmen. 
Sorry, Sir. Will try to prevent such incidents going forward.

We forged onward, noting that the coons are eating persimmons already. See the seed that fell out of the dropping?  Must check under my trees to see if they've begun to fall. The fruit, that is. Not the coons.


We looked down the beautiful county road at Carl's house. I probably have 50 pictures of Carl's house in the morning. There are so few original Ohio farmhouses left.


There's always this wonderful moment when Chet realizes we're going on the 5-mile run and he gets to head out on the main road. He trots loose and fast and his hinders fly out side to side, he's so happy.


and so am I, because we get to live here and see things that take my breath away every day. Especially on a crystal pure September morning when it's still in the 30's in the shade.

Up at the top of the next hill and looking back where we started. It's all hills, more or less. Flats are welcome but all too rare. You're either going down or coming up.


Cow hair caught on the barbed wire, Chet investigating.


We get to live here and see this every day.
On Sunday mornings if you go out before church traffic, you won't meet a soul. May it always be that way.


I thought the pine shadows looked like palm trees. Oh and look. That one has arms and shorts.


Fergus' pond hoves into view. This is the little farm pond where I let my bird-eating bullfrog go many, many years ago. Story in Letters from Eden


It is the most beautiful of ponds. 


with a little cabin I would like to inhabit. All I would need is something to scribble on and a Honeycrisp apple. And Chet. I'd sit on the porch and write a book about my dog.


Wait. I'm already doing that.  More running anon. If I showed the whole route to you at once you'd curl up from the beauty.

8 comments:

The tanka about the cows is beautiful. Maybe you should do a poetry book after you finish Chet.

36 degrees in September! Aack! I am coming up from Florida to visit in a week, not sure I'm prepared for the chill. I was feeling chilly walking my pups this morning and it was 65 degrees. I will say your wonderful pictures bring back fond memories of my Ohio life. I do miss hills and farm houses. And don't even get me started on how much I miss yummy apples. We have horrid apples down here. Luckily, we have tons of cows in Florida, so we're good there! I can hear them mooing early every morning, which I love.

TJ

Thanks for taking me along on your run. It was glorious!

Only 36 degrees? I hit my first frost on vacation while camping in Minnosota. Got more of them in Yellowstone. Then got back to Malheur NWR and first freeze was 21 degrees and next night was 19 with a chill factor of 14. But it usually warms up to shirt sleeve weather by noon.

However I'm advised that we'll only have about another week or two of this warm fall weather before we get the winter stuff.

Lovely blog. I love cows too.

Darn bullfrogs! We have one in Central Park that likes to eat birds. Last week it got a warbler, unidentified.

It's wonderful to be so fully alive! Thank you for sharing, Julie. And Chet, it's a very wise man who can learn from his experiences.

What a kind cow. Treated him just like a misbehaving youngster. So much force and no more.

But she knows and we hope he knows too, that next time she will be more forceful. Until he learns.

I think he knows.

I've been up in the Rocky Mountains and have missed your blog. So glad I have this day to catch up!

[Back to Top]