I've been singing the praises of deer so much lately that I feel a little bad for the other bovids in my life.
This is Bully.
He is a fine, firm, fully-packed Hereford bull. He is a gentle father, an attentive lover, and he has a wonderful harem that includes Spotify, my favorite cow. She's the leftmost cow, with the spotted face.
Bully is very nice and he will walk up to me. He lets me rub his marcelled forehead. Please notice his white-banded ears. They are very spiffy.
The cattle like to gather and watch us ride up on our bicycles.
And they watch us go. Please note the preponderance of ironweed in their heavily grazed pasture, and the utter lack of ironweed to the right of the fence. The grass truly can be greener and tastier over the fence. At least for cows.
I hadn't seen Spotify for months. I looked for her all winter, but kept missing her, so I concluded she'd been sold. She's got the best markings, clownface paint, that spot on her brisket. And her calves do, too.
Perhaps she was lying in...a new favorite phrase, which describes what new mothers used to do after the arrival of a baby. I didn't get to do a lot of that; they kicked me out of the hospital in under 24 hours with Phoebe, and Liam, too.
But this spring she showed up with the most marvelous little bull calf. Kinda favors his mama, don't he?
Growing like ironweed, he is. We both love him. Figured you would, too.
6 comments:
The milk cows at the Cook campus farms are known for investigating trees that fall over within their pastures.
Love this. There's a couple of Belted Galloways on my Jackson loop, and I'm always disappointed when there not out by the fence when I go by. Can't get a decent photo of them because their faces are so black, the features just disappear.
FYI: The hospital in Boston known as Brigham and Women's today is a combo of the old Peter Brent Brigham (he's buried at Mt. Auburn near the celestial wedgie Chickerings) and The Boston Lying-In Hospital, where my sweetie was born, and where, undoubtedly, his mom got to Lie In for a week or so. Those were the days.
xoHodge
Julie, have you heard Corb Lund's song, "Cows Around"? No? You should give it a listen.
My stepfather was a dairy farmer. In my twenties I worked as a milker, and I still miss snuggling up to the warm bellies when I was tending to the machines. What sweet, sweet animals. Thank you for the post!
Oh, Spotify's calf has a very similar nose adornment as his mother. Definitely her child! What shall you name him?
I love the quizzical look on the bull calf's face in that last photo--sort of checking you out.
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