Cows

As I walked through the house yesterday morning, gazing out the windows, I was once again surprised to find someone new strolling across my lawn, only this time, there were three someones. Three large, beautiful, peaceful cows!

The black and white one looked like she’d stepped out of an advertisement to eat more chicken. She was the leader of the pack striding boldly across the driveway. The all black one was very curious, but a little shy. The brown was a follower, staying close on the tail of the leader as they made their way to the side of the house. My husband drove the truck down to block the road then shooed the group away from the neighbor’s property that leads to the highway. We called the sheriff’s office and after they had a good laugh they sent an officer down to help. We finally determined that they had escaped through a fence on the opposite side of the road, so they chased the cows back and mended the fence since no one could locate the owner.

The cows were not happy to return to their property. In fact, a few hours later they escaped again. This time, on a hunch, I let the dogs out. Sure enough, they kept a respectful distance while successfully herding the cows back through the fence. The cows have continued to roam along the fence line, stumbling through the trees. We must have something very tasty over here.

I’ve always had a particular fondness for cows. They are such gentle creatures. My daughter has a fondness for cows, as well. She collects anything having to do with cows, and now has a remarkable number of cow paintings, figurines, socks, and even a flying cow that hangs from her ceiling. Her first word was “moo.” We were living in New Mexico in an area with free-ranging cattle that used to come up to the porch and sniff at her through the rails, so Micky learned to speak their language.

Cows play an interesting role in our world. Some religions see them as worthy of worship, yet other societies see nothing wrong with the practices of corporate feed lots who abuse, torture and slaughter these noble creatures. Cows contribute to the survival of humans in many ways. They provide a way to make a living, while at the same time saving lives with milk and meat. They are both compassionate and affectionate creatures and deserve to be respected and honored for their sacrifices.

I wish I could welcome these cows to my home. They certainly seem friendly enough. If there was fencing between here and the highway, I would have no problem with their free-roaming ways. Cows are instinctively nurturing, caring creatures and I think I could learn a great deal from their presence about nurturing and caring for myself. I think if I had a cow in my yard I would spend more time grazing and lying in the sun.