In 2004, I moved from Boston to Arkansas. I experienced quite a bit of culture shock as I transitioned from big city life to a more rural existance. I thought I had made great strides in acclimation but tonight brought a moment that I could not have anticipated and hammered home the fact that I am a city dweller no longer.
We live in a town with a population of around 4,000. Though we live in a small subdivision, there is a cow pasture behind our house. Once I'd adjusted to the odor that can occassionally come wafting through, and the abundance of flies, I appreciated the bucolic setting. Unless a hungry land developer snaps up the acreage with an offer that is too good to refuse, we will continue to have a lovely and soothing view of mountains in the distance.
It is my habit to let the dogs out just before dark. Thankfully, just as I was about to open the back door, I glanced outside. There was a cow standing right outside the window looking back at me. Now, I have seen rabbits and moles and hummingbirds and even a roadrunner in our backyard and thought it was good. I knew that a cow was definitely bad. My instincts kicked in and I did the most sensible thing that was within my grasp.
"Hon, there's a cow in the back yard."
Deb knows how to deal with these things as she is a country girl. She told me to grab my camera and come outside. She then slipped quietly out the door. I picked up my camera and cautiously did the same. I have only recently overcome a lifelong fear of cows so this really pushed the limits of comfort. Thankfully as soon as I stepped outside the cow decided to take matters into its own....ummm....hooves and jumped over the barbed wire fence. It all happened too fast for me to get a photo which really was okay as a close encounter with a freaked out bovine was a little beyond what I wanted to take on.
Once the cow was back in the pasture it fled to the safety of its herd. We inspected the yard and found where it had gained entry. After repairing the damage and letting the dogs out so they could make a thorough inspection of their territory, I retreated to the safety of indoors to ponder awhile how really, really different my life has become. There is no doubt that I am not in Boston anymore.
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More by Tonia, who hugs trees G. |
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Comments: 37
We've gotten a reprieve from development due to the housing lending debacle, only one house now edges the corn field across our road.
We don't have livestock right upon us, but with so many dogs, we leave the back door open on nice days. The flies can be handled a bit with a product that you may be familiar with, not sure of the name. It's for barns and such, a spray bottle of stuff sold at Tractor Supply that will keep the flies at bay.
Free manure!
Roy - I guess it's all relative, isn't it :-)
d g - I really hope that the same will be true here as I would hate to lose our lovely little view. And I love Tractor Supply!
Umm, definitely no cow hugging Faith. Horses, yes. Cows, no.
Yes, good times B F
Janet - it was amusing - after the fact :-)
Duckie - the phrase "I'm not in Boston anymore" has gotten a lot of use in the last few years.
http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?memberId=80967&articleId=281474977340525&nav=MyGather
That would certainly a'fear me. I moved to the KC Metro to get away from that nature stuff. Renegade bands of marauding cows would surely mean I'd have to mooooo-ve again.
[God. I HATE myself for that pun.]
Okay... It would really 'behoove' me to stop now...
OH GAWD!!! SUMBODY STOP ME!!!
Cow cowards . . . almost too funny. My nephew asked why they had four penises and I almost spewed beverage on the inside of my windshield. But I digress . . . very entertaining . . . it only lacks a . . . . hmm . . . what was it? Oh yeah! A photo! :P
Regards,
Doyle I <~~~~~
wasn't sure what to do .... drive up to the closest farmhouse and rat her out?
Doyle - yeah, that photo thing...right. I would spew drink also if asked that by a young one.
Jean - well, I don't quite know what to say except that....
Cranky-Pants - now look what you started!
Ina - yeah - we do have that cows in the yard thing in common.
Lynn - I was pecked by a rooster once - I haven't trusted any sort of domesticated fowl since then.
Aaron - coming full circle, it seems? Say "Hi" to Boston for me while you're there.
Deb - I am just hugely relieved that you were there - not sure what I would have done otherwise. I could foresee another episode like the one where I was chasing the fledged robins around the yard trying to put them back in their nest.
Katrina - it has something to do with being chased by a herd of cows when I was 10. They were really big, I was not :-)
Vicky - a picture would have been fun but the cow was getting a bit panicked and that is never a good thing.
Sue - small town Arkansas is never dull either, as you can tell :)
The deer around here have become extremely pushy, gazing in our windows and even climbing onto our deck to get at plantings. Two once made their way over the 6 foot high fence into our vegetable garden. When I started them, unable to get that flying leap required to breech six foot high fences, they simply ran the fence down.
Tonia, when I had my kitchen shop in Miami Lakes, FL, a burb just north of Miami, the little town had/has a Main Street with shops, restaurants, offices, movie theater and people living in apartments above the shops....., subdivisions, apartment complexes surrounding the Main St area............and a hotel. Right across from my shop was the hotel. Right across the front of the hotel was a cow pasture where black and white cows lead thei idylic bucolic lives... The little town had street names like Windwill Gate Road, Old Barn Road, etc...... The original property where the town sat had been a dairy farm previously and some signs of its previous life still remain today. I loved it!
Thanks so much for posting this to
my group
Still LOL about Doyle's comment. :-)
When I was about 10 I would try to get on a cow to ride it. It never worked out well. They were more afraid of me, the cow chaser. Country life - gotta love it!
I found a pregnant mare kicking the crap out of my horse in our pasture. I went up to the farmer we lease the land and water from and asked him if he knows what is going on?
He opened the door as if he was ticked off, he said he was awoke around midnight grabbing his shot gun and was told the horse was bought and paid for and this is the only fenced pasture so.....
The farmer thought we bought another horse and being rude not telling him. Was not our horse but a renters across the street bought her with no where to put her! I did not find this out until I called around asking everyone if this was my new horse, and called the sheriff. Did not want to be charged with stealing a horse lol!