Walk in the woods

Yesterday after work I decided it was time to get out and check on Bambi who is still visiting the neighbors herd. It's been very empty around here not seeing her stand by the fence mooing for "cow candy" (alfalfa pellets), or finding Darla nuzzling and grooming her at odd times of the day. So Darla and I went on a quest to go visit our baby.

The couldn't have been better for a walk. Warm and sunny, all the signs of Fall coming with a hint of summer not wanting to let go. Darla jumped and ran as soon as I said, "Let's go find Bambi!" Amazing how those words get her nose set to the ground, immediately looking for Bambi's scent as she leads the way. She needs no direction from me, already on the path to the fence that leads to Joe Flowers' place. She's in heaven when she goes walking with me. Right off spooking off a deer near the closest pond that ran too fast for me to get my camera out. The deer tracks show how busy they are, instinctively knowing this is a somewhat "safe" zone now that deer hunting season has started.

Rabbits and squirrels deftly run out of her reach as we press on to the fence, the breeze blowing leaves out of the trees like random spirits floating by, landing on and all around me. Climbing through the barb wire fence with the skill of a seasoned country girl we make our way down the trail, past Mr. Flowers pond. Out alone I'm wondering why I didn't think to bring my gun in case I ran into renegade hunters prowling the woods, but I have Darla. But a pitt bull is intimidating enough even if she's a big baby.

We walked over the last hill and saw cows, no Bambi at first but then there she was. Contentedly grazing in the middle of the herd. I called Bambi and her head jerked up looking at me right away. Darla ran towards her but stayed back a bit sensing the nervousness of the herd. Bambi seemed to think a little, then walked over to me, the rest of the herd protectively around her. I stayed near a fence post (small cover in case the other cows decided to show some aggressiveness to intruders) and she came right up to me, nuzzling her head against me enjoying getting scratched, hugged and loved just like always. Being every bit of 500 lbs (and fatter it seems since she's been visiting) it seems so odd for such a big animal to act like such a loving and gentle baby as if she were still small enough for me to bottle feed. We spent a little time nuzzling like that then I tried calling her as I walked back to my own pasture. She watched me go, turning to look at the other cows (she is the one on the left of the cows, black with white markings on her face) then looking back at me. The other cows surrounded her and she rubbed her head almost lovingly against one of the momma cows, which also nuzzled her back.

I have heard of elephant herds "elepahant-napping" a calf from a nearby elephant herd, as well as that herd rallying together to "elephant-nap" it back. This seems to be a completely willing runaway that has been adopted eagerly by the herd. It's going to be a tricky one "cow-napping" her back. Re-programming might even be involved. Surely with Darla's help, we'll remind her of where she really lives. But for the time being I've no choice but to let her stay a little while. She'll be pregnant for sure when she does come home.

So, Darla and I reluctantly walked back home alone. Watched a hawk fly in circles above, made my way back over the barbed wire fence, looked closely at the changing leaves, deer, raccoon and rabbit tracks. I thought about how this Thanksgiving will be my first Thanksgiving without the kids. Amber has politely invited me to her boyfriends families' Thanksgiving dinner but I'm not sure yet. Most likely I will though. The hardest part of a mom's job is to let your babies go off and do their own thing. How else do they grow?

Bambi's last ditch effort to stay off the leash was to try and out swim the ducks. She would have won had I not stopped her. But the chase is so much fun!

Well, off to work again. Rain is coming tonight and the firewood needs to be stocked up before i go. Hope everyone has a wonderful day!
Sandy

Updates

Well, until I get a little more comfortable with this place it might just look like random pictures floating around the page with no order whatsoever. That's okay, perhaps it will all fall together.

The last couple of weeks have been a little worrisome, waiting to hear from Cassie for the first time, which I did! Yay! First a letter then an unexpected phone call! The first couple of weeks were the hardest for her but she is past the hardest part with still a month to go until graduation. There was relief in her voice, hearing a voice from home was good medicine to keep her going. The harsh boot camp life was expected but living it so far from home is still a shock to the system. She said letters and pictures from home are what she needs and wants most right now. But the strength she's finding inside her right now, when she's young and strong, will be something she can draw on for any other hardship that comes her way for the rest of her life. I'm proud of her!

After all, there's much worse jobs one could have..like dressing up in a chicken suit! I salute the girl dressed up here! At least she's got a job and was a good sport letting me take her picture! A person doesn't see someone dressed up in a chicken suit every day!

The rest of the worries centered around Bambi. She decided to go right back to her new cow friends right away so old Roy Flowers is letting her hang out for a little while. More than likely she just needed to do what cows do and will settle down a bit when she gets pregnant. Today I'll go walking over there again, to make sure she hasn't forgotten her momma. If all else fails, Roy said he would load her on his trailer and bring her back. The corral at the barn can hold her for a few days until she forgets how to get back through that fence.

At least I got some nice walking done and a few pretty pictures. There was a misty rain falling and the caterpillar above is covered by droplets as well as this spider web here. The leaves are turning all sorts of golds and reds, probably won't last past tomorrows expected rain. Today will be almost warm and the sun will be out all day AND I have the weekend off! This weekend won't be wasted for sure!

Amber and I already got a good start yesterday getting out. We drove to Oklahoma City to a Greek Festival that was at the Greek Orthadox church. The dinner was excellant! Camaron (Amber's boyfriend) met us there and we ate, watched children do traditional Greek dancing, and resisted all the booths selling all sorts of things. Except for a a couple of cards and a nice chunk of feta cheese at one shop. It was fun and we left just as the getting off work crowd started pouring in.

Now it's time to get on with my weekend. I hope David's computer comes back to life soon. Computers really have their ways sometimes! It will all be good eventually though, no sense in sweating the small stuff. :) Hope everyone has a nice weekend!

Sandy

"The Great Cow Caper" or "Romeo and Juliett Cows"

Well the last two days have been frightening worrying about my cow, Bambi. After a long last two weeks of working my first day off was a nice cup of coffee (and a cigarette) on the patio. That was yesterday morning and I found the main gate wide open, fresh tire tracks and no Bambi. But then again, no Bambi footy prints going out the gate either. The ground being soft from the ongoing drizzling rain would've had tell-tale signs of her roaming about if she did so.

There was also fresh tire tracks leaving the pasture (which the boys next door had come and gone a couple of days before, but surely they locked the gate behind them! They promised they had and Jason would have seen it open when he walked past it the day before!)

I immediately went out to look for Bambi, bringing Darla with me. She can usually find her right off when I tell her "Let's go find Bambi!" (That's her baby too!) Well, we walked and hiked and roamed the 80 acres, in the cold drizzling rain. Found fresh footprints (I mean hoofprints) and followed until the trail disappeared. Calling and calling..feet soaked, cold and wet, still no Bambi. I bottle fed her since her mom died a week after she was born. Her birthday is April 7, 2008, that's when I became her momma (Darla was Aunt Darla).

By the end of the day I had changed clothes 4 times, walked for miles, checked ravines, ponds, any muddy spot she could have gotten bogged down in, filed a "missing cow" report with the sheriff's department, called auction houses, checked for down fences all across these 80 acres. No sign of my baby. All I could think was that cattle rustlers got her. Oh yes! That's alive and thriving more than ever these days especially! A $500 cow (she's priceless by my standards!) would be worth the effort and it's easy to sell a cow with no proof of ownership!
When Jason got home he checked the fences again and found two places she could've gotten through. One was cut by hunters, the other place I've been meaning to fix better. Joe Flowers (shown above) very nice man that has fixed the fence in the past. I met up with him this morning and he said, "Oh yeah, your cow's just fine! She's with the herd and I fed her this morning." I started bawling finally knowing she was okay.
He took me on his "Gator" back to the herd, Darla running alongside us having a blast, and when I saw the herd there was Bambi just hanging out in the middle of them! I gave her a great big hug and scratching but she sure seemed to like being there more than seeing me. She and the herd did follow us back to the gate between our properties but when she realized she was alone again she mooed at them like you wouldn't believe! One of the mom's actually charged at me when I was trying to separate her from the herd! Guess they'd taken a liking to her!
All the roaming around I did, fighting mutant spiders through the woods, I saw three deer run off in the woods, a caterpillar surprisingly still out, cold freezing rain, really enjoyed myself actually...she was just where she wanted to be the whole time. She found company. She found her own kind and probably discovered she really wasn't a dog after all, or a people.

And, I suspect, she's discovered a boyfriend. And those can make an enormous difference on ones outlook on life.

Bambi walked home but, after eating her "candy" went back to the fence out there to look over the fence at what she's been missing all this time.

Now she knows what she's been missing and the future will never be the same.

Churkens

These long-necked lanky creatures are a cross breed of chickens and turkeys. They will lay awesome eggs and most likely will require a bigger pen when they grow up. For now they are third generation Gods... Hendini being "The Great One", young ducks being second, churkins (3rd), baby chicks (4th), and one other breed mixed in that almost looks like turtle doves... (that would be the last in the pecking order but it doesn't look like anyone is pecking out of domination so far.)

So now you've met the poultry class.

Egore was somewhere in the mix while being stuck in the cage in the shop. He was hunched over like the Hunchback of Notre Dame so I called him Egore. But when I let all the chicks into the Great Chicken Coop he has mingled in with the flock and either blended in or disappeared. Amber said, "Well, maybe he just stood up." Perhaps he was just claustrophobic and uncomfortable in a small cage and now feels free enough to stand up tall (like the big ducks) and stretched his wings, so to speak.

That's what I like to think anyway...

Young ducks

The new ducks, handmaids to the Great Hendini

Baby chicks

This one is called Phyllis (after Phyllis Diller, not my mom!)

Crazy Animals

Poor Darla! This is downright embarrassing! Her puppies are all gone and this cat moved right in and started nursing on her.

None of my animals seem to know what they truly are. The dog thinks she's everbodys mother, including the cow (that thinks she's a 500 lb dog). Hendini (the chicken) thinks she's the Great Goddess of the coop now that all the baby chicks and ducks are settled in with her for the winter. What else would she think being the biggest out of them all and can do the Great Magic Trick of creating eggs when none others can.

It's a strange world out here....

Have a great day!
Sandy

My Baby off to Boot Camp

My Baby


Monday I dropped off my youngest daughter Cassie at the recruiter's office. She went from there to a hotel in Oklahoma City to be officially sworn into the Navy, stay the night, then fly to Illinois for boot camp.

Goodbyes were said quickly with hugs, but she said I broke the rules by crying. Through tears I informed her as the mom I completely have the right. As well as the right to take pictures in the parking lot, whether the recruiter was looking on through the office doors or not. A mom has the right to hold onto every tangible memory possible, no matter what means it takes. (She even came back and gave me a few extra, unplanned, but necessary.)

She was tough. She wanted it to be that way. Keeping her composure knowing it's going to be hard but proving from the start how tough she can be. Just one more hug and kiss and off I went leaving her to be on her way. A short text the next day...she was in Chicago waiting for a bus. (I texted back for her not to talk to strangers) A five second phone call a few hours later, her things were getting packed up to be shipped back home, including the cell phone, she'd give an address to write as soon as she could, an I love you and a goodbye.

Phew...

She's always been a headstrong one. Just like my ex-mother-inlaw. We called her "Little Rosie" since she was old enough to let that feisty temper show through (which was VERY early on!) She spent the weekend at my mom's house one time when she was very little. Something was said, Cassie didn't get her way so with her bags packed she stomped to the end of the driveway to wait for mom and dad to come pick her up. My mom said she stayed there for a couple of hours until she finally coaxed her back into the house.

I really pity the drill sargent that pisses her off. She just might be one of the more stubborn soldiers they've ever had! But then again, that would give her the drive to succeed and keep going. After boot camp is the schooling for "Aviation Avionics" that she chose after scoring a 90 out of 100 on the Azvab test. Women recruitments are low, let alone smart ones. That's when she gets to go to Florida. Imagine, turning 21 and being in Florida during Spring Break? She's going to have an awesome time once that hard crap is done.

And I think she'll be absolutely bad ass! It's just a few days past her leaving but she's going to be just fine. Better in the long run for sure!

And her mom is going to make out just fine too...

:)