The Cattle are Loose

It's been a busy week. We've arranged for new insurance (farm and auto.) We've had a new gutter hung on the pole barn. We've been vehicle shopping and selected a new one to buy. We've jumped through the necessary hoops for an auto loan. Our living room furniture was delivered. We've made some big decisions concerning the upcoming school year. We've been making last minute preparations for our upcoming vacation. And the kicker... the cows disappeared.

Yesterday, when going over my son's math placement test, I thought I heard a resounding moo from the woods behind us. The cows are not supposed to be in the woods behind us. They don't belong to us. "The cow's are out!" I called out to my husband, as I jumped up. He slipped on his boots and ran out into the woods to try to locate them while I prayed he wasn't trampled. :)

He didn't see any cattle. We chalked up the occurrence to echoes. All the ravines and trees in limestone country lend themselves to echoes. But then we were still a little on edge, and began keeping a look out for them in between our other duties. 

For the rest of the day the only cow we saw was the "one with the bad eye." It had been damaged at years ago by the horn of another cow. She was blind in one eye. We saw her walk the fence along the drive and the fence along the back of the house... alone... seemingly looking for the others. But then, she always "feels" her way around. 

Before dinner my husband took the truck and drove around the pasture. He saw no signs of any other cows. He made sure they didn't get into the lower barn after the hay, did some minimal traipsing through the woods. He didn't see any. So, he called our neighbor to alert him- just in case.

Out came the trucks, the go-buggies, the disgruntled family members of our neighbor. They walked the ravines. They pushed through underbrush. They walked the sections of fence in the woods. They did their best to comb our 30 acres. 

Then they drove nearby roads. They beat through the woods behind our property. They saw torn shrubbery, hoof prints, and cow pies... in the woods behind our property that we do not own. Eventually my oldest son and husband had to come in to clean up. It was a Holy Day.

When we returned from the solemn Mass of the Assumption it was dusk. The cows had still not been found. It was decided that the quarry was going to be called in the morning. Apparently the quarry attracts cows like it attracts lightning. (Our new insurance agent told us about the nearby quarry attracting lightning strikes.) But that's a story for another day.

Last night we were fretting about the creatures. One section of our corner of woods bears three strands of barbed wire. But the back section bears one sagging strand. We had been worried about that from the beginning. But our neighbor had assured us at the outset, "They'll mostly stay up here in the front pasture. They won't go on the dam. They won't go into the woods." 

Stretching more barbed wire through poison-ivy infested, thicket-clogged hills and ravines sounded expensive and unpleasant. Plus, it was all we could do to mend the post and beam fence before he moved the cows last Saturday. We took his word for it. 

So last night we went to bed worried, looking forward to the unpleasant prospect of cattle hunting today, and the delay of more of our plans. Our only consolation was our newly purchased farm policy. If liability for any damages the cows incurred was pinned on us, we'd be covered. Although it did seem like it would raise some eyebrows since the policy took effect the very day of the disappearing cows.  

This morning at 6:30 my husband went out and saw all the cows bedded down in the hay near the front of the property by the road. It was a frustration, a mystery, and a relief all at the same time. We don't think they were in the woods last night when everyone was combing through them after all. I guess 30 acres is a lot of land to hide in when half of it is wooded and thickets! But one important thing was learned. The cows have been straying into the neighboring woods. 

We volunteered the materials to string more wire, but we simply don't have the time to string 3 strands of barbs 500 feet or more up hill, down ravine, and through brambles. We'll see if our neighbor decides to leave them here after yesterday's ordeal or if it was enough of a scare and hassle for him to make other plans. In the mean time, we're going to pick up the new family van today. We're going to cancel our old insurance policy, add the new van to our auto policy, return library books, take garbage and recycling, help a friend move a dresser, buy groceries for vacation, etc. We're also going to sing the "Cows" song by Sandra Boynton... and maybe "Blue Moo" for good measure.