Uncooperative Cows & English Bluebells

      I was going to title this blog STUPID COWS, but I think I got outsmarted and surprised by a batch of black and red bovines. 

Uncooperative Cows/Windmill Ranch, Snyder TX

     Teresa and I pulled up this morning at The Windmill Ranch Preserve near Snyder America. We knew something was amuck almost immediately. Cows that were supposed to be outside a critical fence line were inside that line. That means they had free roam of the area we call The People's Area... the buildings, the houses, the NOT FOR COWS area. 

      The surprise easily could've been a landscaping disaster considering we just spent hours planting sod and lots and lots of flowers (more on that coming up) plus all the time we've spent just taming Mother Nature. 

Cow Evidence/Windmill Ranch, Snyder TX

     A 1,500 pound momma cow with a big calf can wreck havoc. Multiply all those pounds by four mommas and four calves and it's very surprising we still have sod or flowers. But that's not to say, they didn't leave behind more than a few heaping helpings of prime fertilizer.

     T & I are no rustlers. We managed to get two out, but the other six wouldn't budge and this is where the supposedly STUPID COWS just became the UNCOOPERATIVE, smarter than me COWS. 

     The trick to moving cattle is bringing them food. The easiest way is by 'Honking them up.' Honk your truck's horn and 95% of the time the cows come running. The best way to increase those odds is to shack a feed sack. It's like the dinner bell for Angus through Watusi. Well, we had the horn but not the feed sack... Big mistake!

     The only thing we had that might make a similar sound was a bag of mesquite wood chips for our smoker. So, T sat the cab honking the horn. I got in the bed shaking the sack and making cow call noises. I even got down and poured some on the ground as if I was pouring out 'cake.' Nothing!!! The mommas looked at me like they were saying, "We know that's not our normal horn and you're an idiot if we think that clear bag of something is our normal cake." Of course, the calves wouldn't budge if the mommas didn't.

      The bottom line is: We gave up, called the cows' owner and he had them out within 30-minutes. Either way, we avoided landscaping disaster.

Mums at the Ranch/WRP, Snyder, TX

     Now to all the flowers. We started a couple weeks ago with the usual, Mums. First, we cleared out what we call the Pavilion Bed, brought in rock to better see the snakes, got some fun-mildly mexicanish pots and finally planted the Mums. But as for the big picture, the big splash, the big payoff, we'll have to wait until spring. 

     Spring and early summer is when we hope to have success with our bulb planting. The whole process began weeks ago, but this morning we began planting with English Bluebells. I've never heard of them, but the catalog says they're pretty and can tolerate our zone (7.) And, they're just the beginning for what we call the Big House Bed. Soon, we'll add Hostas, Ferns, Turk's Cap Lillies, Daffodils and Allium. Stick around for for five or six months and we'll see what happens.

Bulb Planting Time/WRP, Snyder, TX

     Gracie Update: She's NO cow dog. She was absolutely useless in today's bovine debacle. The only thing she did that included anything cow was that she rolled in cow poop.

     Diet Update: It's going good. Pounds are dropping, but today I'm daydreaming about making sandwiches into salads. Seriously.

Bill Robertson (10/14/21,) The cows are half Akaushi. It's a Japanese breed (duh.) The full-blooded bull is bred to Angus (red or black.) The result is a calf that science shows makes choice equal to prime beef. Plus, it's more heart healthy than normal beef. Check out Heartbrand Beef for more menu and more taste. https://heartbrandbeef.com/

Impact Affects Remembrance

      I'm closer to 60 years old than I am to 50. Lately due to some very sad circumstances in our community, I've been thinking about what happens when we're gone. Also, I just finished a text conversation with my son that sparked thoughts about one's impact on another person's life. This is a difficult blog to write. 

     I suppose the connection is... One's impact affects one's remembrance. That is to say, you're only as good as the other person's last memory, EXCLUDING CLOSE FAMILY.

     These deep thoughts began awhile back for me when certain people who we knew passed away. There's absolutely no question these were terrible, tremendously sad days for those families. Those parents, grandparents, husbands and wives, siblings and etc will never, ever forget their loved ones because they have mountains of good, bad and ugly memories to recall.

     But what about casual friends, acquaintances and even divided families? Today's text conversation with my son drove that point home for me. That is...What do I remember about the people who I knew are gone and what will the people who knew me remember when I'm gone, even the children? Of course, life MUST go on, but does it have to go on so quickly for those who aren't directly impacted by the death.... Those who have only a Post-it note of memories, good or bad? 

     I was in the grocery store today. I saw someone we know who recently lost a child. , They were  shopping, but no one around them knew their grief. Teresa lost her dear, dear father. She soldiered on, but no else stopped their day. I wonder what those who've gone, looking down from above, are saying. Are they saying: "Dang, no body besides my family misses me. Heck, some of my family doesn't even miss me." Or are they saying, "Thank you for loving me so much and missing me so much. I love and miss you too. I'll see you in time." We move on.

     I guess the $64,000 question is... How do you or I want to be remembered. My son's text conversation today showed me he didn't remember some of my sweetest memories of him. I'll give him a pass because he was young. 

     One's Impact affects one's remembrance whether casual friend, acquaintance or divided family member. Does time change impact?

Bill Robertson (10/13/21,) Hurry up time!

They're Not Gone Yet!

      Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the water or when I began to fill more comfortable at The Windmill Ranch Preserve near Snyder, America without CONSTANTLY looking down, they're back.

Watch for Snakes

     Yep. I'm talking about rattlesnakes, rattlers, rattle bugs, whatever you call em. I killed my first one in a very long time this morning. This one was probably a juvenile. It wasn't very big. That's the good news. The bad news is, it wasn't very big which usually means bigger ones are in the hood.

     Today's victim was laid out on the concrete breezeway between the ranch kitchen and pavilion. That exact location used to be 'rattlesnake alley' before the concrete. I haven't seen one there in at least two years. So it's no surprise that my 'guard' was down. Thank goodness, this one's brown stood out against the concrete's grey. 

Must Haves

     So how exactly do you remove a rattlesnake? In this case, my weapons were a walking stick and a garden hoe. I used the stick to scoot the snake from behind a big trashcan. Then, I used the stick to beat the soup out of it. The stick broke, but the hoe did the job. 

     Some of you might know about our very great dog, Gracie. She's fine, but probably a still traumatized, but not by the snake. She never saw it. I corralled her into the back of my truck and then returned to begin my snake clobbering. I think it was the repeated whacks of the stick to the snake/concrete and probably a little bit of my yelling that kept her in the truck bed..... for the rest of the day. So the bottom line is, "Watch for Snakes."

Gracie's Okay

     On a much lighter note, T & I are back on our diet. It's the one I've written about before that really works, but includes the absolute worst food I've ever put into my mouth. We're both down a few pounds in five days and determined to make it work , but already I'm dreaming and day dreaming about the foods that quench my cravings.

     I turned off the tabs in my head last night by thinking of what I'd have for breakfast at McDonald's. My choices were an Egg McMuffin, a Sausage Biscuit with Cheese or a Sausage Burrito. My rules were that I could choose just one. The extra sad part is/was I spent so much time thinking about what I would have for breakfast at McDonald's that I even began thinking about the ridiculous amount of time I was spending thinking about what I would have for breakfast at McDonald's. And to make it worse, I made my Mickey D's choice and then went on to What Would I have for Lunch at Burger King. Would it be a Whopper or Original Chicken Sandwich? Thank goodness I fell asleep some time between my imaginary breakfast and lunch. If sleep eludes me tonight, my debate will be supper. Should it be Taco Bell (Combo burrito w/ two crunchy tacos and lots of hot sauce,) Schlotsky's (small Original with Salt & vinegar chips )or Saggio's pizza (Italian sausage) in Albuquerque?

Bill Robertson (10/12//21) Egg McMuffin & Whopper (but I do love the Original Chicken Sandwich with Buffalo Sauce) and I suspect Saggio's will be the winner.

How to Use Your Sunglasses & the West Texas Camel

     I can't make this up. My new sunglasses came with instructions and there's a live, real camel in the tiny west Texas hamlet of Hermleigh, population 200-350.

Smart Sunglasses

     Teresa and I treated ourselves to new sunglasses. My old sunglasses were plastic and cost $9.99 at Walmart. I gave Teresa her old sunglasses about 10-years ago. So, we thought we were both due some new shades. Apparently, sunglasses are smarter than the Average Joe or Jane these days. 

Lots of Instructions

     Not only did our new Foster Grants, no not really, come with instructions, but also the critical information is in no less than 28-languages. I guess the good news is, the sunglasses maker thinks very little of a lot of people in a lot of different places, not just Americans.

Don't Use Dirty Rags (duh)

     The fine print ranges from: "Category and Type of Filter," to "Do not use dirty or abrasive cloths to clean lenses." It's real heady stuff.  The flip side is, we've learned 28 different ways to say MANUFACTURER'S INFORMATION NOTE. For example, Danish for Manufacturer's Information Note is: FABRIKANTENS OPLYSNINGSSKEMA. Use that at your next cocktail party. 

The Hermleigh, TX Camel

     I'm not sure what was a bigger surprise this week, the sunglasses surprise or seeing a real live camel in a west Texas town. He, or maybe it was a she, was just wondering around eating the grass in Hermleigh. 

     He or she was fenced in, but otherwise the Arabian camel or dromedary (Camelus dromedarius) seemed happy as clam. I asked around, "Who knew there was a camel in Hermleigh"? Most folks were like us, they had no idea, but not everyone. According to our good friends Laurie and Don Chandler, this Camelus dromedarius even made an appearance the Hermleigh Cardinals Homecoming Parade. I bet it didn't get hot or thirsty.

Bill Robertson (10/8/21,) We have one new granddaughter (Ruthie ) and another one (name TBD) due any day. Times are good.