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/