September 22, 2022 ~ Thursday (very early morning – yawn!)
I can’t sleep. So what’s new?
I’ve been here, now, for 4 months. Time flies when you’re sick and unpacking boxes! It also flies when you are doing everything else.
I was lying in bed (mere moments ago) thinking of greener pastures. Literally. On the island I was surrounded by nature and all things green. Here … I am surrounded by concrete and all things beige. So, as I was trying to conjure up visions of green grass and sheep and counting what I miss about the island, my mind switched from all things ovine to all things bovine. Yeah – it sounds silly but … I miss the cows. Oh sure, I miss my friends. I miss the absolute beauty and tranquility of the island. I miss the natural surroundings and the wildlife and the slower pace. I miss the small town ease and familiarity and walkability. But, yeah … I miss the cows, too.
I am a small town girl at heart … a country-bumpkin one might say … but one who wants a Trader Joe’s nearby, too. And a few local cows wouldn’t hurt either!
I lived in Langley, on Whidbey Island, WA, for eight years. I could walk just about anywhere from my location – into town, to a winery, to the water, to the arts center, to the forests, and to a very sweet, very lovely little working farm.
The farm had goats (once) and has tons of flowers and produce and also … cows. I’d walk over to see them, from time to time, from my house (12 minutes or so … down my street, right down another, across the main road that leads to town, up the hill and around a curve) and feed them apples. Usually, I’d bring my own supply with me, but in autumn, I’d let their local apple trees provide the fruit. I’d glean whatever had fallen and using a trusty pocketknife, I’d cut the apples into quarters and hand feed the cows through the wire fencing. Nothing like a sticky, saliva-y, fat, white-pink tongue slobbering over the palm of your hand trying to suck in an apple! I loved it!
What can I say? I like cows!
While I favor just a handful of cow “types”, there are more than 70 recognized cattle breeds in the US and over 1000 worldwide! The “Oreo” of cows (the Belted Galloway) is my all time favorite. They are a bit shaggy, are a good beef cattle, and are an exceptionally calm and quiet cow. And, I just find them damn cute! And, for whatever reason, it seems they appear more often in folk art paintings than other types of cows. Why is that? Perhaps, it is because they are easier to paint than Holsteins (the black and white dairy cows). I know that if I were painting a pastoral setting, I’d do better painting a black cow with a white stripe around its middle than a spotted one … which, with my skills, would probably end up looking more like a Dalmation out standing in a field than a cow!
My other favs are Black Angus … they are primarily the nation’s “beef” cattle and the most common breed. I fell in love with these hunky beasts when I first came to Denver. We went to the National Western Stock Show (January 1980) and I couldn’t get enough of their stocky, muscular bodies, short legs, big heads and gorgeous black-velvet fur. If a cow can be beautiful, this one is.
But, I kind of think they are all beautiful, in their own ways. I think it’s the eyes. I love when an animal really looks at you … and when they do (to me) there is a little flutter in my soul. What is it with animals and that connection?
I also fancy Guernseys. They look like Holsteins but are a pretty caramel brown. They have straight backs, no horns, and are also gentle milk producers.
I like Jerseys, too. They are like the Guernsey and Holsteins in stature but are typically fawn or cream with cream markings with deer-like faces. They are docile and sweet and if you’ve ever looked at one of these creatures in the eye … your heart would surely melt a bit.
And, of course, Holsteins – the quintessential cow. Whenever anyone sees the word COW, I’d bet that is the image that comes to mind … the infamous black and white dairy cow … the image everyone draws or conjures up in thought.
I think my first encounter with a cow, when I first fell in love with all things COW, was when I was about five or six. Maybe younger. We had milk delivered to our house – the nice, old-fashioned glass milk bottles (with the cardboard stoppers) were brought to the doorstep by the milkman. I’d sit on the back steps awaiting his arrival. He used to come in a horse drawn cart … before my time … but when old enough to wait, I watched ours arrive by truck. And what a truck! It was a white truck from the Borden Dairy (established in 1857) with their logo on the side of a cow with a daisy behind her head. The cow’s name was Elsie. How I loved her! I even had a stuffed animal of her. It had a rubber/plastic head on a yellow/brown stuffed body which was in a sitting position (like a dog would sit – not how a cow would sit! That always bothered me!) Anyway – I loved that goofy cow cuddle baby. And my love affair with cows started with her and continues on!
In the Hindu religion, the cow is sacred (believing it to be a gift from the gods). Whenever I see a cow, I kind of have to agree. They are just some magnificent animals … offering so much and needing so little in return … and what faces! One can’t name a cow any ordinary name. No cow can be a Linda or a Karen or a Michael. The names Bossie, Flossie, Moo-Moo, Elmer, Milk Dud, Buttercup, and Bess come to mind. Yes, it needs to be special … a cow can’t have just any random name.
If I had a pet cow it would be named Emmaline, Mabel, Clara Belle or something like Eunice, Ruby, Violet, or Daisy. A good old-fashioned, sweet old lady name. And while I’m fantasizing about having a cow – I’ll go one step further …
On nice days (and in a fantasy – all the days are nice!) … we’d lie in the meadow (awash with wildflowers and grasses) watching fat dragonflies and dainty butterflies flit from flower to flower. All the while she’d be chewing her cud … her tasseled tail flicking off flies from her flanks … her long eyelashes lazily blinking in the sun … her front legs curled under her chest … her big, beautiful cow eyes looking lovingly at me … her softer than soft fur just begging to be petted. A girl can dream, right?
And, as much as I do love cows (on island or not) … I hate to say it as some (me included) would think me hypocritical … but I am also a huge fan of eating beef and liking leather (sueded/soft as butter/or pebbled – it doesn’t matter). All I can say is, well, it is what it is. I love my cows … and I admit that I like them just as much with a little char on them and maybe some onions and mushrooms on the side or as a nice pair of shoes or a pretty purse!
In any case … I need some cows!