The Cow Jumped Over The Moon

The preparations for our trip have been many and varied. We have all helped for weeks to prepare. Some chores have been more enjoyable than others. We have planted, weeded and mulched our garden (that was one of the not so enjoyable tasks). 

We have made some foods in advance (lots and lots of cereal!!), planned all our meals, and packed the motorhome (plus a lot more, but I don't want to bore you....I am nice that way:). 

Tonight we did one of the most eventful chores to prep for the trip. As I  mentioned before we are "kind of" farmers. To interpret from Emmanese to English, that means we have a bunch of chickens, a couple cats, and two cows. Tonight we were attempting to move the aforesaid cows from our pasture to a friends, where we will leave them until after we come home. It was a very interesting experience.

Our cows are named Chuck Roast, and Flank Steak. Chucky is a nice, friendly cow (at least as friendly as cows can be). He went in the trailer and rode over to the other pasture with very little urging. Flanky was not so cooperative. Dad and everyone but myself, Encumbered, and Enchantress were at home helping. I heard this story later.

First they tried to herd him in. He didn't approve. If he could talk, he would have said, "You gotta be kiddin' me. I'm not goin' in that there big scary cave." (I have multiple talents, one of which is to think cow). 

Then they got a little more forceful. They started waving their arms and circled closer. Now he was thinking more along the lines of, "What are those crazy people doin'? Must be a human thing. Hmmm. I hope they don't come any closer. HEY PEOPLE! Don't come any closer (faster, flurried) They are coming closer. They are coming closer. What am I goin' to do? AHH!!! THEY ARE AFTER ME!!!!! HELP!!! RUN!!!"
And run he did....right THROUGH the fence!

They couldn't let him go, of course, so they carefully got in a circle around him and herded him gently into the corral again. 

Then they repeated the whole performance over again, only this time, he jumped right OVER the fence. As I heard the story, I couldn't help thinking that the Mother Goose rhyme was very fitting (modified just a little). 

"Hey Diddle Diddle, the dad and the pitchfork, the cow jumped over the fence. The little girls laughed (or cried) to see such sport, and the cow ran away with (part of) the fence."

They got him in the corral again, but were pretty tired of the cow by now, and so decided to at least let it rest until after dinner. 

After dinner, Mom and I went out to the cows. I decided that force was not going to work, and that I would have to take a page from the Child Catcher's book. So Mom and I got some apples, water and salt in the trailer. I pulled up grass and hay, and made a trail into the back of the trailer. Then I hand-fed him some grass. I moved closer and closer to the trailer. I was talking low and soothing the cow (or trying to). I figured that since I had taken all the rest of the act from the Child Catcher (think Chitty Chitty Bang Bang), I might as well use his lines, too. So I started saying, "Lollipops! Come and get 'em. Grass! Nice green grass. Apples! Ice Cream!!" Mom was laughing pretty hard at this point. 

We baited him halfway in, and then Dad brought some oats and that did the job. In he went! 

Moral of the story: You catch more cows with oats than with pitchforks.