Out to Pasture
Drought can mean a lot of things. Withered soy beans, stunted corn, scarce hay, and high feed prices; dusty fields, almost dried-up wells, angsty cows, and a whole lot of pasture rotation. Too much sun is bad news for farmers, but even while we wait for rain clouds to replace the dust clouds, there's always a reason to look up, and laugh. And there is nothing quite as comical as a cow, even on the dry, thirsty days.
In order to keep the herd from exhausting the grass supply, we run them between pastures every couple weeks. They mutter and bellow as we prod with sticks and tempt with grain, all in the hopes of quickly moving them across the road that runs between. Sometimes the whole herd runs as one, hooves thundering along in the right direction toward grass left greening and untouched for a spell. Then again, there are the times when one stray cow decides to lead us on a wild chase up the mountains.
On one such day in June, Crescenda shied away from the gate and plunged past Caleb. He waved his arms vigorously and tried to stay between her and the open fields that lay beyond, but with a toss of her long, curving horns, she side-stepped him and continued up the road.
Caleb called to Becca, and the two ran after their quarry, but Crescenda veered off the road into the fields and continued on stolidly. Caleb thought they had their chance when they reached the stream that threads through the valley, but Crescenda only paused to look up and down a bit, unperturbed. A flash and burble of silver on stone might startle some cattle, but not her. Finding a place to cross, she continued ever onward.
The fields sloped upward now, and the threesome wound along, the cow leading the way to a mysterious destination. Head erect, with unhurried gait, she pressed on resolutely until she came to the fenced-in pasture where we pasture the steers. Plodding to the corner gate, she stopped, and waited patiently.
At a loss as to why she ran away from one gate only to enter another, her followers opened it obediently. Crescenda entered without hesitation, even when a group of gangly steers ran over and tried to show some sass. An unfortunate little twerp got too close. With a mighty swing of her horns, she sent him flying. Mission completed, she ambled down the hill, circling back towards the road.
Several moments later, after she completed her lengthy tour, Cresenda docilely entered the gate she had bolted past almost an hour before and rejoined the herd. It was only the humans who were confused--she knew what she was up to all along.