Cow in the Yard!

Quincy, my adorable four year old grandson, has been visiting for the last three days. He had strep throat and I knew his mom, who was also sick, needed to have a break. When the amoxicillin kicked in he was the cheerful outside boy we know. Yesterday he pulled handfuls of Spanish moss off the crape myrtle and arranged it into a big rough nest. He got some round stones I had left on the edge of a planter for "eggs". He told me he was the daddy bird and he leaped around the yard flapping his arms and making tweeting sounds.

This morning, hopeful for a quiet adult moment before Quincy awoke, I went out in the yard with my coffee to watch the dawn and listen to the chorus of birds. To my dismay I saw that an almost grown calf had gotten into the yard through the gate Quincy must have left open. This calf, the last offspring of Freckles who died soon after of old age, and Curley who had to be put down from a bad hind leg, is the curious and bad personality heifer of the herd (considering her parents).

She thought she had entered the pearly gates. She was so ecstatic to find lots of moss, green grass, oranges on the ground and flower beds trying to come back after the frosts. I put my coffee cup on a fence post and tried to talk her into exiting. No good.

Frankly, I am somewhat wary of a 750 pound cow. How do you get a cow's attention? I tried whistling. (Could I pull her by her ears?) This cow was happily eating the crape myrtles dripping with moss and she had no interest in following me out the gate. I ran up to the vegetable garden and quickly stripped off a dozen collard leaves because I know those cows love collards. Back down to where the calf was I tried coaxing her with the leaves. She loved the collards but she wouldn't budge. I ran back and got two brooms and packed corn kernels into the pockets of my vest.

Meanwhile Quincy has waked up and Lola, the dascshund is at the ready with lots of barking to help herd anything interesting- and this certainly was interesting! Quincy is on the porch shouting for the cow to leave his"nest" alone. The rest of the herd is surrounding the fence so I cannot leave any gates open or they will all be in the yard.

I take some deep breaths and realize that this is beyond me so I call warren, who actually owns these beasts. He doesn't pick up his phone. We watch the progress of the cow and I see her nearing the water lily pond (and Quincy's nest). She looks interested in the $20.00 iris I just planted. I rush out, brandishing the two brooms and she just looks at me with liquid brown eyes.

Defeated, I say to myself that all will be revealed in time so I go in and prepare a banana strawberry smoothie for Quincy and put down some kibbles for Lola. I go upstairs to make the bed and pack up Quincy's clothes and I look out the window and see the cow heading for the vegetable garden! War is now declared. I run down the stairs two at a time, pick up the brooms, and I am out of the house in a flash. Screaming and flapping I head that cow off to the back gate I nimbly open in advance. As she exits, she gives me an even gaze as if to say, "Thanks for the adventure!"

As I huff down to where I originally parked my coffee cup Warren drives up, we giggle, and he turns around and goes home to his own hot coffee.

Later, Quincy and I drive down the hour or more trip to his house. You never know what may happen at grandma's house. In the rearview mirror I see him napping, his stuffed penguin gently clasped in his hands.