Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Bovines, barbecues, and barbecued bovines

We last saw Lily just about a year ago. Lily is my neighbor's cow, and her job is to have a new cow every year. If the new cow is a boy cow, my neighbors raise him until he is big enough to... to... to serve a useful purpose for the carniverous among us. If the new cow is a girl cow, my neighbors raise her until she is big enough to have cows of her own. Last year, Lily had a boy cow, and on Memorial Day, my neighbors invited me over for a barbecue at which steaks were grilled. Enough said.

This year, Lily had a girl cow, and her name is Sunny. Since Sunny will be my neighbor well into the future, I did my best to get on her good side.


This day, her good side seemed to be opposite of whatever side her mom was on.
She's still pretty shy.


But she finally came around.


Lily is a very good mom and gave me the bovine stink eye whenever I got too close to Sunny.


But her curiosity got the better of her as she tried to figure out why a two-legged was prone in her pen, angling for the perfect combination of cow, clouds and sky.


Lily passes on the stink-eye gene to her offspring.


And by the looks of it, she'll be passing on the good-mom gene as well.

26 comments:

  1. What awesome pictures of mom and baby. Sunny doesn't look that old and Lily was very gracious to let you come so close.

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  2. Very cute!! I "almost" feel guilty for being a meat eater! I will get over it :p
    signed
    Theresa in Alberta

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  3. "stink eye gene"

    You never cease to give me a morning giggle, Linda !

    And, thanks for reminding me of all the positions you get yourself into just to entertain your many fans !!

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  4. The second photo is so adorable! Thanks for sharing your lovely photos Awesome Rancher Woman :)

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  5. Nothing ruins a good BBQ more than knowing who the guest of honor is. Was.

    I like anonymous beef best.

    (Nice photos.)

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  6. Ahhh how sweet! Love that last photo. Thanks for a warm and fuzzy start to my day.

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  7. The CEO of our company told some analysts not long ago "We don't name our cows." Moo.

    Sunny is a beautiful calf. I'm glad she is not going to be barbecued.

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  8. The last photo is enough to melt even the coldest of hearts.

    I'm sure it sounds like a broken record after awhile, but your pictures are just awesome. The best around by far.

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  9. When we stayed in Lone Pine, our motel was right across the street from a pasture full of cows and babies. ALL were tagged. We pulled in Sunday night and they were all there. Monday morning, 5 a.m., they were all gone! My husband told me I could go visit them at the grocery store! ACK!

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  10. Very nice genes! Future good meals ahead ;)

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  11. Awww! Great pictures Carson. The light is so beautiful and I especially like that second black and white. Gorgeous.

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  12. Passing on the bovine stink eye gene. hehehehe!! The picture with Lily giving you the stink eye... Quite the expression she has going on there. The last one is just precious.

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  13. How sweet! Love the pictures. Makes me want to give the little Sunny a big hug. Cows are so cute.

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  14. Back in the 70's I became a vegetarian because one of my best friends lived next to a cattle farm....I just couldn't eat meat after that.....As soon as he moved, I became a beef consuming carnivor again....I love the last picture...

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  15. Sunny is adorable but then I love cows and pigs along with the horses and donkeys. The last picture is awesome with their red coats gleaming from the sun. I sit here chuckling over the wide eyed expression of both of them, wondering what this two legged creature is doing in our space.

    My daughter and her hubby raised cows for food last year and the name their animals. I got Blackie and boy, he has been yummy.

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  16. Sooo sweet together. I'm so very happy they'll be able to live out their lives in bovine bliss. It's good to be a girl.

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  17. Love the stink eye!! lol
    Your neighbors and I are on the same page. I'm anxiously awaiting a baby out of one of our girls. Same thing, if it's a boy... freezer. If it's a girl, she stays to reproduce. I'm excited! (annnnd... we butcher that young bull next Tues!!)

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  18. The last photo is my favorite - just wanna say, "Awwwwwww...."

    I haven't told you I love the new headline photo/banner/whatever - although I prefer to see all 4 of your big boys, it's really cool to see Deets on his lovely perch!

    Nancy in Iowa

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  19. Awwwwwwwwwww....good for Sunny, good for her getting the right chromosome!

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  20. Beautiful photos! I don't see cattle close-up very often. Thanks for sharing these pictures. The title of this post was verrrry interesting! LOL I hope the ... steaks ... were good. :)

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  21. Such a sweet baby girl, and they both look beautiful in the sunset. And congrats on the new banner photo - Deets just where he should be!

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  22. Those photos are fabulous. Our first farm animal was a hiefer named Hiram. After being his constant companion all summer and fall, he was on the table all winter. Never named another animal after that and vegetarianism runs in this particular generation of my family.

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  23. Okay...so I am a meat eater and would rather eat meat that came from an animal that had a good life but still....ignorance is bliss....don't want to know about the fate of any named animals! (I don't do well with the whole cycle of life thing, which is why I'm only a little good at being a country girl!)
    However.....thanks for sharing about Sunny. And, yes, I will repeat it....those pics are heart warming!

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  24. ...bovine stink eye...
    *snicker, snort*
    :-)
    great pics.

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  25. I'm with farmgirl... Stink eye... lol

    Okay, now I can't eat meat for awhile. And with all the gulf turning into sludge, shrimp is out.

    Trout. You don't have any emotion filled shots of trout, do you?

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  26. A little late to the party, but I had friends who had two meat goats which were named "Salami" and "Summer" (Sausage).

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