October 27, 2009. Harper, Tx. The Cattle.

Ken is like the Pied Piper here at the ranch.  As soon as he takes the Mule out of the garage and drives around the land, the cattle seem to recall that eventually he will feed them treats and they follow him everywhere he goes.   He brings the Mule up to the Top House and the cattle comes along with him, standing on the outside of the fence, waiting and bellowing for some food.  We don't know if they do it with everyone who comes on to the ranch or whether or not they really have the memory of past treats, but it is an odd sight, to watch these huge animals following the little vehicle all around the ranch.

The horns on these creatures are remarkable.  Every time we arrive and see the cattle the sight of those long horns comes as a surprise.  We are both careful to keep away from those sharp horns.  The creatures are friendly and gentle, but they do use their horns to get rid of the bugs and fly and just a quick toss of the head could easily rip open an arm.  The two steers are huge, actually bigger than the bull.  They stand over five feet tall at the shoulders.  The bull is just a bit shorter but is thicker in every direction, including his horns.  The eight heifers seem slight alongside the steers, as they are shorter and thinner.  And we have five calves this year, two pretty young.  They are still in the jumping around mode so they are funny to watch.

The fish are thriving too.  I fed the fish and counted ten fish in all, two white, four orange, two spotted, and two small gold.  But my count may be off.  It is difficult counting fish in a big tank.  We are pleased with the cattle and the fish.  Being left alone seems to agree with them.