The Ranch

No "Round" Me

Dogs and Cows

I enjoyed meeting my sister and reuniting with my mom, but still no "round" me.  This is an amazing place.  The ranch is alive with life and not just people.  Sounds of insects fill the air during the day and night.  Of course, there are the four family dogs.  They roam the ranch and give plenty of notice if something or someone is near by.  My favorite, so far, is Owen.  He likes rocks.  Whenever he sees me, he finds a rock and brings it to me to throw.  With my flat hands, this is a very tricky job, but I love to see him run and retrieve it so my mom helps me.

Daily, the cows wander near the house.  When they do, you can hear the dogs announce their arrival.  Lacy thinks she is in charge of the cattle.  There are mother cows and calves along with one bull that graze on the grass and prickly pear.  I took a short video of a mother cow protecting her calf from Lacy.  I think the cow would win if my mom did not chase Lacy away.  The cow has powerful horns and is much larger than Lacy, but this does not stop her from barking and making a huge commotion.  The cattle left as quickly as they could when they saw the interaction between Lacy and the cow.

 

Before they left, Papa helped me pet one of the mother cows.  I thought the fur would be soft, but it is a bit scratchy.

Following is a picture of the cattle leaving quickly.

Many people believe that if you live in Texas, you live on a ranch and have horses.  There are no horses on this ranch, only cattle.  Most people that live in Texas do not have horses or live on ranches.  Living on a ranch is a lot of work.  Drought or no drought, the cattle must be watered and fed.  This is not just work, but also very expensive if the cattle can't forge for food.  Mother cows that are nursing their young eat more.  The larger the cow or bull the more they eat.  The cattle on this ranch are called beef cattle because someday they will be sold for meat.