Isn’t he handsome? I love Brahmin cattle with their floppy ears and unusual shape. This lovely fellow was scraping his hump on the low hanging tree bough. His family group looked liked Hereford cattle. It was very hot and they were sheltering under a tree. Everyone does that in Texas. I will predate a car park for a tree with shade.
This photo was taken in La Grange, a small county town in central Texas. Yes, that’s right, we finally left the house after an endlessly scorching summer. It has been 100 F plus since June but the weather finally broke with a fantastic thunderstorm that soaked the ground and forest. The weather has hovered in the low 90’s so we took our chance with a road trip to La Grange and Brenham.
The weather was perfect, the food good and the scenery bucolic. More posts to come.
This delightful young red-tailed hawk has been waking me up every morning, YELLING for breakfast. It was such a lovely day seeing the baby close up – they have a huge nest in a pine tree behind our neighbor’s house.
Later that day, we set the night camera out and some squirrels came up to us looking for peanuts which we readily provided. We looked out at them snacking on their peanuts on the top of the fence. I turned away and Teddy, gasped “Oh no!”. The enormous (4 foot wing span) Red Tailed Hawk mother snatched one of the wee squirrels off the fence. I was distraught and convinced it was my fault although objectively I know it is just the circle of life.
We lived on a farm many years ago and woke up to dead sheep or cattle when they had died in the night. The farmer would drag the carcass onto the drive next to our house so that the knacker man could pick it up. It couldn’t go for human consumption. I adapted to farm life but still grieved each loss as I knew them all personally and had named them (Pal, Ilford, Ermentrude, Toffee, Fudge and Moo were my favorites). Eventually they all went to market anyway.
I struggled to sleep after the squirrel kill but laughingly realized that we have been running a small farm in our backyard. The stock is fat and healthy – excellent food for a beautiful hawk. I won’t put any more peanuts out until winter as they have plenty of food. Someone else is eating every bud off my hibiscus plant…
Teddy took these fabulous shots of the juvenile, about 60 foot up, with his Canon camera that cost more than me – no dowry from a council house! He was offered many camels for me in Egypt, however, and very kindly turned them down.
This is the prettiest bison I have ever seen. It was the color of a teddy bear, gently snoozing at Franklin Safari Park. Franklin is a small town just north of College Station, where A & M University resides. The Safari Park is privately owned and the animals were really well cared for. Franklin had a F3 Tornado a few months ago. I remember seeing it on the news and wondering where Franklin, Texas was. Many of the workers lost their homes but all the animals survived. Life is full of curious miracles. We gave the park a large donation along with the entry fee.
Don’t you just want to cuddle this little calf? So precious with a cute curly coat.
Breastfeeding the twins in public!
This is an Asian otter who refused to let me take a photo of his lovely wee face so instead you have a photo of his lovely coat and toes.
We don’t have prairie dogs near us so I love them!
Isn’t his stripe down his back lovely?
An Aussie Immigrant
Another Ankole Watuzi – even bigger horns on this one
‘Look at my perfect babies!’
‘Are you sure you don’t have snacks’?
“I only have one wing but my pink feet are so perfect”. We noticed there were quite a few special animals at this park who were just as healthy and happy as the perfect specimens. I have a soft spot for broken creatures just like me.
It is not very easy to be vegetarian in our traditional part of Texas. Not only do we rear cattle but the original settlers were mostly German. I laughed out loud when I saw this Stop sign a few hundred yards from my house. Graffiti usually annoys me but this was clever and funny! Although more flexi than veggie, I rarely cook meat and many of the local restaurants balk at me asking for the steak flatbread, for example, with no steak. My weakness is real ham…. Every Saturday I have a ham and cheese Arepa at our local brunch place – they smoke their own ham.
Longhorn steer
The Germans have been joined by a very diverse group of immigrants including many from Latin America thus the Arepa – maize based flatbread. We live in a very tight series of cul-de-sacs with traffic circles. To stop trucks and school buses churning up the corner, our HOA has put cobbles and more large boulders to deter them. Do you think the vegetarian created this zen stacked rock cairn?
I was working in the countryside last weekend and I met a lovely horse. It took me ages to persuade the horses, calves and donkeys to come close to me. Then it gave me great pleasure to show my colleagues how to handle livestock. Did you know that horse’s eyes magnify images so you are much larger and scarier than you think you are? We gently blew into the cattle’s noses and they blew back. The delight on my city friends’ faces was a joy.
I lived in the countryside for many years and part of my heart is still there. In my last post I said I wasn’t blue but it took an appointment with my psychiatrist this week, to realize that I am low. Dang those chemical imbalances! A medication has been added to my daily potion for a short time and I hope to be back to my old self soon. Every time this happens, I am taken by surprise; perhaps it is a self protective mechanism in my brain.
There is no particular reason for it other than working more hours than usual and being stressed. The change is seasons affects me too and the stupid daylight savings time. The additional drug makes me sleepy but I can feel it’s influence already. Aren’t we lucky to live in the modern age of medicine? Teddy was so ill recently with a systemic infection that they gave him antibiotics that are used to treat the Plague! That scared the life out of me.
I may not post or read blogs as much as usual but I will be back (Arnold Schwartzenegger voice). Sometimes this medication elevates my mood more than it should, so my posts might be more interesting than usual…
Postcards from Kerry 