Moo-ving Down The Field

As I mentioned the other day, there are cattle and horse farms in the vicinity of our house. What I didn't say was that our neighborhood sits on what used to be cattle pastures, and our yard actually backs up to pastures that are still in use. Every couple of weeks, the "girls" and their calves grace the fields behind our house.

I love to watch the cows and calves when they're in the field. There is a group dynamic that is hard to explain. However, if you watch long enough, you know which cows are the leaders, and which are the followers. There are a few that are quite boisterous, mooing when they see the farmer or something else that gets their attention. The calves are quite playful and like to chase each other while their mothers keep an eye on them. If it's hot, they spend time in the shade (You can see the tree line behind the calf.). In the afternoon, they all head to the pond for a drink. When the farmer drives into the field, they all run after his truck.

The adult cows are not too thrilled when I walk my dogs in the backyard. They'll run away from the fence if we get too close. The calves, however, are a little braver and quite curious. While they don't walk up to the fence, they will stand and stare at us. I have a feeling they're wondering what kind of miniature cows I'm walking on those leashes.

Feeling the Heat

Nashville is HOT! The south is suffering through a heatwave (and drought) this summer, and temperatures have hit the triple digits a few times over the past few days. We are under a heat advisory again today with the temperature expected to hit 102. I happened to drive by the Red Caboose Park in the Bellevue area of Nashville around 11 a.m. yesterday and noticed that not one child was on the playset there. Actually, I was the only person in the entire park, and even I didn't last too long as the heat just pounded down on me as I took this photo. You can see the effects of the drought and heat on the grass which is now nothing more than dry, crunchy blades. And, the weather will not get much better over the next week or so. As a side note, over 1800 Bellevue-area residents helped build the playground in Red Caboose Park in 1996. It includes swings, slides, mazes, climbing stations, and more. In addition to the playground, the park also has picnic tables, a small amphitheater where they hold concerts weekends during the summer, the red caboose (of course) and the old Bellevue cabin (I'll show that sometime.). Stay cool!