“I’m okay with it if we get a cow. Or two.”
I’ll never forget uttering the words to my husband, Ryan. I was completely surprised to hear that string of words leaving my mouth.
For those of you who were raised on a farm, you probably would have said steer, heifer, or some term I don’t have in my vocabulary, but I just went with “cow”.
You see, I didn’t grow up on a farm. I didn’t take one single agriculture class in high school. I was in Brownies and Girl Scouts, not FFA.
So when I agreed to raise a cow or two, that was a big deal. We’re talking miles outside of my comfort zone of my childhood goldfish and hamster.
Fast forward to two years later, and we’ve had two heifers and as I write this, we have four more cows. Steers, to be specific.
See what I did there? I’m learning!
In fact, raising beef cattle has been a great family experience for all of us. It’s something we can do without ever leaving our yard. If there was ever a time to stay at home and be entertained, this is it, right?!?
In keeping with the family adventure, our kids helped to name our herd. I’ve got to say, they were super creative and did not disappoint!
We have Cutie, Jack, Astro and Rocket. Never, ever would I have picked out those names, but there they are.
Cutie is the leader of the pack. He’s the eldest, but also smaller than the others. He loves a good head scratch and is the first to venture forward while the others wait to see if he’s deemed a situation okay.
Jack is….unique. He’s very skittish and he doesn’t want a whole lot to do with us. We just let him do his thing.
Rocket darts like a bullet all over the barn and farm. Kidding. Rocket likes to eat hay and lounge. He doesn’t do much other than that.
And then there’s Astro, which naturally, is short for Astronaut.
Luke, our five year old picked his name out. This guy loves attention and he’s not afraid to give a nudge to make sure you don’t forget about his head pat. He’s the social butterfly of the bunch.
Our kids love driving their mini gator around them and they have quite the herd following.
During the COVID quarantine, I went outside and talked to them about my concerns and frustrations. They’re actually very good listeners and they tend to agree with me.
That’s a plus! So if you happen to drive by the farm and see me outside hanging with the “cows”, you’ll know I’m in one of my new, sometimes smelly, happy place.
DEANNE FRIEDERS – WATERMAN FARM WOMAN, MOM, AND COOK