Three Items

I have a few things to talk about today. First off is I got my hair cut up to my chin--it was past my shoulders. The main reason I opted for a short do is not because of the coming hot weather, but because three weeks agoI had used dry shampoo spray on my hair and then attempted to curl it with a curling iron. The result was burnt hair. . . hair stuck to the curling iron burnt. . .burnt black. I only singed one 1 1/2" section of my hair and not the whole head, but rather than trying to hide it I opted to chop, chop. So word to the wise, DO NOT USE A HEATED APPLIANCE ON YOUR HAIR AFTER USING AEROSOL DRY SHAMPOO! I did email the maker of the dry shampoo and suggested that they put a warning on the can. I have also found out that aerosol dry shampoo is highly flammable. "No kidding." says the girl with half a head of hair. A picture of my new do is forthcoming.

Second item on the blog agenda is that yesterday I attended my last MOPS meeting. Did I cry? Yes, I did but not until Gayla spoke with me. Gayla is one of our mentors and the mentor to whom I have been the closest. I marvel at the person I was and the baby Katie was (she was 13 months) when I walked into my first MOPS meeting. I was still a nervous mother and relatively new to the area. I realize that it is time to move on and that MOPS had a place and a short time in my life, but MOPS was incredibly important to me as it eased my worries about mothering. I still have a brunch to attend next Monday and I know I will struggle to keep it together there.

Third item is about a cow. About last Wednesday I noticed two cows on our neighbor's land. I thought our neighbor had gotten rid of all of his cattle, but assumed he got some more. The cows were laying down. The next day that I drove by the neighbors, the cows were in the same place and laying down. On day four, I drove by and the black cow was dead. I left a message for our neighbor, but I did not hear back from him. Come to find out the cows were not his. They were strays that apparently got hit by a car. Because they were somebody else's cows, nobody would assist them and definitely not put them out of their misery. (You could get into legal trouble for shooting someone's cow even if you were putting it out of their misery.) The fate of the remaining cow was tugging at Rick's heart. He called some friends who have cattle and asked them to bring food to the cow. At first they said yes and then changed their minds because they could not get a hold of our neighbor and "you just don't go on someone else's land without their permission". About then is when I got angry. Yesterday after I picked Katie up from school, Katie and I gathered every large container that we could think of, filled them with water and drove them over to the cow. The cow quickly lapped up those first 5 gallons of water. Katie and came back home and filled up the buckets and headed back down the road. I called our friends, the ones that won't trespass, and asked them what cows eat. I was going to buy food, but they offered to bring the food to the cow because the cow had moved to the fence and you could feed it without going on our neighbor's land. Come to find out, Rick had already told our neighbor that we would be feeding and watering the cow so the whole uproar about trespassing was unnecessary. Our friends dropped some food off with the cow--hay and pellets--and brought the rest here so we can feed the cow. After tae kwon do Katie and I feed and watered the cow and this morning I fed and watered the cow. I am still upset that our neighbor and friends wanted to take was to starve and dehydrate the cow to death. I realize I am not a tough farm girl, but that is inhumane. When Katie asked why we were going on our neighbor's land without his permission I explained we were doing so because watering and feeding the cow and it was the right thing to do. I don't know if the cow's hips are hurt or if she even got hit by a car. I think she doesn't stand because of the deprivation from food and water. I know nothing about cows, but I am learning. For example, I learned I need to wear boots when I go and visit her. Here is my cow tending outfit from this morning.

The reason why I took this picture because it is the first time I have felt like a Texan and because I think it's funny that I am wearing my expensive riding boots to take care of the cow. When I originally purchased the boots I did so to look fashionable. Little did I know I would need them one day to tip-toe through the cow patties.

Here's the cow. I call her Chloe. I am still trying to figure out the tag on her ear. Maybe, just maybe, we can find her rightful owner and he/she is a nice person. However, I have a suspicion that she may have been dropped at our neighbors.

Below is a picture for Rick. It is Katie, or Eagle Eye, shooting her BB gun. I kid you not. That girl is one hell of a shot. 

I'll keep you up to date on the cow and will post a picture of my new do when I am presentable. Ciao.