Gandle, my aunt had a lead cow that wore a cowbell and aunti would call her to lead the heard to pasture or home for milking. Most often the call worked, but sometimes the cow would do her own thing and nothing my aunt did worked.
What's your cow story?

I yoo-hoo too! Cows are by no means the dumb animals we seem to think they are. I used to work with cows. On the small farms in the area where I come from (think Appalachian landscape), cows where not only milk givers but also draft animals. We had a cow (Alma) who knew time. No matter where she was and whatever she was doing, whether it was pulling with a companion a plow or grazing, come 5:30 PM, she went home and nobody could stop her.

O.K., we had a brown awiss milk cow named Bess. If a cow can be called pretty or good looking , she was. Big soft brown eyes, long eyelashes and she had a good disposition. Placid and easy to milk. Never any problems with her behavior as compared to a Jersey that whose main purpose in life was to do just opposite what we wanted her to do.

Bess was also an escape artist. Guess no one told her she was a herd animal. She always managed to get in the horsae pasture that shared a fence line with Vrbiskas, near their house.

Little Betty, Bitsy, Lizzie or what ver her name was, probably Elizabeth wandered down tthe road between us almost a quarter mile. The road was seldom used, wasn't very good. When we went out we went south and they went north.

When my step-mother saw Betty she wanted to let Vrbiskas know Betty was here. They had no phone. She sent sis bareback on her horse to tell them we would bring her home.

The main purpose of the visit was tha Betty wanted to see Beth. Step-mother told her nobody here was named Beth. Betty lisped a little bit and finally one of us decided she wanted to see Bess. Step-mother sent sis out to the pasture to drive Bess up to the barn, well, all the rest of the cows came along too guess just to see what Bess was wanted for this time of day.

Betty hugged Bess around the face, she wasn't tall enough to hug her around the neck and told her Beth, you are so pretty.

Bess seemed to like the attention and at least twice more Betty came to see Beth. Dad thought that name was alright so we started calling the cow Beth. Betty always wore bib overalls and afte the session with the cow always had cow slobber on the bib.

Sis would put her in front of her on her horse and take Betty, Bitsy, Lizzie home.

A real tragedy occured with that family at a later time. May or may not post about that.

Thank you, gandle---I just came in from mowing/yard work up at the kids' house and this story just hit the spot.

What a sweet time in life for all of you---the cow, Betty, and your family, all connected in at least one way over the love for a sweet cow.

You made my day, you really did---and I'm going to read the story again later this evening; it makes me feel so good inside.

Thanks for the story, Gandle. I enjoyed reading it.
And anneliese, my aunti would have loved having a lead cow that could tell time. It would have saved her from yoodeling over the hills.

like water to my soul. Great story George! I hope you feel up to the tragedy story, but if not, I sure understand.