Picture of Innocence

Sep
6


Beulah Petunia and Glory Bee, reposing in the field across the road this morning.

They look innocent, don’t they?

Glory Bee, swiftly becoming my favorite cow, actually IS innocent. But BP…..!!!!!!

Morgan, calling me from her cell phone on the way to school: “Guess what I did this morning?”

I wake up around the time she’s stepping on to the school bus here. (Approximately 6:10 a.m. We have one county high school here, and we aren’t close to it.) In the lights of the arriving school bus, Morgan–and the school bus driver–discovered BP wandering down the road. The school bus herded her back up the road while Morgan and another student who, once the bus stopped, leapt out to help, herded BP back into the field. This is the third time BP has gotten out of this field. I had it repaired after the first two times, but there must be something new or was missed. I don’t have time to get someone out here to work on the field with the retreat coming up, so I’m going to go ahead and just move them to another field for now.

Meanwhile, in spite of annoyance, I think Morgan was actually proud of herself this morning for putting BP back without coming to get me. I told her she was awesome. She’s my little wrangler! I hope that works out on her resume somehow….





Comments

  1. DancesInGarden says:

    How nice that the bus driver and other student were willing to help! Good job, Teenager!

  2. BuckeyeGirl says:

    Or else she’s a leaner. Cows lean… and lean… and lean… till the fence gets lower, and lower, and lower and they can walk over it. That’s why sometimes a sturdy boxwire fence won’t hold ’em while a single little strand of electric ribbon will.

    Sounds like Morgan is glad she got to be the hero we all know she is! Just the sort of thing to add some country glam to a long boring bus ride! (I know, I was on one of those loooooooong country bus rides.) 4H, FFA and people who had to milk the cows before the bus ride were nothing unusual.

    It wasn’t on our route but there was one bus that often had to wait to cross the road because a farmer had to pasture his cows on one side of the road and his barn was on the other. Cows have the right of way and country people will ALWAYS stop to notify or yes, sometimes help the farmer get them back in if they’re loose. Anyone who doesn’t is just too city to bother with. :cowsleep:

  3. GA_in_GA says:

    Sounds like you have a REAL Farm Girl living in your home!

    It makes me miss the ‘real’ country I grew up in, to hear that the bus driver herded and then allowed the students to get off the bus and put the cows back in the pasture.

  4. SwissMiss says:

    She can put in her resume that she is a good problem solver, can think quick on her feet, works well with others and works well with difficult personalities. (She doesn’t have to mention that the personalities/others are 4-legged instead of 2 legged.)

    Jeanne

  5. gardnerh says:

    What a wonderful bus driver to help out your daughter that way. Driving a school bus is a pretty thankless job. I’d suggest calling the district to tell them about this wonderful driver, but knowing all of the ‘rules and regulations’ the driver would probably just get scolded. Perhaps just some of those delicious cookies you make…. :cowsleep:

  6. SwissMiss says:

    Forgot to add that I agreed with Buckeye Girl cows are good leaners and pushers. I think you said there is a creek in their pasture, she may be pushing against the fence there and slipping under it. When you get time check that the fence is still attached to the posts, especially where the fence might be a bit higher that the ground. The woven wire will pop back against the posts due to the tension, even if it is not still attached to the post. Eventually she will stretch it out and the fence will sag, but for awhile BP will have a secret escape hatch. Wonder what she is looking for.

    Jeanne

  7. bonita says:

    Yup, sounds like Morgan has earned her cowgirl boots! Agree with gardnerh. . . even though it’s a country school route there may be anti-livestock rules. Bag of ‘atta boy’ cookies sounds about right.
    Good grief, a year ago, would you have ever imagined a time when GloryB was ‘the good one.’

  8. stacylee says:

    That is so funny, where is she going?!?! There are no wild cows around, BP! She’s probably having a mid life crises about becoming a grandma.

  9. City Kid says:

    It sounds like BP wants to do some traveling now that she’s retired! I’d start checking corners of the barn and under rocks for cruise brochures and a guide to Europe on $5 a day! :moo:

  10. Pam full of joy says:

    For Morgan’s resume: inventive problem-solver.

  11. NancyL says:

    What an exciting beginning to the boring bus ride and school day! So glad so many pitched in to help Morgan, and I’ll bet even the bus driver was glad for something different!

    After all the stories you told about GB’s escapades in her “youth”, I can’t imagine that you now consider her the Good Cow!!!

    Nancy in Iowa

  12. Berrywin says:

    I think that working with the horses has greatly increased Morgan’s self-reliance and both of your confidence in animal handling. Good things pay forward.

  13. Old Geezer says:

    Funny story, but, it’s not clear if the driver physically herded BP on foot or rather herded her using the bus as a cow pony. But, anyway …

    As a former school bus driver myself, in our neck of the woods if a driver were to physically leave the bus with any passengers remaining on board it would be a firing offense. Ditto for letting a passenger off the bus anywhere but at the school or at the passenger’s own stop (or, with a signed permission slip from a parent, any other official stop). So, that’s two strikes right there.

    I’m assuming things might be more lenient in real farm communities. I live on the border of farming activity, and a few of our bus routes could possibly have encountered loose livestock. In such a case the driver would be expected to call that in on the radio and the police would respond. I’m guessing that in hilly Roane County the bus radio would not be able to reach Dispatch from the Clio holler, so that action would be ruled out.

    No, on general principles I would not thank the school board for letting the driver and the other student herd BP back. It might not get the warm welcome there that it gets here.

    But some cookies might be ok.

  14. steakandeggs says:

    What a lovely story (not about BP getting out but the way to tell it). It nice to know there are people still willing to help others. Three cheers for Morgan, the bus driver, and the other student for getting BP back in the pasture.

    BTW BP might not be able to bred, but she don’t know that and is looking for a honey bull. :moo:

  15. vgstanton says:

    Sounds like you taught Morgan to be a self-sufficient, capable young woman! Good for you both!

  16. yvonnem says:

    BP is a “cougar” now…she’s on the hunt for a big, bad, handsome bull and doesn’t care what anyone else has to say about it!

  17. Diane says:

    That was a good bus driver for helping, letting a student get off to help Morgan and on top of it all waited for her to get BP back into the field!!! Most would of not waited at all I think or made the kid get on the bus and forget about the cow.

    Good for Morgan to take it upon herself to take care of the situation. She is a good kid. Learning her country skills very well. 🙂

  18. Canner Joann says:

    Are you sure BP isn’t pregnant? Her belly looks just as full as Glory Bee’s. Just wondering/hoping….

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