Willie's Turn

Hi!  My official name is Redd Headed Stranger, but my people call me Willie.   I think it's funny because I can't sing!

Nope.  Even with this cowboy hat, I still can't sing.

First time my mom sat on me.  She said I have a generous heart.

I tried to be a racehorse, but ended up with a tendon injury and had to come back home.   After I rested for a long time my new mom took me on as a project pony.  That didn't work out so well, either.  Mom and Grady were really patient with me, but it turns out I have a chronic hip issue (stifle for the horse people) that makes it painful for me to work.   It made us all sad because I really like working with mom and Grady and learning new things.  Mom had big plans for me.  But now she teaches me tricks and spends time with me, and I like being here with my family.  I try to help them with chores as much as I can.  My people call me a goofball.   I think that must be good because they are usually laughing when they say that.

Gonna get a tool out of the Gator so I can help Dad.

Ready to rake up some hay!

Helping Mom shovel poop.

So I was easing into my new retired life, and then my people did something really crazy.   One day a trailer showed up at the farm, but instead of horses, it unloaded 4 of these weird black things.   They were smaller than horses, bigger than dogs, and they smelled funny.   I had never seen anything like it!   My buddy Deuce said they were cows, and nothing to worry about, and he kept grazing.  My other buddy Chuck also said they were cows and he got excited because he had worked with cows in his younger days out west.   I didn't know what to think!

The cows:  Flo, Olivia, Bobbie, and Olive

And one of these cows, her name is Flo, well, for the first day or so she kept walking around calling and it sounded so weird!  I tried to talk to her, but she didn't seem to understand me.  My mom said Flo was just looking for her baby, but he was old enough to be on his own and was back at the cow farm, and it would be ok in a day or so.   That made me think about my own mama.  My mom said she knew my mama in her later years, and she was a sweet old mare and loved very much.   She showed me this pic of my mama in her younger days.   Certainly doesn't look like Flo but I guess all mamas are different.  

That's my mama, Nellie Bly, on the far right.  

Anyway, the cows settled in, and when they were near the fence I'd try to get them to play with me but cows don't seem to like to run and buck.   Sometimes when they are near the water tank they will stand and talk to me, and I love that.  I really want to graze with the cows.  Mom said all the cows are pregnant, but after they have their babies she might let me out with them.  I hope so, because I really find these girls interesting.   Mom said don't get too attached, these cows don't belong to my people and will be going home in the fall.  She calls them giant lawnmowers.   Sometimes she feeds them frosted mini wheats or goldfish crackers and I'm like "Hey!  Those are my treats!" but she said I need to learn to share.

Chatting up Bobbie at the water tank

Deuce and Chuck said you can boss cows around if you are a smart horse.   I don't wanna boss one around, I wanna be friends with one!   I'm hoping that maybe next year we can get cows again and I can play with them.   When my buddies are out for a ride it's been nice to have other critters to hang out with instead of being by myself.

My dad is pretty cool, he plays with me.

But for now, we're just waiting on the cows to have their babies.  Mom said it will be a few more weeks.  She said when the babies get here, we can have a beer to celebrate.  I'm excited about that - I love drinking beer!   That's my favorite time on the farm - when my mom puts a chair in the pasture and sits and talks to me and has a beer, and I always get the last few sips.   

I love my beer bucket.

So beer is in the fridge, my bucket and Mom's chair are ready, now I'm just waiting for the calves to get here!   

And if you are coming out to see the new calves, know what would go really well with my celebration beer?  Goldfish crackers.   Just in case you wanna bring a treat for a silly Redd Head.

(Don't tell my mom I was begging for treats.  I get in trouble for that.   Our secret, ok?)

W.