When you move to the country, it can be difficult to get to know your neighbors. Houses are separated by considerable distance, you don't physically see your neighbors much, if at all, and country folks are generally wary of strangers driving onto their property unannounced. The quickest way to remedy this situation is to wake up in the morning and discover that you're hosting someone's loose cattle on your land. This was how I began Saturday morning. The dogs were barking outside the kitchen door and I looked out to see a longhorn (with three friends) standing on the opposite side of our stock tank. We're still trying to figure out how they got in. Upon later inspection, no openings could be found in the fence, and if they had managed to get across our cattle guard, they'd have walked right past our front door. Surely one of us, or the dogs, would have noticed THAT. Again, I'm lamenting another missed photo opportunity. I'm not sure why on earth it didn't occur to me at the time to take a picture. I guess I got caught up in the moment.
In the course of 24 hours, we met the cattle rancher up the road (who, it turns out, doesn't own these particular cows), the man who takes care of these cows and the father and son that actually DO own them. They were all quite friendly, and it was good to finally have some face time with the folks we share a fence line with. I feel worlds better about having met and talked to them. I also have it on the cattleman's authority that if my goats ever end up on their side of the fence, I'm not to worry. He said, "They'll be fine over there. Feel free to walk on in and get 'em."
Whew.
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