Autumn Red Polls

The cows spent most of October in the north field. That made them happy because the grass was longer and apparently quite tasty:

They have discovered places to find shade, depending on where the sun is at any time of day:

Jasmine spends a great deal of time lying down. I think she has a touch of arthritis in her front legs:

They are closer to the road when they're in the north field, and the trees with their autumn colors helped to create many a lovely tableau:

Rosella, the only cow born on my farm, is perhaps the most striking in appearance:

But all the cows are lovely. Unfortunately, they are also much too fat:

Jasmine was hoping I had apples with me when I walked up to her. All she got was a rub under her chin:

The herd often clusters together if the flies are bothersome. They rub them off on each other:

But Amy was due to calve in three days, so I decided to move them all back across the gravel road and into the south field. I stretched two ropes across the road, held up in the center by traffic cones:

Then I tempted them with grain. Usually I just hold the bowls and ring a cow bell, but this time they were hesitant so I set a bowl down on the road. Gracie was the first to walk across to get to it:

I set a bowl down inside the south field fence for Gracie and kept ringing the bell for the others. Amy was the next cow to cross the road. They were wary because a neighbor had driven up the road and stopped to wait for the cows to cross. He was aware enough to stop far back from the action. If he'd have come any closer, the cows would have refused to cross at all:

But once back in the south field, they were happy girls - and reunited with Blue and Remy, the two miniature horses: