Akin to a falling star, I knocked off the top rail of the feed-bunk before crashing into it. Lodged there in the hay I began my assessment of what had just happened.
Not long after I conceived the idea of raising an ox to pull a cart, I learned that it is possible to ride them as well. How fun could it be to disappear into the woods on the shoulders of a two-thousand pound behemoth — with horns.
It is advised to teach cattle at a young age while they are of a size you can handle. It is said they will remember well into adulthood what they learned as a calf, however, they are not able to bear much weight until they have fully matured. With this information in mind, I set out to accustom Scout to the idea of carrying a rider.
Oft time, while he’s eating his grain, I take the opportunity to throw a leg over him and stand astride in the rider’s position (while bearing my own weight). Scout has grown sufficiently tall that, in order to achieve this task, I must stand on the tips of my toes.
This was the beginning of my downfall.
Not so long ago I discovered this thing called a blog, and before long I was posting a few pictures here. While standing over Scout on my tiptoes, like a clumsy ballerina, I decided to capture the moment on camera, to share with you. I raised both hands high overhead (like ballerinas do) to get a birds-eye image of my ox training genius.
In a well synchronized dance the camera flashed, the dog barked, the calf startled — and here I lie in the feed-bunk. A fallen star. (2/26/2010)
