howdy

That’s the official greeting of Texas A&M. I would not lie to you.

Y’all wanna talk about cows today?  Awesome.  Me, too.  Y’all ‘member Jill?  Jill is due any day now.  Commercial beef and dairy cattle have calves that are born at about 90 pounds.  I’ll let that sink it for a moment.  NINETY POUNDS of hoof comin’ at’cha.  Longhorns, on the other hand, have babies that are about 50 pounds.  Big difference.  Since they’re not bred for size/production, nature is able to do its thing with little or no assistance from us humans.  It’s nice.  Technically, she’s due on March 2nd.  Jill’s showing the normal signs of uncomfortable-ness… um, her milk’s come in.  Ladies, a collective sigh of empathy, please.  So, any day.  We are so excited.  I’m making her a pie to celebrate.

[segue] I am a big fan of kiddo team things… little league, choirs, chess clubs.  Get them together and let them learn while playing.  Yes.  Teach responsibility, learn a skill, earn a ribbon for participation.  Yes.  It naturally follows that I heart the idea FFA and 4H.    The thing is, no horned animals are allowed.  Goats and cows have to clipped to be eligible, and with good reason.  The problem here is that Jill wants to play.  The, forgive me, point of longhorns is their horns… and that means Jilly can’t enter.  You tell Jill that.

A genius group of folks saw the problem and created the Autobahn Youth Tour.  Specifically for longhorn breeders, this tour allows kids (and their families) to earn scholarship money towards college by entering in various shows throughout their youth.  It’s brilliant, really.  Because of the Tour’s efforts, Ry can choose to actively raise and show a longhorn calf/cow and work towards her future in a very realistic way.  I love it.  I love it when people see a need and jump in to make something happen.  These folks are creating and encouraging a new generation of cowboy, and I hope to be the one handing out the ribbons some day.  I hope I have these boots to wear while I’m handing out those ribbons.  That may be beside the point.

Now, Ry may choose to show chickens or goats, or enter the fair in sewing or art, or take guitar lessons and join a punk band… and that’s just fine.  I’ll go wherever and cheer as loud as I can. But until she chooses her own path, we’ll set her gently on this moo-cow one and let her roam.

Jill, we’re ready for that baby whenever you are.  Ry’s got her boots by the door.