Longhorns

When I was younger, I'd only observed longhorn cattle on television shows, and then from a distance. It was only after I saw them closer that they began to fascinate me.

While my neighbors do have longhorns, I don't know the people or the cattle well enough to ask for photos. So, I go to a nearby historical site, roll down the window and hope to be able to take some photos.

They do have rules about not feeding the animals and staying in your car. And, about staying on the blacktop...

​Normally, I prefer to drive on the blacktop, but this time I wasn't so sure. 

The cows were not going to move... They were completely happy to stand in the road, probably hoping we'd ignore the no feeding sign. The horns looked vicious. I didn't want to have to explain longhorn dents to my auto insurance agent.

Luckily, I was with someone who knew cattle language. Really. He rolled down the windows and began sending them away, using the same sounds he'd probably learned when moving cattle as a youngster. It worked. One even slung her head while chewing her cud...opposite my open window. It was like slow motion...the one long string of spittle floating through the air toward me. Cattle snark goes a long way. I was told that it could have been a lot worse, and since I grew up running barefoot on a farm, I understood.