I spent the better part of July and August with my nose to the grind, focused completely on work during the week and frequently on the weekends. I finally hit my wall the week before Labor Day and virtually collapsed with exhaustion by the time the long weekend rolled around.
But I now have indulged in two work-free weekends ... and I feel great. Rejuvenated, rested and restored to my normal, level-headed self. It's amazing what a little fresh air and a few nights of good sleep can do.
While I was NOT working over Labor Day weekend, I had the chance to stop and notice the world around me -- and my gaze settled on a bunch of happy cows.
Every summer, a herd of cattle comes to graze on the rich, mountain grass on my family's property in the Blue Ridge. I've never really thought about it until now, but they must be in bovine heaven. Fields upon fields of greenery untouched by man-made chemicals (well, unless you count the thistle patches my grandfather proudly sprays with weed killer once every few weeks), and nothing to do but eat, sleep and breathe.
Every year, there are a few cows that give birth on the mountain ... and then a few curious-looking, wobbly-kneed calves. We've watched them learn to nurse, admired their little black faces peeking out from underneath their mothers' udders covered in thick, white milk.
And then there are the feisty older calves, who entertain us with their head-butting and adult posturing. They're not that different from a bunch of teenagers, all trying to be the most mature kid on the block.
We've always wondered where the Buck's Elbow Mountain cows go at the end of their annual summer respite. Are they dairy cows? Beef cows? Or, God forbid, dog-food cows?
Last weekend we got our answer. "Them cows is beef cows," their owner told us in his barely decipherable Shenandoah Valley accent. "We got dairy cows too, but they're down in the barn at Grottoes."
As much as I hate to think of those precious baby calves heading to the slaughterhouse one day, I have to think that, at least when they do, they go with a belly full of green grass and a life full of happy memories. And I bet they make for a tasty burger too :)
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