One day, as Kent and I were leaving the house, we opened the gate and noticed something unusual.
Piles. Several piles. Not just in front of our house, but in front of several homes up and down the street. We also noticed that something had been nibbling the groundcover in front of our house. It was as if some thoughtful animal had traveled through the neighborhood overnight and left each of us a little gift.
Perhaps we all needed fertilizer. Free of charge. We have seen horses around the village many times, but not in our neighborhood. So naturally, we assumed a horse was responsible. We also wondered why someone would let their horse leave such generous offerings and not clean up afterward.
Kent sprang into action. He found a shovel in the shed and began scooping the mystery piles into a garbage bag.
Problem solved. Or so we thought.
A week later, I heard a strange sound outside. A low bellow. And a bell.
I said to Kent: “What was that? It sounds like a cow.”
Kent immediately opened the gate and just caught sight of a large white cow with substantial horns slowly turning the corner at the end of our street. Mystery solved. And guess what else we discovered?
Fresh piles. But this time… only in front of our house. And the groundcover had been eaten down to little stubs. Apparently this particular cow had selected us.
I was full of questions. Why would someone let their cow wander freely through the neighborhood? Where did it come from? Where was it going? Does it know its way home? Should we follow it? Will it come back?
Now, it isn’t unusual to see cows nearby. We often see them along roadsides, usually tied up with someone keeping an eye on them. People have warned us that driving at night in rural areas can be risky because cows occasionally wander onto dark roads. But cows strolling through our neighborhood? That surprised me. Our street is lined with homes ranging from modest to beautiful, with flowering gardens, patios, and second-story verandas overlooking the lake.
The cows live a few blocks away. Not up here. At least… that’s what I thought. I considered us country adjacent. Apparently, the cows did not get that memo.
Honestly though… the whole thing made me smile.
A loose cow.
A mystery.
A little unexpected yard work.
It felt wonderfully ordinary for this place.
One more small moment where Mexico reminded me: life here is not always predictable – but it is rarely boring.
— Judi
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