Back from the Brink

Okay, so it's not so much the brink as the wilds of Llano County--no internet, no television, no phone *not even cell*. So, I got a lot done. This week we're going to talk about Mono-myth story structure and other things that go bump in the night, but for now, let's chat about the ranch :)

So, it was a week of writing and animals and fish and all kinds of critters and lots of hard work but big, big fun. My muscles are so sore I feel as though I've been stricken with Polio, but in a good way.
So, we went to fill the deer feeders, feed the cattle and check out the new calf, which is too cute for words. I asked Opa if I can keep "my" cow, Dulce, who is so sweet. She loves it when I pet her and brush her, and she pulls the burrs out of my tennis shoes.
She licks my hands and arms, which is kind of gross, but sweet, except when she tries to lick my face. When I got back in the truck to leave, she licked the window, which I now have to clean off, because despite the kind gesture, it's still cow slobber. I'm trying not to name the calf, because I intend to reimburse Opa for Dulce, and cattle can get expensive if you're only planning to keep them and play with them. R fed the cattle and did most of the heavy lifting, but I did carry a bunch of stuff and played with the cows, so I consider that a weekend well spent.

We went out to check the river, and were dismayed to see the sludge has not gotten any better. I'm going to call LCRA tomorrow to find out what's up and if there's anything we can do about it. I would ask if it's hurting the fish and wildlife, but I've had enough biology to know it is. Asking and being told "no" will just piss me off. The neighbor is "clearing" three lots, and there's no barrier between the lake and his "land clearing" (read: Ripping out every stitch of grass and leaving a bunch of mud) so next rain will wash all that muck right into the water. I'm told he's a developer and is going to build three two-story houses. Here's what he's been up to . . .I'm sure it's going to be beautiful, but could he at least put a barrier between all that dirt and the lake?

But, on a happier note, on the way home (through Fredericksburg) we saw a beautiful axis deer, and he stood there, staring at us like he was thinking, "Now, do I come over and stare at you when you're trying to eat dinner?" He was beautiful, and his horns were about 3-ft. tall. So, we let him go eat in peace, and we went to go get our own dinner. After all that hard work, I wanted a hamburger. I know, I know, I have a pet cow and yet, I wanted a hamburger. I'm a terrible hypocrite, but I just won't tell Dulce, although I have to tell you, she did try to steal some beef jerky from me. So, back to the hamburger--where did we go? A Mexican place. And had the worst (okay One of the worst) hamburgers ever to sizzle a grill this side of the Rio Grande. Ack. The lesson here? One would assume it would be not to eat meat. But in this version of the truth, the lesson is that if you want a good burger in Fritz Town, go to Porky's....