The new cow

Right now, she's just 'Cow.' And she's taller than she looks in this photo.
Cow is a four-year-old grade Jersey who's due to calve around the end of February. She's gentle, a bit shy, loves corn, and seems to believe that if she keeps looking she'll find another cow somewhere in the south pasture. I guess the goats and sheep just aren't her kind of folks. 

Why cows don't have mirrors

I suspect I'd be sad too if I saw this in the mirror every morning. 

Another tree stand

My current home was built by an avid deer hunter. Others have hunted here through the years as well, and left behind their deer stands. We've found eight so far in various states of repair. My youngest daughter and I discovered this one a few weeks ago. We're having most un-January-like weather here in Missouri, and it would be sinful to waste every hour of that on work. So we wandered back through the woods, picked a tree stand, climbed up, and enjoyed the sunshine for a while. 

A closer look

My daughter prefers to climb the north side of the tree, using the entwined cedar and oak branches. I'm partial to the south side of the tree. If I'm wearing gloves to protect my hands, I can grab onto a thick limb and swing up. In my imagination, I'm ten years old, light and agile. Reality is considerably less graceful. 

The view

Looking northeast from the tree stand, across the neighbor's fields to the county road beyond.