Nopales. It’s cactus. It’s available in the grocery stores in cans or in the produce section . . with all the needles removed. Or, we can go out in the woods and find it, remove the needles ourselves, go the emergency room because we end up with a million of them in our hands and it’s free and we know it’s fresh.
I had been telling Vince I wanted to get some but when we were out with a group last week, we were talking about it and one of the guys was telling us how to clean the needles off and how to cook it so over the weekend, we decided to go find some. We don’t have to go far because there’s cactus in our flower beds and there’s hardly a spot we look that we don’t see some amount of cactus. We were looking for an excuse to go out in the woods on the RTV but I didn’t want to go back in the part where the cows were. This guy still doesn’t seem real fond of us.
Vince assured me that the cows were probably somewhere else on the land and we wouldn’t even see them. Goes to show how much I can trust Vince!
There are two problems. First, there’s no cattle guards and the only way we can get out of the pasture is to stop, get out of the RTV, open the gate, drive through, go back and close the gate. So, if a cow or a bull, or both are after you, who wants to stop and get out of the RTV? Not I said the woman who’s scared of the big black bull!
The second problem is that Mike, the owner of the cows, goes looking for them on his RTV and he always has treats for them so they associate the sound of an RTV with someone trying to find them and having goodies for them so they run towards the sound of the RTV. They should know the difference in the sound of a Kubota RTV and whatever brand Mike has!! Goofy bovine.
So, Vince convinced me that it was safe to go out in the pasture. The very first stop we made, I looked up and here come the cows towards us . . full speed ahead . . mooing. That’s what they do when they want to be sure we see them so we’ll go get treats for them. They stand at the edge of the fence, face the house and moo and moo til someone comes out and gives them treats.
They’re walking quickly towards us . . I’m screaming “We’re going to die and no one is even going to know we’re out here!” We got back in the RTV and took off.
If you enlarge the picture, you might can see them coming towards us. When we started driving, they started running. I felt like a bandit shooting at the good guys as I was leaning out the side of the RTV trying to get a picture of the cows running after us.
We made a few turns, not knowing which path they would take and we went to the gate that we thought they might not go to, and sure enough, we were able to get out and lock the gate back without having to deal with them. When we were headed back towards the house, there they were at the gate we had originally planned to get through.
Lucky for us there are plenty of cactus in the areas where the cows are not!
You may get tired of me saying it but look at that picture . . the flowers, the trees, the cows . . this place is so perfect for us!
Doe in Mi says
Love your story Judy. Made me laugh and it was fun hearing you two fooled them. Gotta love them cows. LOL
Sherry V. says
OMG!!! ROFLOL!! I really cannot read your blog at work anymore! My co-workers are starting to really question my sanity. Of course, I’m laughing at the picture in my mind’s eye & I’m trying to explain to them. . . which gets me laughing even more. . . .so they are just giving me the “where are the men in the white coats” look and just walk away.
Which of course makes it even funnier!!!
I’m glad that the stampede of cows didn’t get you or Vince. . . .and I bet you are now on the hunt for a treat bag or bucket for the RTV so that you are prepared for the next time.
I hope the cows don’t get an attitude about not getting treats from “the new people”!!
Pat McGuire says
You told him and he didn’t believe you. Now maybe he will. So funny. I grew up around cattle, but being chased by a cow when I was about 8 made me a believer. I was able to slip under a gate and get away. She was probably after the dog that was with me, but that didn’t matter to me at the time.
SarahB says
I can so picture you two out on a “Sunday drive” with cows chasing you… Judy holding her hat on peering over her shoulder telling Vince they’re catching up! Vince bent over the steering wheel, eyes intent on where he’s driving trying to coax more speed out of the poor RTV…. :o) Oh my, that’s funny… in my head, anyway! So, I read this right after my husband and I took the 4-wheel Samari for a “drive” in the new woods. It ends up the Samari can take out trees with trunks up to 4 inches in diameter! Who knew?! Not me, this was my first time driving through creeks (and I mean THROUGH them), over trees and through freshly plowed fields… next time I will be more cautious when he askes if I want to go for a drive!
Ruth says
What kinds of treats do the moos eat? I’m a city gal, you know.
Rete says
Having spent many evenings running around the pastures on an RTV feeding the cows, I know how fast they can get used to their “treats” and come running after you like dogs after a bone… but they are pretty harmless if you watch out for them stepping on your feet. 🙂 I felt the exact same way the first few times though!
Laura says
Be careful around cows! My FIL was a farmer, and one time when my MIL was helping him move them from one pasture to another, a cow knocked her down, broke her ribs and bruised her up pretty badly. She was lucky it didn’t step on her head.
vickie van dyken says
ROFLOL You have made my day! Seriously !! What a great story! Sooo my question….how does the cactus taste??? Was it worth it?? I have been offered it, but I havent had the courage, or whatever it takes, to actually eat it. My Sons in laws, who live with him, grew it in his backyard and eat it frequently. So if you tell me its not bad, I will try it…..verdict please….Still laughing…..Vickie in WA
AnnieQuilts says
This is so well written it could have been a video! I love reading about your adventures.
Laura says
The more I read your blog, the more I realize I’m a city girl. It’s all good as long as we’re where we want to be!
Sandy in Canada says
Is cactus like mushrooms? Are some of them poisonous?
This photo looks pretty much like heaven, in my books. I don’t think I could stand the heat, though, or the drought. You do have wonderful spring weather. We won’t be planting vegetable gardens for another six weeks!
KatieQ says
This might sound dopey, but how come you didn’t bring any treats with you? You could have thrown the treats at them and ran like hell.
When does the “Judy and Vince Deep in the Heart of Texas” reality show start?. I want to make sure I have a front row seat.
Nan says
Such a funny story! I love the color of the sky; it is a beautiful blue!
Anita says
Hi Judy!
Enjoy reading your blog, as it brings a smile to my face. Was wondering if you might put your recipes for kale, especially the one with black eye peas, on your “recipe” tab for ease of use? I’ve looked through your blog and couldn’t find it.
thanks,
Anita
Karla says
When I lived on the farm the cows were pretty persistant. Wherever you went they would follow. Usually they would stay a safe distance but close enough that they could watch you. Boy do I miss those days!