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Five Cows

five cows in a line with backs to camera and leaning against a tall lamppost that is askew.

It looked like the cows could have been responsible for knocking the lamppost / street lamp askew. Maybe they did.

As I was writing the ‘Five Cows’ title, a book came into my mind – The Hawkline Monster by Richard Brautigan. It’s a kind of Western where the two cowboys are hired to find a monster that has ‘disappeared’ someone.

One of the cowboys has a habit of saying a number whenever they come across things.

So if it’s cows on the horizon he would say ‘five’. His partner got tired of it and then accepted it, then got sucked into trying to figure out what the number would relate to each time – something like that.

It’s a long time since I read the book, and that bit is just incidental to it. I recommend Richard Brautigan’s books – he wrote quite a few and there is lots to like.

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Comments

8 responses to “Five Cows”

  1. Joan Miller

    what a lovely, whimsical image! I wonder what breed of cow these are.

    I have never read Richard Brautigan, but now you have peaked my interest. I associate him with the hip 60s.

    Reply
    1. David Bennett

      Yes, that’s the man – that’s what I associate him with, too. The cows might be Ayrshires.

      Reply
  2. Deb Weyrich-Cody

    Such lovely photo of wonderfully clean, white bovine buttocks: )

    Reply
    1. David Bennett

      “White bovine buttocks” – an image to conjure with 🙂

      Reply
      1. Deb Weyrich-Cody

        There is nothing more saddening to me than seeing cattle jammed into a ‘feedlot’ standing around a metal feeder with their rear ends covered in (please pardon the expression) runnels of shite. These beautiful Girls remind me of the pastured cattle of my childhood: ) so yes, it definitely ‘conjures’ an image… ♥️

        Reply
        1. David Bennett

          Cambridge is an interesting mixture of high-tech companies, the university, and a town centre that is very busy for its size – while at the same time there are cows grazing on Common land less than half a mile from the city centre. 🙂

          Tamara supports Compassion In World Farming (CIWF), a charity devoted to ending caging of farm animals. Britain is signed up to various conventions on animal welfare, but still there are abuses.

          Reply
          1. Deb Weyrich-Cody

            Mmm… Can’t put a ‘like’ on that last bit, David. I believe that “Do unto others” applies to all life forms (but at the same time with the realism that we are all also meant to sustain ourselves…)

            Reply
            1. David Bennett

              I feel much the same. I don’t want to be invaded by creatures that want to put an end to me, so I have no compunction about killing in those circumstances. But that aside, I too believe in giving dignity to creatures. The reason for behaving badly to animals comes down to convenience over compassion. I think it’s a battle each of us fights constantly.

              Reply

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