Back in the days when Lynne and I were young girls and joined each other’s families on trips, she taught me how to play Counting Cows. I’m sure everyone has their own rules and points for this game, but basically, every cow I saw out my window was worth a point. A gray mule equaled twenty cows, and a white mule was a hundred cows. If we came to a cemetery on my side of the car, Lynne could shout, “Bury your cows!” and I was back to zero. Or vice versa. The point was to DISTRACT your opponent so she didn’t see the cemetery, because once past it, your cow points were safe.
These days, since I live a mere mile from downtown Houston, I’m sure most people wouldn’t guess that we actually have a herd of cows on the The Compound. Nobody can accuse us of being all hat, no cattle.
Today, while shopping, I found a cow with three legs for three dollars. (This reminds me of a terrible joke my brother once told me about a Valiant Pig, but I digress. As I should. I’m a SOUTHERNER.) Now who wouldn’t buy a cow for three dollars? Especially when its missing leg came with it. I wouldn’t have to trade this cow for a handful of magic beans. I could do cow surgery!
So now Vincent Van Cogh has moved onto The Compound and been restored to good health.
Post-surgery, only I know which leg was broken.
The herd:
Yellow Rose of Texas, 2001 Cows on Parade, gift of Lynne; Americow the Beautiful, 2002 Cows on Parade, gift of Tom; J.K. Cowling, a Literary Cow, gift of Todd; Blue Dog Cow, 2000, gift of Amy; and Vincent Van Cogh, 2000 Cows on Parade.
There’s an interesting story behind the Blue Dog cow. Although artist George Rodrigue painted three of the full-sized fiberglass cows for a Cows on Parade exhibit, he didn’t give his permission for the manufacture and distribution of the mini porcelain cows. He sued the Chinese company that made them. As part of his settlement, he received hundreds of the mini cows, which he then decided to incorporate into an art exhibit at the New Orleans Museum of Art in 2008. From the Times-Picayune:
As opening day of the Rodrigue exhibit approached, John Bullard, director of NOMA, teased the meticulous Rodrigue by secretly altering the direction of a few of the tiny blue bovine — creating what he called “independent cows.” Not to be outdone, Rodrigue retaliated by painting three of the cows scarlet.
How could I not appreciate this intersection of cow and Blue Dog lore?
After all, when I was a wee child, I kept my sister awake at night while I communicated with an invisible herd of cows. But that’s a story for another time…
The Photo Friday site is on vacation, so my next Photo Friday shot will be on August 14.
“…all hat, no cattle.” What a great saying!
Love the cows, by the way 🙂
Thanks!
I believe this is an old Texas saying. I first heard it from Texas’s former governor, the late Ann Richards, spoken in her beautiful drawl about George W. Bush. It’s also used in a couple of songs, which I haven’t heard.
It that kinda like, “all sizzle, no steak?”
and no, I can’t tell which leg was broken.
ceramic surgery — nice touch
My little brother and the girl who would become his wife twelve years later used to play that game on our family trips. My father would tell them what kind of cows they were, and she always wondered why all the black cows had the same name. Black Agnes!
Agnes, giggle.
I am so glad to see that Lynne knows the value of a mule gray or white … they out rank cows… GO MULES!
Mules are pretty fantastic; I agree.
We played that with Horses.
You counted out the amount of horses. A cometary, though, was only takeaway ten. And a church doubled your horses.
There’s also a variation in which a chimney standing in the rubble of a burned-down house equals 50 cows.
Wow. Y’all are hardcore in Texas.
*chuckles*
I’m trying to remember if we did the chimney thing in Alabama. It seems familiar. Again, I’ll have to speak to my Cownsultant.
Maybe it’s an Alabama thing, but in my family we called that “Cow Poker.” Exact same rules.
Yeah…I’d say “poking cows” is definitely an Alabama thing.
Gasp! You are insulting the Yellowhammer State? COWPOKES are in the category of cowboys, and what state is synonymous with cowboys? I think it’s your home state.
Also, since Jim isn’t around, it’s up to me to say:
“Poker? I hardly know her!”
just a little fondue… in my rebel without a clue youth, I went cow tippin’
Did you actually knock a cow off her feet? Because I’ve heard this activity is a rural legend. And if you did do it, I hope you’re doing some karmic work, because that’s just mean.
I had friend sin college, who, yes indeed, did tip cows off their feet. You will be happy to know I never particpiated…. mainly because cows up close freak me out a bit.
We were in Alabama, too. I’ll have to ask Lynne if she’s ever heard of Cow Poker.
Actually, that wasn’t as clear as I meant it to be.
Rephrase: “Counting cows must be an Alabama thing. Only we called it cow poker.”
My co-worker from Alabama, Martin (also a Bama grad) counted cows too–same rules.
You just wanted to say “poker” again.
I hate it that you’re so on to me.
Well, now I know why you see at least one cow a day. 😉
And now YOU’VE seen one, too. Win!
I really love the Cows on Parade. Your collection is really neat.
I’m glad that Vincent has been restored to good health. Made him too susceptible to another cow game. Cow tipping.
O.o
So now Vincent Van Cogh has moved onto The Compound and been restored to good health.
No, no, no.
Vincent Van Cogh has mooved onto The Compound….
😉
On that note.
I think it’s time for cowfee.
😀
You’re amoooooosing. (Lynne and I used to do that all the time, too, which is how those dumb cow jokes ended up in A Coventry Wedding.)
i am glad Vicent joined the herd and was not steered in the wrong direction. That would have been udderly horrible. I cud not stand that. I don’t want to milk any more.
You went pasture usual number of cow references with that one. I can only give you my stock compliment: You’re all that and a bag of cow chips.
Who was it that hated the Cows on Parade?
Alan. I even apologized to him on Twitter and linked to this. He responded that he knows the Cows are here to stay and he has made peace with it. I tried to answer that, but Twitter was on crack.
The one where Marika cow tips
I was writing you a quick answer … but decided to give you the full story, YES I have been cow tipping, with the full intent of tipping some poor innocent cow… but alas it was not to be. First most cows don’t sleep standing up, imagine 3 slightly drunk teenage boys sneaking up on the herd… also it has to be orchestrated, because tippage will not happen with just one person — so I will say I touched a cow with intent to tip. What actually happened- we annoyed the cow, a few started to chase us, I fell in manure and ripped my jeans. I got payback a plenty.
I wasn’t always a nice girl Becks, I lived on the wild side. I had a fake id, and once almost got a ticket for jaywalking
Re: The one where Marika cow tips
We’re lucky you didn’t end up in prison.
We played similar games, but never with cows. I had an aversion to mosty farm animls growing up, espeically cows. Now, from a distance, not so much.
I was kind of afraid of cows, but I loved calves.
Vincent is one lucky cow.
She is. I wonder if she has gender issues because they named her Vincent?