Warm and blessedly dry here in my stall, I look back upon my frustrating day. It started with Elsie’s insistence that the herd head out to the pasture as usual. We could all see that the sky was dumping rain outside the barn door. “You won’t melt,” she’d said. Well, no, but it was wet, yucky, miserable. To stop her nagging at us, we followed her…me included. But only because I wanted to see Ferdinand. I do NOT just obey whatever foolish order Her Highness gives the herd.

My decision to make my way through the downpour to see the bull love of my life wasn’t the smartest one I’ve made lately. By the time I reached the pond and got within sight of him, I was a mess. I’d slipped and slid at least a dozen times. I had bruises upon bruises on my delicate legs. Do I even want to think about how I looked? No. Let’s just say I don’t do mud well.

I also don’t appreciate someone laughing at me when I’m not in a particularly good mood. Which I wasn’t by the time I got close to our meeting fence. His big brown eyes danced with amusement as he looked at me. He chuckled, although he tried to cover it up with a snort of greeting. I was NOT fooled. He chuckled just because I couldn’t shake off a rather annoying spot of mud that had plastered itself right between my eyes.

Not that HE’d been sparkling clean and looking his best either. Did I comment on that? Did I laugh? No, I was his usual politely adoring cowfriend. I could have snickered at the dab of mud on his ear, or the clod stuck to one of his impressive shoulders. But, no, I was polite. I overlooked those minor flaws.

I admit my feelings were soothed when he gave me that crooked grin that makes me weak in the knees. Then somehow my legs carried me right next to the fence. I remember thinking how irritated I was with him…how I should just plod my way back to the barn… Then he stretched his head over the fence and nuzzled my ear. And then he licked the mud off my head, and whispered things best kept private.

Now that I’m revisiting my morning, it wasn’t all that bad.

Except for the rain…the mud…more rain. Oh, and I almost forgot to mention what a completely annoying cow leader Elsie has been today. But then, Elsie is always on my bad list.