Abby and I ended up doing a small hike on the very shaded and pleasant rail trail today. I haven't been on this trail in at least a year, maybe two, and it was with Jake. I told her we might see a cow, to get her out of the car and on the trail. Well, from that moment on, we were "looking for cows" wherever we went, despite the fact that the resident cow who used to graze in the lawn near the trailhead was decidedly absent, and for all I know could have been for years. We had a snack, saw ants, spiders and butterflies, listened to birds, crickets and frogs, and studied seed pods and bark and the tiny heart-shaped leaves that make up clovers. It was so delightful. And Abby's solution to the missing cows? She decided an old tree stump was a pretend cow, milked it and gave me a "cup" of milk. And then cried at the top of her lungs when she realized we were actually leaving without seeing a real cow.
So, 2 lessons: one, take Abby on more nature hikes because she LOVES them, and two, don't mention livestock unless I'm SURE there will be a sighting!!
I finally solved the distress by offering, once the crying stopped, a lunch out that started with a strawberry milkshake. Pure bliss!
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