Wordless Wednesday – Scratching the itch

by Cheryl, posted on August 25th, 2010 in Wordless Wednesday

So you’re probably looking at this picture right now and thinking, “The eff? What’s with the cows?”

And I will tell you they are not cows. They’re oxen. But that’s not why I posted this. You don’t really need to know the difference. Unless you’re a livestock farmer. Then I think you’d probably really have to know this. But I’m assuming Ree Drummond (aka the Pioneer Woman) is not reading this blog. I KNOW!

The reason I love this picture is because of what happened in the seconds that I was scrambling around, trying to find my iPhone, then getting to the camera thing, and then it wouldn’t work, and by the time it did? The moment was gone.

But see that woman? She reached out to the ox in the back and started scratching him right under his chin. And the ox, well, he closed his soft brown eyes with those long black eyelashes and stretched his neck into her hand, exactly like my dogs do.

He was just a big, beautiful animal under the warm sun getting a good scritching in just the right spot (although he did not shake his leg like my dogs do, which is good, because I cannot imagine what THAT would’ve looked like, since he’s wearing that wood yoke and is attached to the other ox and it would’ve been totally awkward and possibly embarrassing for him).

It was very sweet. And then the other ox peed a great flood all over the pavement and we had to move out of the way before it covered our shoes.

Anyway. That ox felt bliss. And that’s why I don’t eat meat.

Even though no one eats oxen. They’re just draft animals, made to pull stuff. Their cousins, however, could’ve been on your grill tonight. And while I’m not one to tell other people what to eat, I just know I could never do it.

Chickens, though? Nobody scratches a chicken. And that’s why they’re on MY grill.

Tags: i love me some chicken, oxen are not cows, pioneer woman, scratch under the chin, Wordless Wednesday

Comments

30 Responses to “Wordless Wednesday – Scratching the itch”

Erin Says:
August 25th, 2010 at 1:55 am

I don’t eat meat either, but I laughed so hard when you said no one scratches chickens….I couldn’t imagine scratching a cow or an oxen much less a chicken, but those chickens do taste good on my grill!
Erin recently posted..Its just Peachy!

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Cheryl Reply:
August 25th, 2010 at 10:36 am
I love me some chicken. I do!

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Cheryl D. Says:
August 25th, 2010 at 2:25 am

Maybe the poor chickens should get scratched too! I bet they’d love it! LOL
Cheryl D. recently posted..Were Back from the Germ Boat!

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Cheryl Reply:
August 25th, 2010 at 10:37 am
Ha! Chicken scratch!

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Jen Says:
August 25th, 2010 at 8:23 am

I don’t know why but I found this hilarious! Maybe it was the pee puddle, who knows.
Jen recently posted..Wait- Did He Just Sit Down

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Cheryl Reply:
August 25th, 2010 at 10:37 am
Those suckers hold a LOT of liquid, let me just say..

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Jasmine @ Eat Move Write Says:
August 25th, 2010 at 10:43 am

lol. I swear the whole world is out to get me. I’ve JUST recently started eating meat again after five years. Every post I read lately is by people who don’t.

Somebody is trying to tell me something!
Jasmine @ Eat Move Write recently posted..Homemade Zucchini-Spinach “Pesto” Sauce

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Cheryl Reply:
August 25th, 2010 at 4:24 pm
Ha! I haven’t eaten it since 1993. But that’s only because I had a thing for Wendy’s cheeseburgers and needed to stop!

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Salt Says:
August 25th, 2010 at 11:38 am

Awwww I love them. And totally thought they were cows at first.
I wonder if my husband will let me have one as a pet.
Salt recently posted..Tag! I’m it

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Cheryl Reply:
August 25th, 2010 at 4:25 pm
I am SURE he will let you have an ox. I mean, why not?

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KLZ Says:
August 25th, 2010 at 12:28 pm

I think they look like they could use a good snuggle too.
KLZ recently posted..The Attention Span is Widening

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Cheryl Reply:
August 25th, 2010 at 4:25 pm
They could! They could!

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Michele Says:
August 25th, 2010 at 12:37 pm

Maybe another way to look at it…if you can ride it, you shouldn’t eat it? I actually am a meat eater, but I blame my mother for that. She was told to drink beer while she breastfed. The beginning of this story (kind of a tangent here) reminded me of being in Greece with my friend Elyce. We were walking to the beach and she saw a donkey and wanted to ride it. Who does that? Goes up to a random animal on the side of the road and wants to climb on its back? I talked her out of it. The last thing I needed was American Girl to get attacked by Greek Donkey. But I didn’t think of telling her it was okay to scratch it…

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Cheryl Reply:
August 25th, 2010 at 4:25 pm
I bet that donkey? Would’ve LOVED a good scratch!

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TheKitchenWitch Says:
August 25th, 2010 at 4:19 pm

Eating meat is murder. Delicious, delicious murder.
TheKitchenWitch recently posted..What We’re Made Of

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Cheryl Reply:
August 25th, 2010 at 4:26 pm
Well, we are a murderous bunch around here. See rabbit, dead.

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Alexandra Says:
August 25th, 2010 at 9:16 pm

Me and you both. I think the last time I had beef was 16 years ago….
Alexandra recently posted..When Someone You Love Has A Blog- Part II

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Cheryl Reply:
August 25th, 2010 at 11:34 pm
Yes, I mean, this ox was so, so sweet. It’s been about 17 years for me.

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Jill Says:
August 25th, 2010 at 11:11 pm

(Where the heck were you? That’s a crazy sight. That yolk thing doesn’t look comfy/)

But how cool that he/she was like, “Ahhh yeah! That’s the spot.”
Jill recently posted..Debt Freedom

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Cheryl Reply:
August 25th, 2010 at 11:35 pm
We were at the county fair. This ox was in heaven!

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Sue Robinson Says:
August 25th, 2010 at 11:26 pm

Duuuuuude….those are some serious gauchos. I think she might be my hero. I love how you described the bliss the “cow” was feeling. I could totally see it in my head. Maybe I even felt it because I was channeling the power of the gauchos?

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Cheryl Reply:
August 25th, 2010 at 11:36 pm
You know, at first I thought it was a skirt, but it looked like she might have a slight wedgie and then it occurred to me that these were in fact gauchos! Is it sad I thought of you??

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Carrie Says:
August 25th, 2010 at 11:52 pm

uhm…you do realize that chickens are meat too, right?

I don’t get how someone can say “I’m a vegetarian, I only eat chicken and fish” Uhm, hello?

I’d love to give a chicken a scratch. Actually, they love that kind of attention, I’ve seen em cozy up to a finger
Carrie recently posted..A New Beginning

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Cheryl Reply:
August 26th, 2010 at 12:01 am
And that’s why I don’t call myself a vegetarian. I just don’t eat red meat. Mainly because when i stopped eating it for a few months to lose weight, when I ate it again? It made me sick to my stomach.

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Heligirl Says:
August 26th, 2010 at 12:36 am

Ah, the old large mammal pees a small flood trick. Been on the wrong end of that before. Humm, is there a right end to be on? Food for thought. Regardless, you know what I mean. I believe you on the sick to your stomach when going back to red meat thing. We have an enzyme that helps us digest it (we are designed to be meal eaters), but if we don’t eat meat, the enzyme goes away and our guts have a hell of a time with the stuff, thus making us sick. So it could be argued we were designed to have a choice. Fascinating stuff, this biology.
Heligirl recently posted..Wordless Wednesday

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Cheryl Reply:
August 26th, 2010 at 10:02 am
That IS interesting! I had no idea!

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Jen Says:
August 26th, 2010 at 2:32 pm

I want her hair. Was it real? (and yes, I realize I’m completely bonkers and missing the point of this picture entirely)
Jen recently posted..Back to School Week- How was your day dear

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Tooje Says:
August 27th, 2010 at 4:08 pm

I bet someone scratches a chicken….some sweet girl living on a farm whose chore it is to gather eggs. She probably loves her chickens. Of course, that doesn’t stop ME from baking them, or grilling them, or frying them. That just sounds cruel now that I read it.
Tooje recently posted..Your Daily Tidbit – 8-27

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Kris Says:
September 1st, 2010 at 1:16 pm

Funny read! I thought it was going to be about the woman digging for her underwear…hehe…..because I’ve received too many “People of Walmart” lately.

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Cheryl Reply:
September 1st, 2010 at 5:25 pm
HA!!!!

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