Saturday, August 02, 2008

Look at this ink blot, what do you see?

When my daughter was 3 years old our babysitter taught her a nice little story.  It goes something like this:
(first place your hand with middle two fingers against thumb, 
leaving index finger and pinkie extended) 
Say: Cows have horns.  Deer have antlers.

(lower pinkie and index finger to thumb)
Say: Geese have neither horns nor antlers  

(place hand back in fist position) 
So remember the sacred order of the cows, MOOO, cud, cud, cud.

Why am I bringing this up you might ask.  Well, let me tell you.  The area that we live in is full of cows, deer, and some geese.  Having moved here from the city it is good that my daughter knows the difference.  

We also get lots of tourists in our area as we are very close to Yellowstone National Park, the best fly fishing in the US, and some great hunting and hiking.   This gives even city people a chance to experience true wildlife.  Many of our campgrounds have bear warnings and severe fines for not keeping your food stored properly.

Recently we had  "city girls" in town who went to Yellowstone National Park.  When they were asked if they saw any buffalo, they said they were not sure.  They saw something, but they weren't sure if it was a cow, buffalo, or an elk.  For you not familiar with our wildlife, please note that there is a distinct difference.

                                   
                                Cows














                                                                        Buffalo


















Elk

Just thought you should all get to see the difference.  So if you ever see a buffalo or a cow or an elk you will know which you saw.

By the way, 12 years later my daughter can still recite that silly little verse.  The things are kids learn from the babysitters, thanks Kerri.

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