once upon a time among the blackberries and tomatoes

Why cows? This is the question I get more than any other. After all, I did not grow up on a ranch, in fact, I did not grow up rural. However, I have fond memories of my aunt and uncle’s cottage home and acreage in Wauconda, Illinois. The quintessential summer experience of picking juicy blackberries and oversized beefsteak tomatoes also included long walks down dusty country roads counting the number of cows in each field and giving each of them a name.

childhood memories certainly played a part, but it was my volunteer position at a small cable station in the village of Glenview, Illinois that sparked my interest in how farms and ranches are part of a shared cultural touchstone whether we grew up rural or not. As i watched the village grow, there was pressure  on the last remaining Wagner to sell the iconic farm and turn it into a large car dealership. Given my high-spirited nature and sentimental leaning to all things history, i embarked on an endeavor to stop the sale of the farm. the last remaining Wagner passed in 1997 leaving the property ripe pickings for developers to proceed. While i certainly cannot take credit, the forward-thinking citizens of Glenview banded together and in 2000, the Wagner farm was registered as an Illinois Landmark and serves as a multiuse facility to teach history, agriculture, among other programming.

as i traverse the paved and dirt roads of Indian river and martin counties, the encroachment of development rattles my soul. admittedly, my sense of dread stems from watching fort Lauderdale turn into nothing but concrete and suffocating traffic, so one would suppose i am on a mission that is deeply personal and really has no end.     

cattle/ cows represent more than food, the cycle of of life, and childhood memories- cattle are inextricably tied to the land, land management, and the human connection to that land.

i hope you will come along on this journey with the bewitching bovines. and like all good stories, each blog will offer a different lens for you to look through - a glimpse into the realties, myths, and symbolisms that ultimately shape our relationship with these creatures.