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rural lifeRural LifeStories from the farm.22137787ruralfalsefalsespacernotembeddedrural lifeHoly Cow!Jon KatzWhat my 3,000-pound steer has taught me about faith.noHoly Cow!What my 3,000-pound steer has taught me about faith.noI've attended churches, Quaker Meetings, synagogues, and Buddhist temples. I've taken yoga and read Joseph Campbell, Thomas Merton, C.S. Lewis, St. Augustine, and the Bible. I pray often. But I had an unsettling realization recently, which is that my steer Elvis already has the spiritual equanimity I have been seeking. He is comfortable within himself, has no discernible anxiety, rolls with life as if it were a gentle wave, is uncomplaining, generous and loyal to his mate, and trusts and accepts people.truenotochyperlinkno2008112665513AMWednesdayNovNovember611/26/2008 11:55:13 AM6336327931300000002008112665513AMWednesdayNovNovember611/26/2008 11:55:13 AM633632793130000000rural lifeMy Dog Has a Crush on My RamJon KatzA love story.noMy Dog Has a Crush on My RamWhen a dog falls in love with a ram.noI cleared my throat and adopted my most paternal voice. "Lenore," I said, "This isn't going to work.truenotochyperlinkno200862565544AMWednesdayJunJune66/25/2008 10:55:44 AM633499737440000000200862565544AMWednesdayJunJune66/25/2008 10:55:44 AM633499737440000000rural lifeGetting My GoatJon KatzMy three goats won't stop jeering me, and I love them for it.noGetting My GoatMy three goats won't stop jeering me, and I love them for it.noWhenever I walk out to the barn to do the chores, I am hooted and jeered. By my goats.truenotochyperlinkno200821830107PMMondayFebFebruary152/18/2008 8:01:07 PM633389436670000000200821830107PMMondayFebFebruary152/18/2008 8:01:07 PM633389436670000000rural lifeThat's What I Like About EweJon KatzMost of my sheep are, well, sheep. But then there's No. 57.noThat's What I Like About EweMost of my sheep are, well, sheep. But then there's No. 57.noA few weeks after my new helper, Annie, started working at the farm, I noticed a change in the way my sheep were behaving. Usually, when they see my border collie Rose, they bunch together and wait, resignedly, to be shuttled to one pasture or another. But now they were rushing up to me and to other people. Sometimes they sniffed at my pockets. A couple of times they ran right around or over the shocked Rose, and it took some nipping and charging to set them straight.truenotochyperlinkno200762770231AMWednesdayJunJune76/27/2007 11:02:31 AM633185245510000000200762770231AMWednesdayJunJune76/27/2007 11:02:31 AM633185245510000000rural lifeHenrietta Is DeadJon KatzSaying goodbye to my aggressive, curious, sociable, baffling chicken.noHenrietta Is DeadMy favorite chicken is dead!noA few months ago, I wrote about Henrietta, my curious, aggressive, sociable hen. When I drove the tractor to the road in front of the house today, I found her dead body. I've had a farm long enough to know that you don't cry for a chicken, but Henrietta was an unusual hen. She terrorized my border collie Rose and loved to sit for hours on the backs of my steer Elvis, the donkeys, and sometimes even the sheep. She cleaned their coats of dirt, bugs, and ticks.truenotochyperlinkno20076442827PMMondayJunJune166/4/2007 8:28:27 PM63316571307000000020076442827PMMondayJunJune166/4/2007 8:28:27 PM633165713070000000200633054422AMThursdayMarMarch53/30/2006 9:44:22 AM632792942620000000200633054422AMThursdayMarMarch53/30/2006 9:44:22 AM632792942620000000falsetruetruetruetruetruetrue200639105530AMThursdayMarMarch103/9/2006 3:55:30 PM632774985300000000200639105530AMThursdayMarMarch103/9/2006 3:55:30 PM632774985300000000