New subdivision means cattle, pasture not for long

 

Every other day I've taken my morning walk past the cattle ranch on Tallevast Road for the last four years.
It's been one of my favorite spots, gazing at the vast expanse of Old Florida growth in the early morning sunlight.
I'm going to miss it.
The ranch is going bye-bye for a new subdivision.
Work crews recently cleared a small parcel to make room for a double-wide project construction trailer.
There's an old two-story home that will be coming down soon. The ranch sheds, too.
They haven't been occupied for some time.
If those buildings could talk, though, what stories I bet they'd tell.
There's still life on the ol' range, if you will.
Cattle still roam the pasture and I'm thankful.
I've had fun seeing the cattle watch me as I strolled by.
If I was in a playful mood, I'd go, "MoooOOO!"
They probably wondered, what's up with this guy?
It was sweet, too, seeing calves every spring, nuzzling their mothers for milk.
Sometimes, the younger ones would scurry away from the fence that separated the pasture from the sidewalk when they saw me, but most of the critters just watched and chewed their grass.
Other times, a ranch hand --- the owner? --- would drive into the property in a pickup truck loaded with feed.
The ground would shake as the bellowing herd rumbled toward the vehicle.
What a scene.
Most of the time, though, the cattle are just spread out over God's green grass, watching the day go by.

That subdivision will probably get under way soon and when it does the cattle will be gone for good.
I'm going to miss them and their wide open spaces, for sure.