This is Sir Baby
☆ April 17, 2010
He’s just resting his head there, against my leg. (I look off-balance because I’m leaning weirdly trying to take this photo. At least it’s in focus.)
Sir Baby lumbers over to me, stops, rests his giant forehead against my leg and that is his way of asking “please, oh please, won’t you scratch between my shoulder blades?”
Why yes, Sir Baby, anything for you.
Sir Baby is large. I am not a small person (I’m 5’9″) but Baby makes me look tiny. Old-time-ranchers can’t believe he’s just a year old. He’s nearly twice as large as most yearlings and will at least double in size, if not triple, by the time he’s three.
He is by far the most comfortable of my Farmily furniture. Stretching out on him with a good book or a long letter is one of my favorite pastimes ~ he is so warm and soft, and his huge, thick neck and ample fat layer create a futon of sorts.
For comparison, Daisy is much bonier and her neck is long and slender ~ she’s not really comfortable to lay on, but quite wonderful to lay against. She is the Original Cowch. Frisco makes a nice pillow (this kind of pillow
Comments
39 Responses to “This is Sir Baby”
Leave a Reply
MY NEW BOOK!
More, Elsewhere
- No Tweets Available
April 17th, 2010 @ 8:25 am
Sir Baby has totally changed my understanding of what these creatures are like. It is almost disturbing to me, non-vegan that I am. He looks absolutely adorable, asking for scratchies. What a lucky boy to have a home with you.
Long-time fan of your world, first-time commenter.
April 17th, 2010 @ 8:27 am
Beautiful. :) Every time I read your blog, I find myself more and more jealous of your lifestyle. Someday, I like to think I might have a farmly of my own to add to my one horse and two cats. You definitely inspire me.
April 17th, 2010 @ 8:39 am
When people and animals interact positively something wonderful happens. It looks as if it happens for the animals, too. I hope it does because it’s special to be allowed into their world like that.
April 17th, 2010 @ 9:02 am
haha. I love you you say that Frisco makes a nice pillow and then do the (this kind of pillow, in black) and when I clicked on the link it took me to amazon to look at an actual pillow. Sir Baby is so beautiful. Thank you for sharing!!
April 17th, 2010 @ 9:26 am
OMG he’s huge! Is he part Buffalo?!?
A recent Smithsonian magazine article about cattle breeding made me think of you. It talks about an experiment using a Hereford-Brown Swiss cross, although the ranch in the story eventually settled on Red Angus. Do I remember correctly that Sir Baby is Black Angus and Brown Swiss? Or is that Frisco?
Maybe you can paint a big height line going up the side of the barn and train Sir Baby to lean up against it once a month for a photo. 5 ft, 6 ft, 7 ft, 8 ft, 9 ft, 10 ft, . . . Wasn’t Paul Bunyon’s ox Babe 14 feet?
It would be great to see a photo of all of Sir Babe next to another of your grass eaters to compare scale :-)
thanks for this blog and Charley’s, too.
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/people-places/87150992.html?device=iphone&c=y
April 17th, 2010 @ 10:09 am
I love how sir baby’s eye is looking at you like “there’s no time to take the picture, MUST BE SCRATCHED! meh meh meh!”
You can definitely tell that all of your animals love you back for loving them!
April 17th, 2010 @ 10:12 am
I can totally see him doing that. What a sweetie. He is totally in love with you. :)
April 17th, 2010 @ 10:32 am
I think I’m in love.
April 17th, 2010 @ 10:35 am
What a magnificent baby!!! No wonder he is a “SIR.” Just looking at him demands that title.
April 17th, 2010 @ 10:35 am
Thanks for the picture…He definitely looks like a Buffalo. If you put an extra fur coat on him he would be a buffalo.He is pretty and sensitive, what a big guy. I can’t believe Ricardo hangs out with them all, It reminds me of the movie “the pig” I Ioved that movie so much.
April 17th, 2010 @ 10:44 am
My dad’s a farmer who always raised slaughter cattle, but sometimes we got a little too emotionally attached to them, and this reminds me of some of the more loving of them when I used to go visit the pasture, always rubbing against me.
I love all of these pictures, you have the most loving animal family in the world. :)
April 17th, 2010 @ 10:46 am
Cowch … I’m loving the furniture over there in Wyoming. Mine is knee-high to a goat and has a high squish factor when reclined upon. :o)
April 17th, 2010 @ 10:53 am
Love the concept of a life-bed :-)
April 17th, 2010 @ 11:26 am
A gentle giant.
April 17th, 2010 @ 11:28 am
“cowch” Very nice *LOL*
Seeing his head in proportion to your leg…he’s HUGE! I have 6 yearling bulls now…NONE this size!
Oh, I’m checking on getting a pair of baby Geese. I’m gonna’ name ’em “Bonnie and Clyde”…:O)
April 17th, 2010 @ 12:07 pm
Future calendar idea? you have some wonderful photos of the animals – horses, Sir Baby, Daisy, Ricardo, Charlie, Chloe, Eli, I can’t remember them all….
And how much does Sir Baby weigh? What a picture – thanks for sharing!
April 17th, 2010 @ 12:09 pm
Handsome!
April 17th, 2010 @ 1:39 pm
What a great picture of a true gentleman….er, bull! I like Torre’s idea of a future calendar idea…that would be great! Now I’m gonna smile all day!
April 17th, 2010 @ 1:59 pm
The Original Cowch!? That so cracks me up !!
I would love to read more on your approach to living with your animals. You have something really, really special it seems, about creating/letting evolve the relationships with your farmily members. Seems very organic and grounded. I would really be interested in your “philosophy” ; )
April 17th, 2010 @ 2:02 pm
“Cowch”. haha.
There is something wonderful about a creature, whose head is the length of one’s leg, being tender and sweet.
Sir Baby, indeed.
April 17th, 2010 @ 2:08 pm
I don’t see those new boots in the picture! did you get them? :-)
April 17th, 2010 @ 2:11 pm
I heart Sir Baby.
April 17th, 2010 @ 2:24 pm
Nature versus nurture.
This is so nurture.
I love how all of the animals love to be touched and have their own unique way of asking for a tickle or a rub or a kiss. They wouldn’t beg for it if they didn’t like it.
Wishing Sir Baby a large harem and many offspring for a long and healthy life.
April 17th, 2010 @ 2:59 pm
I love Sir Baby. When my son was small we lived on ranch outside San Marcos, a perfect place to raise a flock of children, We had a Brahma bull named Baby who allowed my son, nieces nephews all the kids on the ranch to lay on him, ride him, and in general use him as a 2000 lb playground toy. He had a harem of ladies all equally gentle who came when called to lean on the fence and get a little love.Those years went by too fast and I miss them
April 17th, 2010 @ 3:06 pm
You are toooo much!
Laughed right out loud at Daisy , a cowch!
Even funnier than “farmily”
My cat, Fred, taps me gently on the shoulder at 3 AM so
if I’m awake, I can turn over please and rub his belly. It
always makes me laugh, and I do it so he’s got me. Seems
I’m easy to train.
April 17th, 2010 @ 3:19 pm
I’m so surprised you’re 5’9″! You don’t look that tall in photos. I’m 5’11” but old.
I read your book and I love the way your life just keeps getting better and better. I bet you do too!
April 17th, 2010 @ 7:29 pm
I love learning about your Farmily. Sir Baby seems like a beautiful being.
April 17th, 2010 @ 7:38 pm
His eye & eyelashes almost don’t look real! They’re awesome! He is quite beautiful. Ok tell him I said he looks handsome so he feels manly.
April 17th, 2010 @ 9:54 pm
Here’s something as awesome as a cowch – check this out Shreve & all:
http://wimp.com/elephantseal/
April 18th, 2010 @ 3:04 am
I call Jim Henson shenanigans on this bull! :D
April 18th, 2010 @ 9:26 am
He is quite beautiful and soo sweet to ask for his rub! I would not make a good cattle rancher, because I would become attached to all my animals..and make them all pets..Do you think you could ever raise one from here on just for food? Marlene from Cambria
April 18th, 2010 @ 10:48 am
What a sweet boy and I love that you are showing people how sweet and intelligent all animals are if given the opportunity.
April 18th, 2010 @ 1:32 pm
Barbara, the elephant seal video was amazing! Thanks so much for sharing. You can feel the woman’s pure joy as she smiles into the camera. What an exquisite cuddle experience!
(This from a woman who cuddles 3 rottweilers :))
April 18th, 2010 @ 4:06 pm
Great googly moogly, the size of him! Add horns and just a little more shag and he’d blend right into the Pleistocene!
Most people do not have the opportunity or the patience to establish such a rapport with animals. I’m glad that there are those like you out there, using that capacity. If we ever lose it, I think we will have also lost a big chunk of what makes us human.
April 18th, 2010 @ 5:02 pm
What a sweetheart. I have this totally unfounded fear of cows, but Sir Baby looks like a very lovable cattle beast indeed!
April 19th, 2010 @ 8:10 am
I was at a talk by Temple Grandin yesterday and one of the questions she was asked was: what do you do when a bull is charging you. She said well by that point you are in a world of trouble, and you needed to see the signs before it got that far. One sign being the bull will turn sideways to show you how big he is. Anyway, she said that bulls are nice and safe until they reach sexual maturity and then they can be dangerous and she said it’s not good to ever let them press their head against you – they must know that is not allowed because it can turn into a bad thing later. I’m not expressing this as intelligently as she did. But I thought of Shreve and her bull while she was talking and hope that Sir Baby doesn’t ever get all testosterone-y on her someday! Temple was quite amazing to see and hear in person. If anyone doesn’t know who she is: http://www.grandin.com.
April 19th, 2010 @ 3:58 pm
What a great way to start the week!!! I loved hearing about Sir Baby and the Cowch!
Thanks!
April 19th, 2010 @ 7:06 pm
I love Sir Baby’s eye in your picture. He has such long lashes. So gentle, so beautiful. I’m sure he has not known anyone who would want to harm him in his life so far. I hope that will continue. No doubt with you in his life, it will remain that way. Thanks Shreve, for taking such good care of your animals. Maybe we can’t save all of them, but we can save the ones we encounter along our journey in life.
April 22nd, 2010 @ 6:15 pm
Awwww how beautiful! :) X O X