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“They’re right this way,” he says, and I walk along beside him. We pass by the massive red barn before we reach the second paddock. We lean on the top fence rail and the miniature cows come running over as soon as they notice us.
“Oh my God. They’re so freaking cute,” I squeal. “I’ve never seen a mini version in person before. What breed are they?”
“These are all teacup minis.”
“Are they full grown now?”
“Yep. The average size is similar to a large dog.”
“Are they just like full-sized cows as far as what they eat?”
“Yeah, they graze on the grass and we feed them hay and grain too. They also have salt blocks and mineral supplements. And even though we don’t have any females, these guys have been snipped so they can’t reproduce.”
“You don’t have any females at all?”
“Not yet. I’m not opposed to taking one in, but then you have to milk them twice daily, and that complicates things. We’re not set up to pasteurize milk and would have to find a way to keep it all from going to waste.”
“I didn’t think of that. But the thought of baby teacup mini cows would be hard for me to resist,” I say, smiling. “I bet they’re the cutest little nuggets.”
“I agree they’d be cute, but I’m not looking to get into selling cattle. This farm’s function is to make the rest of their lives enjoyable.”
“That’s so sweet.”
“We’ve got a system that works, and I don’t want to complicate things. When I purchased this farm, it wasn’t with the plan to make money. If anything, this place is a money-suck.” He laughs. “I only wanted to get away from the city so I’d have some space between my work and my home life.” He waves his hands toward the paddock. “Although this wasn’t part of my original plan, I’m extremely satisfied with where we’ve ended up.”
One of the steers lets out a bellowing moo, as if to state his approval, and another one wanders over to us. Slipping my hand between the rails, I run my fingers through his thick brown fur.
“Hey, handsome. What’s your name?”
“This is Moose. He’s the biggest of the bunch, hence the name.”
“Are you fat shaming this poor little guy?” I tease.
“Not at all. Besides, my dad’s the one who named him.” His lips part with a quick flash of his teeth.
“Hanging your old man out to dry, huh?”
“Hey, I make enough bad decisions in my life. I’m not taking ownership of anyone else’s.” His brown eyes are contemplative as they linger on my face. “I bet you don’t have much experience with that.”
“With bad decisions?” I ask, and he nods. “Of course I do, and so does everyone else. Making poor choices is part of growing up, and I assume it’s something that never stops. At least until we’re no longer here.”
He grimaces. “That’s a horrible thought.”
“Is it, though? I like to think of life as a journey of learning. We’re not supposed to be perfect, and we can’t be, even if we try our hardest. The equivalent of being human is being flawed, right?”
“I don’t know, but you’re making me feel better about myself already,” he jokes, jostling my arm with his elbow.
“I try to own my shortcomings and make changes when needed. In this world of social media, everyone tries to appear like the best version of themselves. When in reality most of us succeed and fail on a daily basis.”
“I don’t have any social media accounts. It’s been a bone of contention between me and the Coyotes PR team. But I learned in college, having an online presence meant being tagged in posts, and a lot of times those posts involved me partying. It made me regretful and anxious. Not enough to stop partying, though.” He laughs.
“I did my share of partying in college too. It’s like a rite of passage. Unfortunately, we’ve all been taught that making mistakes is the end of the world, and as a result, anxiety is running rampant. Failing at something doesn’t make you a failure in life. I guess that’s what I finally came to grips with right before I made the decision to start my business.”
“Well, judging from breakfast, I’d say you’re going to be a huge success.”
“Thanks. Which reminds me, I should head back inside and prep some things for lunch.”
He rubs his hands together. “Let’s go.”
