Vacas

I love cows, I always have. I collected cow statues as a kid. I think I finally amassed a mismatched herd of about 25 head of cattle.

My maternal grandfather had some cows and when we visited him I would love to help feed them and their calves.


There are 'Cracker Cows' in the old orange groves across the road from my house. These cows' ancestors were left behind by the Spanish explorers of the 1500's.

They are called 'Cracker Cattle' because the cowhunters (don't you dare call them cowboys) would hunt for the wild cows and round them up via a bullwhip. The whip never touched the cows; it made a loud cracking sound as the cowhunters flicked it above the cows while rounding them up.

The term 'Cracker' can also apply to some people in Florida. It is often used with a sense of pride, indicating that the person's family has lived in Florida for many generations; these people are the descendants of the original settlers of Florida who arrived in 1763. Many of the settlers hunted wild cows with a whip.

I love cows and I love history, so I think it's great to see both of these loves married together when I look across the road and see the Cracker Cattle grazing in the old orange groves.