Bewildering Bovines in Hadley

Fear of Cows.



A couple times this summer I tarried too long on the rail trail, and so had to walk the last stretch back to Amherst in the dark. There is a farm in Hadley I must pass where in the daylight you see black cows out in the field. 

Yet as the sun sinks, they drift closer, ever closer to the fence that divides them from the rail trail. 

What is it that draws them to the fence as the sun sets? Perhaps they are frightened in the day by all the traffic on the trail, and as dusk falls maybe they realize that the humans are leaving and they can come to the trail in peace and remain undisturbed until dawn.

Or maybe that explanation is too logical. It might be something we humans can not fathom, some mysterious bovine ritual. In any case, it sure is creepy when I have to walk past their hulking presence in the dark.

It may seem silly, but I actually sometimes sweat with fear when walking past those cows at night. I don't know what I'm afraid of. I guess I'm afraid that the cows will actually be on the trail itself, although there is a fence that should prevent that. Yet I never quite trust it to keep the beasts at bay.

My nephew Ryan was in West Brookfield recently and saw two female cows trying to hump one another. He took this picture:

Cows are queer? Now I feel in even greater danger!

In a nightmare I see myself walking along the rail trail. It is pitch dark, only the feel of the pavement beneath my feet keeps me on the trail. Suddenly I walk into the solid wall of flesh of a big black cow! The collision startles the cow into shitting on the spot before fleeing across the field. The fright of it all causes me to have a massive heart attack and I'm dead before I hit the ground.

The early morning rail trail joggers find me the next day, lying next to the cow excrement. When people read about my demise in the paper, they shake their head and say, "Poor Tom Devine, his bullshit finally caught up with him."

There was a big display outside the University Library today of all the clubs on campus who were trying to recruit members. For those who like a lot of action, there was the flying feet and fists of fury of the Karate Club.

At the other extreme, there was the nerd heaven of the Chess Club.

 



The Republicans were on hand, waving a sign featuring right-wing sex symbol Ann Coulter.

I was told that an angry leftist came storming up and told them that the image was "misogynist and pornographic." The GOPers laughed in his face and the leftist walked away in a huff.

One person's turn-on is another person's obscenity.

The Summer of Love 40th Anniversary tour which passed through Northampton in July reached its climax this weekend in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. Among those performing was Taj Mahal (below) who grew up in Springfield's Mason Square and who even has a street named after him in that neighborhood.

Speaking of San Francisco music, someone sent me these old Jefferson Airplane/Starship bubble gum cards in the mail. Whoever you are, thanks! 

 




Finally, here is the Jefferson Starship performing recently on The Today Show in New York City.