Watering the Deer . . . I mean, Cows

It's been really dry in our area and all the cows on the cattle permits are running out of water. There hasn't been any rain to fill the catchments and storage tanks, so my parents have to haul water EVERYDAY, and sometimes twice a day to water their cows. However, not only is the water running out for the cows, it is also running our for the mule deer population on the Buckskin.

Rain was content to stay in the back of the truck for about three minutes.

Then she wanted to be closer. 

So as my parents haul water, it is not uncommon to see the deer coming in to lick the water off the water trailer, or mill among the cows trying to get a drink. The water was so scarce, the cows were even chasing the deer off of it.

 Can you spot the deer?

One afternoon my two girls and I went on an adventure with "PacaMa" to haul water. We bounced and jostled over the dirt road as the water trailer sloshed and shoved behind us. We finally reached our destination, and sure enough, there were the cows, and the deer, waiting for us.

Rain enjoyed watching the cows, and I had to keep pulling her back as she was intent on running up and petting their faces--probably more like poking their eyes and tugging at their ears, which is her favorite anatomy lesson she likes to recite with any animal, creature, creepy crawly, etc that comes within her reach.

After filling up the water troughs, we sat back and watched the cows get their fill and the deer coming in to get their share.

 We also found a carcass of a deer that had been butchered out since this was all during the deer hunts. While most little girls pick bouquets of flowers, my little girl enjoys bouquets of deer legs. She loved to pet it softly and tickle its toes.  

(Don't ask me where she gets this since I am usually there in the middle of it trying to catch that "hopper" for her, or show her the lizard before it runs away, or the rattlesnake that "Paca" killed.)

Both the girls were pretty good troopers throughout the whole adventure.