OFFGRID BULL
CAUGHT ON CAMARA

Offgrid bull gets more interesting when we got up one morning and went out to have coffee. Something appeared different but could not quite place it. I saw movement that did not appear to be any of our dogs.

Standing very still, very quietly was a huge Brahma bull by my trees. I stood there for a moment to get a grasp on who was so near our house. I went in the house to tell Ron. We both went outside and just stared at this brahma bull. Off grid living was turning out to be funny and slightly scarey.

Then he looked at us. Many thoughts started running through my head. What if he charged? I looked to see if either of us was wearing red. Not sure if that made a difference or if that was just in the movies. Our offgrid bull started moving side to side. He was on the move. He mosied on out of our yard and down our driveway.

About an hour later I went outside and out of the corner of my eye I saw the slightest movement. I turned to look and there was the Brahma bull again but this time he was enjoying the straw I had bought for mulch. I yelled at him and he looked up.

I went back into the house to get my camera. I came out hoping that he was gone. He was still standing there eating. I took a couple of pictures, keepsakes for our off grid living album. Then I started thinking our solar panels were right there. He could smash them or walk into something else and destroy it. The bull was there eating for about 45 minutes.

My sister called and while I was on the phone the bull decided he wanted dessert. He went for my little cherry trees. He start sniping off the tops of my trees. It was sweet for our offgrid bull.

Now I was mad. So mad I forgot to take pictures. I picked up a couple of stones and threw them at him. He turned around and looked at me unimpressed. The second stone he started to walk down our driveway to the road. I guess this should be expected living off grid.

We had to put up a fence. We started by pounding in the fence posts, 48 of them. We rolled out nearly 500 feet of field fencing 5 feet high. We put two 12 foot gates a each entrance and a man gate in the back of the house. It took us about 6 days to complete.

I was beside myself. He ate the tops off my cherry trees. I was very happy that my dogs were not outside.

I was hoping for more of an open feeling but with the bulls roaming I would sacrifice confining for reassuring.

The corner posts are pressure treated 4 x 4s. Ron dug the post holes and we poured in the concrete and added water and let them sit for a day.

Our neighbor has free range cattle and they roam through our property all the time. The mamas and the bulls scare me a bit. Some of these cattle are a mix of bison, cow and brahma bull. Some of them are extremely tall.

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