vintage feed sacks: The Story of a Goat and a Cow

I came across this photo the other day and it made me chuckle. It's actually one of a series of photos taken on my dad's little farm. Yes, that is a goat standing on the back of a cow! And now I know where the inspiration must have come from for those paintings of the farm animals stacked on top of each other!

Meet Baby Myrtle (the cow) and Lily (the goat). Lily was a precocious little pygmy goat, like they all are, and Baby Myrtle, named after my grandmother, was an 1200 pound cow. But she was a sweet, sweet, gentle cow. She would follow us all around the barnyard, just like a dog.

Well, Lily and Baby Myrtle became fast friends who both loved the weeping willow trees on the property. And one day we saw Lily jump up onto the picnic table and try to grab the willow branches. Apparently willow branches are quite the delicacy! So Lily occupied her days by trying to get at those willow branches.

Then the light bulb must have gone off in Lily's mind when Baby Myrtle stopped by the picnic table to see how she was enjoying her willow branches and Lily just hopped onto Baby Myrtle's back! Ah, now Lily was in a prime position to really get at those willow branches!

And this sight quickly became an everyday occurrence on the farm, Lily standing on top of Baby Myrtle! And very soon just standing on Baby Myrtle's back wasn't enough because she would travel all over the barnyard on Baby Myrtle's back. Very funny stuff!