April 14 -- Lisa's Musings (on bison) and Every Day Life

Today was Bison Day.

Yup, Bison Day, something I've been looking forward to for a few weeks.

In fact, I happily got up early for Bison Day.

And the coolest thing? It lived up to everything I hoped it would. Well, except the sun wasn't where I needed it to be for the best photos and there wasn't a lot I could do about it.

But, aside from that, it was way cool.

I was in a field with living, breathing, grunting bison. Not on the ground with them, mind you, because, well, they're bison, and like their personal bison space.

Bison, I learned are very different from cattle, even though the girl and boy terms -- bulls, heifers and cows, are the same.

They're really rather quiet creatures that love their herd life almost as must as they like their calm and quiet lifestyle.

And they're curious creatures, too, especially when it comes to the new calves.

Yes, wee bison and they were too cute for words.

However, although bison look warm and fuzzy, they aren't the petting type.

But when you've gotten as close to these American icons of prairie life as I did today, it brings into personal technicolor all those Westerns, and that "home, home on the range," early Americana life.

In a modern, I'm in Michigan, sort of way.

I learned a LOT about buffalo/bison, today. Such as, the two terms are, indeed, interchangeable.

I was schooled by a bison expert and herd manager today.

In fact, in his first big bison competition earlier this year, he kicked all the other bison breeder's rumps.

And took the Rookie Bison Breeder of the Year Award, too.

Did I mention, he was a patient, genuinely awesome guy, too? A well educated, herd manager, who was more than happy to answer a barrage of questions about the animals under his care.

I don't want to give away all the details before I write the story, but stay tuned because it's going to be a good one. Complete with video.

But I just couldn't wait that long to share.