over the moon

About a week ago, the farmers came to take the cows home for the winter. We had nine cows this year. Seven went in a docile and cooperative way. Two cows decided they didn't want to go, and ran away. One of the cows is accurately named Double Trouble. The other one is apparently related to the cow that jumped over the moon. The existing fencing wasn't tall enough to hold him.
The grass has been getting sparse for weeks now, and the water hose was getting clogged up with leaves. It was time for them to go home. On Saturday the cows were seen by the guy who taps our maple trees up in the high pasture. They're definitely not supposed to be up there. There was plenty of grass, however, and apples to boot. He closed one of the gates to keep them from heading into the woods from there. I went up there on Sunday to see if I could get them to come down. They were nowhere to be seen. I opened the gate that had been closed the day before in case they had somehow found their way into the woods, and were trying to get back into the pasture.
I didn't sleep well that night imagining that they might end up in the road and cause a serious automobile accident, or get into a neighbor's garden or some such thing. On Sunday the farmers came back to try to round them up. He found them in a nearby pasture. He offered them some grain, and they slowly came down the mountain. They had purchased some taller fencing, and were able to coax them into a makeshift corral. Once they were enclosed, and realized that the game was up, they quietly went into the trailer for the ride home.
As they were heading out the lane, I heaved a sigh of relief. I realized how much they are on my mind over the summer season. I count them every time they go by in the back to make sure they're all accounted for. I check the water periodically to make sure they don't die of thirst. I worry about them. I realized that at the same time I'm also concerned for the welfare of the bluebirds that have nested in the back for years now. I hope they don't tangle with the sparrows or get eaten by raccoons.
At first I thought it was a sign of the summer season, the concern for animals, but realized it's ongoing. The deer hunting season starts on Saturday. It's the worst time of the year as far as I'm concerned. I've been putting up No Hunting signs as I do every year. In the spring I worry about a late frost, and how that could damage the apple harvest, and how a bad year could cause havoc with the deer herd. I worry about heavy snows and coyotes.
What I realized is when you have land you have animals. They are an intimate part of your neighborhood, and it's a two edged sword, at least for me. I love having them around, but I worry about them as well.