"Erma"

Steve was a professor just long enough to earn one sabbatical. We took it in 2018 and moved the family to England, an hour north of London. Down the road was Stansted, Ryanair's hub, the airport that turns "weekend in Stockholm" into a $29 decision. So that's what we did, nearly every weekend, a new adventure.

A couple of those trips took us to Scotland, and Scotland ruined us. Specifically, the Highland cows. Every time one showed up in a field we were driving past it meant pulling over, no exceptions, everyone out of the car for photos. We never got tired of it.

We finished building the house in Oregon in 2019, just ahead of COVID, and started thinking about animals. Out here that's normal. Our neighbors have goats, peacocks, chickens, emus, you name it. A Highland cow seemed obvious. Maybe a couple of minis. The cool, wet climate here is reminiscent of Scotland, so they'd have thrived. But we already struggle to find someone to watch the dog when we travel. A cow sitter felt like a problem we didn't need to take on.

Then in 2025 we came across a mini Highland cow by Renee at Oblivion Gallery, and asked the obvious next question: could she make a life-sized one? Turns out yes. Erma arrived a year later.

We still don't have a living, breathing Highland cow on the property, and probably never will. But now we don't need one. Erma does the job, reminding us of Scotland every time we walk past her.