hey, cow!

hey, cow!

in Georgia, there are two laws regarding cows and drivers. if you hit a cow during the daytime, it is the driver's fault, and he or she must pay for a new cow. however, if it's nighttime, the cow owner is at fault, and must pay to repair the damaged vehicle.

why all the fuss? well, cows are all over the roads in the villages, and fear not the oncoming cars. wherever there's a bridge, there's a small herd of cows. splud. splud. splud. that's the sound of cowshit as you cross the bridge. inevitably, because the cows refuse to move, each bridge is a one-lane bridge. one side is full of cows, the other, their fecal matter.

aaron, erim, and i were on our way back from kazbegi, driving through the dark twists and turns, as aaron is explaining the cow laws to us. suddenly, we jolt to a crawl as a small herd makes its way across the road. i notice in the hub of the action, a non-heifer rump, but rather a scurrying female.

a stickler for the law, i inquired,"whose fault is it if you hit the herder's wife?"