The cows know when my husband is not home.  I am sure of it.  They seem to only decide to wander beyond the fence when he is away. 

There are numerous examples of this throughout the years.  I remember coming home from kids swimming lessons and the cows were not in the right area.  At least, they were inside a fenced area and the kids and I were able to coax them into an area we wanted them to be before nightfall.  Another instance was waiting for the bus one morning and hearing a car horn by the road to alert us that two of our feeder calves were out on a stroll.  This summer, more than once, I was greeted by baby calves in my yard.  They really were adorable in the shade by the swing set, but not a practical location for their well-being.  My daughter and I helped them find their way back.  Most recently, I discovered a heifer in a separate lot than the herd.  She was happily munching on some lush green grass that was growing nicely on the other side of the fence.  Hence, the grass was greener on the other side and she was loving it!.  The only problem with this area was there was no fence on one side.  After she got her fill, she was easily led back to the others and she was anxious to be back with her herd friends.  Needless to say, it adds a little surprise activity to the day.

As I think about it, when I was a kid our cows usually escaped when my dad was at work. My mom and I would have to be creative about corralling them.  Maybe the cows have some sort of unwritten code to keep the farm wives on the lookout.