The Bull and the Dog

For many reasons including the fact that most of last week and the entire weekend was spent busy with garage sale things, Chapter 32 of my novel didn’t get written this week for Writer’s Group.

I had good intentions of getting to it last night, but that didn’t work out either, but I thought I would share with you part of yesterday’s adventures. The day began as normal, I got up early and went to my computer where I checked my e-mails for orders from my writing clients etc.

Then, it was time to relax a little before work. I had just sat down with my cup of tea and my cat was sitting on my knee when my family and I looked outside the window and saw the neighbor’s Husky and a black bovine standing in the road. Still in my pyjamas, I quickly set down the cat and my cup of tea and put on my running shoes. I wasn’t even wearing socks yet.

I went outside quickly, but not too fast as to startle the animals. I walked towards the road and waited for my dad to come out so he could get around the black cow – who when we got closer was actually a large bull calf.

In the meantime, cars were coming by on the road and I gestured to get them to slow down – they did – but I’m not sure if it was the sight of me in my pyjamas on the side of the road or the dog and the bull in the road. It wasn’t long before the dog decided to go home as if to say that he was leaving his bovine friend in our hands.

The bull calf decided that it was going to meander to another neighbor’s place, which is between ours and the calf’s owner. After several minutes of trying to catch it – I could get close to it, but it kept taking off – my dad finally caught it in a wooded area. It had a twine collar around its neck, and he was able to take it by that.

The bull’s owner is a man, and I think the calf was certainly more used to them. My dad was able to lead the calf by its collar. Thankfully, the calf had horns and that meant the collar didn’t slip off over its head. My mom brought us a better rope and then we led it into an enclosure at the neighbor’s – until the other neighbor could come and get it.

I was able to finish my tea – now partly cold before getting ready for work. In the evening as I was sitting down, planning to get to work writing, one of our own cows decided it was a suitable time to give birth and she needed assistance, so I went out to help my brother and my dad. A cute red and white bull calf was born, and mom and baby are doing well. Life is never dull when you live on a farm in the country.

Even though this happened five years ago, I can still remember the day quite clearly. It isn’t every day that you head out to face the world early in the morning wearing your pyjamas, to come face to face with a large bull calf standing in the street.

On a farm, you can plan but you also have to know how to adapt because the animals and the weather often change your routine. Even though farm life can be unpredictable, and at times difficult, it is also amazing, and I love living on a farm and connecting with the animals.