Calves, Manure, and Muck

Calves have a real mind of their own. I wonder if it is something in the air around them when they are born, but you just don't get a cooperative calf. Maybe they have a carnal nature in them just like humans do.

So I decided to be a nice helpful helpmeet to D yesterday. Actually, I wanted to do it, because it looked like more fun than dishes, peaches, and laundry which I needed to do in the house. So I went out and helped him vaccinate about 127 calves and then we had to run them through a foot bath. I got to carry this cool calf stick around for some of the time to help in the herding process. That made me feel important. But calves really have no respect for you person. If they want you to, they will make you walk through muck that is several inches deep and so you sink in while chasing them and hope you don't fall. Then when you have chased them out of the muck they continue the chase for as long as they can. It actually went fairly well, I thought. I would open and close gates and try to get the calves corralled so Dave could tie the gate and vaccinate them. Only occasionally would they jump the gates to seek their own pleasure. Once that was done, we got to herd them back through a corral through a foot bath. Calves are keen on new things and things that have water in them....... So I was industriously helping the 3rd to last calf through the water when it decided as a final payback for all it had endured that afternoon, it should let loose with a reering reer hoof and smack my leg. Being kicked by a calf is not that great. It leaves a painful leg, that unfortunately doesn't even turn black and blue and so I cannot even use it for self-pity. And the pain doesn't last long either. The only real mark I have from the calves is a scraped and sore spot on my arm where the gate scratched it as I was endeavoring to hold it shut against the shoving, tromping calves.

So that is my story of calves for the day. Nothing real dramatic, I guess, but I like to think that I helped D and that the whole process went much faster because I was there talking incessantly and making overall a general fool of myself if anyone would have overheard me. The calves are great conversationalists, by the way. Or not.

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