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Sunshine
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0 posted 2001-12-16 09:18 AM


So The Cat Died

This is one of those stories where you know the cart is before the horse, just like it was one of those times, but you go ahead and do things anyway.  Like when we first bought our cowherd.  The pasture wasn’t set up for anything BUT grazing, no catch pens, no holding corrals, just a mix of long stem and short stem bluegrass and Indian grass.  Plus really bad barbed wire fences strung between hedgerows.  We had walked the fence, patched the holes, but it still needed some work.  It was time to begin, however; we had to make our start, so we bought 38 pregnant heifers.  But that was months earlier, and as you can see, I still get the cart before the horse.

We got our cows and calves through the summer and winter months.  So, by October of ’91, we had planned to work on the third weekend, going out to make sure that all was set up right.  The calves would be sold off by the end of the month to the farmer/rancher who had consigned them.  

But before the weekend hit…we had to get through the week.  So, as the story goes…

I had let my longhaired cat, Samantha, out into the back yard on that Tuesday night.  The next thing I knew, she was back in the house, breathing hard.  I saw a few flecks of red on her back, very apparent against her pure white fur.  I moved the fur and she flinched.  I discovered cat bite wounds on her back that she could not access to lick clean.  I called to my daughter to come help me.  She and I took hydrogen peroxide and tried to clean the wound as best we could.  We planned to take Sam in to the vet the next day.

On Wednesday the vet cleaned Sam’s wound again, and gave her an antibiotic shot.  Something wasn’t settling within me, so I watched Samantha closely.  By Thursday it was apparent she wasn’t doing well, so I told my husband we would take her in to the vet the next day, Friday.  Once there, the vet said he would like to have Sam stay over night so he could watch her, but it was apparent that she most likely wasn’t going to pull through.  Her wound was abscessing, and she was losing strength.  When I left her in the vet’s care, I was told to call Saturday morning, about 10:00 a.m.

That was the weekend we were to go out and work in the pasture.  There were a lot of things that needed doing, which required the hands of the three of us.  Only we didn’t know what was in store.  Life is funny that way.

The first thing that needed doing Saturday morning was sticking our nose outside to see how cold it was.  It was late October, and weather could change in a blink.  It was cold, about 35 degrees, so we layered ourselves warmly.  Long-johns, jeans, T-shirts, sweatshirts, jackets.  Boots.  

By 10:00 a.m., we had arrived at the Co-op to pick up cubes.  Cubes are protein pellets given to cows for nutrition, and in our case, our cows looked upon cubes as candy.  Our pampered cows loved cubes.  It was one way we could pull them all together to make counting them much easier.  While I was at the Co-op, I used their phone to call the vet.  My cat, Sam, had died overnight.   Somehow, I had known she would.  I was upset that I had not been with her.  And now, of course, I was not in a good frame of mind.

I was miserable over the news, as was my daughter.  But we still had work to do at the pasture.  Because my husband had decided that he would probably stay behind to work a bit, I drove his car, and he drove the truck.  My daughter and I were very quiet on the trip out.  I was trying not to cry, and she was trying not to sniffle.  Both of us were not doing a very good job of being brave for the other one.  We finally arrived at the pasture to help my husband count cows, calves, and to get some general work done.  

When we got to the front corner of the pasture, there are only a few of the cows to be seen.  Normally in the morning, they were all waiting at the pasture gate.  That was their routine.  This meant we had to drive around the pasture to find the remaining cows.  Not all of them were trained to come to the sound of the truck horn.  As I said, sometimes we had the cart before the horse.  We piled into the truck and drove around, keeping count, hoping that the cows wouldn’t all start running after the truck, having hopes of “candy” cubes.  We needn’t have worried.

We continued to drive around, not finding any cows until we came to the farthest corner of the pasture where the pond was located.  We saw the remainder of our cows...and one very large calf floating in the pond.  Drowned.  My daughter and I now become very distressed, and my husband begins cussing, thinking on how he’s going to get the calf out.

After some discussion, we head back to the main gate where the tractor was located.  Of course, nothing was to go right, we had to gas up the tractor first.  My daughter and I then followed my husband back while he drove the tractor and I drove the truck.  My daughter was in tears.  She had previously claimed all of the new calves as her “pets.”  We got back to the pond, and were trying to rope a leg of the calf to pull him in to the pond’s bank.  About this same time, the rancher that had consigned the calves pulled in, having followed us to the pond.  He got out of his truck and made some raunchy jokes about the care and feeding of our "profit."

After many efforts, we finally got the calf out, and drug the body back to the main gate via tractor.  Of course, all of the cows are in mourning, and follow us.  Even though we were not moving fast, the cows were running.  Cows, bulls and calves are a family.  Calves are very much a part of the entire herd, and the cows needed to know where their calf was going, he was still theirs, and part of their herd.  They were not ready to lose a member of the family.  My daughter and I knew how they felt.

So, once we got the calf out to the front gate, my husband called the rendering plant to have the carcass picked up on Monday.  After we got some ranch work done, he told us to "go home" and he'd "come in soon."  I had said something to the effect, "I hope nothing else goes wrong."  I remember him saying, "don't worry, nothing will."

Ah, never bet against anything on a day that Adversity has planned.

From the pasture gate to our house in town, it is about 12 miles.  Approximately one-half of that trip is via gravel road.  In my husband's car, we got about three blocks from the main road, and experienced of joy of having a flat tire.  On gravel.  A really flat tire on a really gravelly road.  Not a bit of space between the bottom of the car, and the gravel.  I get the jack out from the trunk but couldn't wedge the jack under the bumper even if I had wanted to.  I looked at my daughter.  She looked at me.  We had dressed for 35-40 degree weather.  We were layered.  It had warmed up to about 68 degrees.  We were sweating.  In boots.  Coats.  Sweatshirts.  The nearest phone was about a mile away.

I had one quarter.  My husband had our one cell phone in his truck.   My daughter and I started walking. I was not leaving her alone with the car, on a gravel road, in the middle of the country. I tried to concentrate on the cell phone number.  It was new.  What's the number?  I had one quarter, and one chance to call.  Do I call him?  Or 911?  I think I can call 911 without a quarter, so if I can't remember the number, I can still call 911.  I think.  I haven't been in a spot like this so I didn't KNOW protocol!!!

Once we got to the pay phone, we discovered that it was in front of a deserted gas station, but luckily, the phone still worked.  Thank you God.  Made the call, husband answered.  Of course, the inevitable question comes up: he wanted to know how I got a flat.  It was HIS car!  But MY flat!  

He said he'd come "soon" and my daughter and I started the walk back.  A farmer/neighbor was driving by, saw us and picked us up for the ride back, by which time my husband was just arriving.  He fixed the flat, and said to us "just go home, go directly home, the spare won't go any farther than home."  Was that a hint?

I mean, what else could go wrong with the day?  The cat died.  A calf died.  The tire died.  That's three.  That was enough.  Right?  Wrong.

We got home, and my daughter headed for the shower.  I called my mother, many states away, because I want to cry about my cat.  She, unfortunately, saw the underlying humor in so many disasters all in one day, and told me to go have a hot shower and to cry my eyes out.  Well, you know what happens when you get permission to cry.  You can't.  You buck up, and wonder what THAT was all about.

Once my daughter was out of the bathroom, I went in to take my hot shower and couldn't cry a tear.  I felt like I wasted a phone call to my mother, who certainly had more on her mind than my insignificant troubles.  I decided to get on with the day, and took a load of laundry down to start a wash, and saw that I needed to put a wet load into the dryer.  When I started the dryer…IT BLEW UP!  Sparks flew EVERYWHERE!!!

About that time I heard my husband at the top of the stairs, as he had just arrived home.  He said "Hi, I'm home," and I said..."Guess what?"  He couldn't believe that the sparks were the size of the aurora borealis.  I later become validated when the electrician told me I was lucky I didn't see more than sparks, as one-half of the wiring 'coil' was literally "gone", let alone "fried".

So when you’re having a bad day, just remember my little story of the day the cat died…




[This message has been edited by Sunshine (04-22-2008 03:51 PM).]

© Copyright 2001 Karilea Rilling Jungel - All Rights Reserved
Janet Marie
Member Laureate
since 2000-01-22
Posts 18554

1 posted 2001-12-20 09:35 PM


Serenity will tell you its Mercury retrograde.
I have had these days....its like waking up on the wrong side of hell...
when we had our landscape company...there we days we couldnt have bought, blackmailed or bribed a break.
What dont kill us makes us stronger?
Misery loves company me thinks!!
Hey...I want to thank you for bringing back those memories ;( LOL
Glad I wandered in here tonite...was looking for something to read that would distract me longer than poetry.
So which tries your patience more....
cattle or Lawyers  *L*
later cow-girl-gator

Sunshine
Administrator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-06-25
Posts 63354
Listening to every heart
2 posted 2001-12-20 10:37 PM



Love the giggle you left me, little one!  But tell me, did you giggle after all of it?  Hope so.  I can now, but it was not a good day then.  Well, at least I can smile that we got through it.  Still miss my cat.

Dusk Treader
Moderator
Senior Member
since 1999-06-18
Posts 1187
St. Paul, MN
3 posted 2001-12-23 01:24 AM


My goodness, such a hard day I can't imagine... I don't know if I'd laugh or cry after the dryer blew up. "When Household Appliances Attack!"

Excellent piece of writing, Karilea

"A hard, cold wisom is required for goodness to accomplish good. Goodness without wisdom always accomplishes evil" - Robert Heinlein

Dusty Rhodes
Junior Member
since 2001-10-14
Posts 27

4 posted 2001-12-23 06:50 PM


Sigh, there does seem to be those days in our lives, but you know, there are very few people who could have written it like this...A very nice read here
thepoeticplumber
Member
since 2001-05-15
Posts 185

5 posted 2001-12-23 09:10 PM


Sunshine.  You broke the record!  Does that mean bad things will now come in fours?  I really enjoyed your story.  

I wish it hadn't been true; for your sake.  It certainly would have been a wonderful series of events for a Chevy Chase movie.  

Hey!  Don't ever go to Wally World.  Roger  


merlynh
Member
since 1999-09-26
Posts 411
deer park, wa
6 posted 2001-12-31 06:38 PM


I believe if you worked on this one a bit more, you could have the making of some great writing.  Really.
Sunshine
Administrator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-06-25
Posts 63354
Listening to every heart
7 posted 2002-01-05 07:14 AM


DT, it is a laughing day with tears, when all was said and done...that's how folk survive...

Dusty, so glad you enjoyed the read...thank you...

Roger...I haven't had a "four" day since...and I wouldn't have wished it on anyone...thanks for having a chuckle...

Merlynh, I would gladly take whatever suggestions you might have to offer.  Please, critique away....

LngJhnAg
Member Elite
since 1999-07-23
Posts 3508
Boot+Kitty=Poetry in motion
8 posted 2002-01-08 10:41 AM


Well, the calf dying, and the flat tire and the dryer dying is pretty sad.

I enjoyed this very much, Karilea.  You have such a wonderful gift for telling stories.

Sunshine
Administrator
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since 1999-06-25
Posts 63354
Listening to every heart
9 posted 2002-01-10 05:55 PM



One only needs to see the left side of the page to see what you left out...thanks, LJA, for the read!

HumbleBee
Member
since 2002-01-06
Posts 52
Kentucky
10 posted 2002-01-13 03:06 PM


I love your story and admire you for writing on the lighter side about a day when so many things went wrong...I believe I would have just erased that day from memory.....a very good write
ilsm
Member
since 2008-04-13
Posts 61
UK
11 posted 2008-04-21 08:38 PM


But you DID have the quarter you needed!
Roniece Dawson-Bruce
Member Ascendant
since 2000-01-29
Posts 5689
Sydney, Australia
12 posted 2008-04-25 02:45 AM


gosh Karilea... you have some interesting adventures! sorry about your cat, I like cats, but my two babies (miniature daschunds) wouldn't be able to play nice I think... but one day, I will get a cat.. love RDB

Be kind at heart....for everyone you meet has their own battle to fight.........

eternally_singing
Member
since 2007-12-18
Posts 123
PA, United States
13 posted 2008-05-11 12:02 PM


Oh wow... what a day. Thoroughly in awe of how you were able to write on what was apparently a miserable day.

Very good!

At night a candle's brighter than the sun

Richy
Member Elite
since 2003-05-03
Posts 3050

14 posted 2008-05-11 10:12 PM



What a moving story Karilea. When my three boys were much younger, five, thru ten years old, I came home one day to find them all sad, and crying. I had got off of work a little bit early to get ready to go to my best friends wedding rehersal dinner when I come to find out that my second oldest son, Ryan, had found our mama cat, aptly named, momma kitty, outside with her head bady bleeding.

He said that he heard the sound of brakes screeching when he saw mama kitty jump over the fence into the backyard, where he was, and that she was bleeding, and disoriented. When I got home, she was wheezing, and half of her head was squashed, like she had been run over by a car. It was very sad. My wife and I rushed her to the vet, and they eventually told us that they we could spend a couple thousand dollars on an operation, but that they really didnt think that it was going to do any good.

Our last decision was to have her put down, with my wife there, crying and holding the poor cat, and then, whether or not, we were going to have her cremated, or take her home with us. We decided to take her home.

It wasn't easy, taking her out of the plastic bag after the long trip home, with both of us weeping, and putting her into the hole that I dug in the backyard. Nor was it easy, throwing that first shovel of dirt, onto her, and filling up the hole. And then, getting the kids together, and telling them of the bad news.

We never did make it the rehersal dinner. That kitty, momma, and her two little offspring, brother, and sissy (yeah I know, we weren't very creative with cat names) were adopted (for the lack of a better term) by us, from a friend of mine from work. they are all gone now, but now, many years later, we have three more cats, all adopted by us, with different stories, all their own.

Cats, just seem to make their way into our house, and then stay, until their nine lives, are up I guess. Oh well.

Thanks so much for taking the time out to help me with the poem tonight Karilea. After I edited my poem, I decided to look for a story to read, and lo and behold, here was yours.

Kind of funny how things work out sometimes.

Thanks for the story.
It brought back some sad, and nice, memories.

Rich


Sunshine
Administrator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-06-25
Posts 63354
Listening to every heart
15 posted 2008-05-11 11:17 PM


Richy,

Thank you for such a wonderful story. This is exactly what makes life go on; we are losing our storytellers; and in prose, and in poetry, we gain a moment's treasure.

Remember those moments, and bring them back to richness, as you do.

K

Claira
Member
since 2008-05-11
Posts 102
British but living in Thailand
16 posted 2008-05-12 08:54 AM


Thank you Sunshine

Not only for a beautiful piece but for an abundance of inspiration.

Claire

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