Answering the call
The strangest things happen to me at work. People call and ask questions that neither pertain to the business I am in nor that I can answer in any way. Others bring insects and weeds to our counter in bags, hoping that we can assist with both identification and eradication. And sometimes, pets beyond the usual suspects come to visit.
As far as pets are concerned, my work has provided me with ample opportunities, as well. For example, our oldest cat, Simon, was once a store cat who sampled too much merchandise in the evenings and on weekends when we were gone for the day. He has never misbehaved since coming home with me. Must not have liked being alone.
Then, of course, there is Roger, the domesticated turkey. A customer came to see if we had a box large enough to put him in for a trip to the livestock auction. I paid a few bucks for him, put him in a crate, and took him home to my wildly joyful son, who had been asking for a pet turkey for some time. He has been roaming our barnyard (and putting the fear of God into our UPS driver) ever since.
Last week, a call came in from a regular customer who said their neighbor’s cow had given birth to a blind calf that couldn’t keep up with its mother. The farmer wasn’t inclined to bottle feed it, and the caller didn’t have time, but she wondered if I would take him home?
I agreed, but was wary of going clear to the farmer’s house after work, as I was unfamiliar with his area, and the weatherman had predicted an ice storm. My customer agreed to pick up the calf and meet me at a halfway point.
So, after work, I pulled off the side of the road just off an interstate exit ramp and pulled up beside another car. We both rolled down our windows, and I asked, “Do you have what I came for?”
He replied, “It’s in the back,” and he hitched his thumb toward the rear of his car.
I moved my car until my hatch was near their hatch but we could both still open the doors. The calf was calmly lying on a blanket. The couple used the blanket to lift the calf from their car into mine, and when we were sure he was as comfortable as possible, we got into our cars and went on our ways.
When I arrived home with the surprise package in the back (what’s more fun in sub-zero temperatures than springing a special-needs, living being on your family?), my kids helped me get him into our house to dry off and warm up. We fed him and rubbed him down before moving him to the barn to be with our bull.
He is thriving out there, eating his fill and lying with the kids and the dog in big piles of straw. Carl, as the kids now call him, already knows the sound of the barn door and comes for the food and affection that is always ready. This spring, we’ll stake him in the yard, so he can safely graze and enjoy the sunshine.
Hopefully, the sight of him won’t terrify the UPS man.
Laura Zoeller can be reached at zoeller5@verizon.net.