Back to School and Sickly Cows

David and I have many grand plans for “when the kids move out.”

Me:  We need a new fridge.

David:  Yup.

Me:  But will the kids just destroy the new one?

David:  Yup.

Me:  Let’s wait until the kids move out then.

When the kids move out, we are also planning on:

1.  Buying a super nice camp trailer.
2. Recarpeting the house.
3. Buying a new car.
4. Living in peace and harmony.

It will be an expensive time for us.

David and I don’t often have a lot in common.  So it is a BIG deal when we find a TV show we want to watch together.  Currently, we watch The Incredible Dr. Pol (so we can learn how to be veterinarians to our farm animals.  Because we cannot afford a vet until the kids move out.) and America’s Got Talent.  But, alas. We are old and tired.  So it takes us awhile to get through an entire two hour episode of AGT.  Like 3 nights.  We are usually running like a week or three behind.

David:  Let’s watch the AGT results tonight.

Me:  We can’t.

David: (looking knowingly at me and filled with sorrow)  Because the kids already deleted it?

Me:  Yes.

We aren’t even surprised anymore.  We beg.  We plead.  They do not heed our instruction.

For all our lives, David and I had control over the remote and the DVR.  The girls didn’t mess with us.  Handsome Dude didn’t mess with us.

But Little Dude.  He messes with us.  It brings him great pleasure.

He is like a DVR whiz kid.  He sets and deletes timers and changes priority.  Very aggravating.

Oh, well.  We will enjoy television when the kids move out.

And it’s not like we can watch Netflix.  We have a terrible internet situation going on.  Hence why I don’t blog much.  Maybe we can afford better internet when the kids move out.

Sometimes we like to go to the movie rental place.  Yes!   We still rent DVDs!  The bummer is we can never remember what we have rented before and we usually rent something we have seen before.  And it takes us 30 minutes to figure that out.

So.  School is starting.  I am teaching first again.  I like it.  Sweet Pea is in 11th and doing dual credit.  Daisy Mae will be in 10th.  Handsome Dude in 7th.  Little Dude in 6th.  We went camping as we always do the weekend before school started.  David and the kids went up early.  I was supposed to join on Friday night.

On Friday morning, I looked out the window and noticed our cow, Hildy, was laying on the ground with her legs up in the air.  She looked very dead.  I put on my big girl panties and went to go and confirm.  Because looking at dead animals requires me to wear big girl panties.

Alas!  She was not dead.  She was alive.  She had fallen in a slope and could not roll herself up.  It is currently about 7am and I cannot get a hold of David because he is out of cell range.

I text all my super cool neighbors and four men show up in a jiffy to save the day.  They help me get her upright and then she thanks us by trying to kill us all.

I thank the men and go about my morning.  A half hour later, she is in the same position.  I have to be all damsel in distress-y and call up my neighbors again.  They come back.  They get her up and they help me get her to a more level area.  She stood up and nursed her calf, so I thought that was a good sign, but she was acting really funny.  Almost like she was drunk.  Then she laid down and would not get up.

I called a vet.  He was extremely nice and helpful, but told me she was probably going to die.  Which is a bummer deal.  But he did tell me we could try to give her a shot of steroids.

So, I finally get a hold of David.  The vet clinic was on his way home and he came to give Hildy her shot.  It was not looking good.  She would not stand up.  I told him I wanted to stay the night at the house and make sure she lived.  David wasn’t sure about leaving me.

“Are you sure you will be ok by yourself?”

Me:  Oh, yes.  I will be just fine.

(Alone time.  Yes, please.)

So off he went.  Right before dark I was able to get Hildy to stand up again and nurse her calf.  In the morning, I woke up before 6am and went to find her.  I was worried she would be dead.  But I found her upright and eating.  She looked great!  I checked on her again about an hour later and decided to join the camping group.

We got home Monday morning and I looked for her for six hours.  I found 14 other bovine, but not her.  My legs are all cut up.  I am sweaty.  There is brush and leaves in my hair.  And I could not find her.

I was sure she was dead.  It was very disheartening.  I felt like Hildy and I had bonded.  I felt I had saved her.  But then I could not find her.

Finally around 5pm I found her!  And she was perfectly fine!

I am so relieved.  I have no idea what caused her to be laying on her back and walking all funny on Friday.  But she seems normal now.  Hopefully it was nothing serious.

We have a heck of a time getting vets to come out to us.  Which is why we watch Dr. Pol.

Happy Monday!