I knew that Cowboy wasn't waking me up at 4:30 am to visit about my day. This time of year I don't get to see Cowboy much, he's night calving so when he's in the house during the day- he sleeps.
Nope at 4:30 am the conversation will start like this: "Can You Come Help Me?" Which can mean one of two things:
1) I need help outside with a cow calving
2) I'm bleeding
Unfortunately for me it was #2 last night.
Cowboy had went out to night check around 3:30 am and was helping a new mom 'with the finer points of motherhood' as he put it. Somehow in the process of holding the calf up close to her for it to nurse she showed him. He got kicked in the head and tore his lip open.
Now a conversation I've had many times in my tenure with Cowboy is the "Should I go to the Emergency Room?" Which usually means if we are having that conversation the answer is YES! But second and third opinions are always welcomed.
Cowboy had woke me up for that opinion. Now something you need to know about me is that I don't like blood. Up until I met Cowboy I had only been to the emergency room once in my life- and it was to take some people who wreaked a pickup down the road from the ranch. In the first two years I was dating Cowboy I went to the emergency room 3 times! Once right before we got married (that's another post).
Although I don't like blood I can usually hold myself together until we make it to the Emergency Room. Each time I have taken him in the staff and Doctor always ask me if I'm ok before tending to him! I must be a sight because he is the one usually bleeding.
It only took one glance with sleep still in my eyes at the cut for me to know an Emergency Room visit was his next stop. We're so fortunate in our little community on the prairie to have an amazing hospital with staff that stitched him right up! He was in and out in a little over an hour.
He was home and dressed to go back outside to try again with the new mother before 6 am. No rest for the tired or hurt when baby calves need to eat.
Let's hope that's our only visit to the E.R. this calving season. But, I fear we are just getting started...
OH NO!! So sorry to hear of the injury! Seems like from time to time we get a bit complacent with these mama cows. I often take it for granted that they understand that we are trying to HELP them and that they won't misinterpret my picking her baby up as stealing the little guy.
ReplyDeleteEvery once in awhile we get a reminder. Glad it was a split lip instead of a split head! Too many cowboys have stories of major injuries due to overprotective mama cows.
Keep up the great work, Cowboy and thanks for sharing your stories, Cowgirl Mama! :)
Every good relationship has to have a couple good ER stories - right? I'm afraid Ian and I have more than our share too... Hope the rest of the calving season goes smoothly!
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