Cow Calling Memories
When we were children, my cousins and I would go with my grandfather to give salt to the cattle. Grandpa drove a red Jeep that didn’t have a roof and there were no seatbelts. My brother swears the Jeep didn’t have brakes, or at least the brakes didn’t work very well.
Sunday afternoons were reserved for our cow adventures. We’d all pile in the Jeep and off we’d go. Grandpa would jostle us over hills and through a little creek branch. Sometimes he’d let us pull off our shoes and go wading, but most often he was strictly business.
“Whoa, sook, sook, sook,” Grandpa would call and the cattle would come running. Sometimes they would bump the Jeep and cousin Martha and I would squeal. I’m sure we were an annoyance, but we loved going with him.
I was reminded of Grandpa’s Jeep and his ability to call up the cows not long ago when I went with three of my sons to the farm. My oldest son drove the truck through the fields while the twins and I sat on top of feed bags in the truck bed. As we ventured out through the pastures, I didn’t think twice about who would call the cattle.
“Whoa, sook, sook, sook,” I yelled in my best cow calling voice.
Grant and Russell looked at each other and burst out laughing. I ignored them and called again and again. Within minutes, the boys were holding their sides and bent double with laughter.
“What’s so funny?” I asked.
They pointed at me.
“Laugh all you want, it’s working,” I said, and pointed as the cows came lumbering over the hill.
I enjoyed my trip to the farm with our boys. It was good to see them laugh so hard, even if it was at my expense.
I suspect the reason Grandpa took all his grandkids with him to salt the cows wasn’t because we were any help. Like me, I think he enjoyed the sound of laughter.
Why not make some memories with your family this fall? Load up your children and go cow calling, visit the apple orchard, go bowling, roller skating, or some other fun activity. Years from now you’ll be glad you did.
Happy Thanksgiving from our house to yours.
