Helping to doctor cows. Giving them a variety of shots. To make sure the
vaccinated cows were identified, the hair at the end of the tail of each cow
was cut to square it off so you could easily recognize that the cow had
been vaccinated.
Peter was cutting the tails with a knife. At a certain point, he “Claimed to
hear the phone ringing” (pre cell phone) or more likely had to empty his
bladder so he lowered his standards and designated an Easterner, even
one from Boston, to administer the cuts as he walked away. In his
absence, I was able to live up to Peter’s standards and “ID’d” three or four
cows. Upon his return, I was distracted by his thanks. The cow twitched
its tail as I was applying the cut and I removed a bit of flesh at the end of
the tail.
I have failed to mention that Peter was wearing a brand new light tan
jacket. When the cow twitched its tail across Peter’s chest, it was as
though a painter had used a roller covered in red paint. Needless to say, I
was mortified, having destroyed a brand new coat. In those pre-
Patagonia, Horney Toad, Arcteryx times, probably it was good old LL
Bean. Peter was generous and assured me that it was fine, not a problem.
I was grateful for his nonchalance until I realized the comments that might/
probably occur in a variety of occasions i.e. the post office, hardware store
or gas station.
“Wow Peter! What does the other guy look like?” “How many stitches did
it take to close it?”