MAGIN'S COAT

"Momma, can I go with Daddy in the tractor and help plant oats?"

"I'm sorry Magin but a bearing seized up on the drill and your Daddy had to go to town and get a new

bearing."

"Can I go with Daddy when he comes back?"

"No, when your Daddy comes back he will be in the shop putting the bearing on the drill and you'll end up

getting all dirty."

"But I'm bored."'

"Well you've got to stay quiet while your baby brother's sleeping. What if I call Grandpa and ask him if you

could ride with him to go see the cows and baby calves?"

"Could I, could I?"

"I'll call over to Grandma's and ask Grandpa if you could go with him. OK?"

"OK!"

Going to the phone, Mom called Grandma's house; "Mom, can Magin go with Dad to help him check the cows

in the calving pasture?" In the background over at Grandma's, Mom could hear her mother-in-law talking to her

father-in-law.

After a minute Grandma said; "Jeff will be over in a minute."

"Thank you Mom, I'll get Magin ready. Magin, Grandpa says you can go check the cows with him. Let's get

you dressed and ready to go. OK?"

"OK!"

Five minutes later Grandpa was buckling Magin into the pickup seat. When Grandpa got in behind the driver's

seat and started driving away Magin complained; " Grandpa I can't see out."

"Mm," Grandpa replied; "Maybe I can do something about that. Let's go back to you to your Grandma's to get

your Dad's booster seat. He used to check cows with me all the time when he was your age."

After stopping at Grandma's and getting the booster seat, Grandma came out with Grandpa and helped

Magin into the booster seat.

Going out to the calving pasture Magin kept up a lively chatter and once inside the pasture was all eyes as

Grandpa drove through the one hundred twenty acres that the cows and calves were in.

A fourth of the way through the pasture, they came to a young cow that was licking a newborn calf that wasn't

moving. Jumping out of the pickup cab, Grandpa walked over to the calf and his mother. The young cow gave a

bawl and started shaking her head. Grandpa grabbed the calf's back leg and started pulling the calf to the

pickup, with the worried mother cow walking behind the calf, just inches away from the calf's face. Stepping

over the tailgate Grandpa pulled the calf into the pickup bed. Opening the pickup door from the bed, Grandpa

jumped from the bed into the cab.

Grandpa drove speedily to the middle of the pasture till the mother of the calf turned around and went back

to where the calf had been born. Only then did Grandpa stop the pickup and hurry to the bed of the pickup and

the calf. Opening the calf's mouth and pushing against the calf's chest, Grandpa could see the calf was dead.

Going back to the cab and Magin, Grandpa released her from her seatbelt and opened the back window

of the cab so she could talk to him.

After a few minutes Magins eyes got real big and she asked; "Grandpa what are you doing?"

"I'm taking his coat off. See how bare he is underneath."

"But why?"

"He doesn't need it anymore. Maybe some one else will need it. Would you like a nice soft coat like this."

"Oh yes, it's pretty!"

"You know Magin, I can't always help the cows with their calves. Sometimes a calf will die and go to the cow's

heaven. After that he doesn't know what happens to the rest of him. Now just stand on the seat and watch me

while I get you a new coat. OK sweetheart."

"OK, Grandpa."

After Grandpa had taken the pelt off of the calf's mid-section, from the tail to the neck, Grandpa rolled up the

pelt and jumped back into the pickup.

"Why did you do that Grandpa?"

"You mean rolled up the coat? It's not ready to be worn yet Magin. Let's check the rest of the pasture. Now

let me strap you in little one."

In the corner at the other end of the pasture Grandpa found another cow licking a newborn calf dry.

Everything looked fine until Magin said; "What's over there Grandpa?"

Thirty feet away was a newborn calf stumbling around, lost, lonely and wet.

"Oh no," said Grandpa; "It looks like we have twins and momma cow doesn't want him. Or she forgot about

him.' Let's take him back to our dead calf's momma and see if she would like him. OK?"

Grandpa picked up the orphaned calf and brought him to the pickup. Then he did something Magin didn't

know what to think about. He put the pelt of the other calf on this calf. Then he tied it on with twine and put the

calf into the pickup bed.

When he got into the pickup Magin asked, "Why did you do that, Grandpa?"

"The coat I took off the other calf smells like that calf. That's how cows identify which calf if theirs. So

when I give this calf to its new mother that lost her calf, she will think this one's hers. Then this calf will have

a new mommy."

When they got back to the cow that lost her calf, Grandpa put the calf on the ground, jumped into the

pickup, and drove away. After driving a couple hundred feet, he stopped. Looking back, Grandpa and

Magin watched the cow to see if she would notice the calf. Once the cow noticed the calf, she ran over

to it, bawling, snorting and running around the calf until she stopped and started licking him.

"Well, Magin," said Grandpa, "I think they're going to love each other. Let's go check the rest of the cows,

okay?"

"What about my coat?"

"The new calf will have to wear it for a couple of days and then it will fall off." Grandpa replied.

"Can I have it then?"

"You could, but by then it will probably smell and you won't want it." Grandpa answered.

Not much more was said then, but when Magin got back home, the first thing she said to her Mom was,

"Grandpa gave my coat away!"


The End




P.S. More than 20 deaths every year are caused by attacks from cattle, mostly during calving season.