Trials and Losses

Grandma and Grandpa came over this morning to help us tend to the cows. Several needed shot but all needed to be treated for worms. Mama and I got them into the barn lot early this morning so we would at least have them ready to process through the loading chute once help arrived. The way it worked out, our crazy heifer was in the chute first.

It was no problem getting her into the head gate and this time the head gate held. The last time we had her in the chute she busted through the head gate so I had to re-weld it and reinforce it to hold her. Anyway, we applied the worm medicine and gave her the shot she needed. The trouble started when we tried to let her out of the head gate.

I thought she was backed up and ready to go so I released the latch locking the head gate across the chute opening, but she was not out of the clamp of the head gate and when she suddenly and forcefully pushed forward, I got hit across the face by the steel gate. It knocked be pretty hard and left me with a black eye and swollen cheek. 

It will be an interesting story to tell - and it will have to be told because this bruising is obvious. It took me a minute to recover and we finished getting the other cows treated without incident but we still have not found the glasses that were knocked off my face. With the chest bruising, the bruised arms and the knee that has started to give me fits, I just added to the growing list of little pains. Fortunately, no real harm was done. But I sure feel stupid.

What is a little troubling is that we cannot find my glasses. I am pretty sure I had them on when I took the hit but Mama, Grandpa and I have all looked multiple times and they are simply not there. At first I came back to the house to see if I could find them in one of the places I usually lay them but they were not to be found.

I do find it amazing that something that significant can simply vanish. I told Mama they are probably with the multi-tool I lost over at Victoria’s one evening . Though I looked thoroughly for that I never recovered it either. 

The bad part is that neither of us can remember if I even had my glasses  on when we were tending to the cattle - but I am pretty sure I did; maybe.

It is a sad fact of life that we do not remember a lot of what transpires throughout our day. For instance, do you remember the first question your child asked you this morning? Or the name on the name tag of the person who last waited on you at Walmart?

I try to stay connected; in the moment. But the hours tick by and one event melts into the next and soon we are getting ready to settle in for the evening; this evening it’s a black eye and no eyeglasses evening. The black eye will heal soon enough but my glasses may be lost for good. It makes me wonder what else I lost throughout the day.

My eyeglasses can be replaced. My day cannot. 

I hope to do better tomorrow.