Page 4 - MWC 3-10-2022s

The Midwest Cattleman · March 10, 2022 · P4

copy of the Missouri Con-
servationist in hand. It’s a
beautiful publication with
some amazing color photos
in every issue. I heard her
say to Korvin… “Tell me a
story about this one.” The
photo was a picture of a
housecat intently watching
a bird through the window.
He seemed excited to make
up a story. They went to the
They say, “once a teach- next page, and I heard her
er, always a teacher" and I again say, “Tell me a story
believe it’s true. School is about this.” So, it went on
never out and ‘Pop’, that’s for a while just like that.
me, never tires of teaching ‘Nana’ had to get up and
lessons around the farm. For go do something in another
grandchildren of old teach- room, so I thought I would
ers, there is rarely any time fill in until she returned. I some corn stock fodder. In answered. ‘No, but at least
off. There’s just no recess! grabbed the most recent the photo, the calf cannot be you’re thinking.” I replied.
My wife Glenna, also issue of The Midwest Cat- more than a couple of min- I asked again:
known as ‘Nana’, was also in tleman, the Hereford Edi- utes old. I admit to a seven- How old is he?” “Two.”
education and the same goes tion, from the coffee table, year-old, it’s a little hard to “Two what?” “Two minutes?”
for her, I guess. She’s always and sat down beside Korvin. tell what it is but after he “Yes, so where was he three
teaching something. It’s We looked at the cover and I stared at it for a while he minutes ago?”
a great way to spend time said, “Tell me a story about said, “Hey that's a baby calf.” I could see the frustration
with those special people. this.” Like any good teacher, not begin to build. This seven-
She’d rather do that than If you recall, the recent to be satisfied with one cor- year-old was beginning to
anything. Hereford Edition (Feb. 24th) rect answer, I continued. tire of Pop’s questions, so I
Recently, she was sitting has a picture of a Here- I said, “Today is his birth- reached for another maga-
beside our seven-year-old ford cow on the cover that day, how old is he?” The zine.
grandson Korvin with a has just had a baby calf on seven- year-old just stared at I said, “See right here on
the photo a while, but there this magazine, this is my ad-
was no answer. Finally, I dress and let's say I just got
said, “He’s about two.” “Two it two minutes ago… Where
years?” He asked. “No, about was it three minutes ago?”
two minutes.” I replied. “In the mailbox,” he an-
Then of course, as an old swered excitedly, “I know, it
agriculture teacher who was in the mailbox!”
never gets tired of teaching, “Yes!” I said, “Exactly. I
I asked my grandson the ob- got it two minutes ago and
vious question. “Where was three minutes ago it was in
he three minutes ago?” the mailbox.”
That question brought on Now I returned to the orig-
a long silence as he stared at inal lesson – ‘Animal Repro-
the photo. duction for Seven-year-olds’.
“Come on now, think about “How old is the calf.”
it.” I said, “he's about two “Two?”
minutes old, where was he “Yes, two what?”
three minutes ago?” “Two minutes?”
The conversation went on “Yes, two minutes old.
for quite a while. We estab- Now where was he three
lished the fact that this cow minutes ago?
was indeed it's mother and My grandson had a spar-
that this calf had been born kle in his eye. He finally
a few minutes ago and we knew the answer.
also discussed why it was im- “I know,” he said. “It was
portant not to disturb a cow in the mailbox!”
right after she has calved so I never will be able to look
she can have time to get ac- at a mailbox again in quite
quainted with the new baby the same way.
because it needs to eat soon And every time I open one,
after it's born. I’m certainly going to won-
“The calf looks wet, doesn’t der if there's going to be a
he?” I said, “Where do you baby calf inside.
think he was three min- KwC
utes ago?” “The pond?” He