Thursday, August 05, 2004

HORNLESS HILDA

I was reading a fun little magazine, “Country Lanes,’’ that’s circulated locally, and read a dramatic childbirth story from Kelly Acorn, manager and trainer at Sweet Tomorrow Farms near our home.

The “child” in this story is a Longhorn calf named “Hilda.”

It seems her mama, “Frosty,” had a heck of a time in labor. She stalked all over the farm for hours. People were worried about her, because her last calves came “like giant spitwads shot at your least favorite teacher.”

What a picture!

Mrs. Alcorn called the vet on her cell. He told her to “reach inside and see what was going on.” Mrs. Alcorn replied, “Oh, sure! This cow has 70’’ horns and is in acute pain!”

Well, one thing led to another, and they thought the calf was dead. They delivered her anyway, using chains and a metal bar.

WHAT A PICTURE!!!

But guess what: there was a slight movement of the calf’s nostrils. So the vet jumped on her, rubbed her face, gave her oxygen, and watched her for a while to make sure she wasn’t a “dummy” (a vet term for a brain-damaged animal that won’t nurse or function on its own).

Mrs. Alcorn said she prayed and prayed.

And Hilda is just fine!

Best of all . . . from her tired mama’s perspective . . . and this is ANOTHER picture . . . she didn’t have any horns.

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Prayer request: Lord, Thank You for those rare times when adult children and their parents can be together, just like old times. A good friend and her daughter are traveling this week from Kansas City to Duluth and back to pick up three grandchildren at camp and visit old friends in the Alexandria area. Bless their time together and use it to draw them closer to each other and to You. Bring them home safely, with a minimum of mosquito bites! (Matthew 18:38a)

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