Country Fried Neighborhood Watch.

I was putting dishes away, still hobbling about a lot. My cell phone rang, well, more accurately, it crowed, as I have it set to a rooster crow. It was Husband, calling to ask if Farmer B had called.

Noooo... ?

Oh, says he, well, Doc's bull is out. Can you get a hold of Tim? I gimped over to the phone records, and pulled out our Neighborhood Watch phone tree. Yep, Tim. OK, called. No answer, left message. I called back, realizing Husband was 20 minutes or so away from our house, how would HE know there was a bull out?

I remembered Farmer B's truck go by, as Husband said, oh, B called me on the cell.

Ah.

So, then Husband said, well, if Tim isn't around, call Ernest. After a quick hide-and-go-seek to find THAT phone number, (Husband hadn't brought it in the house, so the number was on a farm products magazine, in the shop, on an upper shelf. Guess what's going to be put on the NW list so I don't have to go on a number hunt next time?), I called Ernest.

"Hi, Ernest, this is Cat-"
"This ain't Ernest..."

Panicking, because Ernest lets other... Um, grumpy sorts use his phone, that if you don't get it out quick, they hang up, I hurried.

"Doc'sbullisoutandintheroad,canItalktoErnest?"

Silence.

Honest to G*d, I thought the man had hung up on me.

"Oh, Bull's out? Lemme go get Ernest, you're gonna have to wait a piece, he's on the tractor."

It was indeed a wait, but finally, I heard Ernest, got the message across, and he said he would be there.

I didn't know if Doc was working that day, so I decided a call to his cell might not be of value. Husband did call, after the fact, and found he wouldn't have been able to help, being about 45 minutes away. It was pretty soon that they found out it was Tim's bull, not Doc's.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

Husband called on the ranchers, they were home, and got them to flag traffic, so that no one would 'sneak up' on the bull. Ernest and Husband managed to figure out that the bull had come out through a spot that had gotten torn up, both from age, and from cows that just want the greener stuff on the other side.

Ernest scared up some wire and fencing. Husband and Ernest "encouraged" the bull to go back through the spot he'd left, and they fixed a block, to discourage any more wandering animals.

About two hours later, I sat, half asleep on the couch, when Rudee started barking, letting me know that someone had just driven up.

It was Tim.

"Hey, I just got a message from my cell phone that a bull is out?"

Ahem. Note to anyone using a Neighborhood Watch phone tree.
TELL THE TIME YOU ARE CALLING!

But he was pleased to hear the folks were looking out for him.

Even El Gimpy the Wonder Phoner...