Tuesday, April 05, 2011

D. Dogging bulls, Dinner.

Husband twisted his back wrong, and is not doing well at the moment...

Woke up this morning and I truly thought we had an elk bugling in our yard.  I got up, stumbled awake, grabbed my glasses, and looked out the window. 

Nothing. 

Odd. 

Hmph.  Must have been one of the cattle next door then.  But it was sure loud...  I figured, well, I was up, get dressed and do my walking.  I went out, and Rudee didn't seem quite as wound up as usual.  That was odd, as well.  But, it was a beautiful day, (and only a slightly gushy walk), and so I came back and was ready for a shower and breakfast.

Had to be subtle about the shower, as the In-Laws are here, and I knew I would probably plan wrong. 

I did. 

I showered, and came out dressed and clean, to find everyone at breakfast.  The spot that I would sit at was buried in my stuff.  Rather than move it, I just went and sat on the couch.  SMIL wandered over, and I was regaled with tax info, religious info, her family info, and I think I zoned out somewhere about there... 

They went back to the trailer, and I asked Husband about the loud bugle call.  He pipes up, oh, yes, there was a young black bull out, and I thought you were asleep, so I just got Rudee out, and we herded it back over to the neighbors. 

THIS MAN IS WALKING WITH A CANE RIGHT NOW BECAUSE HE HURTS SO BAD!!!  Dingaling!  We have trained Rudee with some herding skills, but I was surprised when I found out he was able to transfer the 'chicken' training to 'cattle' work.  That's using your "A" game!

Did pretty well, according to Husband.  I informed him that if something got out again, WAKE ME UP.  Especially since I really didn't sleep all that well through a bull bellowing about 20 feet from my bedroom window! Shee-yit!  But, we can add it to the family stories about my Dad going out and chasing down a bull, after the doc patched up a torn muscle.  Stay off your feet, the doctor said.  So, Dad chased the bull with a tractor.  When Mom threw a fit, his reply?  Well, I am not on my feet!

Pfft.

So.  FIL's 80th birthday.  We went to a local restaurant, and it was a quasi-surprise.  Quasi, because he thought it was just going to be 5 people.  There was actually near to 30, including a quick visit from one son, who would normally be out on the road (he is a trucker), but wanted to give a quick birthday greeting before he got going again. 

I don't speak loudly.  This is a problem in this environment.  SMIL asked her daughter what she had ordered, and I said it was the X special, as daughter was 4 people away.  I was one person away.  After repeating it 4 times, daughter was laughing, and finally we said it in unison, and then, and only then, did SMIL hear it.  Yoiks.  I then offered to help cut the cake. 

SMIL kept asking if I had a piece of cake.  Yes.

Do you have a piece of cake? Yes...

Dear, do you have a piece of cake?? 

I finally looked her right in the eye, and said as loudly as I could manage, YES.  THIS ONE IN MY HAND IS MINE! 

She then looked sour and replied, I was just checking.

I can't win.  I just can't

Does anyone know where I can buy a good megaphone?

(The irony was not lost on me that they had Audio equipment right behind me, and it included a mike and speakers.  Sadly, I think it may have been Karaoke stuff, but still...)

4 comments:

Chai Chai said...

Just think how much money trainers could save if they only knew the secret of training new dogs by substituting chickens for cattle or sheep. That is more than bringing the A game, how about bringing the A Team!

messymimi said...

Enjoy your quiet voice. In my house, everyone's volumes are loud and louder and it gets to be way too much for me.

Yes, men are crazy. Sweetie's back goes out once in a while, and sometimes you just can't get him to quit anyway until he ends up bedridden. It doesn't ever translate into a lesson learned next time, though.

Happy 80th to your FIL.

Cat said...

Chai Chai:

Yes, maybe I have a new training video, "Chickens to Cattle, Ecumenical Dog Training"! ;D

Cat

Cat said...

messymimi:

Quiet voice is fine in a quiet house. In a noisy restaurant with half deaf folks, not so much... :/

Men in our family have married *us*, so crazy just goes with the territory, dear! :)

And Thanks!

Cat