My father fixed cows

On By Jennie Lee CastrogiovanniIn Uncategorized 
My father fixed cows 
For a living 
And horses, 
Sheep, 
Pigs, 
And goats, 
But mostly cows—

And I know this because
We went with him, 
My siblings and I—

We drove the 
Back roads 
As we listened to 
Kenny and Dolly,
The Oak Ridge Boys; 
 
We carried the pail
Of hot sudsy water

And trudged 
To the truck 
To get the drugs
That he needed 
To treat 
Ketosis,
Mastitis, 
Milk Fever

And listened
To  stories, 
Gossip, 
Counseling
That  
He shared with 
His clients, 
His friends. 

12, 14 hours
A day, 
7 days a week—
He worked like a mule
Or a farmer.

And now, 
Decades later,
The farmers are
All but gone
From our 
Neck of the woods, 

And

It is our mission now, 
My siblings and I, 
Our mission and 
Privilege 
To care for 
Our old country vet.

9 thoughts on “My father fixed cows”

  1. Jennie Lee Castrogiovanni's avatar Jennie Lee Castrogiovanni

    Hi Don, So good to hear from you. Just think, our fathers were classmates and so were we. I spend part of each week at my parents’ house, and I think a lot about the past as I walk their dog. I think you lived near the middle school, didn’t you? I hope all is well with you.

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  2. Jennie Lee Castrogiovanni's avatar Jennie Lee Castrogiovanni

    Thanks, Charlotte. I was thinking about the dance too. We miss dancing and we miss that party! It was so festive and a good way to start the Christmas season. My parents are doing pretty well, and I’ll tell them you were asking about them.

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  3. Unknown's avatar Don White

    Jennie, my dad and I were just talking about “Doc” Lee. They are still good friends and classmates, just don’t run into each other much anymore.

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  4. Charlotte's avatar Charlotte

    Great story Jennie! I was just thinking about your Dad the other day, and how we miss the annual Men’s Club Xmas Dinner Dance. Hope your parents are doing ok.

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