Ahhh, how I miss the country.

Ahhhh, how I miss the country.

This past weekend was Thanksgiving weekend in Canada. That means lots of turkey, gravy, and alcohol was consumed. For me, it was a rather tamed weekend, consisting of family gatherings, relaxation, and Winnipeg Jets watching. If you’re concerned, than yes, I did get to enjoy some “brewskies”.

At one point this weekend I found some time to sneak away to my hometown of Lorette, Manitoba. More importantly, I snuck away to dad’s place on Highway 405 (in the middle of nowhere). It was early in the day and I wanted to pick up a briefcase I had left there.

Before I saw my father or the briefcase I saw what I thought was a ginormous dog. I was wrong.  My next thought was that it was a tiny horse. Once again, my eyes misinformed me. A big pine tree covered most of the creature, making it hard for me to decipher what the creature was.

I snuck up closer to get a peak at what was munching on the grass behind the tree. That’s when I found this:

Brown chicken - Brown cow

Simple things like finding a wandering cow in your father’s yard are what make me miss “the country life.” It reminded me that I used to live in a place where I didn’t hear sirens every night or have to worry about locking my doors.

Don’t get me wrong city people.  I like the city… it just has its flaws. Flaws such as: more crime, poverty, and crammed space.  To me, the country life is a lot less worrisome and gives you a better appreciation for the nature and wildlife around you.

It turns out that the calf was wandering around because of the extreme winds the night before. Supposedly that wasn’t the only escaped calf, the farmer told me that over 15 calves got loose. So it sounded like the farmers had a busy day.

My father and I spent about five minutes trying to lasso the poor guy. We showed off our rootin’-tootin’ country cowboy skills and wrangled ourselves the calf. Within two minutes the farmers were in my father’s driveway, ready to manhandle the calf into the back of a John Deere Gator.

In the end, the calf was fine, the farmers were happy, and I got my briefcase. However, that calf had an impact on me. It made me remember the little things that I loved about the country, and made me hope that one day I’ll be able to settle into a nice country home.

So, the brown calf made it through The Outhouse even if he had to be lassoed, wrangled, and subjected to my ultimate cowboy skills. 

Dog chasing after calf