Another Marilyn Memory
It was a sunny morning towards the end of April1954, and Dad’s day hadn’t started off too well. When he was milking the cows, one of them showed signs of pain when her udder was touched and she was resisting being milked. Dad moved her to the other end of the barn, away from the other cows. He finished milking the rest, then fed and watered the animals. He went into the house to let Mother know he had no idea what to do for the ailing cow, who put up a fuss when he tried to milk her. They decided it would be best to get the vet out to have a look at her.
Dad got in his truck and drove off up the road a few miles to get the old fellow who practiced veterinary medicine. He had a lot of knowledge and experience and would diagnose and treat farm animals for many of the local farmers. However, unlike vets today, many of his remedies were based on traditional knowledge he had learned over the years. Many of his remedies often involved traditional methods like applying poultices, using herbal treatments, and isolating affected animals.
The vet examined the cow and told Dad she had a common cow illness called Mastitis, which was an inflammation of the mammary glands and recommended using a poultice, the application of warm, moist cloths to her affected udder. Since it had been detected early, the old fellow figured the cow would clear the infection on her own in about 10 days or so, but the application of the warm moist cloths would speed her recovery. Dad offered to pay him for the vet call, but he refused the money. He had a heart of gold and was always ready with a helping hand or a word of advice. “That’s what we farm families do,” he said, “we help each other out”.
So Dad said. “Then please come inside, as I imagine my wife has lunch ready for us.” They walked over to the house to discover Mother had the teapot heating on the stove, and lunch waiting for them on the table. Since his wife had passed away, mother thought he might enjoy some home cooking, and she’d made an apple pie topped with whipped cream for dessert.
This was the first time I had seen this man, and as he had thinning white hair and a wrinkled face, I just knew he had to be old. For a man of his age, though, he was surprisingly spry. His faded blue eyes twinkled when I sat down beside him at the table. The sweater he was wearing must have been his favourite, as it was tattered and worn. What I remember most about him was his long nose hairs.
When it came time to have dessert, I imagine mother was wishing she could use her round tipped scissors and trim those nose hairs for him. Those thin dark strands dipped in whipped cream now had a slight curl and were even more noticeable against the white background of the whipped cream. “This apple pie is the best I’ve ever had,” the old vet said, looking at Mother. Out of the blue I blurted out, “Daddy showed Mommy, and Mommy showed me, and I MADE IT! ” Dad looked over at mother and gave her a wink, and all three adults were smiling.
As I sit here thinking about this memory from my past, I must admit that even though this happened 71 years ago, I remember everything about that old vet – his thinning white hair, his wrinkly face, the tattered worn sweater and those long nose hairs – as though it were yesterday.
If you like Marilyn’s stories I know you’ll like her collection of short stories: The Kendricks of Glasgow Junction: Stories of Life in Rural Nova Scotia in the 1920s.
Her book is available in Kindle, paperback, and hard cover. Find it HERE.
Born and raised in Nova Scotia, Marilyn and Bill met and married in 1972. Having raised 3 boys and accumulated a respectable number of grand-children and great-grand-children, she wrote her first book and published it in 2024. A collection of short stories titled The Kendricks of Glasgow Junction. She is contributing short stories about growing up in Nova Scotia to this website and will be publishing a collection of them in the near future.