A couple years ago, I wrote a blog titled, “Calving vs. the Zombie Apocalypse.” Suprising how the same things applied to both...
Now that we’re a week into the Covid-19 Homeschool Quarantine, I’m seeing many, many similarities between calving and what is happening around the world. Here are a few:
BUYING IN BULK
Every year, I make a big trip to Costco, Walmart, Albertson’s, etc. to stock up on groceries for a few months, paper products, and any medicine we may need. For most ranchers, this is normal, because we live so far from town that its hard to make a trip on an average day, but when you’re calving, there’s no way you can make a trip to town, so we stock up.
Apparently, the world has taken a page out of our book, and now the grocery store shelves are empty of toilet paper, flour, sugar, and oddly, lots of frozen food. Not sure if everyone is going to be baking while under quarantine, or…
FOOD HOARDING
Along with buying everything in bulk ALL THE TIME, when I get ready for calving season I make several freezer meals ahead of time that can either go in the crock pot or instant pot, saving me tons of time and ensuring us a hot meal before 8 p.m.
Now that the CV quarantine is here, I'm kind of glad that I hoarded all that food like a squirrel, because there are a lot of things I can't find in the store now. Still need TP, though...
HAND WASHING
When you’re a bovine midwife, you get ALL sorts of nasty stuff on your hands, face, tongue, etc. Hand washing is an absolute must for us – unless you like the taste of afterbirth and manure. We’re all skilled in the art of cleaning under our fingernails and taking two or three rounds with the soap to get all the yuck off.
Considering how many times people have been told to wash their hands during this pandemic, I wonder if anyone ever thought to wash them before…
SOCIAL DISTANCING
Regular life on the ranch has us keeping a pretty good distance from the public except trips to the store, meetings, or school activities. But during calving, we rarely leave. There have been years that my husband hasn’t stepped off the ranch for three months at a time. I honestly don’t think it hurts his feelings. When we’re calving, our nights and days are consumed with checking cows, suckling calves, feeding, cleaning the barn, checking cows, trying to get a quick meal and maybe a 20 minute nap, tagging calves, checking cows, and whatever else comes up. There’s no time for socializing, and definitely no time to go to town or anywhere that there’s a gathering of more than our immediate family. We have literally been training for this our whole lives. Aside from my daughter being home from school, our routine hasn’t changed a bit.
The CDC has recommended that people don’t gather in groups of 20 or more, and some states have actually told people not to leave their homes unless it’s an emergency. Restaurants, bars, casinos, stores, libraries, and schools have been shut down to avoid contamination. I know people in towns and cities that are going absolutely crazy stuck at home - they can’t handle not being with other people, or being constantly entertained. Sucks for them.
CALL FIRST BEFORE GOING TO THE CLINIC OR HOSPITAL
Ranchers are the kings and queens of “walking it off.” My husband once cut his thumb so bad he needed 15 stitches, but he was just going to put a band-aid on it until I forced him to go to the ER. Most of the time, we either don’t go when we should, or we call and say, “but it isn’t worth coming in, right?”
People are now being told to call first before visiting clinics or hospitals so they can describe their symptoms over the phone, eliminating the clustering of more disease in the lobby of the hospital, and the wasting of everyone’s time. Covid-19 for the average healthy person is a cold. Blow your nose, wash your hands, and move on with your life.
Can you think of more ways that the Quarantine and Calving are similar? Let me know!
Now I’ve got to go check those cows…again…
