Dehorning and Discussions with Percy

I asked the vet to come dehorn some more kids. He asked if he could come on Sunday. I told him no because it’s the Lord’s Day, but Monday would work. He said he’d be here at 9:00.

He arrived before 7:00. We were doing chores, as usual, so he followed us around awhile before he set to work building a fire. He really seems to enjoy the children. He gets a kick out of them trying to talk, especially when Juanito speaks “Quechua” to him.

When we had come out to the barn, Anne checked Opal and Ruby to see if their ligaments were softening. Behold! Opal had a placenta on the ground, but no kid.

With a little hunting, I found the kid had wandered off into a far corner. Another buckling. He looks just like Merry. He was still a little wet, so not very old. I took him back to Opal, but she didn’t want him.

That can be a problem. If the doe doesn’t bond with her kid, she may not take care of it. With the vet’s help, we got her to hold still while the kid nursed. I then kept Opal in the milking pen all chore time to watch her. By the time we were done milking, she was cleaning the kid. Thankfully, she decided to keep him!

Because of all the extra things happening, we were rather late for breakfast. I had Percy help the vet with dehorning the kids. There were two older ones that the vet had used dehorning cream on, but the horns had regrow. He started with those.

He gave Bilbo a sedative, and apparently Bilbo is very sensitive. He slept until nearly noon. But at least he didn’t realize his horns were cut and cauterized. The vet left around 10:00.

Mid-morning I took a drink out to Percy. I try to sit with him for mid-morning snack and talk. It’s good practice for my Spanish. This morning he had more to say. He seemed more open than usual.

He told me about when he was born again ten years ago. He then moved to Izcuchaca and met his now wife Lucrecia. She had a daughter and he had a daughter of the same age, both three or four years old.

Percy and Lucrecia dated awhile then married. That’s very unusual here to get married so soon, but Percy said he wanted his family to be “born in marriage under the Lord.” Some time after they married, Lucrecia converted to Christianity.

Percy has seven siblings. One by one, he worked with them. Over the past ten years, he has led five of his siblings to the Lord. Now they are leading their families. He said he only has two more to go!

Percy’s mom was also converted. He said that was the most beautiful. But then she became ill five years ago. He cared for her in her sickness. She was happy and looking forward to seeing Jesus.

One night as he was holding her in his arms to help her breathe, she began coughing. She coughed up blood, then died in his arms. He said it should have been terrible, but it was so precious. “She was the first of our family to be ready to go to heaven. I and my siblings are so blessed.”

Percy’s daughter from before his marriage is now wanting her own way. One time after partying when she was with her grandma for a weekend, she tried to commit suicide. She has long scars from the knife on her forearm. Percy was crying as he told me.

Lucrecia’s daughter has given her heart to the Lord, but she has struggled with having the other girl there. She says she’s glad the other girl wants to leave because then it will be easier to obey the Lord.

People have told Percy to go to court against the daughter and her mother for the damages they are causing, but Percy said he can’t because God’s children don’t fight. I was blessed to hear that. Percy has paid child support every month for all his daughter’s life, even though her mom kicked her out years ago. He says they’ve only had enough money for food because of that, but they are happy to be obeying the Lord.

It’s a sad situation. You can pray that Percy knows what to do as He looks to God for direction. You can pray that I can be an encouragement and support to Percy, also.