Bob and the Cow

I missed the 21st edition of the Carnival of Genealogy, whose theme was "Funny, Foolish, Family!" The upcoming 22nd edition is a "carousel" theme, in other words, miscellaneous. I thought I would do a little "catching up" and add a funny story from my family:

When my paternal grandfather, Robert Lewis "Bob" Robbins, was a young man, his parents, William Bryan Robbins and Marie Lewis, moved their family from the city of Muskegon Heights, Muskegon Co., Michigan, to the outskirts of rural Conklin, Ottawa Co., Michigan. Here they had a small farm, aptly named "Five Acres," which included an artesian well, a barn, a farmhouse, and plenty of room to grow food to raise a family of five children (although Bob may have been living on his own--or even married--by then).

Bill and Marie bought a cow to add to their little farm; problem was, they had no way to bring it home. Now Bob had a Model A Ford car that he had bought so that he and his best friend Ray Adams could go to the World's Fair (probably the one held in New York City in 1939). Bob volunteered to go get the cow for his parents. Now this particular Model A had a single seat in the front for the driver and a large seat across the back for the passengers...a tight fit for people, and not exactly meant to transport cattle! Bob removed the back seat and somehow managed to coax the heifer into the back of his car across its width. She was, of course, too long for it, so he had to roll down the window to make room for her head. Off he started down the road back to the farm.

Imagine the scene: a Model A driving down the country roads with a none-too-happy bovine staring out the window at the neighbors, no doubt mooing her frightened head off! I'm sure that sounds were not the only thing emanating from her body! Hopefully, she didn't make too much of a mess inside that Ford!

As a little girl, I loved this story, and always laughed out loud when my father told it to me. I am extremely blessed to have grown up in a family of tale-tellers! For more funny stories, read Bob's biography here.