Little Lamb

The first pet I ever had was a lamb named Duz. He was named after a popular laundry detergent at the time. His wool was as white as freshly laundered bed sheets ... and that was the theme of the laundry detergent.

I don't remember where we got him and I don't know that I ever even knew where he came from. But we got him when he was just a baby. I do remember being told that his mother sheep had died and dad brought him home from one of our neighbors. I had to feed him warm milk from a glass bottle with a rubber nipple. I remember how cute he looked when he was "nursing." Slobbers included!

As he grew he became more frisky with every passing day. And of course he was puttin' on the pounds. As lambs, sheep, and goats will do, he began to "butt" me with his head and anyone else that looked like a good target. When I would ride an old beat-up-hand-me-down tricycle he began to "butt" me off and turn me over. Well as he grew larger the "butts" became harder and harder and more severe. One day he "butted" me really hard and then began to maul me and dad had to come to my rescue. I remember at the supper table that night mom and dad talking about what to do with the lamb, now grown into a sheep. Dad told mom and me that he thought he would just take Duz to town. Well, little did I know at the time what that meant.

I thought taking Duz to town was a great idea. Then he could run all around town up and down the streets playing with the dogs and cats and anything else that was interested. I wanted to go with dad when he "took him to town," but dad said no ... he had to do this by himself.

For a short time after dad took the lamb away and we went to town, I would want dad to drive around and see if we could find Duz. That happened a couple of times and I soon forgot about him.

Well, as time passed, I later learned that when a farmer talks about taking something "to town," it didn't mean what I thought it meant. When a farmer talks about taking something "to town," he is referring to either a grain elevator, if it is a crop, or he is referring to taking livestock to the slaughter house.

"Oh my," I thought, when I learned what the real meaning was when dad said, "I think I'll just take him to town."

(I have a picture of me feeding Duz with a bottle and if I can find it I will try to put it by this post.)