Around here the reception is not very good. Things don't come in. Things like the phone, the tv, the radio.
Anyway every morning in the milk parlor the farmer turns on the radio. It is an old radio where you twiddle the dial. Usually only one of two stations will come in. One is a country music radio station and the other is news and talk. Both of these are fine. The milkers will tolerate either one.
But sometimes the farmer likes to test the waters, just to see if maybe a new station from who knows where will come in. Every once in a while something new comes on. Then after a few days it goes out and we go back to country music or talk radio.
Well a strange new station came in. It was playing soft rock, which we thought had been outlawed but apparently not.
The farmer left it on and set up the milk machine and put out the food trays and opened up the hatch for the milkers to come in.
Xie Xie was at the top of the ramp when Elton John came on, warbling "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road."
Xie Xie made a set of patented pop eyes and dismounted immediately off the ramp. Big Orange was behind her and followed suit. Next was Wronny, who came all the way up to the door and stood staring into the milk parlor with a look of shock and horror.
"You know you can't hold me forever," Elton John continued.
"Get in here, Wronny!" yelled the farmer.
Wronny backed away cautiously, like you would from a grizzly bear, trying not to show fear.
"Winnie! Winnie, get in here!" yelled the farmer, trying to reach through the hatch to grab somebody. Winnie would not even set foot on the ramp.
Pretty soon all the milkers backed away from the hatch, huddling in the opposite corner of the on-deck stall.
"What are you doing?" yelled the farmer. Elton John went off. Xie Xie cautiously put a foot on the ramp during the commercial.
"Oh," said the farmer, and turned the station back to talk radio. The milkers relaxed. The milking got under way without further incident.
Our farmer is not as smart as some farmers. But we make do with what we have.
