I live on a narrow tarred and chipped side road. We are the first house one mile from paved road and the next house is another mile. We don’t have much traffic but probably more than you’d think because some of the locals use my road as a shortcut. One summer we had no traffic because the road fell in and went over the hill leaving a 6 ft deep and 20 ft across gap. My poor kids and I had to walk half mile uphill to the gap and then they had to walk down a log and climb up the other side to catch the school bus the last 2 wks off school. They had it opened by fall.This story took place the next summer shortly after the slip and part off the hiilside closed off our road in the other direction.

At the time , we owned a huge 4 yr old boar buck. We had gotten him at 6 mo. old. Even tho he was getting more aggressive , I didn’t worry about myself around him. He was my bud who sometimes forgot to behave. My kids however were not allowed to be in his field alone.
Anyhoo, this fine summer morning, everyone else had left to work at pap’s house. So I threw on my husband’s 3XLT tee shirt {yes Sy, it was way too big and nearly went to my knees} and went to water and check on the animals. I saved Oliver for last. I could usually fill his water bucket and give him a feed treat thru the fence. However, this morning he had gotten the water bucket loose from the post . It had rolled down the hillside near the road.Shoot! Now I had to go around and go thru gates to get it. I {mistake 1} let him eat his feed out of my hand before I went in. {mistake 2} going in alone at my monthly time.
Right inside the gate is small triangular area that is seperated by electric wire. Yep, as I was stepping over it , he pushed me looking for more feed. zzzzzzOW! Yes Sy, I’m getting to the funny.
I head across and down the field with him nudging at me the whole way getting bolder as we go. {mistake 3} I turned away from him to pick up bucket. His hooves land on my back and knocks me into the woven fence but at mid calf is another electric wire zzzzzzzzOWzzOW! Now I’m peeved and come up swinging the bucket.Missed. Now he wants the bucket because stupid thinks there’s feed in it. I’m too stupid to just let go of the bucket So we start doing this push and shove number as I’m trying to get up the hill. He’s trying to push his head into the bucket, so I try to put it behind my back. His head comes up and he’s under my tee. I try to pull it off him and he bows head and steps back pulling me with him. His horns go thru the shirt and shirt slides all the way down to his head. I try pulling my shirt back up the horns. but he won’t be still. He starts to push on me I put bucket up to protect my stomach. He starts making hard head shakes jerking me each time .I’m holding his horns thru the shirt as we start going around in circles I try to get the long material covering his face pulled up. No luck. I’m afraid he’s going to get me down. He is not happy! I’ve lost the bucket. I let go of horns once to try and tear shirt away. No luck and he nearly butted me down. We’ve made it half way up the hill by now. My arms are hurting; places on my stomach and legs and back are throbbing. So in desperation, I let go again and pull my shirt over my head. Now he’s really mad because more material is covering his head but at least he forgets about me standing there braless. I’m not caring[much] cause the road is closed but I certainly don’t want my son or father-in-law to suddenly show up! So I limp as fast as I can to the house. I hear an engine. I’m on the last step to a high side porch which is in full view from the road Definitely an engine with a vehicle attached! I I’m not turning around! I injure myself again fumbling in panic to get in the doors.
I peek out and see 2 of the township supervisors and two men in shirt and ties getting out of a truck just past my driveway walking towards the avalanche that used to be road. They look at the house and back at my field where Oliver is still doing peed off dance with big, bright blue tee on his head. I held my head high and went out to help Oliver before he got hurt. That is after I put a shirt on. I wasn’t going back in! I coaxed him to the fence and tried getting the shirt off from the other side I tried pulling it back over the horns, he now had a double layer horned. I tried tearing. We went up and down the fence line. I can hear the men coming around the curve so I headed back for the house. They started climbing back in the truck- looked at the house and drove slowly past Oliver’s field. I called my husband; I was done! Oh the look on his face when he pulled up along the fence and let Oliver’s situation sink in Priceless!! I was black and blue for awhile. Oliver was never right again lol

ps I later learned the tie guys were a state and a federal inspector from agencies the township was trying to get help from to fix road Much too my relief the 2 supervisors never mentioned being anywhere near my house that day, at least not to me! I have no idea what they saw or thought! But, I’m sure others heard!