There have been some big doings in the Thompson community lately. First, one of Harry Wells’ black beef cows gave birth to red and white twin heifers several weeks ago.
Then, on Father’s Day, a yellow cow gave birth to twin bulls, one black and one yellow.
“I’ve got a friend in Natchez who said, ‘I’ve been in the cattle business all my life and never had any twins, and you’ve had two sets in 30 days’ time,’ ” Wells said.
I drove over to Wells’ farm on Horseshoe Road to see the latest twins. The newborns were lying by a gate next to their mother, who stood up to confront us.
She trotted away as Wells tried to get the calves to stand for a photo. But she grew impatient and at one point bluffed a charge.
Chances of a cow having twins are rare enough — from less than 1 percent up to 7 percent depending on breed and genetics, according to one source — but this color combination seemed even more unlikely.
“I thought them being a black and a Charolais-looking calf was very unusual,” Wells said. “That’s about the second set of twins I’ve ever had. I started this when I got out of high school, probably ’56.”
(I later mentioned the black and yellow twins to a friend and he quipped, “That sounds like a cow of a different color.”)
The other twins lay in the deep shade of a oak tree, and Mama rose to her feet as we drove up. She was docile, however, as I got out to take photos.
Wells had her bred to a white-faced red bull, hence the coloration of the calves.
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Twin calves aren’t all that’s going on in the Thompson community. Wells took me over to a nearby house to see an apple tree dangling with red fruit.
That’s a rare sight in southwest Mississippi. We’re too far south to be good apple country. Breeds have been developed that will produce, but the fruit tends to be small and mouth-puckering.
These apples were a bit bigger and sweeter than most around here. Wells said he had some in a pie with homemade ice cream recently and it was mighty fine.
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But then came the biggest “doing” of all — Wells’ grandson Waylon, who will be 7 months old on July 3.
Waylon, son of Evan and Brandy Wells, was born with a thickening of the heart muscle, a dangerous condition, and had to stay two weeks at Batson’s Children’s Hospital in Jackson, including time spent on an incubator.
Now he’s “A-OK,” Wells said. “He’s just doing the best you ever seen.”
Wells often takes Waylon with him around the farm, and he had Waylon with him when he found the latest twin calves.
“He’s a little rounder now,” Wells said.
We rode over to Waylon’s house. Brandy and Waylon’s brother Cole, 10, came outside and said Waylon was asleep. Wells fetched him anyway, and Waylon defied the conventional wisdom that says don’t wake a sleeping baby.
Waylon was a happy camper, especially in his grandfather’s arms. Wells is looking out for him, after all, having recently sold a baby calf to get him started.
“So he’s in the cow business,” Wells said.
