My wife and I decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather one weekend to check out some of the one-of-a-kind things that Paris, Kentucky has to offer.

Paris is well-known for its scenic countryside and lovely auctions.

We had no idea that going to the auction would set the stage for a hilarious story that would stick with us for many years to come; we were completely unprepared for it.

As we made our way through the crowded exhibitions, the part of the building that was devoted to displaying breeding bulls immediately drew our attention. Large and imposing animals, each one carried themselves with a sense of pride and dominance in the pens that were allotted to them.

As we got closer to the first enclosure, we noticed a banner that proclaimed, “THIS BULL MATED 50 TIMES LAST YEAR.” The message was boldly posted. My wife, who is quick to find humor in any circumstance, ribbed me gently. She is always quick to find humor. When she said, “He mated 50 times last year, that’s almost once a week,” she did so with a smile that suggested she was up to no good.

I couldn’t help but chuckle as I acknowledged her astute assessment. I had no idea that this was only the beginning of her tormenting; I was completely oblivious.

We then walked on to the next enclosure, where we were greeted by another sign, this one much more remarkable than the one we had just seen: “THIS BULL MATED 150 TIMES LAST YEAR.” The jab that my wife gave me in the ribs this time was a lot harder than it had been before. As she observed, “WOW, that’s more than twice a week!” her eyes twinkled with a playful sense of humor. You could pick up a lot of useful information from him.

Her playful banter continued as we got closer to the third pen, where we saw a sign with the words “THIS BULL MATED 365 TIMES LAST YEAR” written in big capital letters. The joy that my wife felt was almost tangible. Her elbow pressed into my side with such vigor that I was afraid it might break my ribs. ‘That’s once a day!’ she screamed in shock. You might actually pick up something useful by looking at this one.

Her witty repartee had me grin involuntarily more than once. One of the qualities that I admired most about her was that she had the ability to find humor in the strangest of situations, and this was one of the reasons why I loved her so much.

While we were standing there, taking in the mind-boggling number of matings that were laid out in front of us, a naughty notion popped into my head. I looked at my wife and instructed her, “Go over and ask him if every time was with the same old cow.” She did as she was told.

Her pupils drew even more widely apart, and she started to laugh out loud. The thought of her approaching the powerful bull to question about his amorous pursuits brought tears of laughter to both of our eyes. The idea of her doing so was hilarious.

When we left the auction, we took with us some cherished memories, as well as a joke that we had all laughed at together and that would go on to become a part of our own legend. Not only did we get a glimpse into the world of breeding bulls thanks to Paris, Kentucky, but we were also reminded that laughter and lightheartedness might be found in the most unexpected locations. This was true even at a cattle sale in the middle of Kentucky!