Sharing

Ten chickens are convinced that what's good for the donkeys must be good for them.  Whatever lands in donkey bowls or the manger is fair game.  Surprisingly the donkeys don't seem to mind, too much -- we'll get to that in a minute.

The image above proves a bit surprising.  Donkeys are passionate about their Sunday morning treat -- hydrated hay cubes plus timothy pellets plus oats and now with the advent of cold weather, plus hydrated beet pulp.  You've got to admit, what a delicious blend!  There's a lot of fighting over any bits left in bowls, so the fact they share with the hens is perplexing.

Luigi seems OK with the girls checking out his precious bowl of slop, but you see just a bit of ear movement at the very end when Marigold comes chirping over.  He might have had enough at this point.  I still get a chuckle out of Fluffy crossing the screen from stage right to stage left behind the action.  Oblivious to the bowl drama.

I have to admit the girls' daily behavior often offers a chuckle, or two.

Straw Wouldn't Get My Vote, But Chickens Prevail

 If I were a chicken and I had the choice of laying an egg in picky pokey straw or a soft bed of pine shavings, I know what I would choose.  But my chickens beg to differ.

Helen (Reddy) has been insistent for several weeks that she be allowed to nest in the hay/straw aisle.  And each morning I have to pick her up and insist she go back to the coop.  After doing this several mornings,I finally got it through my thick head to place some straw in a nesting box as an experiment.

 Clearly Helen wasn't the only girl who thought that was a swell idea.  So I made two more.

Even with a choice of three straw nesting boxes, Helen still prefers the hay aisle.  And not just in the morning.  When the girls are allowed their free range time and i return to round everyone up, I often hear a squawking from the barn.  Sure enough, she has left the flock, returned to the barn, flown over the barrier to get cozy in the hay/straw and finds herself stranded, or so she thinks.

   She was a little perturbed to find herself the star of my Candid Camera video the other day.

 

And speaking of chickpeas...

A couple of nights ago I made a new recipe that was quick to whip up, tasty, and easily made vegan.

Pasta e Ceci (Italian Pasta and Chickpea Stew)

My version turned out more soup-like which was fine.  I used kale and fresh tomatoes since they're so plentiful right now.  And I omitted the pecorino.  Easy and just the ticket for an early fall dinner.

Callin' In the Crew

 Same words, same voice.  Usually.
I have my donkey voice and my chicken voice.  And generally say the same phrases for everyday tasks.  

Our normal routine is breakfast and morning chores around 8:30 or 9:00 a.m.  Out in the pasture, for both donks and hens at 1:00, back in at 3:00 for a snack.  So you need the words and the voice to get everyone back in where they belong.

Here donkeys are hauling some derrieres back in. 
Note:  If you were a fan of "The Closer", a TV series from a few years ago,  you clearly will never recognize my version of Brenda Lee Johnson's southern "thank yoooo". 

A logistical note.  I have just discovered the hard way that blogspot only allows videos of a minute in length.  My original video was 20 seconds over; trying to trim in a phone is a hack job at best.

My apologies.  

Usually I have to go round Luigi up, in the far corner.  In this instance he did finally come all the way.

 

I Want My Vet Back!

 So here's the deal.

Our dog vet, who is a mobile vet and comes to your home, has not been practicing since covid.  Our dogs are not high maintenance, BUT, we have a 13 year old

and we have a greyhound.  Under certain circumstances greys have special medical needs.

When I realized our vet (who is a combination of super smart and country doctor) was not returning soon, I went on a hunt for a vet who would come to the home to euthanize and one who knew greyhounds.  I settled on one to use in the interim.

And wouldn't you know Faith, the greyhound put us to the test.

We discovered this little gem on the inside of one of her thighs.  I did send a photo to our usual vet, he gave a virtual diagnosis and advised we see a vet who could remove it.

Well, after going through the riga-ma-roll of the new vet, Rick and I want out vet back.  To start the ball rolling the estimate included items we felt unnecessary, similar to another vet clinic we left in 2004.  Following surgery the vet didn't speak to us, a go-between was used.  Do we like her?  Who knows as we've never laid eyes on her or had an opportunity to speak to her on the phone. That's at least 2 strikes.   It wouldn't take much to get a third.

But the princess is fine.

Do not test us again, Faith!