One Sneaky Donkey

Sometimes it's difficult to live with a sneaky donkey.  Named Luigi.

While Spice eats her special feed in the barn,  Luigi attempts to break in to share.  At least 90% of the time.  Every day.  E.v.e.r.y  d.a.y.

It takes some quick maneuvering to get Spice in the barn and close the gate before anyone else wises up.  I don't always succeed.  Which complicates the process greatly. 
And I have to make sure the chicken coop door is closed at the back of the barn so Spice doesn't saunter in when she's done. 
And I have to make sure Luigi doesn't try to get in the barn to share.  I don't latch the gate so I can continue to do chores while she eats.  Luigi is the only one who has figured out all you have to do is push on the gate and voila, you're in.  Sugar and Gabs haven't processed that yet.  So my eye is on Luigi.

Here he has spotted Spice eating something which must be very very special.
And then the games begin.

It takes a bit of muscle to stop a 300 pound trickster from opening the gate.

And then there's the backward approach. 
Donkeys have a behavior not shared with horses in which they slowly, step-by-step back up to the object in their focus. I swear they think they're invisible.  I'm not sure if this was his thinking in the photo above.

Sometimes if I hold the gate closed for a few minutes he'll lose interest and wander off to eat hay with the other girls and I can actually get some work done. 

But not always.

Sometimes Stuff Happens

What a sight greeted me earlier this week uponst approaching the donkey yard.  I think I probably just stood and stared for a few moments.

We had had two days of rain and some wind (nothing gale force), and clearly this little tree had seen better days.  But it had been in the donkey yard since the donks arrived so its removal still makes me pause.

Thank goodness (!) no donkeys, chickens, or structures got in the way when it toppled.

To change subjects -- today The Donkey Sanctuary hosted several videos from their farms in the U.K.  What fun!  I even took some notes.
If you'd like to take a peek -- Sanctuary From Your Sofa

And, I hope you're all watching "Saved by the Barn" on Animal Planet, Saturdays at 9:00 pm ET.
Highlights from activities at The Barn Sanctuary are featured each week.  I'm sure I've mentioned Barn Sanctuary previously; they're located about an hour south of me and I've had the opportunity to volunteer a couple of times.  Hard work, but the volunteers and staff are welcoming and make the tasks fun.
Tune in if you can!

Driveway Grazing

We're oh so close to flinging wide the pasture gate and allowing the donkeys a bit of time to luxuriate in new grass.  But not quite.  A few more inches of new growth would be ideal.  We've had rain and rain and more rain the past couple of days and are due for some temps in the 70's so the grass should shoot up.  I know the donkeys will be ecstatic.

But in the meantime, I sit with them in the driveway so they can munch munch munch on something other than hay.

 

We're looking toward the house

and the view toward the road (with my repaired chair)

Sugar gets the spotlight, up close and personal

Donkeys Eating...and Not Sharing (!)

Donkeys can get protective of their food, I suppose as most mammals can.  Specifically Miss Sugar (yes, I've named names) illustrates non-sharing on a grand scale. 

Here you'll see Sugar telling her sister, Spice, with text book body language "stand back *itch!"
Ears are flat back, she spins her rear end in a semi-circle to push Spice away and snorts -- with gusto.  Luigi and Gabs ignore her, as do the chickens, which never ceases to surprise me.

In contrast here you'll see night time feeding.  Calm reigns supreme. The gentle munching, so soothing.

And in an unguarded moment, I caught them napping.  Seldom am I able to drive in past the four without arousing them to fevered braying begging for yet another meal.

All Things Chickens

Here's the deal.  A couple of days ago the donkeys were bad.  Very bad.  And got into some things that could have made them sick.  So, they are being punished by not having their faces or stories in the blog today.  That makes them very sad.  And maybe they will rethink their bad bad behavior.  We can hope.

So today is all about chickens.

Betcha I fooled you with this picture.  Nothing virus related, just cleaning out the coop.

My helpers helped in so many ways.  Getting underfoot was their biggest contribution.

Not too long ago I put together a dust bath for the girls in an old cat litter box.  The point was to give them a cleaning area in the winter and inclement weather. One part wood ash (from the wood stove), one part sand, and one part diatomaceous earth. 

The girls inspect it for the first time and are not sure it's to their liking.

Actually, it's hard to tell if it's been used since or not.


And now I'll leave you with a smile on your face.  A picture of my favorite girl who lives next door.  Mid-twenties and gorgeous.

Scenes From a Teeny Tiny Farm

Luigi tries to lure me into another treat with his winning looks.

Donkeys are obliged to share when the chickens are out.  They're rather pushy.

Although there are four bowls for four donkeys, apparently sharing is stipulated 

as outlined in the donkey code of manners

Holes.

Big holes. 

Dug by a senior black dog. 

Who knows better.

The structure above the holes.

Well past its prime, a treehouse built for my son.

Who's now 31. 

Rick got tired of the squirrels feasting on the bird seed and developed a new plan to outwit them.

It hangs between the deck and a tree and is maneuvered by a pulley system.

More to come:  Rick's new experiment in the pasture, 

the budding results of my Aerogarden, and two lazy dogs.

Packrats Unite

Sometimes it pays to be a pack rat.

Take a look at the "windmill" in the opening photo of the blog.  At our house, spring is not signified by baseball's opening day, but by the windmill going up.  And fall is determined by the windmill being put to bed for the winter.  We've had two identical wind generators as pictured above and eventually they become so tattered and woebegone that they must be retired. 

As it is now.  No windmill.

I checked my emails for the last one we ordered to find the vendor.  Thought I had found it, but was terrifically dismayed to find them out of business.  Kept checking kite shops.  Kept doing various internet searches.  Nothing.

Then, I was doing some electronic email weeding (different folder than I had initially scoured) and lo and behold found the vendor.  From five years ago...

Most friends I know are much more proactive in clearing out unneeded emails.  But look what a marvelous discovery I had just because I'm a saver.  Couldn't be more delighted.

Now, last fall I purchased a whirlygig on a little weekend retreat with a friend.  For Michiganders' reference, we were in Suttons Bay.

 

All manner of lawn ornaments

And this is my little beauty

So, even if I had been unable to locate my windmill, I would have told myself, don't be a spoiled baby.  You have a new whirlygig.  

  

But you can bet, I'll be ordering the windmill... soon.