Yes, You Can Call Me a Daisy Killer

I just had to do it yesterday - mow the wild daisies in the donkey yard.  I had procrastinated enjoying the sight, but the yard was becoming a jungle, albeit a pretty jungle.  So the mower was called into action.  I do admit though, I was compelled to leave a few daisy oases.

Now, we have to turn our attention soon to the pasture above.  Yes, it is beautiful but if we don't brush hog it soon, the grass won't have a chance.  Already, the donks are turning up their noses, instead bellowing to be let out on the driveway or in "the compound".  

Little Wraps for Little Legs

It's a fact of summer life -- little donkey legs get ferociously bitten by flies in the warm weather.  Last summer we tried all manner of prevention.  Naturally we started with traditional fly spray and when that didn't work moved to smearing legs with vaseline.  That just ended up oozing in the heat.  Hmmm, what to try next.  Aha!  Vet wraps, which for the non-horsey folks are self-sticking bandage like strips.  Well, those didn't stay on, even with duct tape.

At the end of last summer, poking around on horse supply sites, I found pony leg wraps.  Bought 12 and we just started trying them out about a week ago.

 Here Franny models her purple pairs.  No, they don't stay up all day and we have to go looking for those that are MIA in the pasture, BUT, it's the best of all the solutions tried so far.  This morning farrier, Koren, suggested SWAT.  I may be headed for the store soon...

Shedding Out Is Hard To Do (sung to "Making Up Is Hard To Do")

Almost June, hot days, and little donkeys are holding on to their winter coats.

Fran is playing peek-a-boo under that blanket of hair.

At long last

Finally, the days have arrived.  I can stroll down the driveway in the mornings in my pj's and flip flops to feed the donks.  A morning delight.
Stroll = casual amble, as it were.

Newfound freedom

So, here's the scoop.  A new rescue dog (Gunner) joined the family about two months ago and when he recovered from his heartworm treatment, was charging like a bullet out of the house and right down the driveway to places unknown.  And, he started taking our other dog, Dudley with him.  Not good.  Not good at all.

So handy Rick put in 600' of fencing to come off the donkey yard and surround our house with plenty of room for two black dogs to run like maniacs. That also meant a gate had to go across the driveway.  Not so convenient, but necessary.

When the donkey yard gate is open and the driveway gate is closed, three donkeys, in addition to two black dogs, are enclosed.  They are delighted to be able to wander over another acre of land, but it's a devil to chase them through the woods when it's time to come back in!

We've had a wet, cold spring which translates into a mediocre pasture.  We don't dare let them out yet for fear it will be eaten down to nubs in no time flat.  So, as we did last year at the end of the summer season, we're letting them out on the nice long grass along the driveway.  And they are loving it.

 Here three little donkeys say, "May we please got out and much that sweet grass?"  I obliged.  About 30 minutes later I went to corral them back in and Fran (far right), being the sweetie she is, led everyone straight back into the donkey yard.  I told them what good donkeys they are, but promptly closed all gates!

The Pied Piper's Got Nothing On Me

Oh, how I wish someone had been around to video tape the donkeys at dinner feed.

I needed to empty the wheelbarrow before cleaning up, so let them out, and started trudging down the driveway through the snow to "the pile".  Fran had come up to me first, as she always does, to say hi.  She decided to join me in my little walk, and when I looked behind, there were all three following along in a single file line.  At the point I stopped, we were maybe 50 feet from the road and I was putting together a strategy to shoo them the other way.  No such strategy needed.  They waited for me (Fran right on my backside) and started back with me.  Gabs and Luigi decided to stop and catch a quick bite of weed sticking through, so had to issue a strong "Git!" to get them back on track.  They politely trotted right back into their yard.

What a team!

Musings

The farrier came out Friday, skated across the ice, and took a look at everybody's feet.  No one needed trimming.  If my records are correct, the last she was here was late September.  That's 5 months!  Now Natural's hooves keep growing over the winter.  A mystery indeed.

We've gone from a sheet of ice up the driveway and in front of the donkey gate to a few inches of snow.  So tired of slogging through the mess.  One minute the inside of the shed is part lake and the next it's frozen pockets of uneven dirt. So, so difficult to clean.

Our newest addition to the family, Gunner, is not appreciated by the donkeys.  A 3-year old rescue dog (part Rottweiler, part Bermese Mt. dog) he's a little too rambunctious for their taste.  However, they've put up with Dudley's shenanigans from the beginning.  Although there was a bit of posturing between Luigi and Dudley at one time, it was never serious.  Last week Gunner charged the donkeys and they took off down the driveway vocalizing like I've never heard before.  I think it was a red flag distress call.  I stood there trying to decide what action to take, when Gunner comes high-tailing back down the driveway with the donkeys in hot pursuit.  Took a bit of clucking and soothing to get them calmed down.  Later, I was able to get Gunner to gently make nose contact with Luigi through the gate.  The relationship has smoothed out a bit, thank goodness.