Always lurking around the corner, watching and waiting for the perfect opportunity to sneak up behind you and wipe all that nasty gunk off on whatever part of you it can reach. Beware The Great White Snout...
Saturday, June 30, 2012
The Great White Snout
Having a Big Pink Snout can be a distinct disadvantage in summer. Despite having free access to shelter from the sun, it's still rather prone to sunburn. As a redhead with ridiculously sensitive skin, I can relate. So, every morning now I smear sunscreen all over Gabe's Big Pink Snout and it becomes instead The Great White Snout....
Always lurking around the corner, watching and waiting for the perfect opportunity to sneak up behind you and wipe all that nasty gunk off on whatever part of you it can reach. Beware The Great White Snout...
Always lurking around the corner, watching and waiting for the perfect opportunity to sneak up behind you and wipe all that nasty gunk off on whatever part of you it can reach. Beware The Great White Snout...
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Donkey at the door
"HEY! Anybody in there?"
"You do know it's breakfast time don't you? Just how long does it take to put those silly things on your feet? I don't know why you bother with them...."
"Just hold your horses Em. I don't have tough hooves like you, I'll be out as soon as I get my boots on."
"Hrrmph, that's foolish. You really ought to just grow some tougher feet. And I can't hold my horses, they abandoned me. Tessa thinks she's in looove with Gabe. I told them they were acting silly, but they wouldn't listen to me and they ran off together."
"Say, since the horses left me all alone, does that mean I get to eat their breakfast as well? It only seems fair. I'm eating for two after all and I'm soooo hungry..."
"I might have to eat the door frame if you don't hurry up...."
"C'mon now, can't you tell I'm wasting away here?...."
"I'll even say PLEASE...."
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
June Visitors
It's still June and June always means interesting visitors....
This is the third painted turtle that has shown up in my driveway looking for a place to lay eggs...
They dig holes in the gravel, lay their eggs and then dissappear back into the pond for another year...
and I have to try to remember where all the nests are so I don't drive over them.
The painted turtles are much more pleasant company than this platter sized, prehistoric monster who showed up last June....
Snapping turtles aren't really what I wanted to grow in my garden beds....
But I wasn't about to argue with her....
Shaken and Stirred
Do you ever wonder what baby donkeys think about when.... 
and baby gets to go along for the ride?....
Perhaps baby donkeys need to be flipped regularly. We do want the little devil to be fully cooked through on all sides after all....
and neither mom nor baby seem to mind.
Mom has an itch that just has to be scratched....
and baby gets to go along for the ride?....
Perhaps baby donkeys need to be flipped regularly. We do want the little devil to be fully cooked through on all sides after all....
and neither mom nor baby seem to mind.
Monday, June 25, 2012
Sunday Stills - Brown
I didn't have to look to far for this one. Lots of shades of brown around here....
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Saturday, June 23, 2012
Go Do What Donkeys Do
Remember this little fellow....
This is Emma's baby brother, Dash, looking rather grown up and posing with one of the vet techs at Cornell (or maybe I should say devoted minions). This photo was taken yesterday at Dash's very last check-up. His broken leg is completely healed now and he got cleared to "go do what donkeys do". Which, at the moment, includes being a bit of a brat. He wants everybody to play with him and something tells me that he doesn't have too much trouble finding willing volunteers:) It is absolutely amazing that they were able to fix him. He is one lucky little donkey.
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Let Sleeping Donkeys Lie
"Hey Emma, what'cha doing in there?"
"Well, what's it look like I'm doing?"....
"It looks like you're trying to hide behind that post. Sorry Em, but you've gotten a bit too wide for that sort of thing."
"Hrrmph. I'm just trying to take a nap. It's hot and my feet are tired"
"Well, why aren't you lying in the barn in your little hay-nest where you usually sleep?"
"The big shark wouldn't let me in. I figured I'd come out here and test out your carpentry skills, see if this wall will hold me up."
"Hmmm, well, we'll just see about that. You know I'll wrestle sharks, demons and donkey ropers for you right Em? I don't want anybody bothering my pregnant donkey."
"Yeah, thanks Mom. That's much better...
"Good, is there anything else you need?"
snoooore.....
"I'll take that as a 'no', have a nice nap Em."
"Well, what's it look like I'm doing?"....
"It looks like you're trying to hide behind that post. Sorry Em, but you've gotten a bit too wide for that sort of thing."
"Hrrmph. I'm just trying to take a nap. It's hot and my feet are tired"
"Well, why aren't you lying in the barn in your little hay-nest where you usually sleep?"
"The big shark wouldn't let me in. I figured I'd come out here and test out your carpentry skills, see if this wall will hold me up."
"Hmmm, well, we'll just see about that. You know I'll wrestle sharks, demons and donkey ropers for you right Em? I don't want anybody bothering my pregnant donkey."
"Yeah, thanks Mom. That's much better...
"Good, is there anything else you need?"
snoooore.....
"I'll take that as a 'no', have a nice nap Em."
One Small Step for Man, One Giant Leap for Donkeykind
Just over a week ago, I wrote a post about donkey roping. It was read by other bloggers with larger readerships who also took the time to share it and speak out against a real injustice. It spread to friends and friends of friends, got posted on Facebook and written about by more bloggers. People all over the world wrote letters and made phone calls, inundating the little town of Van Horn with the message that donkey roping is just not acceptable. This afternoon, I got word that the Culbertson County Sheriff's office had canceled the donkey roping event because of the public outcry.
We did it. All of us.
There is one very important thing to keep in mind however, and that is: Jason Owens (432-940-9051) still owns these 40 donkeys. There are still other rodeos and other promoters out there. PVDR is still ready and willing to take them if he will relinquish them so keep calling.
The really good news here, is that we have set a precedent. A precedent that I devoutly hope will be noticed by other towns and other promoters who may be thinking about scheduling a donkey roping event.
We have won a huge victory today. But, the donkeys still need us. Jason Owens was right about one thing, these donkeys may well have starved to death if he didn't buy them. The donkeys need us to come up with ways to educate the general populace about the wonder of donkeys. They need us to come up with ways of promoting them in a healthy and meaningful way. They need us to show the world that they are valuable, that they are not cheap, disposable targets for abuse.
You, readers, have proven today that you are a resourceful, determined, intelligent group who has real power. We have generated a huge amount of momentum and attention, let's keep it going and lets use it!
Send in your suggestions and ideas. What do donkeys bring into YOUR life? How can we demonstrate this to a largely disinterested populace? How do we show the world that donkeys have value? Put you thinking caps on folks and let's use what we have created here to give donkeys a giant step forward.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for all you have done.
And please, take a moment to thank the people of Van Horn who decided to do the right thing:
Mayor: Okey D. Lucas - okeyd1@windstream.net
Mayor Pro Tem: Gilda Morales - txmxdc45@aol.com
Alderperson: Mingo Corralez - domingocorralez@vanhorncityhall.com
Alderperson: Nuny Morriss - nunymorriss@vanhorncityhall.com
Alderperson: Pam Young - pamyoung@vanhorncityhall.com
City Administrator: Fran Malafronte - franmalafronte@vanhorntexas.org
We did it. All of us.
There is one very important thing to keep in mind however, and that is: Jason Owens (432-940-9051) still owns these 40 donkeys. There are still other rodeos and other promoters out there. PVDR is still ready and willing to take them if he will relinquish them so keep calling.
The really good news here, is that we have set a precedent. A precedent that I devoutly hope will be noticed by other towns and other promoters who may be thinking about scheduling a donkey roping event.
We have won a huge victory today. But, the donkeys still need us. Jason Owens was right about one thing, these donkeys may well have starved to death if he didn't buy them. The donkeys need us to come up with ways to educate the general populace about the wonder of donkeys. They need us to come up with ways of promoting them in a healthy and meaningful way. They need us to show the world that they are valuable, that they are not cheap, disposable targets for abuse.
You, readers, have proven today that you are a resourceful, determined, intelligent group who has real power. We have generated a huge amount of momentum and attention, let's keep it going and lets use it!
Send in your suggestions and ideas. What do donkeys bring into YOUR life? How can we demonstrate this to a largely disinterested populace? How do we show the world that donkeys have value? Put you thinking caps on folks and let's use what we have created here to give donkeys a giant step forward.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for all you have done.
And please, take a moment to thank the people of Van Horn who decided to do the right thing:
Mayor: Okey D. Lucas - okeyd1@windstream.net
Mayor Pro Tem: Gilda Morales - txmxdc45@aol.com
Alderperson: Mingo Corralez - domingocorralez@vanhorncityhall.com
Alderperson: Nuny Morriss - nunymorriss@vanhorncityhall.com
Alderperson: Pam Young - pamyoung@vanhorncityhall.com
City Administrator: Fran Malafronte - franmalafronte@vanhorntexas.org
Monday, June 18, 2012
We Aren't Done Yet
The Van Horn, Texas rodeo is coming up this weekend on the 23rd. I think we still have a good chance of stopping the donkey roping part of this event, but we need to keep up the pressure. Morning Bray farm passed this info to me and I thought it worth sharing (please remember to be polite, we lose all credibility if we use abuse to try stopping abuse)....
The Van Horn City Council meets every 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month at 7:00 pm. TOMORROW (June 19) is the 3rd Tuesday of June.
Here is a listing of the Van Horn City Officials and email:
...
Mayor: Okey D. Lucas - okeyd1@windstream.net
Mayor Pro Tem: Gilda Morales - txmxdc45@aol.com
Alderperson: Mingo Corralez - domingocorralez@vanhorncityhall.com
Alderperson: Nuny Morriss - nunymorriss@vanhorncityhall.com
Alderperson: Pam Young - pamyoung@vanhorncityhall.com
City Administrator: Fran Malafronte - franmalafronte@vanhorntexas.org
Please email them and ask them (civilly) to please cancel the donkey roping competition in this Saturday's Van Horn Rodeo.
Remind them that that Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue; America’s largest donkey rescue, is ready, willing and able to take in all the Van Horn roping donkeys.
On behalf of the donkeys, thank you
Me again....
For more info on Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue copy this link:
http://donkeyrescue.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.eventDetails&eventID=534
Peaceful Valley took in over one thousand abandoned donkeys last year and are likely to match that again this year. They could use any help you can give them.
Next, is an iReport submitted to CNN. If it gets enough support CNN will run it. I don't think I need to tell you how much pressure a report on CNN could bring (I don't even own a television, but even I know who CNN is:) Please follow this link and at the bottom of the page, click on the green button.
http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-804321
And last, but most definitely not least, Emma and Tessa would like to offer an example of proper inter-species relations involving donkeys....
The Van Horn City Council meets every 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month at 7:00 pm. TOMORROW (June 19) is the 3rd Tuesday of June.
Here is a listing of the Van Horn City Officials and email:
...
Mayor: Okey D. Lucas - okeyd1@windstream.net
Mayor Pro Tem: Gilda Morales - txmxdc45@aol.com
Alderperson: Mingo Corralez - domingocorralez@vanhorncityhall.com
Alderperson: Nuny Morriss - nunymorriss@vanhorncityhall.com
Alderperson: Pam Young - pamyoung@vanhorncityhall.com
City Administrator: Fran Malafronte - franmalafronte@vanhorntexas.org
Please email them and ask them (civilly) to please cancel the donkey roping competition in this Saturday's Van Horn Rodeo.
Remind them that that Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue; America’s largest donkey rescue, is ready, willing and able to take in all the Van Horn roping donkeys.
On behalf of the donkeys, thank you
Me again....
For more info on Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue copy this link:
http://donkeyrescue.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.eventDetails&eventID=534
Peaceful Valley took in over one thousand abandoned donkeys last year and are likely to match that again this year. They could use any help you can give them.
Next, is an iReport submitted to CNN. If it gets enough support CNN will run it. I don't think I need to tell you how much pressure a report on CNN could bring (I don't even own a television, but even I know who CNN is:) Please follow this link and at the bottom of the page, click on the green button.
http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-804321
And last, but most definitely not least, Emma and Tessa would like to offer an example of proper inter-species relations involving donkeys....
Updates, due dates and baby pools
Look who's back...
Friday afternoon I rode Gabe home from his temporary exile. I had thought that Emma would have had her baby by now and she wouldn't have to worry about him, but y'all know how that has worked out. Tessa at least was glad to see him...
I tried to keep them separated for a while to make things easier for Emma, but Gabe used his teeth to pull the fence post out of the ground and let himself in. I finally banished both him and Tessa to the shed (now dubbed the painted-shark-aquarium) so Emma can stay in the barn where she is most comfortable and I can most easily keep an eye on her. I also ran a loop of fence wire over the the top of the post. I think he will likely decide that that particular trick isn't as much fun as he thought. I know it is terribly mean, but I can't help but hope that he get a nice good zap on that big pink snout.
Ever since Memorial day when I thought Emma was going into labor and then she quit, the baby has been very quiet. After two weeks of no movement, I finally saw the baby kicking yesterday morning and again this afternoon. I was very relieved to see it, I've been rather worried about Baby. Of course, I have, once again, been trying to figure out when this baby is due. I have gone back to the few hard facts that I have: On Dec. 3 I had a blood test for estrogen sulfate drawn on Emma to tell me whether or not she was pregnant. The mare or jenny tested has to be AT LEAST 4 months pregnant for this test to work. What this means is that, unless I have messed up the math completley, Emma has to be at least 11 1/2 months pregnant.
Emma's blood test came back off-the-charts high. When I spoke with the neonatal vet at Cornell about this test and the vet who drew the blood, they both told me that the high level probably indicated that Emma was at least 5-6 months pregnant when we drew the blood and very possibly farther along than that. That would make her at least 12-13 months pregnant right now. Donkey gestation is 11-14 months.
What all of this means is that....I have absolutely no idea when the baby is due. Which brings us (in a rather long winded way) to the baby guessing pool. Emma has fooled everyone. The latest date submitted was June 11th, a date that, when I first read it, I scoffed at just a bit (sorry). I thought "no way can Emma make it all the way till June 11." Foolish, foolish me.
So, this leaves a bit of a quandary. Do I start over from scratch and let all of you submit a new guess or do I take all the names on my first list and let Emma draw one out of a hat? I am putting it up for a vote. What would you, dear readers, like me to do?
Note: if no consensus is reached I reserve the right to arbitrarily flip a coin and decide. Democracy can only go so far on a farm after all.
Friday afternoon I rode Gabe home from his temporary exile. I had thought that Emma would have had her baby by now and she wouldn't have to worry about him, but y'all know how that has worked out. Tessa at least was glad to see him...
Ever since Memorial day when I thought Emma was going into labor and then she quit, the baby has been very quiet. After two weeks of no movement, I finally saw the baby kicking yesterday morning and again this afternoon. I was very relieved to see it, I've been rather worried about Baby. Of course, I have, once again, been trying to figure out when this baby is due. I have gone back to the few hard facts that I have: On Dec. 3 I had a blood test for estrogen sulfate drawn on Emma to tell me whether or not she was pregnant. The mare or jenny tested has to be AT LEAST 4 months pregnant for this test to work. What this means is that, unless I have messed up the math completley, Emma has to be at least 11 1/2 months pregnant.
Emma's blood test came back off-the-charts high. When I spoke with the neonatal vet at Cornell about this test and the vet who drew the blood, they both told me that the high level probably indicated that Emma was at least 5-6 months pregnant when we drew the blood and very possibly farther along than that. That would make her at least 12-13 months pregnant right now. Donkey gestation is 11-14 months.
What all of this means is that....I have absolutely no idea when the baby is due. Which brings us (in a rather long winded way) to the baby guessing pool. Emma has fooled everyone. The latest date submitted was June 11th, a date that, when I first read it, I scoffed at just a bit (sorry). I thought "no way can Emma make it all the way till June 11." Foolish, foolish me.
So, this leaves a bit of a quandary. Do I start over from scratch and let all of you submit a new guess or do I take all the names on my first list and let Emma draw one out of a hat? I am putting it up for a vote. What would you, dear readers, like me to do?
Note: if no consensus is reached I reserve the right to arbitrarily flip a coin and decide. Democracy can only go so far on a farm after all.
Sunday, June 17, 2012
How To Spend a Saturday
Can you guess how we spent the day...
World Champion Women's Hay Loading Team...
Baler Operator Extraordinaire...
Only one little mishap...
We put in 500-600 bales (we lost count) and then sat down to a scrumptious feast prepared by another friend. I forgot to take pictures of that part though, we were all too busy devouring it:) It can be summed up in one word...Yum!
World Champion Women's Hay Loading Team...
Baler Operator Extraordinaire...
Only one little mishap...
Special thanks to all of our hay crew. We couldn't have done it without you!
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