Tail Tales

Donkey tails are good indicators of temperature, the colder it gets the tighter they tuck.  We're in for some really brutal cold this week.  Tomorrow's high is forecast at 9 degrees and we'll be lucky to see that I think.

I was unfamiliar with the tail clamp when I got Emma, but I learned fairly quickly that it is a good indicator of a cold donkey.  Especially if it is combined with a hunched back and an unhappy mood.  This si Emma demonstrating last year....

Emma is particularly good at making her opinion of the weather clear.  She gets downright grumpy if she is cold and the change in her demeanor and attitude is almost immediate once I get her blanket on her.  Ramsey's tail tucks in so tight, I can hardly even find it.  I wonder if that's where pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey came from?

I hate using blankets, but I hate having unhappy donkeys even more.  I got an awful lot of this last year until I broke down and got Emma a blanket...

"I'm COLD mom!  How long till Spring?  Can we move?  What are you gonna do about this?"

Blankets are a pure nuisance, but if that's what it take to keep everybody warm and happy and the tails hanging straight, so be it.

Now, if I could just convince both of them to stop growing for a while so I don't have to buy more this year...Emma is already oozing out of hers and Ramsey is on the last hole...Maybe we'll make it till Spring.