The donkeys have been doing exceedingly well the past few days that I have gone out to see them. They definitely came at a whistle to my cousin and me and then later that day to my dad and to another cousin. I have only fed them because of all the busy-ness around the house and not much time to stand and train. Especially since my donkey Arapaho began limping yesterday! =( I am hoping it is just going to be like when Rotaho was this age and began shedding a frog... but Aria's limp is VERY pronounced and makes me want to cry... it looks sooo painful!
Last night... err... morning at 2:30am she woke me up from a sound sleep to say that the donkeys were loose!!! I always wondered what would happen if this happened. We had walked down to the creek and some returned by the gate and some of us walked the farm and returned thru the field instead of the barnyard. Sure enough, the front yard was teeming with longears... or looked to be with 5 grazing around and chewing on bushes. I walked down the driveway calling and whistling. I made it to the road without scaring them at all. They then began to move in the direction of the open gate. However they then began to move toward me. So I tried to lead them to the gate but they took off running down the strip of field between the field and the road. Quietly I walked down the center of the 5-laned road until I passed them and then walked to the near sidewalk. They ran to the corner were it could open but I had not had the chance to open it yet. They wheeled around and around and around until finally Tallyho jumped the fence from a standstill!! There were already 3 donkeys in the field and according to others one was Aria her baby. I crept to the fence to open and they ran a short way away. PERFECT! But then my "field hands" thought they would help by walking across the yard.... ergh! The donkeys took off running dangerously close to considering the road. At least it was in the direction of the gate. After running toward a lane that would lead to the creek and woods OUTSIDE of the fence they circled back and went thru' the gate before I could see it happen. I walked around the yard to double check altho' my flashlight was more a block of glare than any help. But soon I spotted the white blob of Gungho and trusted that all 7 other donkeys were with her! We shut the gates. =)
I will never know how this happened... 5 in the yard and 3 in the fence and one a baby that should have been with her mother in the yard. But to get to where the 3 were they would have had to wander off by themselves with all the others where they were and go AROUND a the yard and a field and come up and all the way around... if the others had jumped the fence which has never happened they would have just jumped back in... how in the world they were separated in that combo I will never know. But it is nice to know that they are fairly cow-headed when they are loose... =let us back in the field!! =)
Then back to bed at 3:00am!! lol! That was an adventure!
Thanks for being there to give Carol a hand with errands and preparation for her trip. It's so wonderful to have a godly family to turn to in times of need. Thank you!
At this moment I am waiting for my a layer of my snow outfit to dry after being washed... again! We barely can keep up with the wet clothes around here!! =) On Friday we went out to work in the yard awaiting the forecasted snow storm and it started snowing while we were working. Very soon we grabbed our sleds and were flying over the skim of snow on the grass. The snow kept up with us and if we left one sledding path for only a few minutes it would fill up again! We sledded for hours and hours. Friday night we spent playing rook and eating pizza with the Sutherlands and Polks. After getting in at 2 in the morning I slept til 11!! After a quick brunch we went out in the snow again to start shoveling. We shovelled for hours and hours. It snowed NONSTOP the entire day!! After shoveling until exhausted we grabbed our sleds for some fun. We sledded another hour or two until I barely could walk up the hill again! =) And now... like I said I am waiting for my pants to dry so that I can go shovel our driveway and the neighbors again. Several more inches of snow have fallen and... oh wait, it has just stopped. It was really coming down just a few minutes ago. I think we will make a snow man today. Usually that is the first thing I want to do because it is a one person kind of fun. But here we can sled in our backyard and there are plenty of us to have a great snowball fight so I usually forget the snow sculpting until later.
We have turned into Arizona wimps. The other day on our trip a man stopped and told us: Don't you know its winter time? Yeah, all of us were wearing summer outfits. lol
I really wish I could but I can't. You can tell them I'm here though. Maybe you could convince them to worship in Gettisburg tomorrow night or something. :)
IT'S OFFICIAL!!! Do you remember when I said I was excited about something that I couldn't tell until later but wanted to remember the date that I heard it??!! Welll... I don't remember that date so I'll have to find the entry later. But...
I ♥ my donkey! I LOVE my donkey!! I ♥ MY donkey!!! I LOVE MY DONKEY!!!!
I can't say it enough!! MY donkey is sooooo sweet!!!
Ok ok I'd go on but I have to get ready for worship this evening. So here's the news:
ARAPAHO IS MINE!!!!!
....and any other donkey if I want it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The farmer had told Papa on that far back date that he was planning on giving me a donkey when they had to leave. Finally today I spoke to the one with the gifting power!!! He said I could have any that I wanted and I mentioned probably 2 at most. So obviously and definitely Arapaho!! SHe is MY baby!!!!!! WAHOOO!!!! ...but now decisions decisions decisions. Do I actually want 2? 2 girls? Arapaho and a boy? And if 2 girls... which other one beside Arapaho?
December 12, 2008 - Cloudy... CLear skies, sunny, 26-35 degrees
I spent 2 and a half hours with the donkeys this morning!! Make that 3 hours once my neighbor came over 15 minutes after I came in from the field.
When I first went out it was COLD and there was no sun. The field was snowy and frozen over. The donkeys finally appeared and were glad to see the food I brought. Arapaho for some reason kept trying to bite me... this the first time for her to be aggressive. I worked a little with the halter and lead but she was fighting too much and I didn't want to push her which I would have had to do because I MUST win every battle of the wills. Soon the sun came out and the donkeys decided to doze. I pulled piles and piles of burrs out of Aria's coat. The she grew tired of my pestering and went over and lay down. So I started scratching her while she lay there and before I knew it she was asleep in my lap!!! She was completely sprawled out with her neck and head across me!!! Of course by then the sun and the slightly warmer temperature.... and I found my self on a very soaked ground =) Of course too my camera was about 5 yards away =(. When she shifted I grabbed my camera and took some candid shots... wish I had someone to take them for me. She went to sleep again in my arms! SOOOOOO Cute! Good bonding time before I leave for a month. =/
Then I came back and later took my neighbor out. His FIRST time to see ARia!!! and she is now 3 months old!!!!! sad! ;) But they were better than ever for him and she is soooo playful! ARia was running with me again and again! So cool!
Back at the house we had nice quick snowball fight... until our bare hands were COMPLETELY numb! Ouch! =)
Pictures, pictures, pictures...
Would hate to get my tail wet on a cold morning like this!
Cold, bleak field
My first snow and winter!!
When the sun came out all the donkeys started dozing!!
"If I could, I would give you wings...." What is better than singing lullabies to a donkey asleep in your lap?!
Lol!! My 3-legged stork. She was just hanging out with that leg in the air for several minutes!
good pics. wish you could have spent night over here. for me to come there would have involved me pulling a peacefully sleeping eight yr old out of a warm bed... when i was not sure if she was going to school or not. Wasn't it BEAUTIFUL??????????
HAHA!! i feel dumb now. in that second picture, for a second i thought the big donkey was "holding up" the little donkey like a purse. haha. but it's only a foreground/background confusion..... =\
Really! That would be amazing. Will you be stopping at the Scott Smelsers and worshipping in Gettysburg? I'll be in that area all break. In fact, Adam Smelser is driving the car right now.
