I love donkeys.
Not that I’ve personally ever known one but I’m sure I could handle one as part of my hoofed-stock at Footlights.
My bird-keeping son has asked,
“Why this fascination with donkeys?”
“They are adorable looking and have a distinctive cross down the centre of their backs.”
“All about looks then,” he said.
I nodded, “You should have seen the one in the procession down the aisle at Incarnation on Palm Sunday…the whole congregation sighed…”
“Yes, you told me about that,” he said, “pretty neat.”
I see them around Weston, sharing their grazing with horses.
They are also good to bark at as Titan, the fearless Schnauzer, discovered,
But at the moment I really don’t want any animals on my land for several reasons,
We won’t be able to pick up and gad around the world when the fancy takes us,
All that manure to side step,
“And they’ll mess up the look of the land!” I tell my friend who laughs at my reasoning…
I may love the land, but I’m not a farm-girl.
The other day Hubs spoke to the original owner and builder of our beautiful house to chat about this and that,
“He said when he and his wife lived here the front acreage was like driving through a park.”
That’s what I’m leaning towards, the idyllic meadow look.
Our exemption is classified as Open Space, we have enough native grasses intermixed with the thistle, broom and wildflowers to have it cut and baled once a year…
Easy peasy to watch the Alamo switch swaying gently in the wind without cattle grazing.
I may consider bees, to pollinate the fruit trees and future kitchen garden.
In the meantime I can enjoy other people’s livestock…
…especially the donkeys.
They are irresistible aren’t they? And good protectors so I’m told, keeping coyotes at bay around the poultry…when we do decide to have a selection of chickens that lay colorful eggs…
Along our lane there is a riding and training stable where Xote, the donkey, lives.
The other day as I walked past I noticed a full mask on Xote,
I asked about it at our weekly pizza get together,
“To keep the dust out of his eyes,” was suggested.
Not the dreaded pink-eye I had encountered last year in Florida when I wrote about the Pirate Cow.
The next day I saw that his buddy, Mr. Ed was also wearing a full eye mask,
Best Beasties Forever!
Well hello there! My name is Vivienne McNeny.
I am an empty nester exploring life as a Boomer…you could say I'm happily Boomering along!
As a homeschooling Mum I have finally quit the job of role model and mentor to my four children. I do what I want to do, eat when I feel like it, enjoy life with my blue eyed cowboy and clean my house once a month or so whether it needs it or not!
In true English form I write about the emergence of my true identity now that I can no longer hide behind my children as their Mum.
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