THINGS ARE GETTING LIVELY AROUND HERE.......!!

It is Hobo, that we caught.  Put her in the kitty condo in the spa room to await her fate.  Yesterday afternoon I heard Rusty the white mule coming down the driveway.  He came right to me, limping on a very bloody right rear foot.  I yelled in the house for John, which meant he missed the last 5 laps of the NASCAR race he was watching on TV.  That's OK, Jimmy Johnson won, so the finish was a disappointment anyway.  

We got him in a pen & started hosing it off.  He's got a cut from the outside of the pastern that drops down & ends in the crack at the back of his heel.  It's about 3 or 4 inches long & doesn't look really deep although it bled quite a bit.  Have no idea what he caught it on, John went out looking around but didn't find anything.  He won't stand on it, & won't move around much.  So I hosed, betadined,  Vetericyn  & put him in the "hospital" pen.  Of course it isn't his pen, so he isn't happy about that. 

Yesterday morning for some reason Jenny didn't want Pepper eating with her, & started pushing him around.  He is so fragile that I was afraid she'd either push him into a corral panel & he'd end up with another cracked hip, or he'd go down.  He managed to stay on his feet, but was moving slower than usual when we got there.  Last night at feeding time he was still moving slow & after taking a couple of bites of his mush quit eating.  Didn't act like he was choking, but it's unusual for him not to eat.  I worked with him like he was choked, which he didn't appreciate for awhile.  Then he started acting like he wanted to lay down & switching his tail...........colic?  Who knows, I certainly don't.  Gave him a shot of banamine, checked on him in an hour, & he was eating............!!!  Haven't seen him yet this morning, so I hope he is OK.  He is such a character, we've put so many human traits on his behavior, it's like having your weird old uncle living with you.  

This morning about 4am, John heard a lot of noise in the spa room.  Checked & Hobo had managed to get out of the kitty condo..........!!!   She isn't trying to destroy the 3 kittens, so we just left her loose in there, until I call the vet this morning to see if we can take her in for spaying. It will be fun to get her in a crate, we'll have to use the big net I would imagine. 

John set the trap last night & "sho nuf" there is a "guest" in it this morning.  Looks & acts like a tom cat.  Must be the one that's been spraying our doors.  John thought it might be OJ, but this cat is lighter colored & his hair is not as short.  The vet insists on names so I guess this will be Odie, we've ran out of orange names.........!!! 

If the vet can't do them today, we'll have to figure out living arrangements in the spa room, it's going to get crowded at this rate. 

GOT HER......AT LEAST WE THINK IT'S HER.......!!!

We have been trying to about 3 years to catch the momma cat responsible for the 4 kittens we had spayed & neutered in January & Sunny the only survivor from the litter before.  She has always been very trap wise & wouldn't even come on the porch if the trap was sitting there.  We are getting ready to let the kittens outside again.  We haven't  found anyone interested in giving any of them a home, & we can't have 6 cats in the house, especially when 5 of them love to run & play.  Moogee just watches with a disgusted look on her face.  Sunny & Nigel have caused enough damage, in the house, without adding 3 more little live wires to the mix.  So out they go, I hope they remember their upbringing & how to protect themselves.  I hate that they are hunters & are hard on the birds & lizards though.  

So before we let them go, we decided to try catching any outdoor cats that need "corrective" surgery.  We figure if we set the trap with the kittens outside, they will be the ones we catch.  Lo & behold this morning a cat that looks a lot like Hobo was in the trap, & very unhappy.  I'll call the vet clinic tomorrow & see if they can spay her.  

Now to the hard part, we don't know if she has another litter of kittens or not.  She doesn't look or act like it, but she is so long haired we can't see if she is nursing.  I doubt we could ever catch her again, so we will have to take her in no matter what.  It would be a hard decision to make, but long term it would be the right one, I'm afraid.  I just hope she isn't nursing. 

THEY LIKE TO PLAY WITH MY MIND, WHAT LITTLE I HAVE LEFT....!!!

INDIAN SCHOOL, PINE RIDGE, SD 1891

Tula has figured out a new way to show her independence the last  few days.  In the evening when John goes out to do round-up most if not all of them are within sight around the pens.  As soon as Tula sees him, she heads over to Burroland, being followed by her most loyal supporters, Frijolita, Daisy, Jenny & Cisco.  They don't do anything, except go over there & stand looking towards the open gate, they know one of us is going to come thru, looking for them.  Jeesh........I guess she thinks we need the exercise.  

The last couple of days Gus has been standing by the chicken pen which is over by the Burroland gate.  He doesn't go with them, but waits until they come back & follows them across the big wash back to the pen area.  He use to either  be in his pen when John went out or would go into it as soon as he saw John.  Guess that independent streak is branching out.  That's OK, if you're going to chase 5, might as well chase 6......!!!!!!  Actually it isn't much of a chase, you go over carrying a whip, find Tula, point with the whip & tell her to "GIT" & off she goes, trailing her little band behind her.  What makes you want to wring her neck is as soon as she gets in her pen, she starts yelling like, "hurry up, where's the carrot, you're wasting my time"............!!!! LOL

In the morning the whole bunch including Tula are usually in Jenny's pen.  That's where the sun shows up first in the early morning.  As soon as they see John they start heading for their appropriate pens, at least most of them.  What the difference is between morning & evening we haven't figured out yet, & probably won't.............!!!  We're use to being on the deficit end of the thought process when dealing with donkeys......!!!!

ALL IS RIGHT IN THE WORLD TODAY......!!!

PINE RIDGE INDIAN RESERVATION 1891
 

Jack was fussing & wanting out of the trailer when John brought him home yesterday.  The vet couldn't find anything wrong with him, vitals were good.  She "picked " a road apple from the originating source & although it was a little dry, not bad.  She even did a sonogram. Found either a testicle or a small tumor.  He was raised on the Slash Hook Ranch up by Morenci, AZ & probably was "cowboy" gelded.  She said it isn't unusual for the cowboys to miss something.  He has never acted studdy at all, so I assume it's probably a little tumor.  In the future if he colics or something like that we'll know there is a possibility of a tumor & will be able to tell if it's grown or not.  Good information to have.  

So she tubed him, with some water & mineral oil, gave him a shot of Banamine & sent him home.  John & I had to give him another Banamine shot last night.  He is really difficult, but we managed to "git 'er done" without someone getting hurt.  Like I said when he got home, he was pretty lively & this morning he was yelling for his breakfast as usual.  

Last night before dark, Nigel the Bengal cat seemed to make a decision to go out, no matter what it took.  He got out on John, who doesn't always realize where the animals are & what can happen because of where they are.  We finally got him back in the house, almost lost Moogee in the process.  Had to leave the door open to run Nigel in & Moogee decided she'd give it a try.  

I usually know where they are, so I was very surprised when I went out a little while later,  &  Nigel flew past my feet like he was on fire.  He wasn't even in the kitchen when I opened the door.....!!!  So we got to chase him around some more.  It was almost dark, & he is a lovely color of gray that would be almost impossible to see in the dark, I'm really glad we managed to herd him in.......again.  Now that he knows he can get out, we'll have to really watch him for awhile.  Hopefully he'll give up his "dash for freedom" idea quickly. 

Gus is still doing good.  He is "parking" his front feet a little bit, but not as often.  This morning he went out when everyone else did, & they all left as a herd.  I guess he's getting use to being with other donkeys. 

1890

John just left for the vet with Jack the mule.  This morning he was laying down, didn't seem stressed, breathing was calm, but he really wasn't himself.  We went ahead with feeding while we watched him.  By the time everyone else was fed he got up & looked at his feed bucket, which I hadn't put anything in.  

I put his breakfast in it & he started eating, but not with his usual gusto.  To say he dives in, is an understatement, mush flies everywhere.  He was eating "lightly" & turning his head to the side, like something was bothering him.  

In the past he has had infected cactus spines in his gums.  He's also had a couple of abscessed teeth pulled & at this time of his life only has 2 teeth in the back, one on one side & you guessed it, the other one is on the other side.  

I called the vet & they said they'd work him in, so we loaded him up & John headed out.  I'm waiting for the guy to come out & probably hook up DSL internet.  I got a nastygram from Wild Blue this week, that I'm using too much time & they are going to slow my available speed down, (which incidentally I pay a premium price for)  if I don't quit hogging the net.  Not a problem, watch me bail.  Since it costs almost 3 times as much as the local DSL, I'll be happy to leave.  I just hope the DSL is fairly fast, everyone I've talked to in the area are satisfied with it, so I'm going in with the idea that it will be fast & they won't lecture me.....!!!!

The tow van only needed 4 more miles to turn 500,000 miles before John & Jack headed out this morning.  Three years ago when we bought the other van, I was told this one was going to be scrapped.  Unfortunately it has a "honking" ex-race motor in it & can pull just about anything.  And the newer van is pretty much of a woose.  Just isn't made for towing.   The tow van is literally falling apart around us, but John keeps patching it together.  I've been trying to find a 6 liter window van on the internet for quite awhile.  I guess people keep them, because they sure don't sell them used, at least that I can find.  John will NOT buy a new one, won't even look at one, so I hope this one keeps going, until we find a used one.  

Gus is walking pretty good this morning, and isn't parking his front feet to take the weight off them.  So it looks like we're headed in the right direction.  Courtney is going to try to make it back out here in 2-3 weeks, to trim some more.  I think once she gets some of the height cut down, he will be able to start doing some self trimming running around on all this rock, sand & gravel we have.  

This morning his buddy of choice was Cisco.  Yesterday we noticed someone has had one of his ears in their teeth.  Also the side of his neck.  Boys will be boys I guess, they do like to play fight.  Not sure he's ever played with boys before, but if they keep gnawing on his ear, I bet he'll learn real quick.........!!!

27 DEGREES IN APRIL......................!!!!

Not what one would expect especially with the mesquite trees leafing out.  Today is nice & sunny, BUT there is still a nip in the wind.  Suppose to be 70 today, but don't think it will make it.  

Waiting for Courtney to get out here & trim some feet.  Gus is laying down in his pen this morning, haven't seen him do that for awhile.  But then again Sha'ba & Jack are laying down too, so who knows.  He is acting normal, but lately he's been eager to get the gate open so he could go explore.  I'm sure he hasn't seen it all yet.  

Last night we were suppose to go racing, but because of the weather they cancelled.  Just as well, it would have been miserable for everyone, & a lot of drivers & spectators probably wouldn't have shown up.  At least if they had any sense.  We were all loaded & ready to go, so that shows you our level of intelligence......!!! LOL   

Here's my little car on the trailer ready to go.  John got it painted this week, with our colors & number.  Looks more like a race car to me. 

This has been our color scheme for over 40 years & what's really great is they have the orange & the white in spray cans, you just have to buy a lot of them, especially when the car is already black.......it's hard to cover black with white.......!!!  But he got it looking pretty good.  I know our son is cringing, his car always looks pristine when he pulls it into the pits.  So far he hasn't ran us out of his pit area, so I guess he'll survive the experience.......!!!! 

MOMENTS THAT MAKE RESCUE WORTHWHILE.......!!!

 

 

First let me say the weather today is horrible, cold, dreary, very windy & a chance of rain at our level, & a snow forecast for the mountains.  The poor mesquite are starting to bud which is suppose to mean spring.......hmmmm..........me thinks someone didn't get the memo.  Picking up poo this morning was fun, you had to pick & dump without much lag time, or the wind blew your "gatherings" off the rake.......!!!!  

Jenny was late getting out of her pen this morning, she's a slow eater.  By the time she got out everyone else had disappeared, including her running buddies, Daisy & Frijolita.  Of course they all hate wind, which added to her problem of looking for her buddies.  

She has been walking really well lately, & when she came by the pens she was stepping out nicely.   She stopped for awhile, trying to hear where they were at I guess.  All of a sudden she took off at a trot, stopped at a dusting spot, laid down, rolled, got up & cantered towards the pens.  I don't know that I have ever seen her canter in the 4 years she's been here, a few trots,  & other times when she could barely walk.  I've never seen her move as free as she was this morning.  I wish I had the camera, it was really beautiful to watch.  She came in the pen  with us for a few moments & then headed out again.  WOW.......!!!!   Can't wait to tell Courtney all about it when she comes tomorrow.  I just hope Jenny doesn't overdue it, her right front foot turns out quite a bit & we know from x-rays taken years ago that show she doesn't have a lot of coffin bone left & the bones aren't lined up.   I did notice when she was running & turning that she was favoring that side just a little. 

Gus has decided he doesn't want to eat his beet pulp.  Oh! he'll pick out the timothy pellets, but leaves the beet pulp.  I wouldn't really care but he is getting a minimum amount of hay because he needs to lose weight & he needs the extra supplements in the beet pulp.  We are trying different yummy additions to see if we can change his mind.  So far peppermint leaves aren't doing it.  Tonight I'll try red beet powder & see how that goes. 

STINKIN' WIND......!!!!

Wow, it is really windy today, even more so than usual in the spring.  It's suppose to be cold tomorrow, so I guess it's blowing in from up north someplace.  I am REALLY not an advocate of wind, it's one of my least favorite weather occurrences.  We lived in Iceland for 2 years & the wind blew there constantly which really gets old in a hurry.  

This morning when I went out, John was rounding up the stragglers.  He was "herding" a donkey & at first I thought it was Frijolita.  "She" was almost trotting & I was surprised when John passed her pen headed for..................Gus' pen.  It is amazing how free & easy he is moving.  Obviously his long feet & high heels aren't bothering him like they were.  

Quilla was with him, they are spending quite a bit of time together, which is great.  Their personalities are a lot alike, so they would make good long term buddies. 

Yesterday morning I made a video of Justin, Pepsi, & Quilla playing with a jollyball.  Well it hasn't been a "ball" for quite sometime.  It looks more like a flat squashed piece of road kill.  But they like to play with it, flat or not.  Gus was watching the fun, & I have no doubt will participate in the future.  I have not been able to get the darn thing to load on the blog.  I tried most of yesterday & it acts like it's loading, but never finishes.  I know there are problems on my computer, & I'm afraid the answer is to erase everything & start over......!!!! SIGH!

LOOK AT GUS STEP OUT.........!!!

THIS MORNING, LOOK AT HIM GO.......!!

This is without being trimmed again, Courtney is going to try to make it out Saturday.  He really looks so much more comfortable.

 

Unfortunately, I am having trouble with downloading pictures from my camera to my computer right now, & we haven't had time to try to fix it.  I need to go on line & download some drivers.  So until  that happens I'll just add these great old photos by a western photographer from the late 19th century named John C. H. Grabill.

Everything is getting back to normal again.  We will watch Noelle's grave for a few days to make sure nothing bothers it.  Unfortunately in the desert food is an  vital important resource.  We had one grave almost completely dug up overnight, never figured out what did it, obviously more than one animal to have dug that much.  Thank goodness they didn't get deep enough, & John redid it.

Gus is really doing well, he's walking easier, not laying down as much & learning the routine.  He is still standing with his front feet out in front of him when he stands, but I think when Courtney gets him trimmed again, that will make a big difference on his comfort level.  His heels are still about 3 inches tall & his toes longer than they should be.  As much as his walking has improved with the trimming Courtney did in the trailer, I think when the excess is taken off, he'll be buzzing around like a maniac in no time.  Then we'll work on his "love" handles.