This afternoon we  picked up Ellyn & Dick in Sonoita & headed out to do the home study for Pancho & Ruger "ie" Lefty. 

It's almost perfect burro country, about 3 acres of hilly rocky ground with a nosy Arab mare & 3 dogs.  So we headed to the other side of Sonoita to pick up the boys from their foster home.  Sonoita is basically an intersection out in the middle of grasslands, so going from one side to the other isn't very far.  In fact as a crow flies they are probably less than 2 miles from where they were.

Their foster mom has changed her days at work, & actually was home today.  Probably a good thing, since Pancho had a different type of day planned I guess.  Dick & Ellyn even got to tug & pull as we tried to get Pancho in the trailer.  For a little guy, he certainly was determined, but so were we.  Ruger was just a goofy little guy, pretty much ready to "go along to get along".  

We got them in their pen, & they got busy exploring the new territory, basically ignoring people, dogs & the silly mare.  She's a beautiful Arab mare, very friendly, loves people............BUT.........once the donkeys hit the ground, she totally focused on them, almost ran me down.  I tried twirling a rope to back her up, & obviously she had never had that rather "rustic" training method used on her, since it didn't even faze her........!!!  So I made sure I was close to a bush or tree, just in case, she came flying thru again.  

The dogs went out in the pen with the donkeys & everyone seemed to get along just fine, & before we left the mare & the donks had touched noses thru the fence, so I think they'll fit right in. 

Ruthie, John & the neighbor's dog Boofer entertaining visitors at the Open House this week-end

The weather was great, we didn't have as many people as we have had in other years, but everyone seemed to have a good time,  & the donkeys got lots of attention.  One man brought his own apples, which were a huge hit with the "fur" kids.  Jenny got to the point where she wouldn't take timothy pellets, if that's all they had to offer.  When the man brought out the apple, she had no problem taking that.........!!!! 

I want to thank, Linda, Georgette, Ian, Patti & Mae for all their help.  Couldn't have done it without you guys.  Besides we don't ever see enough of ya'll, it makes a good time to visit in between people coming to see the donkeys.  

Ruthie started yelling as soon as she saw people & Boaz learned to trot from one side of his pen to the other, as the people moved along.  Most of the people were more than willing to give him more treats or pet him, which he figured out real quick.  

One woman came that was here a couple of years ago, & got Tula to take a treat from her hand.  I think over the years Tula has done that 3 times, always from a woman.  But she wouldn't do it this time.  

I got a big surprise, when I looked up & saw a friend from Missouri, Ellyn & her husband Dick.  Ellyn was our bridesmaid when we got married 51 years ago......!!!  They've been out here before, but we didn't know they were coming this year.  They've gone on quite a few adventures with us, picking up donkeys or hay or whatever else we're doing.  They are more than willing to jump into the fray, so to speak.  Tomorrow they are going to go with us to do a home study for Pancho & Ruger.  If the home checks out, which I think it will we'll go pick up the boys & haul them to their new home, which is pretty close to where they are being fostered.  The people are horse people so they know what shelter & fences means,  I'm sure there won't be any problems.   

You might notice the blog looks a little different...............FINALLY.........!!  I have been ready to do some changes with the blog for a LONG time, but didn't know how to do it & was afraid to mess up what I already had.  After we got thru with the Open House, got the animals fed, & had something to eat ourselves, Patti, worked on my blog to bring it into the 21st century, so to speak.  I doubt that it will ever be "nifty neato", but it looks a lot more interesting now, & she showed me some things I can do to make it better.  

Everyone was glad to get out of their pens tonight, but I would imagine tomorrow they will be expecting more Open House with people.  It doesn't take them long to settle into a new routine, especially if food is involved, but I'm sure when the gates open, they'll be more than happy to head out for a day of munching on the mesquite trees. 

OPEN HOUSE TOMORROW

John & I are running around like chickens with our heads cut off, trying to get ready.  Well actually right now he's running around, & I'm goofing off on the computer.......!!!  All that organizing gives me a "low back pain", so I am taking a well earned break...!!!  

I think everything is falling into place, so we should be ready by tomorrow morning.  Did find out a couple of the volunteers aren't going to make it, so the rest of you guys are going to probably be pretty busy.  If anyone in the area would like to come out for a few hours, I'm sure we could use you.  If it gets busy, I'll probably recruit from visitors that I know.......!!! LOL

Of course we aren't the only attraction going on.  The Cascabel Community Fair, (for 20 some years it was a Christmas fair, till "PC" raised it's ugly head)   will be jamming out with music, food, lots of booths with homemade one of a kind treasures.  It's about 12 miles north of us & is well worth the effort to go see what's going on.

I'd like to go, but I would imagine I'll be busy.................!!! LOL  At least I hope so. 

 

 Moogee hasn't figured this move out yet, thank goodness

Well, I think Boaz & his partner in crime BlackJack are trying for a world record for losing fly masks.  It's become a daily occurrence for Boaz to come in without a mask.  John has spent a LOT of time looking for them.  I even went out this morning looking, hoping a different way of searching might turn at least one of them up............NOPE 

A nice couple that came to visit this summer, obviously thought some of the masks needed replacing, & sent 5 brand spanking new ones.  Two of the ones Boaz lost are those, & I refuse to put another new one on him.  This morning I went thru the masks I have laying on the sewing machine awaiting repairs from a hard summer & picked out the one easiest to fix.  Now it's out there too, & I guess I'll dig out another one tonight to put on him tomorrow.  I could get in touch with Renee at Colorful Equine, but if I can get thru this year with what I have, I'll order a supply of masks in the spring for next year. 

It wouldn't be so bad, but he is one that really needs a fly mask, because of habronema damage below his eyes.  When he comes in without a mask, his eyes are all watery.  You'd think by almost December the flies would be gone, especially after a couple of nights earlier this month of 19 degrees.  But there are still plenty of them flying around.

The weather this week-end for the Open House is suppose to be sunny & in the 70's.  Last year it was cold & miserable, so Mae said she would bring hot apple cider this year.  I called her & told her as warm as it was going to be, hot cider probably wouldn't be as appreciated as it would have been last year.  

This afternoon John FINALLY got the concrete poured for the rubbermaid water trough to sit on.   Lysa & I have been after him for a year, & he kept saying he'd get to it.  I think we'd given up or maybe he was just waiting for us to quit harping about it.  When we went out for chores tonight, someone had gouged a couple of divets out of it.  Donkeys don't miss anything & if it can be messed up or even better, totally destroyed, that's what will happen.

I'm having a hard time adjusting my feed.  Jack ate over half of the mush I mixed up each feeding.  So far I'm mixing up too much every time, so I put what's left in the refrigerator till the next feeding.   I don't want to not have enough, but at the rate I'm going that's not going to be a problem.

Rusty seems lost, he just stands around usually around the pen area.  Boaz didn't have a shelter in his pen, so we moved Daisy to Jack's pen, down by her girlfriends, Frijolita & Tula.  John took the corral panels down between Daisy & Boaz, so now not only does he have a shelter, he also has the largest pen.  I hope we can find Rusty a mule buddy. 

IT DOESN'T GET ANY EASIER.......!!

When John went out this morning, Jack had crossed over the Rainbow Bridge.  John had checked on  him around 3am.  He was laying down, sitting up on his breastbone, got up & came to John.  That in itself was unusual behavior for him, interaction with people was always on his terms. 

Without a necropsy we'll never know for sure what happened, but I feel it was something that had been going on for awhile.  He was as usual until yesterday afternoon, so whatever it was, hadn't been a burden to him, which is good.  

When Jack first came here with John

In April of 2004 Jack's owner called & said if we didn't take him he would shoot him, because Jack had recently gone blind in one eye & was too spooky.  I think even then he didn't hear well, which was probably part of the spooky part, especially if you came up on his blind side.  That never changed, you come up on his blind side without yelling, & there were going to be fireworks, hopefully away & not towards you. 

We called him "WooWoo" Jack, that's the sound he made when he was anxiously waiting for his mush.  And if you forgot & headed towards the 4 pens below him without feeding him first, he really let you know it.  

Over the years he mellowed although he was always a mule because of being used as a tool, rather than being treated as a team member, probably all of his life.  He was born on a ranch May 5, 1982 & I doubt that he ever established a relationship with anyone.  But he learned to mug people that came out on tours for treats.  We always warned them that he would "slime" their hand because of lacking many teeth.  He was always chewing a quid of hay or weeds, & would work it down to the front of his mouth, & delicately "hack" it out, so he could accept their offer.  We'd tell them the story & they all would stand to watch him work it out & spit & most were more than willing to get "slimed"

I hope in some way we helped to make his retirement years good.  He roamed the property with his buddy Rusty the white mule, & could do just what he wanted to do.  I hope it was enough.

Now Rusty doesn't have a buddy, he doesn't care for the donkeys & they don't want to be around him.  Who knows maybe a little mini horse or mule will need a new buddy soon. 

Managed to get the bird & it's accompanying goodies cooked & ready at the same time......!!!!  It's been so long since I "did" Thanksgiving, I wasn't sure I could get it done.  I actually had some down time in the morning, which was a surprise.

This is a picture I took of Laura, Olivia, John, Boaz & a little bit of BlackJack in the background, as they were getting ready to leave.  They were here for 3 days & really were a lot of help.  Olivia wants to be a vet, & from what I saw she will be a good one.  

Speaking of Boaz, I got a call this afternoon from a neighbor to tell me one of the donkeys was out & about down by her place.  I went out & told John Boaz was out.............!!!!  Didn't even have to think about who it was......Ha!  John said this morning Boaz came in "flying low" & braying from Burroland & ran in his pen, like he was late.  Now we think he was probably out & ran to catch up.

Anyway we went out with the golf cart, & there he was in the wash headed for the San Pedro River bed, hesitate to call it a river, since it very rarely has water in it.  I jumped out to try to head him off, & told John to take off towards home & I'd run him down the road, towards the gate, that John was going to open.  

I started down the wash, & when I got close to him, he jumped up the bank, which wasn't an easy jump.  As he was scrambling up the bank, & I got closer to him, he lunged up the bank & took off like someone had set his tail on fire.  Usually when a donkey is running they run along with their head turned to one side, bopping along at a pretty good speed.  He had his head down & running as fast as I've ever seen one run.  I tried to run up the bank to keep up with him, which wasn't a real brilliant idea, I fell in the process.  Of course he was still "picking them up & putting them down".  When I got to the road, John was still there, & said Boaz leaped past him, ran over to our fence & went thru like it wasn't even there.  Hmmm, last time he got out which hasn't been too long ago, John went down to that area & fixed where he thought the problem was.  Obviously not.........!!!!  But in the process Boaz showed John exactly where the fence had dragged the post on the bank, down into the wash, which made the existing fence about 18 inches high.  Didn't even slow him down.......but John shut off Burroland for the night & has plans for fixing the problem tomorrow.  Why do I think that Boaz is going to end up showing John every weakness in his perimeter fence......!!!! LOL

While we were down there we noticed Jack the mule laying down in the wash.  It looked like he was just rolling.  But tonight when he came in, he was acting like he was in pain, John came in & said he thought Jack was colicing.  He has gut sounds, but has his tail out away from his body & acts like he trying to pass gas.  He is so hard to work with, although I did manage to get Colic Relief down him.

This is later & no change in Jack, I can't really say he is acting like colic, but without a vet it's beyond my knowledge to know what else it could be.  He seems to be in pain & is actually letting us work with him, which is unusual for him.  I even gave him a shot of banamine.  We quit giving him vaccinations years ago, because he would just explode if the needle touched him.  He didn't even move when I gave him the shot.  Banamine is a good pain, inflammatory medication & is often given for colic.  As usual if anything is going to happen, it will happen on a week-end or holiday.  Although we now have a mobile vet, she lives about 50 miles away..........SIGH  The clinic up at Gilbert always has students or interns working with them & they live just across the road from the clinic in a house.  Don't know if the clinic owns it or not, but it's certainly convenient.

 My idea of heaven would be a local clinic with at least 3 vets in the office, that lived close to the clinic.  They could take turns being on call, so there would be 24/7 coverage.  Unfortunately I don't think there would ever be enough business in this area to justify such a clinic.   

Took a picture of Jenny's foot this morning.  I know to most people it looks really icky, but it actually is looking pretty good, well except for the proud flesh.  The sugar/ betadine poultice  seems to be drying out the drainage.  I hope it continues to improve.

 This morning John had his first cataract removed.  I guess I was so thrilled with mine, he decided to try it.  He already says things are much brighter, that's what I first noticed too.  

Our son, grandson, & great grandson will coming out from Tucson for Thanksgiving this year.  I have "squirmed" out of fixing dinner for years, but guess it finally caught up with me.....!!! LOL  Hope I can remember what to do.  Actually it isn't the "what to do", it's getting it to come out "on time".  I use to do this for large groups when John was in the Air Force, but I've gotten out of the habit..........!!!   Mother wouldn't want to go out to eat, so it started out I was going to cook for the 3 of us.  But you know how those things go.  We are even adding Laura & Olivia her daughter, that are here this week volunteering.  Olivia wants to be a vet in a few years, & they like to go to different rescues & sanctuaries away from home to volunteer.  They are really good help, I hope I can find enough to keep them busy.....!!!  

Yesterday I went to town & brought home sacks of feed in the pick-up.  We hauled in the groceries, came in the house, & promptly forgot about the feed.  Looked out a few minutes later & there was a "herd" surrounding the bed of the pick-up, although Rusty the mule was about the only one tall enough to actually "partake" of the goodies.  John went out, tried to run them off, & moved the pick-up to the container where we store feed.  It's up by the garage & guess what he found up there?  Let me give you a hint...........he had also forgotten to close the garage door, where we store the garbage bags to take to the landfill.  The ones that hadn't found the hay pellets in the truck, had found the open door that led to those fascinating  plastic bags that must have smelled good.  John said they had scattered garbage from the container all the way past the hay barn.  I wondered why it took him so long to move the pick-up & unload 3 bags of feed......!!!   He was busy, chasing donkeys & cleaning up garbage....!!

 When we went out to feed Friday night Boaz didn't show up.............hmmmm..........!!!  Boaz has a "nose for news", when it comes to finding a weak spot in the perimeter fence, so we figured he was on a walk about as the Aussies say.

John headed for the wash, which is the usual place if someone gets out, because it's impossible to actually "fence" across the wash effectively.  No tracks & no Boaz.  I went back in the feed room to mix feed & John ranged out further.  It was getting dark,  & since we didn't know how long he'd been out, no telling where he was.

I got the feed mixed, John hadn't come back, so I jumped in the golf cart to go out & see if I could see him from the road.  As I got out to open the gate, here Boaz came trotting down the road.  I opened the gate, he came in & started running & braying, guess he figured out he was missing dinner, ran in his pen, turned around & brayed at me like, "where's my treat"?

John finally showed up & said he never did see Boaz, so we have no idea where he was, & John hasn't been able to find where he got out.

Something killed our last guinea Friday night, just ate the head, which I think is the M.O. of a skunk.  She was "mature" & slept on the ground rather than roosting up high.  We always shut her & the 2 remaining old hens up every night, but whatever it was, pulled the chicken wire & staples loose to get in.  John redid the wire & staples, so I hope it doesn't get in again.  Unfortunately if there is a weak spot in the wire, skunks or raccoons will find it.  One of the hens sleeps in the nesting box, the other one goes up real high on a ledge.  The one on the ledge is probably pretty safe, but the other one, is pretty vulnerable.

Still doctoring Jenny's foot, I think sometimes we go 1 step forward & 2 steps backwards, but she's still interested in going out & doing her thing.  Yesterday I cut off as much of the proud flesh as I was comfortable doing.  John asked if he could help, but he has a weak stomach, when it comes to blood, & with proud flesh there is a massive amount of blood for the amount of cutting you do.

When Dr. Nancy cut the proud flesh off Boaz's knee, she of course cut every little bit she could find off.........but.........she also used a dehorning iron to cauterize it.  That goes way beyond my "pay" grade......!!!   I'm not going there.......!!!   (G)

So I took off what I was comfortable doing, finally had to put a pressure bandage on it to stop the bleeding & left it on.  I'm suppose to soak her this morning, so I'll see what it looks like when I unwrap it.  Dr. Megan says she can deal with the proud flesh later, but we need to get the internal oozing under control.

 I agree, but in the meantime, I REALLY dislike proud flesh.

Thanks Claire & Quilla

(& Gus' chubby little side)

You think these two aren't enjoying their "quality" time with Claire?  Here... they are just one of the herd.  At Claire's house, they "RULE"........!!!!   LOL 

Last night old crippled Pepper was at it again.  He's figured out if he tries to "woo" Cheyenne he might have a chance.  She's only 32 inches tall, so all it takes is  walking over the top of her & go for it......!!!  John wanted to take pictures, but I told him we don't want to embarrass him, as if Pepper ever could be embarrassed.....!!!  He's going into this winter (19 degrees a couple of mornings this week) with a little meat on his bones, & stepping out pretty good on his poor old broken hip & bad knee.  So hopefully I won't have to blanket him, which he hates, because he has to stay in the pens at night.  Otherwise I have no idea where the blanket would end up in the brush.  He's only getting down occasionally.  John's getting good at rolling him over without having to use the ropes.  Pepper just lays there & doesn't try to fight, so John stands between his front & rear legs, (you'll notice I didn't say Tish rolls him this way, I have better sense) grabs all 4 legs & rolls him to his left side, & he usually pops right up.  I have told John, although Pepper doesn't fight & all that, standing between his legs like that isn't a "REAL" good idea, but so far he's gotten away with it.  

The other day John was very upset with Daisy, she stepped on his foot & wouldn't pick it up.  DUH...!!!  I asked John why he didn't throw all his weight into her shoulder to off balance her?  John is great with the animals..........BUT......I really believe it is much easier to work with large animals if you were raised with large animals.  He grew up with 3 very long lived pets, a dog, cat & parakeet, while I ran the gamut, you name it, I probably had it.  I might add opossums do NOT make good pets, raccoons are great fun, but destructive & crows are worse than a 2 year old child. 

I don't want to jinx Jenny, but her foot seems to be doing better, since we've been soaking every other day in epsom salts & betadine, & keeping it wrapped in a diaper with a sugardine poultice.  She's also still getting metronidazole, rectally twice a day.  I swear she walks slower & more crippled when she knows we're watching her.  She's being real good about everything, & I make sure there is a steady supply of animal crackers.......!!! LOL