JACK IS SURGING AHEAD IN THE BATTLE OF WILLS

Poor John, I'm not sure he's really up to this battle of wills.  He's at a disadvantage because the fencing is barbed wire that has been up for over 20 years on T-posts.  T-posts over the years don't always stay in place which means the wire gets loose.  Plus there is the added feature of the large wash the fence goes across.  And Jack knows very well he can get thru the fence, if he just finds the right spot. 

We let them into Burroland yesterday afternoon, took an hour and 15 minutes to get them all back over here.  That's a lot of exercise for John and I, much more than we wanted.  We managed to get back with no major wounds.  Trying to keep up with donkeys in the mesquite and brush, not to mention all the dead limbs on the ground trying to trip us.  Wouldn't be so many limbs, but when they are trying to reach the beans, they break off limbs.  A lot of the limbs on the trees hang at just about eye level, but we managed to survive those too.  It's not very effective for 2 "mature" humans to try to round up a dozen donkeys on 20 acres, that have no intention of cooperating.  Our only trump card is to just keep at them, so they know we are behind them, until they finally give up.  What gets me is you can tell when they are ready to go to the gate.  Before that if you manage to get them in the gate area, they just go past it like it isn't there, usually at a high rate of speed.  Once they make up their minds they head for the gate by the shortest route at a walk.  I had a whistle I blew once, won't do that again.  It took us forever to even find them after that......!!!! LOL  Rusty the white mule was under a tree eating beans like a Hoover, ignoring me.  When I blew that whistle, I found out just how fast a 34 year old mule can move.  Of course all the others left too, at warp speed. 

I guess Jack isn't satisfied with the rationed time over in Burroland, so this morning when John rounded everyone up, Jack was missing and Molly was standing by the fence looking into Burroland.  John's already found out where Jack wiggled thru, just has to fix it.  I've always heard "if your fences won't hold water, don't get goats".  That might be a good thought for little black mini mules too......!!! LOL

Yesterday morning Daisy came in with a bloody nose on one side.  Equine aren't known for having nosebleeds, there is usually a good reason, gutteral pouch,  and ethmoid hematoma are a couple of reasons you really don't want.  Of course there is the exercise reason well known in the racing industry.  I doubt that Daisy would ever have an exercise nose bleed, not her style.  I cleaned her nose out and it felt like there might be a scratch in there.  I put some Vaseline in her nostril and this morning it isn't draining, so hopefully that's what it was.  She probably stuck a stick up her nose.

Mike and Zeke are home.  I haven't heard how the parade in Kingman went this week-end, I hope they made it.  Zeke picked up a piece of wire in the sole of one of his feet and went lame.  They were within about 20 miles of Kingman, but Zeke's health and well being, is more important than pressing on.  I hope he doesn't get an abscess, which is pretty common with a sole puncture, the place closes over because it's such a small opening and traps dirt and bacteria.