110* DEGREES THIS WEEK-END...!!

PANCHO AND I THINK SELENA.....DOUG NEEDS TO UPDATE HIS CAMERA DATE....lol

I sure am glad I'm not racing this week-end, it is suppose to be a scorcher....!!!  They say (which I always take with a grain of salt) that our El Nino this year will be very strong for the first time in 10 years or more.  If so it should be a good year for lots of rain.  

When I race I have to sit in staging before my race for as long as it takes for the race before mine to get finished.  When it's hot it is really hot in the car, with a fire suit and helmet on, even if the race ahead of mine is efficient.  Our good friend Larry will be racing, hopefully once the sun goes down it will cool off quick.  If it's humid it won't.......!!!

The donkeys are all doing pretty good, I can't get over how little doctoring I'm having to do, so far this year.  I only have about 5 that I have to doctor every day, and even then, no bloody sores and bandages like in the past.  Just places I have to keep covered with thuja zinc oxide.  I finished the 3 treatment, 2 weeks apart on the three I suspect might have neck worms.  Rosie is the worst one, she has 4 places on her belly that have to be doctored all summer every year.  I'm sorry to say her belly is still icky, but I don't think it's as bad as it has been in the past, so maybe the extra worming is helping.  

I finally broke down and bought cordless clippers.  So many times I run across mats or something that needs to be trimmed and it's not worth dragging out the "industrial" strength massive heavy duty clippers.  I usually just grab a pair of scissors and whack away.  On the long haired ones, like BlackJack he ends up looking rather moth eaten.  I've put it off, most clippers are for dogs or if they advertise for horses, they say for bridal paths, whiskers and fetlocks.  In other words probably not up to getting thru, sweaty matted donkey hair.  I went on e-bay and picked out 5 or 6 for John to read about and decide which one to try.  Of course he picked the most expensive one.  I don't know if he actually read up on each one, or just figured the more it costs the better it will work.  LOL  Anyway when the clippers get here, my first victim will be BJ.  The little bit of Poitou background he has makes his hair long and very fine, so of course it mats easily, especially in his armpits.  I really hate to go under there, with a pair of scissors, it's too easy to gather up skin.  He's really very good to work with and even forgives easily as long as there are cookies to be had, but I hate to hurt them if it isn't necessary.  

Salena and Falena have settled in really well.  It was almost like they remembered the routine.  Unfortunately right now we have no routine.  The beans are going into full ripen and fall mode and getting them to come in and eat hay and mush is a battle.  They are only getting about 3 or 4 hours access to Burroland each day, which they seem to think is unacceptable.  They get out about 1-2pm and are expected to show up for feeding around 5pm.  NOT HAPPENING..............!!!  John has to go over there 4 or 5 times and find a few at a time.  I've tried to show him how to do it effectively.......LOL  I go over with a riding crop, find Tula, start swinging the crop, jumping around like a mad woman, screaming at the top of my lungs.  She and all the ones with her, know it's time to go to the pens, and they take off at a rapid rate.  Along the way the others usually catch up, so I end up with the whole herd, running like their lives depend on it.  It's up to John and Doug to get them in the pens, because I've usually shot my wad on finding Tula and doing my "I'm going to kill you" dance, and end up slowly following them.  If I have to go find them, they better get moving.  John will find them and tell them to go.  So they go, but at their chosen speed.........maybe.  If we have to get involved in making them do, what they know they should do, from my point of view, it shouldn't be on their terms, they need to "fear" for their lives...........LOL