2020 IS ALMOST IN THE REAR VIEW MIRROR.........!!!

 Just a few more days and we will say goodbye to a year that has been a trial to say the least.  Looks like nothing is going to change in the near future, and no light at the end of the tunnel.  

We've been having quite a few tours and yesterday we had a large group come out to run with the donkeys in preparation for the 5k race on New Year's Day at the Triangle T Ranch down in the Dragoon mountains.  I think Linda said there are 47 people signed up.  Some are bringing their donkeys, some of running our donkeys, some are running without donkeys and some are sharing their virtual race times and hopefully videos to participate in the fun.  

John is going to set off an air horn to start the race.  That should be interesting, it probably won't startle our donkeys.  We use the air horn when we're doing roundup and all the donkeys have gone to their pens and we still have someone out looking for them.  So the donkeys are use to hearing it.  BUT, not sure about some of the others, so the start might be entertaining....!!  LOL

We have some excitement happening this week.  About a month ago a couple came out for a tour, I think Burroland was open, so the donkeys were everywhere.  We took them around in 2 of our 3 golf carts.  One of them has no brakes and the other one has been chewed on by donkeys and the seat just barely has a place for you to sit.  We're use to it, but obviously it made an impression on them.  They called last week and are bringing us a golf cart...!!!!  Lynn and John have already made a spot for it in the hay barn and it will only be used for tours...!! At least that is the plan.  

I haven't taken very many pictures this month, so I'll share some of Linda's videos of the donkeys out for training.  I'll just share links, some of them are larger than Blogspot allows.  

Run Rudolph by Chuck Berry

Working out in Arizona 

Getting ready for New Year's 5k

 

CHRISTMAS CAME EARLY.....!!

 Yesterday John came in with a very heavy box.  When we opened it, it looked a lot like a box we got a few weeks ago, from Debra in Ohio.  Lots of canned pumpkin for Cisco's elimination problem and goodies for people and dogs alike.  What a nice surprise.  Her daughter and son-in-law live in Arizona and have been out here to visit the donkeys.  I can't remember if Debra has been out here or not.  She even individually wrapped the cans of pumpkin. 

    Rescue isn't always fun, some situations will make you wonder if there is any hope for the human race.  But then someone like Debra comes along that makes you realize the good people outnumber the bad.  We just have to keep doing our thing and making a difference when we can. 

Cisco is the brown donkey, with his friend Shiloh a few years ago.  As you can see they eat other things besides pumpkin.  Cisco dearly loves his pumpkin.  It makes a big difference with his chronic constipation and he gets a can of pumpkin daily.  If we are a little slow dishing out the pumpkin on top of his mush, he lets us know that there is suppose to be pumpkin there, so where is it?  

 

Did everyone get to see the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn last night?  We started going out just after 6pm when they were just close together.  John said it looked like a car quite a distance away, with one bright headlight and one not as bright and rather fuzzy looking.  Over the next hour we went out about every 10 minutes to check on them.  They never really got closer, the last time John checked they had dropped below the Rincon mountains between us and Tucson, so we couldn't see them anymore.  I guess they finally got up lined up like they said they would, but because of the mountains we don't know.  

This picture was on the internet, someone took it with I assume a really good camera.  It wasn't near this clear and bright with the naked eye.  

 

 Not much going on around here, Suzanne is still gone to visit family until after Christmas.  The preparations for the New Ear's 5K burro race are going well.  It's amazing how much behind the scenes work it takes to make an event like this happen.  Lynn, Linda and volunteers have gone out twice so far to mark the trail and I think Linda said they are going out again, before the race.  

Marking the trail is paramount to everyone having a good finish especially if there are choices, like a fork in the trail or even a right or left hand turn.  If it isn't marked well , which way do you go?  One of their last people races wasn't marked very well, and Lynn got to run a few miles more than he needed to.  Of course he got to see things the other runners didn't get to see.  But he was in 2nd place when he took a wrong path and he lost a lot of positions before the finish.

 Anyone that is in the SE Arizona area that isn't doing any thing New Year's Day, should come down to the Triangle T Ranch in the Dragoon mountains right off I-10 and enjoy meeting the donkeys and watch the race.  It should be a lot of fun.  

 

 

JOIN US FOR A FUN TIME NEW YEAR'S DAY.............

 

CeleBRAYte 2021 with us! This 5K is a fundraiser for Forever Home Donkey Rescue & Sanctuary, Inc. Our second annual New Ears Bray 5K will be held at Triangle T Guest Ranch in Dragoon, AZ. Racers are welcomed with or without burros. Can't make it? No problem! We have a virtual option, too! All registered participants will receive a New Ears Bray 5K Medal. For more details, please see the link below.

 

https://runsignup.com/Race/AZ/Dragoon/NewEarsBray

 

How does a virtual race work?

Simply register, on line, complete the distance anytime and anywhere you desire (even on a treadmill!), and to our website. We will mail you a finisher’s medal after you upload your results or at the end of the race period, whichever comes first.

Can anyone participate?

Yes! Young or old, fast or slow – we encourage participants of all ages and ability levels.

SIGGY AND HARLEY NOT TO BE OUTDONE..........

Siggy and Harley got to be in the limelight today for Winkie's Weight Loss Workout Wednesday!

 It's like watching jello...!!

They both need to tone up a little bit, and they seem more than willing to participate.  Hopefully it won't be long before they are toned and buffed.   They sure are cute little runners and so willing.  

JACKSON AND LA'ROY STRUTTING THEIR STUFF.....!!

 Linda took this video yesterday.  We had a couple of new volunteers out and when they got thru working, they got to  play with the donkeys.  Linda couldn't have picked a better song to go with the boys run.  Siggy and Harley were running in front of them and they did really good too.  Siggy and Harley I don't think had even been out before.  Siggy is a micro mini only 28 inches tall, so his little short legs go pretty fast, but he was in the lead and seemed to be having a great time. 

 Little bitty runners....!

New Year's Day there is going to be a New Ears Bray 5K run at the Triangle T Guest Ranch in the Dragoon mountains put on by Burro Buddies.  Should be a lot of fun, for people and burros, not to mention fun to watch.  I wouldn't be surprised if some of the minis will be running.  A lot of people that have never ran with a burro before like to start out "small".  I would imagine they think the smaller the easier to control, which usually isn't the case.  A lot of these little guys have Napoleon complexes and don't know they are little.  

 I have to brag a little on all the donkeys and even Casper the little white devil mule.  The last few days everyone have been really good at roundup time.  We usually find a donkey, they follow us to their pen and get a treat.  What this process does is  teach them to not go in their pen until they see a person with the payoff in hand unfortunately.  

The last few days many of them have actually been going into their pen on their own and waiting patiently for one of us to show up with the reward.  Tonight the Burro Barracks herd of 14 all went in on their own.  Usually we have one or two interlopers in there that don't actually belong and getting them out without losing some of the ones that do belong can be a challenge.  In fact that's how Oliver ended up in the barracks, he decided that's where he belonged and refused to go back to the pen with his 2 mini friends he had been with for years.  Over the years things like this have happened quite often.  A pair will come in and the people say they are bonded.  They get here with so many other donkeys and acres to explore and one will go one way and the other one goes his own way.  

As for Casper the little mini mule, he's been going in his pen like a good boy.  But Linda said yesterday he ruined his good record.  

 Linda and the dogs are on the dirt road coming to our driveway.  Casper is eating hay that Lynn and John deem not good enough for the donkeys, they put out for the range cattle.  In other words the hay is outside our perimeter fence, which means Casper is also outside the perimeter fence.  Linda said the dogs looked like they were saying "you're in trouble, you're in trouble".  He's not as smart as he thinks he is, if you yell at him to get back where he belongs, he goes back in where he got out, so we know where to fix it so he can't use it again.  We all thought he was being a good boy, we see him off and on during the day and he's always here at feeding time.  The little devil has a built in clock I guess.....!!  LOL 

  

THE NEW "FUR" KIDS ARE OUT AND ABOUT.........!!

 We always let the newbies out the first time by themselves for about an hour to give them time to explore a little bit without a bunch of nosy donkeys in their business.  When Lola and Merlin went out for their adventure this morning, she went one way and he went the other, so I guess they are going to do their own thing.  We'll see what happens when the others get out later this morning.

 

 

This Lola picking up little tiny dried up mesquite leaves.  All the donkeys love them, and spend a lot of time gleaning them off the ground.  She also found a stick to eat, so I guess she's another "woodchuck".......LOL

Merlin checking out an old poo pile, I guess to see who's here.  They are both really nice donkeys.  Lynn and Linda will probably take them out for some practice runs to see how they do.  

Well it's later this morning and I didn't get finished with my blog before the donkeys started going out.  Lola was enticing the boys thru the corral panels yesterday, when they were out and she wasn't.  So there's been a lot of running and chasing.  

 Casper the little white devil mini mule was still in his pen earlier and Lola and Merlin came by to say hi.....!!!  You would have thought he was 10 foot high and bullet proof, running at the corral panels, squealing and in general acting like a little monster.  I would love to know all of his history, he's always so nasty to any newbies for the first 3 or 4 days, then he settles down and ignores them.  Guess he figures they know who's boss by then.......!!! LOL  We know he has been in many homes,  and has learned to rely on himself rather than people or any other animal.  Probably most of them weren't very good homes, since he was still an intact stud, probably with a lot of attitude.  So he's learned to keep his distance and not expect much from the relationship. He and Big Gus have played in the past and been "buds".  But they both are loners and really prefer to do their own thing. 

 

Just saw Lola walking down below the house, with a trail of admirers walking behind her.  At least they aren't squabbling now, so hopefully that's all over.  

 Went out to see how Maddie a new volunteer was doing and here came the herd. All that running around made Lola thirsty I guess.  Look like Merlin has decided to protect her and is standing guard. 

 

This is what Merlin is protecting her from....!!!  Guess they are all waiting for the fun to start again..!!! There's going to be some tired donkeys around here tonight.......LOL

 

BUSY WEEK-END FOR ALL..........

 Suzanne, Lynn and Linda went on a run up in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area, something like 800 people running from 15 miles to 50 kilometers which is 31 miles...............for FUN.......!!!  They all finished their distances they signed up for, said it was a tough trail, lots of up and down, rocks and even people on bicycles to contend with.  

But look what followed them home, 2 very pretty donkeys.  They were suppose to pick Lola and Merlin up sometime soon and decided to just make one trip, which actually worked out really well.  

Merlin and Lola

  

                       This is the welcoming committee or at least part of it. 

 

 

Lola

 

 

Harley and Ziggy checking them out this morning.  

 

We'll probably let them out tomorrow or the next day to meet everyone and get to explore Burroland.  They've been in a dry lot, so that might be pretty exciting for them.
 

So while they were gone, John and I went to the end of the year NASCAR banquet to get my trophy.  Of course Covid had to come into play about 48 hours before the festivities.  Because of Covid we weren't going to have the banquet in one of the casinos in Tucson like they usually do, it was going to be outside at the track with everyone wearing masks.  So the country decided to add some more "rules" at a late date.  Only 50 people at a time could attend.  They've had up to 300 people at a banquet in the past and there is a couple of families that could probably have 50 just as relatives there.  

 

So they had to divide us up into 4 groups, each group had 45 minutes to get in, eat, hand out trophies, take pictures and get out.  LOL  John and I were in the 2nd group and we went in almost 30 minutes late and were grateful we weren't the last group......!! LOL  I guess it was like doctor's appointments, you want to be early morning, or right after lunch because as the hours pass, appointments get longer and so do the waits.  The track actually did a pretty good job jumping thru hoops, they could have just told us to come by the track and pick up our trophies.  

This is a 4th place trophy and it is 3 feet tall...!!!  One year a friend of ours got a 2nd or 3rd place trophy and we had to dismantle it to get it in the trunk of a Lincoln and they have big trunks.....!!! LOL

I guess the dirt track is having problems, buying the track isn't going smoothly, so we don't know if it will be operating in the spring.  The asphalt track says the Hornets will be racing next year, but we haven't seen anything in writing or the rules.  

I've got my fingers crossed that there will be racing for the Hornets someplace next season.  Dirt of course would be my choice, but after 6 years racing asphalt, I can live with asphalt again, dirt would just be more fun.