Spring Things

Things are busy at el rancho. In the last week, wildflowers and bluebonnets have exploded onto the scene. The elms are pushing out leaves and the post oaks have grown catkins about six inches long! I love when the soil warms enough for plants to push through and deliver their visual treats for us and their nutritious treats for the goats and donkeys.








All but two does have kidded, so we are surrounded by bouncing, springing. baby goats. They can't help it, they just have to bounce! The oldest kids are now six weeks old and developing some independence from mom.

Today, we decided to move the goats in the Maternity Ward over to the Lower Pasture so they could eat up the rye grass and weeds which are thriving on the fertilizer we put down for the bermuda seed. We will only leave them there for a few days. The bermuda sprouts are so short they won't eat them, so the goat are earning their keep by weeding!  Normally, we move goats between pastures with a bucket of feed; they follow along wherever we lead. This time, we weren't so lucky. The Maternity Ward forage is pretty picked over. Once they left that pasture, they found plenty to eat at hand. nice green stuff, and couldn't care less about some goat chow in a bucket. Some of the kids (feeling a little independent) didn't follow their moms, so then the Dans had to chase down kids and hand them over the fence.

On the house front, we finished installing Danny's entire kitchen! Cabinets, counters, sinks and appliances. What a great feeling! The final outside soffits are going in today. After that is done, Danny will finish up the trim work and painting on his own, because Dan and I will be building our apartment inside the Barndo! Hopefully in the next two weeks they can begin welding steel and installing panels! We have elected to hire electricians and plumbers to do all of the initial work so that we can start living in the Barndo sooner and get out of Danny's backyard!

The big question will how the dogs will respond to living apart. Right  now, they sleep in separate houses, but play in the same yard, I don't know if our girls will come down to Danny's during the day, or if Agatha will come to our house, but I am pretty certain that they will find a way to be together!

Jennets Settling In

Molly

Today, I spent time at el rancho, mostly socializing with the jennets. I'm beginning to learn about their personalities and each is her own donkey. Molly, the momma, is very sweet and seems to run the herd. She has more red in her coat that does Fiona. Fiona is mostly donkey grey and white and is wider through the hip than Molly. She seems to be the most cautious of the three. Then there's Fancy, the big brown teenager. She varies between bold and skittish and is the only one which has attempted to nibble on my clothes or arms.

Started off the day a few minutes behind the Dans. Got to the gate and no donkey in sight. After parking, I heard the Dans talking by the pond area where they were contemplating various ways of 'refencing' that wet area (which can dry up). This is the last part of perimeter fence that is undone. It's currently fenced with barbed wire. The girls were cornered up and not too happy about it and they came out to the picnic area when they got a chance. They started off a little shy and I just worked on, not making any large movements or staring at them. They finally sauntered up to see what I was doing and were rewarded with a little snack.

They had eaten the small amount of corn I left and had been chewing on the salt block. We filled up their smaller trough with water from the water tote. Later on, I went shopping and bought a 100 gallon trough when I picked up other supplies. We placed it in another part of the property and filled it up too. I estimate they have enough water for at least ten days, not that I won't get out there, but it's a good feeling to know they are safe.

Jelly Mitt Groomer

The girls have been wandering around, grazing donkey style and really enjoying the immense variety of grasses, weeds, and shrubs. At one point, I approached Fiona and began brushing her with a Jelly Mitt. Talk about heaven! She stood stock still while I rubbed her from poll to tail, even hand brushing her legs, chest and flank. Fancy ran up and I brushed her too. Suddenly, I was very popular as all three waited in turn for some brushing. Donkey fur was flying! They especially liked to have their cheeks rubbed. Molly seemed to go into a trance, so I took the opportunity to pick up a front foot. She wasn't too sure about it, but didn't jerk it away too hard. The sole looked fine, but she could definitely use a trim. This is my big project-- getting the ready to stand for foot cleaning and then ultimately for the farrier.

Molly and Fiona