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

Our Fourth Trailer!

As soon as we fenced around the corner at PR 4041 and 4057, I began shopping for a small trailer to use moving goats and donkeys. we already have three flatbed trailers with low sides, but they are no bueno for moving animals. I began my search thinking it wouldn't be too hard to find something at a reasonable price.  I looked at some trailers that probably couldn't get down the driveway, to fancy ones that cost more than my first house. What an assortment! I looked at stock trailers, horse trailers and specialty goat trailers. Single axle, double axle, wood floor, rubber floor, living quarters! Finally, I found what I was looking for and it was just down the road near Frenstat.

The octogenarian owner said the trailer had been sitting in the barn for many years and was seldom used.  After seeing it, I realized she wasn't exaggerating. The paint was barely scratched and everything was still solid. This 1981 Neckover bumperpull is fourteen feet long, and has a combination slide/swing read gate and an interior gate as well.  Built in Troup, Texas, the trailer sports the original stickers and I also got the original proof of sale document. The tail lights will have to be replaced as the connectors and such are outmoded, and I'll probably get rubber floor mats. The only area not in great condition are the hubcaps.  Mrs. Josephine, the seller,  told D3 that a wire brush would "take that rust right off!"  Well, having been in the Marine Corps for nearly five years and afloat, D3 knows a thing or two about getting the rust off and he is not interested!

After parking the trailer at the ranch, Dan and I strung and tied the upper and lower barbed wire along 4041 while Dad had to work during the Aggie football game. On Sunday, we all climbed into the silver truck and headed out to Snook, where we stayed all day, working on the Leggio fenceline. The guys cut down two trees to finish clearing the path along the fence. Boy! That really opened up the view and showed us the work ahead of us. We removed most of the old fence and all of the barbed wire from the corner to the bottom of a swampy area which is currently 'mostly' dry.  About 100 feet.  Built three Hs, drove t-posts and strung up goat wire. We also found a nest of red wasps who took a distinct dislike to Dad. 

Still waiting for the surveyors to mark off the land next door. Drove down to see if they'd been there and see that LB had someone grade and scalp PR 4057. Alas, no new survey flags, but it won't be long. Then we will begin a new adventure of removing a decrepit trailer house, reconditioning a water well, and staking off places for our new barndominiums.  

News from the Ranch

Well, I see I've been remiss is transmitting news of the ranch in the past two months. During July and August, the Severn clan sweated a lot, building fence, fixing broken fencing equipment, building fence, stretching wire, tying wire, digging post holes, and did I say building fence?

Today, the Dans completed the perimeter fencing of El Rancho, about eight-tenths of a mile. The next step is repairing/replacing the fence we share with Frank Leggio. Right now, the fence is certainly good enough for donkeys or cattle. In fact, I have my eye on a pair of jennys (one white, one light gray) who are about six years old. Hopefully I'll get out to see them on Saturday and see if they will fit in.

So, anyway, in all these weekends of fencing, we've really done a lot of planning and I've got a preliminary livestock rotation plan. Goats, followed by steers, followed by rest. So, we are planning this and looked over the fence and thought, gee!, we could buy more land! So we got a contract on another 14 acres, adjacent to El Rancho, and soon to become part of El Rancho.

Working along the fencelines has also allowed us to get a closer look at the native vegetation. D3 and I saw a plant with big leaves and lots of purple globular fruit. We both figured that anything that looked good was probably poisonous. On Sunday, I snapped a few pictures and looked it up by color and was pleased to find that we have lots and lots of Americana Beautyberry, Callicarpa americana. Deer and other foragers love the berries, the leaves are thought to ward off mosquitos, and they look pretty good, too! I even found recipes for making Beautyberry jelly.

I also noticed that while we still have some small yellow flowers (mostly bitterweed and sleepy daisy), lots of the other flowers are in the purple range, like wild petunia and bindweed. So, I guess if summer is yellow, then fall is purple!

Deer, me

Went out to el rancho today to work on fencing.  It's amazing, but there are still tons of yellow flowers in the open meadow areas. While I was gone, the two Dans finished tieing all the wire we put up the week before and used the new Stihl chainsaw (The "Farm Boss") he got for birthday and Father's Day.  Along PR 4057, they felled trees which died in the drought. I sure don't want them falling on a new fence. The Farm Boss  "cuts like buttah".

Speaking of 'we,' it's sure nice to have the third member of the team with us again! Danny Severn (D3 in shorthand) has been discharged from the Marine Corps and is back home! He was a super help while I was gone last week, also helping big Dan pick up rolls of goat wire and haul them to the farm from Producer's Co-op. He really likes the place we bought and we hope he'll join us. 

We started at the property line along PR 4057 setting posts.  My tractor has the auger and I was driving to the dig site when I noticed Dan on his tractor, signalling me. Not a clue what he wanted, but noticed his iPhone in his hand. I looked the direction he was facing and thought he was taking photos of the markers along the property line, so, I backed up. Turns out I was wrong, wrong, wrong, He was pointing to a doe and fawn standing on PR 4057, not bothered a bit by three humans and two noisy tractors. Through the morning, we watched them come and go while we dug holes and placed poles. 

We didn't work too late today. I'm really exhausted from a week-long conference and there IS work tomorrow. While the Dans were putting up the tractors, another deer just watched them from not too far away (the picture up above). Thus, our deer seem happy. Since goats are also browsers, we should have happy goats! And speaking of goats, I am going to Goat Camp in October for a week of hands-on fun and learning. More camp news as that gets closer! 

Working with Old Blue

This weekend, we completed fencing on the northeast side of El Rancho. That's 488 feet! Next, the southeast property line of 920 feet along PR 4057.

Building fence with goat wire is challenging. We're using a 4" x 4" tied mesh and are installing from 'inside' the fence, which means there's a lot of wire cutting and stretching on corners. The mesh has thirteen horizontal wires, kinda like an American flag but only the top one is red. The roll of wire is 330 feet long and weighs about 261 pounds/ Rolling it out can be hard work, especially uphill! Then you have to stretch it just right and tie it to t-posts or staple it to wooden posts, not to mention the strand of barbed wire running along the ground. So, we use a lot of tools, including the generator, come-along, wire stretcher, and chainsaw. Lots of heavy tools. To move stuff from place to place, we have Old Blue to help.

Now, Old Blue is a legendary truck, a 1995 Chevy 3/4 ton diesel that Dan bought back in 1996. This Cheyenne model came with extended cab, 8' bed and a helluva rear bumper. He went with Dan to FBI National Academy in Virginia during a blizzard, took the three of us on several "Tours of Texas", and even excursioned in the Rockies one summer, scaling Pike's Peak and scoping out national monuments.


Blue has been part of our family for a long time.  Last year, after many faithful years of service, he was retired to farm truck status. Now, his job is pulling trailers and hauling things that need hauling. In between, he loafs in the barn.