PSA for those living with donkeys - a couple of great resources

First, this book which I reviewed recently on Goodreads:

The Clinical Companion of the Donkey

And from this book, a link to purchase a donkey weight tape, since the equine ones are not accurate on small ponies and donkeys:

Donkey Weight Tape

I’ve estimated Rafer and Redford’s weight for years and now I can get a lot more accurate about it. The book is a must-have if you live with donkey companions.

November Hill farm journal, 61

Fall is quickly approaching, though not so much fall temperatures yet. Leaves are beginning to fall, the sound of acorns on the horse trailer and the metal barn roof and even just the back deck sound loud enough to startle a person.

I was on a writing retreat for the past week and of course the day after I left home Duke Energy called to say they were coming to resume the tree cutting on the back of our property. Husband was thankfully able to work from home to monitor things. The crew they sent was respectful, efficient, and didn’t make a bit of mess. The tulip poplars are now in logs waiting for the local sawmill guy to come process them into wood we can use to finish the walls and floor of our tack/feed room.

The corner where most of the trees were is now open and sunny in the mornings. I’m thinking that might be a good place to close off for bee hives, but will see how it looks once the logs are all removed.

They’ll be going down the long sides of the power cut soon, and that will be its own ordeal to endure, but at least the white prehistoric monster machines won’t be coming anywhere near our back fence.

Although a little stressed about the work being done here on November Hill, I had a lovely week of writing with two old and dear writer friends in a very lovely Airbnb home in Southern Pines. I got a tremendous amount of work done and it was such a needed getaway. I came home Friday, stopped in to check on animals, and then headed to my second Native Plant Studies certificate course at the botanical garden. This one is Taxonomy and it’s going to be fun.

Keil Bay had some kind of nasty bug bite while I was away that necessitated the sending and perusing of photographs and discussing the clinical details of things like tissue and pus. The vet was called and photos sent to him and he felt we could manage it, which has turned out to be true. The bite was swollen hard and did a fair amount of draining and is now resolving. I spent several hours in the barn yesterday and today grooming and paying a lot of attention to the Big Bay and his herdmates. In the midst of this something got into my muck boot, beneath pants leg AND sock, and bit ME. It’s made a nasty itchy red area on my leg. I’m not sure what kind of insects are doing these bites, but it’s been a particularly yucky summer in that regard.

There are a lot of chores still to do out there but I was drenched and came in for a shower!

I’ve been filling in a couple of new native pollinator plants a week from the botanical gardens, one of the perks of going to classes there. This week they had two very nice shade plants and tomorrow morning I’ll be starting a whole new native pollinator bed, on the side of our driveway, and this one will be shade plants. I’m excited to get that going, and there are still many plants in my original two beds that are fall-blooming so the show isn’t over yet!

Cats and Corgis are happy and I think as ready as I am for the shift to cooler temperatures.

Projects that pushed their way to the top of my list:
- the trees, sawmill, and tack/feed room work
- broken hinges on dryer door
- broken fan in master bath

I’m just taking it one day at a time. :)

And... on Corgis and little donkeys

The Corgis are going out on the full farm on a near-daily basis, with rainy/muddy days the only times I hold back letting them romp. They are doing a super job with recall, with me, wait, and this way commands, and Baloo has now mastered stay!

We’ve had close encounters with donkeys, pony, and the two big guys, with no issues.

But the real test has, I think, been passed.

In the mornings, this time of year, the herd comes into the barn for breakfast and stays in with hay and fans through the heat of the day. Usually the donkeys lie down in their stall after breakfast, and their door opens to our back yard gate, where the Corgis charge out like torpedos when I give the command.

For several weeks the donkeys always jumped up as the dogs burst out, with good reason, though the dogs never offered to go through the fence or even glance at them.

I think it says something that for the past full week the donkeys stay down and just glance as the Corgis pass by.

I’m so happy we’re to this point with my plan to gradually mix it up with canines and equines.

And on a how cute is this note, this morning Baloo, upon hearing the command quiet, lowered his woof to a tiny little dog whisper woof woof woof.

Monarda punctata, aka Eastern horse-mint and spotted bee balm

This is the plant I most fell in love with last spring when I took a pollinator plant workshop, the one I ran for at NC Botanical Garden’s plant sale last fall, and the one that has taken my breath away this summer as it has grown, bloomed, and thrived in my pollinator beds.

Recently I had to describe a flower botanically in my botany class and this is the flower I chose. In a nutshell, it’s so beautiful!

November Hill farm journal, 60

Rain, rain, a little more rain, and today help is coming in the form of a big load of mulch to top off the area behind the backyard fence, create a new “berm” along the new river route that seems to be forming every time it rains lately, replace the washed-away mulch in the new “river bed,” and finally get the inkberry hollies in back mulched. This along with some trenching should get us back to the usual water flow patterns.

Every time I see a dump truck for sale I think “I need that” - wouldn’t it be nice to be able to go get loads of mulch and stone whenever I need them?

I spent some time earlier this week propping up pollinator plants that have gotten so tall they are now tipping over. Next year I will follow the advice I was given to pinch the tall-growing ones back early in the season so they get bushier and not so beanstalk-y.

It’s been a nice few days at the barn, just following the routine of mucking, feeding, grooming, hanging out with the herd. Yesterday Keil Bay and I got a rare treat. Our massage therapist came and set up her traveling table and hot stones in the living room. Ninety minutes of bliss and then we shifted to the barn aisle for Keil Bay’s hour. He immediately went into his bodywork endorphin zone and yawned, licked, chewed, googled his eyeballs, and turned about 50 times to thank H for being such a good massage therapist!

I came inside happy and relaxed.

Sometimes good things come to an abrupt end. When I went back to feed dinner and turn out, Rafer was mildly lame on his right hind for no apparent reason. Hoof looks great, he just got trimmed Tuesday, no heat, no evidence of anything. Fetlock maybe a tiny bit puffy but he was using his leg and did put weight on that hoof so I turned him out hoping that the normal routine would be the best medicine. He’s about the same this morning. I’m keeping them all out until mid-morning so some cleaning can be done in the barn, and if he seems any worse when I bring them in I’ll call the vet.

(Really hoping this is not the “A” word)

After checking Rafer last night, Keil Bay coughed about five times and I went into a panic thinking he was choking. Nothing coming out of nostrils, nothing alarming. Sometimes a cough is just... a cough. But as I was assessing that, a huge horsefly landed on my back and I came inside with four big bites.

A little witch hazel and all was well again.

I’m hoping the work today prevents a big mess tomorrow when, you guessed it, more rain is predicted!

In the big picture, I slept really well, feel good this morning, and am grateful for my time on the table yesterday. All are healthy and happy with one sweet little exception, and we’ll get him back to normal soon. I’m focusing on the acorns falling, muscadines turning, and a few less biting insects than has been true, big horsefly notwithstanding. :)