SEEMS STRANGE- THE BAG OF CARROTS NEXT TO THE FRONT DOOR SO WHEN MARY WOULD
COME TO THE DOOR AND BRAY LOUDLY. EVERYONE IN THE HOUSE WOULD RUN AND GIVE HER
A COUPLE CARROTS..
I HAVE HAD HUNDREDS OF ANIMALS- LITERALLY- IN THE COURSE OF PROVIDING
ANIMALS FOR COMMERCIALS AND MOVIES-MANY LOVELY ANIMALS-- BUT THERE HAVE BEEN A
FEW WHO MAINTAINED THIER OWN PERSONALITY, YET IF THE CHIPS WERE DOWN YOU COULD
COUNT ON THEM TO DO THIER BEST.
MARY CERTAINLY WAS ONE OF THOSE-- TIFFANY- A DANE WAS ANOTHER-- AND TACKY--
A HORSE WAS THE THIRD. BAILEY IS NOT TOO BAD EITHER.
*****
I GOT MARY 400 YEARS AGO- I WAS REMINDED THAT I BOUGHT MARY WITH THE MONEY
I GOT FROM SELLING A PALOMINO WHO BECAME REX TRAILER'S "GOLDRUSH" - REX WAS
BOSTON'S COWBOY OF TV FAME...I BOUGHT HER FROM A WOMAN IN KANSAS CITY "KAYLEE"-
AN ACCOUNTANT WHO HD A HOBBY OF BREEDING DONKEYS-- MARY WAS 6 MONTHS OLD.
HOW TO GET HER HOME? THERE IS/?WAS A NETWORK OF RACE HORSE TRANSPORTS
AND ONE OF THEM COMES ACROSS ROUTE 80 THRU NEBRASKA ENROUTE TO KENTUCKY AND THE
NEW YORK RACE TRACKS THEN BOSTON.---- MONSTER TRUCKS- ?12 HORSE VANS??AND MOST
HAVE AN AREA IN THE FRONT WHICH THEY COULD USE FOR A MARE AND FOAL. SINCE MARY
WAS YOUNG -- ?6 MONTHS? I DID NOT WANT TO HAVE HER TIED IN A STALL NEXT TO ALL
THOSE TALL EXPENSIVE HORSES-- SO I HAD THEM PUT HER LOOSE IN THE MARE STALL..
WHEN SHE WAS DROPPED AT THE END OF THE DRIVEWAY, THE DRIVER MADE FUN OF THE
FACT THAT ALL THE OTHERS ON THE VAN WERE EXPENSIVE RACE HORSES-
**
MARY WAS ONLY SLIGHTLY BIGGER- AT THAT POINT THAN THE REST OF MY DONKEYS- I
HAD A BUNCH OF MINI'S 32" TALL - AND DROVE 8 OF THEM TO A FANCY WAGON MUCH
LIKE THE BUDWEISERS- MARY LIVED WITH THEM IN WHAT IS NOW PUPPY HILL AND THE
FLAT FIELD. SHE JUST GREW- AND WAS OFTEN JUST LOOSE AROUND THE FARM.
***
I THINK I BECAME AWARE OF HER ?PERSONALITY?MIND? CAPABILITIES? WHEN WE HAD
SOME CARPENTRY WORK DONE IN THE BARN AND SHE CAME OVER TO THE TABLE SAW AND
WATCHED EVERY MOVE THE CARPENTER MADE... MEASURING AND CUTTING.. SHE WATCHED.
AND I NOTICED HER WATCHING... FROM THEN ON SHE WAS LOOSE 99% OF THE TIME- AND
SHE WOULD GET HER NOSE IN EVERYTHING GOING ON. MOST OF THE TIME JUST
INQUISITIVE.. ... AND THEN SHE LEARNED TO INSIST PEOPLE GIVE HER TREATS- AND SHE
BEGAN STICKING HER HEAD IN CAR WINDOWS- AND OPENING GLOVE COMPARTMENTS- EATING
ANYTHING SHE COULD REACH..-- THEN SHE LEARNED SHE COULD AFFECT PEOPLE'S BEHAVIOR
BY GRABBING SOMETHNG AND RUNNING OFF WITH IT.- PEOPLE WOULD CHASE HER- PROBABLY
FOR NO MORE THAT 10 FEET AND TUGG IT OUT OF HER MOUTH... THIS BECAME A CHALLANGE
FOR VOLUNTEERS HERE- HOW TO UNLOAD THE 50 POUND BAGS OF DOG FOOD WITHOUT MARY
RUNNING OFF WITH ONE OF THEM.-- OR... IF THERE WAS SOME DISTRACTION AT SUNDAY
STEW SHE WOUDL STRETCH AND GET HOLD OF THE TABLE CLOTH AND GIVE IT A YANK SO SHE
COULD STICK HER NOSE IN THE DESERTS- LIKE FROSTING ON CAKES.
BUT WHEN THE CHIPS WERE DOWN.. AND JESUS NEEDED A RIDE UP THRU AMESBURY
ON PALM SUNDAY- SHE WAS AS GOOD AS GOLD. AS SHE WAS IN THE MANY COMMERCIALS SHE
APPEARED IN. THE LAST WAS ?ATT WHERE I PUT 2 BIG MEN ON HER AND SHE STAGGEREED
ACROSS THE SET PERFECTLY.
SHE ALWAYS GAVE AN OPINION ABOUT GOING FOR A RIDE IN THE TRAILER - I THINK
IT WAS AS MUCH GETTIN OFF THE TRAILER THAT SHE WORRIED ABOUT. IT IS A STEP
DOWN-- AND A LONG TIME AGO WHEN SHE WENT TO JUMP DOWN THE 12" STEP, HER FRONT
FEET SLIPPED FROM UNDER HER.. SO FROM THEN ON IT TOOK SOME CONVINCING TO GET
HER OFF. WHEN WE CAME HOME FROM JOBS I JUST OPENED THE DOOR AND LEFT HER TO
FIGURE IT OUT.
SHE DID NOT GO TO RINGLING BROS CLOWN COLLEGE- SOMEONE JUST PUT THAT ON THE
INTERNET...SHE WS RIGHT OUT OF KANSAS.- SHE MADE VERY FEW MISTAKES IN HER
LIFE...OF THE HUNDREDS OF PUPS WHO RAN AROUND HER FEET AND ANNOYED HER-- SHE
STEPPED VERY BRIEFLY ON ONLY ONE-- BAXTER--- AND SHE BIT ONLY ONE WOMAN BY
MISTAKE- SHE HAD AN IMMOBILE HAND- AND I THINK MARY THOUGHT IT WAS A CARROT. IF
SHE BIT ANYONE ELSE IT WAS BECAUSE \SHE MEANT IT -- AND THEY DESERVED IT.
MOST NOTABLY JANINE-
JANINE GAVE A BUNCH OF YOUNG KIDS A PONY RIDE AROUND IN CIRCLES HERE IN THE
YARD JANINE THEN TOOK THE HALTER OFF MARY AND JUST TURNED HER LOOSE, I SAW
THIS HAPPEN-- JANINE WALKED AWAY.. AND MARY WATCHED FOR A FEW MINUTES-- THEY
WALKED DIRECTLY OVER TO HER AND BIT HER SEVERELY IN THE ARM- JANINE HAD NOT
GIVEN HER A COOKIE FOR HER WORK - AND IT DID NOT STOP THERE--SHE NEVER KICKED OR
BIT JANINE AGAIN-- JANINE COULD WORK AROUND HER IN PERFECT SAFETY... BUT WHEN
JANINE DID THE STALLS AND SHOVELED MANURE INTO A WHEELBARROW, MARY WOULD SNEAK
IN AND TIP OVER THE WHEELBORROW JUST TO HEAR JANINE SCREAM--AND SHE DID IT TWICE
IN OND DAY BY UPSETTING WHAT JANINE HAD JUST PICKED UP.
IT WAS CLEARLY A STATEMENT.
YOU WOULD NOT THINK A 750 POUND DONKEY COULD SNEAK UP ON YOU-- BUT SHE DID
- CONSTANTLY SCARING STRANGERS WITH HER BIG NOSE NUDGING WHATEVER THEY WERE
CARRYING. THE FEDEX AND UPS DELIVERY GUYS GOT USED TO HER STANDING HALF IN
THERI TRUCKS LOOKING OVER THE PACKAGES..
YET WE WENT TO BROOKSBY VILLAGE WITH HER IN THIER LIVING ROOM AREA... HOW
SHE MANAGED NOT TO STEP ON ANY TOES OR EVEN MOVE A WHEELCHAIR I DO NOT KNOW...
BUT SHE DID.
OR THE DAY A MOTORCYCLE GANG ( THE BLUE KNIGHTS POLICE BUNCH) CAME IN HERE
AND PARKED THEIR BIKES IN THAT ROW.. THEY ALL TURENED GREEN WHEN THEY SAY MARY
TIP TOEING BETWEEN THE BIKES-- NEVER TOUCHING ONE OF THEM.
THEN THER WAS THE DAY THE CHILD PROTECTION DEPT APPAEARED BECAUSE SOMEONE
HEARD I HAD PUT AN ELECTRIC WIRE ACROSS THE ENTRANCE TO WHERE COLBY AND JANINE
WERE LIVING ( THE GUEST HOUSE) THEY HAD HEARD IT WAS TO KEEP COLBY OUT.. SO
THEY ARRIVED TO QUESTION ME AND HAD A GOOD LAUGH ABOUT IT BEING TO KEEP MARY
FROM OPENING THAT DOOR AND GOING IN...
YOU ARE RIGHT - THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF MARY STORIES- AND WHAT MAKES ALL OF
THEM FUNNY IS THAT MARY WAS WATCHING , ANALYZING SITUATIONS AS A PICKPOCKET
WOULD.. WAITING FOR AN OPPORTUNITY TO PROVE SHE WAS WAY AHEAD OF US.
SHE ENJOYED HERSELF HERE-- AND WE ALL DEPENDED ON HER FOR A FEW LAUGHS..
SHE IS BADLY MISSED.
SHE IS ALSO RESTING UNDER THE PINE TREES WITH THUMPER AND DONALD.
I CAN NOT IMAGINE SUNDAY STEW WITHOUT HER.. BUT WE WILL MANAGE-
AND WE WILL WATCH FOR ANOTHER ANIMAL TO BE AN INTERGRAL PART OF OUR
LIVES.
NOT AN ANIMAL THAT BEHAVES PERFECTLY--- BUT ONE THAT JOINS IN THE
FUN.
OUR CHALLANGE WILL BE TO RECOGNIZE THE ANIMAL CAPABLE OF THAT.
******************
JANINE IS THROWING A MEMORIAL SERVICE-- WITH MARTINI'S--- ON SAT NIGHT AT
HER HOUSE 6:30
*************
OTHER THAN THAT..
