dd 3 10

 i have seveal reminders "spring the clocks forward" 

Having someone come along to help ----like Mary ----has, demands,   a certain amount of organization so that it's clear what she's to help with and that's where I am at the moment.    Goldies farm is certainly pulling together With Elizabeth's help because yesterday there were three people wandering around the yard with donkeys trying to teach these wild donkeys to lead quietly and follow whoever they were supposed to follow and it was kind of comical to watch but it's getting there the fact that we even had three eligible donkeys here that all had halters that fit them and lead ropes it's certainly the first step of organization that's absolutely necessary with regard to the donkeys sometimes people don't realize the hours and hours----ohh pet ownership required to have a well behaved pet and I refer to donkeys as pets which they really can be if treated like a dog they act like a dog...  we do have one donkey here that's already people oriented and he's absolutely lovely and we have one that doesn't behave at all but with luck we'll follow the one that's behaving..  and the three volunteers that were here yesterday on time at 10:00 to start this process all of that took an awful lot of organization starting with the auction, and the quarantine, and the coggins test and the transportation til  we even get them to our barn ----where hopefully they're going to learn to participate in some sort of donkey fest next fall.. and to that end of course I must mention the fact that you people are  supporting them  with the hay bill and the pennies from henny...

 

 Now one of those donkeys that behaves nicely is ready for me to try at a nursing home..  and we have a request specially from a place in Swampscott...  but that requires not only the donkey but figuring out where we can park the trailer.. to practice this donkey in the home I will use our friends in the trask center in Peabody which daily has about 25 people a large room all on the first floor.... and a good parking lot.----- they're very nice there with a variety of abilities and don't seem to mind being experimented on... I have to mention not only stairs has a significant complication but double doors or heaven forbid A revolving door...  these are things that all have to be solved before we actually get in the room with shall I call it the hooved stock be it donkeys or goats---and of course we would have tried our donkey bag... on the rear end of this nice donkey--which fortunately is a mini...   according to Elizabeth we have a mammoth donkey over at Meredith farm which is ready to go but that would be the larger horse trailer and some significant pretesting--  for all you beginners a mini is less than 36 inches ---the standard donkey goes to about 40 inches-----and the mammoth donkeys Go up to about the size of a small horse. which would be 14.2 hands---  the hand being 4 inches

 

The 8 donkeys that I drove we're all about 32 inches tall---which is about the size of larkey except they have considerable more bulk.... And the activities of their intestinal tract is far less predictable than larkeys. which is why we will have the bag attached once we figure out how that goes together..

 

so we do have some preparation but the trailer is ready to go... as soon as I find my hitch that somebody has... and in another month or so we should have a donkey with a poo bag attached ready to go in the nursing homes and daycare centers...  that will land us in the middle toward the end of April where the weather should be a little warmer although we have had blizzards in April I'm hoping we don't this year..   I really don't want to drive the trailer and slide around on the ice at the same time...

 so we are coming together With a goal of April...  like income tax day how's that for a goal.

 

so I thank you for all your support and the hay--- keep it coming...l

 

we are supposed to write the number seen on the calendar and alert “cloud”. – the number seen on my calendar for the week are

29 +24+ 29+32 = 114 for the week------ not too bad ----  if cloud disagrees. Take her numbers because someone usually sends her numbers as we drive away. ---my calendar gets pencil scribblings on the wall if we remember..   ...  but it should be close.

 

Oh I forgot one more  factor in booking jobs--  with or without donkeys – any job booked in wakefield must be after 11 am because we would then be leaving as meletharbs icecream stand is opening at noon...

 

Details details....