Just how you reckon this happened?

'Move along folks...  Nothing to see here!'

This is what greeted me the other morning when I went out to feed Pancho and Lefty.   There he was standing there, with this slightly embarrassed look on his face.   As some of you might know, we gave the boys hula hoops to play with when we first got them.   They (along with every toy we gave them) were ignored for the better part of a month.   Then I happened to be down in the low part of the pasture one day and I found one of the hula hoops with definite teeth imprints on it, so I knew that they had been playing with it.

I brought it up to the top of the pasture and then it became 'OK' with them to play with it.   It was on their own terms.

Fast forward a month or so, and I'm greeting to Lefty wearing the hula hoop just like the Scarlet Letter that Hester Prynne in Nathaniel Hawthorn's great novel.   You could see it in his eyes, he was embarrassed that he had to wait for us to help him get this thing off.

I still want to know, just how did that happen?   Oh to have had a hidden camera out in the pasture to have witnessed that.  I could be $100,000.00 richer for submitting it to 'America's Funniest Home Videos" (Is that show even still on?)

Well, it was really early and this scene was way to much to not share, so I went in and woke up Lori.   I told her she had to come with me.  She had this startled look on her face, and she immediately thought something was wrong with one of the donkeys.  I then smiled and showed her the picture and she and I both laughed.  In fact, I had to force myself not to laugh when I went to wake her up.

We go out, and there he is, still standing just as he was in the picture.   How could we get it off him.  Lori tried to pet him and he started to pull away.  I told her to use the hula hoop as a handle.  She did and it came apart and off him it went.   He took off like he's just been given a new lease on life.   The now unhooked hula hoop lay on the ground not fully round any longer.   

I can say, that I'm going to throw the old broken hula hoop away because after a week or so, it's not been touched by the donkeys.   I feel their 'Hula Hoop' days might be over.   Life is never dull with them I tell you.

The hula hoop back in the good old days.

You smell funny and you don't look like me....

Saturday afternoon was the big meet and greet.   Pancho and Lefty knew something was up.  They had spent a great deal of time in the new goat enclosure prior to Bonnie and Clyde's arrival.   We had let them graze in there some to keep the grass down and we let them smell and explore all the stuff we had been building in there.  They have a most curious nature anyway, we felt it only fair to let them explore it.

When we arrived with the goats, I immediately went in and gave Pancho and Lefty some sweet feed.  They never pass up a treat like that.   That bought us enough time without them right over our shoulder to get Bonnie and Clyde out of the truck and into their enclosure.   Suddenly Pancho's ears perked up...  'What's that over there?" I could almost imagine him thinking.   They finished the treat and made a beeline for the goat fence.

Meeting

The noses went down and Pancho tried to put his head over the fence to get a closer look (and smell) things.    (If you notice the later pictures, you will see the extra wire at the top of the fence.  You can thank Pancho for me adding this after the fact.   I had decided we didn't need the wire, but turns out, thanks to 'Curious George' (Pancho) we do.

After a few minutes of skittishness on the part of Bonnie and Clyde, suddenly they were rubbing against the fence and staying right up close while Pancho and Lefty stayed at the fence as well.   It was if they were having a little housewarming party.  (I should note, that we weren't invited to this little affair as Bonnie and Clyde are still a little standoffish from us humans at this point.)

It seems as though adding the goats might even help Pancho with his fear of letting us brush and pet him.   Since their arrival he's been more and more affectionate towards Lori and I.  This morning he even let me pet his nose for about 5 minutes before I put their morning feed down.   Suddenly he snapped to his senses and backed away, but then he came back up close again.   I think there might be hope for him yet.

Lori and I were talking yesterday about what the animals can teach us.   The main thing it seems is patience. Things have to be on their terms and their timeline.  You can't rush it.    If that means I have to sit quietly in the goat enclosure for 2 hours until Bonnie and Clyde realize that I'm OK, then I'll do it.    If that means we have to try to get close to Pancho 100 times before he realizes that we are cool, then we'll do it.   It's all part of living the life that we all need to live.  More simple, and less stressful.

The whole gang (even though Bonnie is photo-bombing)

Not enough Fiber in their diet?

So our Donkeys have now decided that in addition to the grass in our pasture and the occasional Privet Hedge and Oak and Pecan leaves, that they will now indulge in a new delicacy.   The siding on our barn!

We noticed that they have been chewing on the siding and have pulled a few small pieces off the back of the barn.   I sprayed some of the "Evil Fly Spray" on it this evening to keep them away, I doubt it will work.

Like they aren't getting enough to eat already.   We just started them on new supplement that is all natural and Garlic based to see if it will help control the fly problem we have.   Also, we don't have to worry about Vampires coming around the pasture or barn either now.

I saw on a video of a friend that has donkeys that he had chicken wire put on on the outside of his barn.  I am willing to bet he's had the same problem and I've sent him an email to find out.   It surely can't hurt.

Less than two weeks now until our Pygmy Goats come to live with us.   We can't wait to get them here and settled and start blogging about them too.

Have a great evening, and I leave you with this picture from a few weeks ago.  Mr. Wallace came to cut the pasture and Pancho and Lefty treated him like the Pied Piper.   Every time he came up to the top of the pasture, they followed behind him.   They sure are a curious pair...