When one has tasted watermelon he knows what the angels eat.
~ Mark Twain
♥ ♥ ♥
Donkeys
Archived Posts from this Category
June 9, 2011
What the angels eat
Posted by Morning Bray under Donkeys | Tags: Bernard, donkeys, donkeys eating watermelon, Patrick, watermelon |[32] Comments
June 2, 2011
Lessons for Big Red – Week One
Posted by Morning Bray under Donkeys | Tags: Big Red, Ellsworth, riding donkeys, saddle training donkeys, training donkeys |[24] Comments
Ellsworth had his first official saddle training lesson on Tuesday afternoon, and let me tell you, he was a star pupil.
We’re very excited that after taking Ellsworth down to their farm, Ryan has agreed to work with and saddle train Ellsworth at Morning Bray Farm this summer.
As was the case the last time Ryan worked with Ellsworth, Ryan was confident, assertive, calm and quiet with him. It was a beautiful thing watching such a talented young man work with Big Red.
Ryan’s methods revolve around building Ellsworth’s confidence rather than instructing by force. I’m seeing Ellsworth react so positively to Ryan’s tact, and I couldn’t be more proud of them both.
Ryan has agreed to let me take notes and pictures so that you can follow along. Both Ryan and Big Red are going to do great things this summer!
Lessons for Big Red – Week Two
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May 26, 2011
A new friend visits Morning Bray Farm
Posted by Morning Bray under Donkeys, Friends and Family | Tags: Bernard, Ellsworth, Fergus, Nigel, Patrick |[17] Comments
We were fortunate to have a new friend, Cat with Cats, visit us over the weekend.
The Boyz could barely contain their excitement when they realized Cat arrived bearing gifts of Paco treats.
As always, it was great fun having a fellow animal lover in our midst.
Cat was great fun and great help.
Thank you, Cat! ♥
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May 24, 2011
They never stopped moving
Posted by Morning Bray under Burros, Donkeys, Friends and Family | Tags: Alan, Bernard, burros, donkeys, donkeys playing, Ellsworth, George, The 7MSN Ranch |[18] Comments
Watching Bernard, Ellsworth and George exhausted Lucy and Alan.
Those crazy boys never stopped moving.
Alan thought George had lost his marbles.
Why was George cavorting with the city boys like that?
Oh, how they played and played and played!
What a posse. Small, medium and large. ♥
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May 23, 2011
Lucy and Alan
Posted by Morning Bray under Burros, Donkeys, Friends and Family | Tags: 7MSN, Alan, burro, Carson, donkey, Lucy |[13] Comments
If you visited Carson’s blog over at 7MSN today, you already know that Bernard and Ellsworth were there yesterday for a play date and that Carson and I took an obscene number of pictures.
Bernard and Ellsworth had the time of their lives with the 7MSN herd. While the humans laughed and watched, the boys and beautiful Lucy ran and cavorted like they were enjoying a day in heaven on earth.
There were moments though, that Lucy and Alan seemed incredulous. Stay tuned to see what they were watching. ♥
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May 20, 2011
A long overdue donkey post
Posted by Morning Bray under Donkeys | Tags: Bernard, donkeys, Ellsworth, Fergus, Nigel, Patrick |[28] Comments
The Boyz reminded me yesterday that they haven’t been featured on the blog in a while.
I’m sorry, Boyz.
You’ve missed the new game that Bernard likes to play. He comes up behind me and gently puts his head between my legs so that I’ll put one of my legs over his back.
I think know he just likes being hugged.
Patrick continues to come out of his shell more and more with each passing day. He’s a remarkable donkey boy.
So does Nigel, by the way. We’re now touching Nigel’s face, so it’s a matter of time before we get a halter on him. He’s a remarkable burro boy. (Many thanks to Mel in NY for your advice with Nigel.)
You’ve also missed how happy everyone is when Don daddy gets home.
Daddy pushes down tree branches so the Boyz can eat leaves. The Boyz love leaves. Good golly… just look at Ellsworth’s face.
I kind of think the Boyz look like giraffes when they’re eating leaves from the trees.
Yes, Patrick… that’s a good thing. ♥
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May 11, 2011
Close encounters of the donkey kind
Posted by Morning Bray under Donkeys, Ducks | Tags: donkeys, ducks, Muscovies |[49] Comments
The weather was beautiful over the weekend, so we decided to take the ducklings outside for the first time.
Hillary, who we think will become Edmund, was an excited blur most of the time.
Hello, Harriet.
They all seemed to enjoy exploring their new world.
All of the sudden though, unidentified creatures appeared from nowhere.
Hazel (who we think will become Jake): Nobody move!
Edmund: If we don’t move, they won’t see us.
Fergus: Umm, mom? What are those?
Nigel: They sure are funny looking things.
Augusta (who we think will become Augustus, or Gus for short): Who are you calling funny looking, mister?
Hello, Beatrice.
Beatrice: Holy cow, there’s another one coming!
Me: That’s Patrick. You’re going to love Patrick.
I wish I could have known what everyone was thinking.
Bernard: Mamma, why are they making those funny peeping sounds?
Me: They’re ducklings, boys. It looks like we’re going to have three girls (Beatrice, Harriet and Isabelle) and three boys (Edmund, Gus and Jake).
Me: I hope you all are going to get along just fine.
Me: Let’s get your first outside group photo.
From left to right: Edmund, Harriet, Gus, Isabelle, Beatrice and Jake.
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
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April 22, 2011
The new daily lineup
Posted by Morning Bray under Donkeys | Tags: donkey, donkey behavior, donkeys |[22] Comments
You might recall from last October that the boys line up next to the barn for a stand up siesta every afternoon. You might also recall that most of the time, they do it in the same order and same direction.
Ellsworth on the left facing north. Bernard to Ellsworth’s south, facing south. Fergus to Bernard’s south, facing north. Nigel to Fergus’s south, facing north.
They still do it, but there’s one notable change to the lineup now. ♥ ♥ ♥
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April 19, 2011
Against beautiful blue skies
Posted by Morning Bray under Donkeys, Farm | Tags: blue sky, donkey, Patrick |[22] Comments
He’s growing like a beautiful flower. Blossoming against beautiful blue skies. ♥ ♥ ♥
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April 17, 2011
Legend of the donkey’s cross
Posted by Morning Bray under Donkeys, For the love of donkeys | Tags: donkey, donkey cross, Jerusalem, Jesus, legend of the donkey's cross, Palm Sunday, palmsunday |[48] Comments
A poor farmer near Jerusalem owned a donkey far too small to do much work at all. He felt that he couldn’t afford to feed a worthless animal like this, one that could do him no good whatsoever, so at the supper table he told his family that he was going to kill the donkey.
His children, who loved the little donkey, begged him to sell it rather than harm it. But the farmer said, “It’s wrong to sell an animal that can’t do a good day’s work.”
Then his oldest daughter suggested, “Father, tie the donkey to a tree on the road to town, and say whoever wants it may take it for nothing.” And the next morning, that’s what the farmer did.
Soon, two men approached and asked if they could have the donkey. “It can carry almost nothing,” the farmer warned them.
“Jesus of Nazareth has need of it,” replied one of the men. The farmer couldn’t imagine what a great teacher would want with such a worthless donkey, but he handed it over.
The men took the animal to Jesus, who stroked the grateful donkey’s face and then mounted it and rode away. So it was on the day we call Palm Sunday, Jesus led his followers into the city of Jerusalem riding on the back of a small, common donkey.
The donkey so loved his gentle master that he later followed him to Calvary. Grief-stricken by the sight of Jesus on the cross, the donkey turned away but couldn’t leave. It was then that the shadow of the cross fell upon the shoulders and back of the donkey, and there it stayed. All donkeys have borne the sign of the cross on their backs since that very day.
Excerpted from Sue Weaver, The Donkey Companion (Storey Publishing, 2008).
Morning Bray Farm 