Morning Bray Farm

March 15, 2010

For George and Alan with love

Posted by Morning Bray under Donkeys, Friends and Family | Tags: Alan, Bernard, burros, donkeys, Ellsworth, George, traffic cones |
[17] Comments

This post is for George and Alan; the Burro Brothers, with love from Bernard and Ellsworth; the Donkey Boys.

Dear George and Alan,

Cone spring training started this weekend and we want you to know we’re your biggest fans.

You’ve set the bar high, which is why we’ll be working extra hard on things like strength training and eye-mouth coordination,

and cone carry techniques…

…because we want to avoid any dropped cones. Sorry Coach!

We’ll also be working on balance…

…and of course, flexibility.

You’ve inspired us to greatness. Here’s to a great Cone season!

With love,

Bernard and Ellsworth xx00xx

March 14, 2010

Sunday Cinema – Ding dong

Posted by Morning Bray under Dogs, Sunday Cinema | Tags: dogs, doorbell |
[19] Comments

What happens when the doorbell rings at your house? Here’s what happens at ours.

March 13, 2010

Saturday Stuff – Africa

Posted by Morning Bray under Africa, Saturday Parts & Stuff | Tags: Africa, chimpanzees, East Africa, Kibale National Park, Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary, Uganda |
[6] Comments

I hope you’ll indulge me because I feel like talking about Africa today. I know this doesn’t have anything to do with Morning Bray Farm, donkeys, dogs or New Mexico, but I do think about Africa all the time. If you asked Don, I think he’d tell you that once I get started, I could probably talk about it forever.

“One time, in band camp Africa…”

I love East Africa and its amazing wildlife, beautiful scenery and wonderful people. As I was going through old pictures last night, I came across this favorite taken on my first safari in 2002.

I visited these orphaned chimps in Uganda at Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary. Most chimpanzees in sanctuaries are confiscated from poachers or market vendors. Unfortunately, chimpanzees are still disappearing in the wild because of massive destruction of their habitat, hunting for their meat and poaching of infants to be sold as pets for the illegal export trade.

Walking with those chimps was a highlight for me on that safari. Did you know that chimpanzees share 98.4% DNA with humans, which makes them closer to humans than gorillas?

Even better is seeing chimpanzees in the wild. The ability to see them in their native habitat and observe their natural behaviors is unforgettable. This photo was taken at Kibale National Park in Uganda.

March 12, 2010

A light dusting

Posted by Morning Bray under Farm, New Mexico | Tags: snow, winter |
[8] Comments

The forecast called for a winter storm to pass through yesterday morning, but as usual, we weren’t expecting any part of it. When we woke up, we were surprised with a dusting of snow.

By midday, you would have never known.

March 11, 2010

A pretty day with a handsome boy

Posted by Morning Bray under Donkeys | Tags: Bernard, donkey |
[6] Comments

It was such a pretty day. With such a handsome boy.

Bernard doesn’t seem to mind having his photo taken anymore.

At least not until he decides it’s time to get up…

So he can head on over…

To say hello.

March 10, 2010

Spring cleaning help

Posted by Morning Bray under Donkeys, Farm, Plants and Flowers | Tags: Bernard, donkeys, Ellsworth, flower beds, March, pampas grass, perennials, spring cleaning, weeds |
[6] Comments

The first weekend in March is generally set aside for cleaning out flower beds and welcoming back our perennials.

One of the things on our to-do list was cutting back the pampas grass. The flower spikes are excellent for drying, so I propped them on Don’s tractor while I finished cleaning up.

When I turned back around, Ellsworth had decided there was a better use for the flower spikes. Oh well.

Bernard and Ellsworth happily did their part in our spring cleaning efforts by working on weeds. Great job boys!

Farmgirl, see the yellow hay twine? You inspired me to make a temporary fence for the boys. For those familiar with the layout of our farm, it looks strange to see the boys in that “void” between the corral and the pasture. Carson, not to worry. They’re not out there without supervision. Promise.

We had a fence company out yesterday afternoon to give us an estimate on a pipe fence to connect the pasture and the corral. It will run the same path as the existing yellow twine. I’m really excited about this because it will give the boys the freedom to move between the corral and the pasture as they please.

March 9, 2010

Sometimes it’s easy being green

Posted by Morning Bray under Donkeys, Farm, New Mexico | Tags: Diversion Dam, donkeys, green pastures, irrigation, Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District, Rio Grande |
[7] Comments

There was very good news in last Wednesday’s Albuquerque Journal. The gates were opened at Diversion Dam and the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District was moving water again. Oh yeah. We were excited.

In a nutshell, the conservancy district supplies irrigation water to about 62,000 acres of New Mexico’s farmland from Cochiti Dam to Socorro. From March through October, four small dams divert water from the Rio Grande into a network of 400 miles of irrigation canals, one of which runs right in front of Morning Bray Farm.

That means this:

Just yesterday turned into this:

And the boys can start dreaming about green pastures once again.

March 8, 2010

Ice cream social

Posted by Morning Bray under Dogs | Tags: dogs, Enzi, Frosty Paws, ice cream, Kassie, Kike, nails, Suni, Whisky |
[10] Comments

The girls and Whisky were treated to Frosty Paws after having their nails done yesterday.

Enzi stressed that I simply wasn’t moving fast enough.

Whisky did his best to mind move the ice cream from my hand to his mouth.

Enzi Diva is never shy.

My goodness Baby Kassie, what big eyes you have!

Various methods are employed to enjoy the tasty treat. Whisky prefers the quick extract method.

Simply remove and eat the ice cream whole. In less than 30 seconds.

Enzi and Kassie are our dainty lickers. Takes a lot longer to finish, but they seem to enjoy every lick.

Suni loves her unique scissor method. Very quick and efficient. She’s a bottom line kind of gal.

And then there’s Kike, who gets the award for innovation in technique by using the top lip over cup method. Maximum output with minimum effort. Nothing wrong with that.

In case you aren’t familiar with Frosty Paws, you can find them in the ice cream section at the grocery store. This pack highly recommends them.

March 7, 2010

Sunday Cinema – The bell is ringing for Ellsworth

Posted by Morning Bray under Donkeys, Friends and Family, Sunday Cinema | Tags: Bernard, donkeys, Ellsworth, farrier, feet, foot trimming, patience |
[21] Comments

Ellsworth had a huge breakthrough moment with the farrier yesterday. We’re so proud of him.

It was the very first time Shorty was able to trim Ellsworth’s back feet.

Ellsworth, we’re so proud of you buddy!

Like I said, this was a huge breakthrough for Ellsworth. Unfortunately, a couple of mishaps at the place he came from really had him freaked out about having his back feet touched. For those of you who initially followed Ellsworth’s story over at The 7MSN Ranch, you’ll remember that Ellsworth was “accident prone.” At one point, according to his previous people, he had a nail stuck in one of his back feet. To remove it, they tied a rope to his leg and let him kick until he got tired so they could take the nail out. At another point, he had barbed wire tangled around one of his ankles. So yes, he really was freaked out when anyone tried to touch his back feet.

We realized some pretty important things yesterday. We were reminded that we have so much to learn from our animals. These donkey boys have taught us more than I could have ever imagined about patience. Shorty has been absolutely wonderful about this too. He coached Don on working with Ellsworth and getting him used to having those back legs and feet touched. I have a lump in my throat right now just thinking about this transformation in Ellsworth.

So, Ellsworth is an old pro at this now. When it was Bernard’s turn, Ellsworth ran right over to comfort his best friend and to let him know it was alright.

March 6, 2010

Saturday Parts – Kielbasa, peppers and potatoes

Posted by Morning Bray under Recipes, Saturday Parts & Stuff | Tags: crushed red pepper, recipe |
[13] Comments

Some of you may remember the excitement when Don brought home a ginormous container of crushed red pepper. Here’s our first recipe for you. It’s delish.

We love this recipe because it’s a quick and easy anytime dish… perfect for when we’d rather spend more time with dogs, donkeys, goats and sheep than cooking. You get to control the heat by the amount of crushed red pepper you use.

What you’ll need:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 (16 oz) package smoked kielbasa sausage, diced
6 medium red potatoes, diced
crushed red pepper to taste; we use at least 1 tablespoon
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced

How to make it:

Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat. Place kielbasa, potatoes and crushed red pepper in the pan. Cover, and cook 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender.
Mix red bell pepper and yellow bell pepper into the pan, and continue cooking 5 minutes, until peppers are just tender.