Don | Morning Bray Farm

June 8, 2010

Hanging out with the boys

May 24, 2010

A recipe from Don – Grilled stuffed jalapeños

Posted by Morning Bray under Recipes | Tags: Don, jalapenos, recipe |
[12] Comments

Don is an excellent cook. He has a knack for cooking without recipes (I do not; please give me my measuring cups and spoons) and is good at finding and making yummy stuff on a whim. ♥ Take yesterday, for example. He was flipping through the PARADE Magazine from our Sunday newspaper and came across this recipe for Grilled Stuffed Jalapeño Chilis.

Grilled Stuffed Jalapeño Chilis

4 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
2 oz. soft goat cheese
1 1/4 cups shredded white cheddar cheese
2 green onions (green and pale-green part), thinly sliced
Salt and black pepper
12 large jalapeño chilis, halved lengthwise, stemmed and seeded
1 heaping Tbsp ancho chili powder

1. Heat grill to medium.

2. Whisk together the cream cheese and goat cheese in a medium bowl until smooth. Fold in the cheddar and green onions; season with salt and pepper. Fill each jalapeño half with about 2 Tbsp of the mixture; sprinkle the top with ancho powder.

3. Place chilis on the grill, filling-side-up, and cook until slightly charred and tender, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Seriously? De-lish.

May 19, 2010

Bernard’s rake fetish

Posted by Morning Bray under Donkeys | Tags: Bernard, Don, donkey, rake |
[19] Comments

Bernard regards the poop scoopin’ rake with awe.

When Bernard is around, Don calls scoopin’ poop donkey lacrosse.

And, as usual, Bernard thinks that’s hysterically funny. Probably because he’s a goober.

April 22, 2010

First touches

Posted by Morning Bray under Burros, Donkeys | Tags: burros, Don, donkeys, eye boogers, Fergus, grooming, hug, Nigel, playing |
[23] Comments

Fergus and Nigel are making remarkable progress during their first few days at Morning Bray Farm. By Monday, Fergus was taking carrots and apple slices from my hand.

On Monday afternoon, he was coming to me out of curiosity. (Thank goodness I’ve since been able to remove his eye boogers.)

And let me touch him for the very first time.

On Tuesday afternoon, Fergus allowed Don to brush him.

And even permitted a hug. Nigel is still never far from Fergus.

It was also Tuesday when Nigel took his first apple slice from my hand. No picture because I didn’t want to freak him out with the camera, but I was doing the happy dance in my head.

Yesterday morning, I looked out the window and thought, “Oh look, Bernard and Ellsworth are playing.” I had to do a double take. It wasn’t Bernard and Ellsworth, it was Fergus and Ellsworth! And Bernard and Nigel!

April 20, 2010

Figuring things out

Posted by Morning Bray under Burros, Donkeys | Tags: adjustment, Bernard, burros, Don, donkeys, Ellsworth, Fergus, flehmen, hierarchy, introduction, kicking, Nigel, peace |
[18] Comments

We physically introduced all four boys to each other early Saturday afternoon. There was a lot of the flehmen response going on as everyone got accustomed to new smells.

We knew there was going to be an adjustment period as they figured out their hierarchy. Bernard’s introduction to Fergus and Nigel was completely uneventful.

Given Ellsworth’s status as head donkey, we thought things probably wouldn’t play out as smoothly with him. Even before we allowed them to meet physically, Ellsworth was charging the fence with his ears pinned back each time Fergus or Nigel got close. Sure enough, once we let him loose, Ellsworth went straight to Fergus and Nigel to let them know he was in charge.

Fergus and Nigel really weren’t having it. I admit there were moments when I felt I couldn’t breathe.

Ellsworth looked maniacal at times.

Don would step in to calm things down.

And then it would start back up again.

Thank goodness Ellsworth always knew to keep his chin up.

He did get kicked square in the chest quite a few times though.

In the end, it appears Ellsworth maintained head donkey status, along with a healthy respect for both Fergus and Nigel. It’s clear they aren’t going to tolerate being bullied, Fergus especially.

Ellsworth got a lot of extra love and attention that afternoon.

And peace once again returned to Morning Bray Farm.

April 14, 2010

Daddy’s little helpers

Posted by Morning Bray under Donkeys | Tags: Bernard, Don, donkeys, Ellsworth, pampas grass |
[18] Comments

According to the boys, pampas grass is delish. With the new fence giving them access, the boys were able to chew our once beautiful plants down to a nub.

Yesterday, I asked Don if he would put up some wire to give the grass a chance to recover. In the interest of helping Don turn a mundane task into something challenging and fun, the boys decided to help.

Here’s Ellsworth providing suggestions for how to begin the job.

And checking in on Don’s progress a few minutes later.

Bernard really wasn’t into how Don got the job done. He was more interested in tools and materials, and most specifically, what each tasted like.

April 6, 2010

Don’s starling and donkey laws

Posted by Morning Bray under Birds, Donkeys, Friends and Family | Tags: bird, book, Don, Donkeys Can't Sleep in Bathtubs, laws, starling |
[10] Comments

Over the weekend, Don took what I think is a National Geographic quality photo of a starling sitting in a palm tree. If someone is doing an essay on starlings and needs a photo, they know where to look. 😉

While we were gone, a book I ordered from Amazon arrived. The title: Donkeys Can’t Sleep in Bathtubs. It’s a funny little book about laws that are real, but not enforced.

In Ohio, it is illegal to gallop your donkey.

In Brooklyn, New York, donkeys are not allowed to sleep in bathtubs.

You’re probably wondering the same thing I am. What are the stories behind these laws? Alas, it is a cutesy little book. The author does say, “I wish I could tell you more about all the zany laws in this book. But there is not the space…”

Do I sense a mission coming on?