Meet "Gizmo", the New Donkey.

It's harvest time in the South and the cotton, corn and bean pickers are working overtime!  What does harvest time and donkeys have in common?  A few weeks ago we added a new, young donkey to our small herd of donkeys - which now ups our total of donkeys to 9.  Donkeys and cattle are a perfect match in the fields because donkeys keep the coyotes away from the newborn calves.  To acclimate the new donkey to the farm, we kept it confined to a small area for a few days before turning it loose to roam the pastures.   So, to supplement the grass and livestock feed that the donkey was eating, we decided to take the "little cowboy" to the corn field to "glean" a few buckets of corn cobs while the corn was being harvested.

This here is Mr. Gizmo.  He is not very happy about being kept in a pen.  He looks like he needs ice cream or a chocolate milk shake.  Or maybe a donkey delicacy like corn!  

JR is opening the gate on our West pasture leading to our neighbors corn field.  It was a HOT day near the end of October.

We were in luck! Parts of the field were already harvested so we were granted permission to glean what the picker missed.  

The "little cowboy" got a thrill out of watching the picker empty the corn into the waiting truck. 

Then the hunt for missed corn cobs began!

"This one looks like it was run over by a train!"

"It's missing some teeth, Pappy!" 

 (Wee Bob was rubbing his eyes due to the dust that the picker stirred up, hence the closed left eye.  My eyes were itching too.  By the end of our picking adventure, we all needed Allegra!)

"This cob looks better!"

"LOOK PAPPY!  This is the daddy of all corn cobs!"

Filling up one of the buckets!

"Here's two more cobs, Pappy!"

"I can pick lots of corn.....I know how to do it now!  Watch me."

"After you find the corn cob you have to pull, and tug, and pull, and tug off the outer layer of paper..."

"Then you check the corn inside to make sure it hasn't had it's 'teeth' pulled."

"Next, you keep tugging and pulling until most of the 'paper' comes off.  It's hard work but it builds strong muscles!"

"Then you take it to the bucket.   WAIT!  It's growing 'hair'...."

".......so you have to pull all the 'hair' off too."

Three big buckets were gleaned from the field that day.  

And then it was.......feeding time!!

"Eat up, Gizmo!"

After feeding Gizmo we decided to check the cows to see if any new calves had been born.  To our surprise, instead of a calf we discovered a new baby donkey.  Totally unexpected!!  

Here is the new baby donkey. - less than 24 hours old.   Now we need to name the little fella.  Any ideas??

Love,

Dee, Dee 

Humidity Is A Thing Of The Past!

The weather is warm.  The leaves and grass in the south are still lush and green - with a tinge of yellow.   But there is a certain "feel" in the air that can't be denied. A certain "smell".   FALL HAS ARRIVED!

One of the first signs of Fall on the farm are the violet blooms on these leggy bushes.

Then come the wild "Black-eyed Susans" that spring up everywhere.

Next, the persimmons on the trees start to turn golden - like fairy pumpkins!  The cows and donkeys are delighted when they fall to the ground.  They gobble them up like dessert!

Crisper air means work on the farm speeds up.  JR had several truckloads of dirt delivered so he could fill in  holes around the farm.

This load of dirt is going to be moved to the right of the barn to help detour rain water out of the barn instead of into the barn.

Creativity strikes when temps dip out of the 90's.   JR decided to build Wee Bob a train table for his Thomas the Train Engines - all three thousand, two hundred, and fifty-five of them!!    Wee Bob decided that JR needed some help!  (Wee Bob's shorts are missing so potty training can proceed with less hassle.)

Once the table was built to JR's precise specifications, a coat of paint was applied.

A few days later it was time to measure the top for the layer of green felt and then to staple it to the table top.

OOPS!  This is what happened to the tape measure when no one was looking!  Hmmmm.....wonder who was responsible??

Eventually, the table was completed and Wee Bob can now maneuver Thomas and Friends over, under, and around Sodor and other imaginary towns.  All the engines have names and Wee Bob knows every one......Thomas, Percy, Stanley, Caitlin, Molly, Jack, Butch, Gem, Charlie, etc. etc.  I can't remember them all because my brain is thinking about what I can fix for supper.  Which is strange because I never think about voluntary time spent in the kitchen.  I believe in TAKE-OUT!!

One day, JR and I drove the Mule over to the Long Hollow pasture to see what areas needed "bush-hogging."

This herd of  cattle followed us around hoping for a handout.  The little beggars!

The front pastures looked really nice.  All the weeds, stickers and other undesirables were "bush-hogged" to wherever weeds go in their afterlife.  

The weeds around the old barn were head high and next in line for the "bush-hog".

The lower end of a back pasture was dancing with wildflowers.  Pure heaven!  It surely came straight from a Monet painting and I sincerely hope whoever sets out to bush-hog leaves it be for a few weeks!  It feeds my soul!

The upper pasture was clean and green!  

Later, as we checked the cattle on the West pasture, we found the fall calving cycle had begun.  I love calving time - all those sweet babies running around playing tag with each other.  

In addition to moving piles of dirt and "bush-hogging", JR and Mr. J.  have been busy trimming trees and brush, piling limbs, and burning the huge brush piles.  I have kept the fire department's phone number close at hand - just in case!

Sometimes, after working all week, JR and I will grab a few salads or chicken dinners and take them to one of our favorite places on the river for an hour of rest and relaxation.  Ahhhh......The calm water and the quack of the ducks heals my weary body and mind.  ZZZzzzzzzzzz.

OH!  I almost forgot.  We have a new donkey on the farm.  Next post is meet and greet day!

See you soon,
Dee Dee  

Pumpkin Patch Madness!

Hi!  This is the "Little Cowboy".  Mommy, Meme T and Dee Dee took me to the "Down on the Farm" Pumpkin Patch yesterday.  Oh boy, was it fun!  And even though the TV predicted lots of rain, it didn't rain one drop......well, not until we were loading up the pumpkins to go home.  Which was a good thing because I was on a quest to bring home the "biggest pumpkin" -- just like Charlie Brown!

 I couldn't wait to try out the slides!  

 I'm not afraid - this is fun!

Rock climbing is my specialty. 

 "Molly Moo" was interesting but I'll leave the milking to Mommy.

 Now sand is something I can relate to!

 I can solve this hay maze - no problem at all!

 Come on guys, follow me!

 This should be interesting......

 Oh wow!  Lets do it again!

 I'm going to teach Meme how to do it....

 You did it Meme!!  I'm going up again.

 Here I come!

This is the ultimate in slides.  

 Slides and corn go together like hamburgers and french fries~

 Feeding the goats got me tickled.  

 Pigs are a lot like me....they like playing in mud!

 Awwww....I wanted to take this baby calf home and give it to Pappy.

 This is definitely a BIG pumpkin but not the one I'm looking for.   No way would Charlie Brown bring home a wooden pumpkin. NO WAY!

 I'm ready to go hunt for pumpkins but Meme and Dee Dee are into taking photos. Someone please tell them that cowboys do not have time to pose for pictures!  We have more important things to do - like rope horses and build fences.

 Okay, this is my last photo shoot for the day!  And I mean it!

 Hooray, here comes the hay ride!  I have waited a lifetime for this moment.  At last I will get to search the fields for the biggest pumpkin in the whole world.

 Mommy needs to stop making me giggle.  I mean.....will people take me seriously if they see this picture?

 Okay, time to put my plan in place.  Wait....I don't have a plan.  I'm playing it by ear today.  It's the cowboy thing to do.

 No, these pumpkins are to small - or to rotten - or to orange - or to bumpy.

WAIT - there it is - I see it!!

It was hiding under all the vines - but I found it!!  

 Hurry mommy, lets get it to the wagon before the "spookies" come.  I know, there are no real "spookies" but lets hurry anyway.

 Meme, Dee Dee and Mommy all found pumpkins but I found the biggest one!  

 Thank you Lord for keeping the rain in the clouds and for letting me find the Biggest pumpkin north of the border!   Mommy, what's a border??

Yikes!  There may not be "spookies" but there are gigantic black spiders in the field.  See how brave I am Charlie Brown?  Uh...lets see how fast this wagon can roll, Mr. Tractor Driver!

While Meme and Mommy hauled the pumpkins to the car, Dee Dee and I took a short detour because.......

... I had to try going down head first into the sea of corn in the baby bin....... 

 since I wanted to see how a mouthful of corn tasted.  Let me tell you - it was pure yucky with a bit of crunch!

Then it was time to give the horse a good gallop.  Giddy-up horse! Which reminds me....I'm as hungry as a horse!  McDonalds here I come!

But first --- the gift shop. Mommy and Meme met us back at the store.   Adults always want to shop.  I tried telling them that cowboys don't need new t-shirts to wear - cowboys need tractors, and horses, and hay, and four-wheelers, and cows.  But gee, I get no respect around here!  At least there are hamburgers, apples, and french fries on the horizon...

So long for now.....

The Little Cowboy