Oh, Pimmy!

Wednesday, September 08, 2021 —(On September 20, the full moon, “Harvest”, will rise nearest to earth.)

That’s the little squirt. She’s loose, supposed to be following the horses and me. She actually was following, but on her own terms, and couldn’t ignore the temptation of summer bunch-grasses.

I was bringing her home from a neighbor’s pasture, leading her with the horses. My property is hilly, and to make my climb easier, I release the donkey’s lead rope. Once I have the horses safely in a holding area, I look around for the donkey. If she’s not visible, I’ll go searching.

She’ll be nearby. She diligently follows her horses wherever they may lead.

Searching means I’ll start trudging upwards to find her. Less work than trying to lead her uphill with the horses. The donkey willingly walks with us, but it’s her nature to balk frequently and “think about” next steps. Releasing her rope eases my own walk uphill. Without a donkey-drag the horses moving faster sort-of pull me upwards.

Anyway, as I began climbing in search of the donkey, she came over the hill toward me while avoiding her dragging lead rope. I could see that she felt pulled in two directions. One toward those temping sweet natural grasses, the other toward a carrot in my high-held hand.

I can count on her adoration for treats to save my energy.

She’s smarter than a horse and a wonderful pet. I wish though that she’d walk normally with us all toward known destinations.

I’m anticipating daily struggles after an upcoming first deep freeze, when grasses stop producing sugars that cause weight-gains. Then my equines may graze freely. Daily I’ll walk my trio a third of a mile down-the-road to a larger pasture. For sure, during the travels there and our homecomings, my donkey will balk often. Pulling on her lead rope will wear me out.

Dear Friends: Happy she’s here, wouldn’t trade her for anything, but ohmigosh! Diana