Long ears and sad eyes, hanging out with a couple of horses. People driving past my place know her. They look for her, often circling, returning, and if they spot me out at the barn, pull in to ask questions about my donkey, Pimmy.

“Do you enjoy her as a pet? What do the horses think of her? What does she eat? Is Pimmy available for adoption? Where could we get a donkey?”

Pimmy is a great pet and totally bonded to her constant companions, my two horses, Rosie and Sunni. When I’m hauling off with one horse, Pimmy baby-sits the other. If I’m loading both horses to go someplace, Pimmy comes along. Usually, while riding on trails, I’ll be on one horse and leading another while Pimmy follows us loyally. For years and hundreds of miles, she’s tagged along behind. If another rider approaches, I make it known that a loose donkey is behind me. Horses that never have seen a donkey might become frightened of or aggressive toward Pimmy. She quickly grasps moods and knows to be careful.

While driving past my own property and glancing over at Pimmy, she seems like a slightly lost creature with sad eyes and long ears that capture the imagination. She appears a little sleepy maybe or even stupid. Actually, Pimmy is highly alert, smart as a whip, and fully aware of everything happening around her. She’s a quick learner and much more so than she likes to let me know. A simple carrot wave that captures Pimmy’s attention turns her into an all-action, highly-focused creature.

I respond to inquiries about donkeys as pets by explaining what I’ve learned during years with Pimmy. If I could have only one large animal, I’d happily choose a donkey.

Dear Readers, have a wonderful day, Diana.

Blow on a dandelion puffball and watch as bits of fluff, floating upward and out, carry seeds into the distance. I’m superstitious and often pause to blow on fully-seeded, easy-to-reach dandelions. I first close my eyes to wish for something, and then like the plant’s airborne fluffs, words begin floating from deep inside me. Sometimes they seem random and other times suggest patterns. Those random words, from somewhere deep inside, are like dandelion seeds springing from plants with roots that extend fifteen feet underground.

We can’t plunge into our own depths to understand why various random thoughts pop up. Are they from ancient memories or recent experiences? People may satisfy a question with a symbolic act, like wishing on dandelions, a plant that’s existed for thousands of years. For most of that time, humans have grown, harvested, and eaten dandilions, and made wishes before blowing its puffballs apart.

The superstitious part of me that wishes on puffballs is rewarded by upward floating words that resemble the plant’s fluffy bits. I try to capture these words, maybe they’ll hint at a cohesive idea. I’ve learned to think quickly about my fluffy-like words and conjure stories. This begins by retaining the first word that pops into my mind and adding as many more pop-ups as possible. I jot into a notebook every recallable word to seek the possible nucleus of a story.

Several years ago, a friend gifted me with a small box containing 1,000 magnetized words. She said, “These will help you write poetry.” The instructions called for randomly placing words on a magnetic surface, like a refrigerator, and then, rearranging them into a sensible order. I’m no poet but got the drift and enjoyed playing with that word set. It’s akin to blowing on a puffball for words that may suggest patterns and strings of thoughts.

Making a wish helps to start me on a path toward logic.

Dear Readers, have a great day! Diana

I remember my long-ago slip-of-the-tongue while attempting hurriedly to describe an unusual butterfly flying in my backyard. Before quickly correcting myself, I called it a flutterby. That slip struck me as so appropriate that ever since, to my mind, all butterflies are flutterbys.

That particular butterfly was a Swallowtail and to me a new variety. Having recently moved from the midwest to Southern California, I was discovering new sorts of flying wildlife on and near my property, and trying to absorb as many and as much as possible. Upon that Swallowtail’s close appearance, I followed it from spot to spot, to observe its behaviors, landings, and how long it remained in each place. I rushed into the house for a camera (this was before cellphones) to capture and learn about that lovely creature.

The Monarch butterfly that’s pictured above is a “Painted Lady”. Months ago, my camera captured it in a wilderness area while my dogs and I were out roaming near a small body of water. Butterflies love water. One of my nicest surprises in the summertime while out on horseback, is coming across mud puddles nearly hidden by grasses and populated by large flocks of colorful butterflies.

This winter, I discovered a Monarch Butterfly hibernating in my garage. Not sure if it’s a Painted Lady, for it’s absolutely still with wings upright and clenched. I found it upon removing a wall clock for battery replacement, and left the clock off that wall to avoid disturbing the unmoving butterfly. That critter stayed put another week before our weather began producing a string of warmer days.

Monarch Butterflies become paralyzed during freezing weather, unable to fly, unless their flight muscles become warm enough. One late afternoon, our temperature approached 55 degrees, and right outside the garage, I found “my butterfly” standing–upright, breathing, attempting to stretch stiff wings, and needing to move onward. But oncoming night would return local temps to freezing.

I lifted the butterfly, aware of a myth taught me as a child, that human fingers can disenable flight by removing powder from wings. Even now, I touch little as possible of a wing. I set this Monarch into a bucket for overnight, hoping the next day would be warm and sunny for a release. Shortly afterward, upon peering into the bucket, I saw the butterfly, flat on its side and absolutely still–damaged? From my finger-hold?

Fortunately, by morning, the butterfly had self-uprighted and we awaited a warmup. Yesterday was good, but I became distracted and busy. Today at midday, if all’s right, I’ll set the little fellow or gal outside to warm up, flex those wings and flutter on by, toward another clime where hopefully, if needed, it again may safely pause.

Dear Readers, have a wonderful day, Diana.

Sometimes a path feels cloudy. So it’s seemed since I began thinking of using another platform to compose my daily blogs. Yesterday, after initially shifting onto the Word Press platform, I received questions from readers about how to sign-up and continue receiving blogs. Word Press adds to the confusion by associating “Diana’s Morning Blog” with my earlier writings as “Trail Rider in Central Oregon”. Early today, I invited morning blog recipients to begin following me on Word Press. Here’s hoping the invitation will simplify signing-up. Regardless, we’ll figure things out. Remember that change by its nature evolves as a work in progress!

Speaking of cloudiness and change, my 87-year-old sister phoned the other morning to announce sadly that she weighs only 80 pounds. Her continuing story included her having fallen out of bed, having experienced hallucinations, and having great concern about failing to pay taxes, to ensure the safety of her Arizona house. I reassured her about the taxes and house, but feeling concerned over other parts of her story, went to visit her.

A stop at the nurse’s station assured me that my sister weighs almost 93 lbs., at least far better than she’d reported. The caretakers said she’d neither fallen from bed, nor to their knowledge hallucinated. After entering my sister’s room and correcting her as to weight, she argued insistently that she weighs only 80 lbs. She remembered saying nothing about falls and hallucinations, but recalled my assurance of her home’s safety. Despite all this mishigosh, my sister remains incredibly alert.

As I was leaving, a manager fell into step beside me to describe an agreement she has with my sister. For the facility’s Valentine’s Day Dance, she’ll bring a fancy gown that my sister has promised to wear, and to attend the dance! I explained that years ago, in those times when my sisters and I were losing our mother and eldest sibling, their dementia had quited them. This sister is a completely different story! The manager nodded and laughed, “Yes, she’s the Energizer Bunny!”

That superb visual is an apt description of my now-eldest sister throughout her lifetime.

Have a great day,

Diana

Dear Readers, for years I’ve blogged every morning, using gmail as the platform on which to compose and send. Over time, this blog’s mailing list has grown, making it challenging to send via gmail, which often blocks my sends and forces me to copy to yahoo for re-sending. While yahoo cooperates, it also has limitations. So I’m transferring my blog-writing to the Word Press platform.

I’ve hesitated, worried that changing platforms might be problematic. This particular change requires each recipient to tap the link (below) which takes you to the WP site. To continue receiving my blogs, there’s a required one-time sign-up. I’m hoping you’ll use the link to sign-up and will stay with me through this change and beyond.

Another change is including a photo, taken yesterday, of Sunni enjoying her hay on an unusual, almost-balmy winter afternoon. I’ll include photos, occasionally or daily, depending on a blog’s contents and certainly on reader feedback. I steadfastly follow several bloggers who frequently use photos to highlight key points. I always appreciate their visuals as much as observations in words.

The basic premise behind Diana’s Morning Blog won’t change. Blogs will go out daily before, or as near as possible to 8:00 a.m. (Pacific time). The friends who kindly keep an eye on this retiree know upon receiving my blogs that I’m on my feet, all’s okay, and there’s no need for someone to help care for my animals. I can’t say enough about my appreciation of friends who long have reassured me by their presence and caring.

So, let’s move forward. Please sign up to continue receiving these blogs, ask questions, provide feedback. Let me know your preferences and I’ll do my best to accommodate. It’s exciting to start a new chapter, and especially that we can do it together.

Have a great day!

Diana