PEOPLE WHO ARE VIOLENT TO ANIMALS RARELY STOP THERE!

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Making it my own day at the farm....sort of...

  With work on Open Days on Wednesdays  and being a volunteer on Sunday's Open Days with lots of talking and explaining and educating, I haven't really had much donkey love time. I mean I always try to sneak in some private moments with a donkey here and there, but still my main reason on those days is to "work" for the DSC. Since we had plenty of volunteers there today, I decided to make it a ME day, and nobody seemed to mind, I mean I still did my chores and the occasional talk with people, but I was just not in a very talkative mood today. A new volunteer training session had just ended the weekend prior and there were a few new ones on site today. I met up with one of the new ones and since I am apparently so good at delegating, she was paired up with me. Well Bev is definitely a keeper, she brought in a whole box of homemade short bread cookies in the shape of donkeys for staff and volunteers, and everybody was just raving how good they were. Hmmmm I bet they were, but I kept my hands of them....I am trying so hard. So Bev and I cleaned up the yard and the garden paddock with Juno and Solo. Juno has come so far, I was in the paddock with her and she came over for an ear scratch and all day long people were able to pet her over the fence. WOW, what an improvement, she has crossed over to the good side in people. That is so great. I had plenty of cuddle time with Buffy today, I have missed her so much since she is now in the main herd, that usually roams the fields, and I don't get to see her that much, unless I go looking for her. Juliette was in one of her moods again, so it was not really safe to go into the dark side, and I kept a close eye on her as I was cleaning a part of it. Orly got a clean bill of health from the vet and is now on the "special needs" side. And omg what a sweetheart she is, we had a good long cuddle in the yard. She is really a friendly donkey, very affectionate and loving and curious. Just like I remembered her. We also had an awwwww moment with her today, and I think she made somebody's day today.  About half way through the afternoon, a lady walks into the barn all by herself, dressed in her best Sunday clothes, not really suitable for a farm visit, but hey who are we to judge. We have seen everything and don't wonder or question a lot anymore lol. I hear the lady in conversation with Cate, telling her that she just went for a drive because she was sad and depressed, because she had just lost her husband and her dog. As she was telling the story about it, who comes out and walks right over to the lady but our sweet Orly, whose daughter just had passed away two weeks prior. So Cate tells the Lady about Orly and she just hugged the muddy, dirty old donkey, in her best Sunday clothes and started to cry and smile at the same time. It really was an "awwww" moment. And she was hooked on donkey love. Orly just stood there, snuggling up against her as if they were best buddies from long time ago and who understood each other. It really was a sight. It always makes me so happy to see when people get it,  and by get it I mean when they understand what loving and caring and sweet animals donkeys really are. I remember my very first visit and how depressed I was that day and when I got there, everything was ok in my world, it is just almost a surreal experience of tranquility, peace and love, but not everybody takes that away from their visit and I am always delighted to see if someone does. Even now so very often I might leave my house maybe not in the best of moods but as soon as I turn into that driveway up to the Farm, my mood is changing and I am happy and content and at peace. People really don't understand donkeys that much, do they?
Buffy and some white donkey, not sure which one, I have a hard time telling 3 of the 5 white donkeys apart, at least from afar.                                                                   



Starting the carrot walk. Of course Cocoa is the first in line behind Adam.



3 comments:

Sharon said...

I would guess you had a good day yesterday!

A lot of animals can feel the moods of people. Orly could probably feel that the lady had a heavy heart.

Tina said...

Sharon- I had an excellent day yesterday. And you are so right with animals feeling peoples mood, it is so true and so amazing too. Even my little guinea pig would just always come to me to console me when I had a bad day as a kid.

Inger said...

Hug a donkey, scratch a donkey butt, work hard to care for them --I know why you had such a good day! There are no greater and more misunderstood animals. -- Inger