My boy, Beau

I haven't talked much about my new donkey, Beau, lately other than to mention his hoof and eye problems. While these concerns have taken up a lot of my attention, he is such a good boy that I feel he deserves to have a bit of blog attention that isn't health concern related.

My Beau is big for a standard donkey. He stands 48" at the withers, which is 12hh for any horse-people out there:

He turned seven years old in April. Almost everything he does is done with slow and deliberate movements. I'm not sure whether this comes from his size, his troublesome feet, or his personality - it could be a combination of all three. Regardless, his slow progress up and down our hills often reminds me of Eeyore from "Winnie the Pooh".

Beau and Chester couldn't be any more opposite in personalities. Beau's calm and quiet demeanor is an interesting counter to Chet's quick moves and big-n-sassy attitude:

Yes, Beau loves the carrot coins as much as everyone else here on Critter Farm:

Remarkably, the llamas are fairly easy going around Beau. Where this would never be attempted with Chester, Kai and Beau will often eat from the same bucket:

Beau, however, has been known to - accidentally, I believe - offend on more than one occasion. When this happens, the llama ladies don't hesitate to give him a good swift one between the eyes:

When Beau's goofy side shows up, it lightens my heart because it shows me he's finally feeling better than he was when he first arrived here:

Who doesn't love a good bear hug every now and then?:

One of Beau's favorite things to do is eat the moss off our big Douglas Fir trees:

He'll stand there for quite a while, slowly chewing, thoughtfully biting:

He's almost zen-like in his total absorption in the moss:

He's so absorbed, he doesn't notice Chester come up behind him. Can you see that look in Chet's eye? We'll talk about that some day:

From the looks of the bark on the tree, others have been nibbling here, too. Not good for the tree. Some chicken wire wrapping may be in order:

Now that Chet knows I've got the camera, he tries to get into all my shots. Especially if those shots appear to be centered on Beau. He's got a jealous bone, that guy:

Here's what's left of our Christmas tree:

Both Beau and Chester still love to chew on it. Giant toothpicks?:

Look at those chompers:

Watching Beau, as I have since he came to us in January, he seems to be a supremely gentle soul. Everything about him is just a little slower than every other animal here on Critter Farm. This allows him to observe everything going on around him:

He didn't bray when he first arrived here, but Chester has taught him what to do at mealtimes and he's got a great voice:

My boy, Beau:

Happy Anniversary, Boys -or- The oral nature of goats

Bringing Pete and Reggie home, 5/02/09

Pete and Reggie, my Nigerian Dwarf goat boys, have been with me for one year today. They celebrated their 1st birthdays in March, but I didn't bring them home to Critter Farm until they were about eight weeks old. This was on May 2nd, 2009.

If I had to state the primary thing I've learned about goats in the last year, I'd say that they are the most oral of all my animals. Anything and everything they find, if they are able to get it there, will go straight into their mouths.

As a 1st birthday/1st anniversary tribute, I'd like to share with you some photos that will illustrate this fundamental aspect of living with goats.

And so, along the line of "a year in the life", I present:

"A year in the mouth of Pete and Reggie" (in chronological order):

Fanny pack strap:

Zipper on my jacket:

Daisies:

My hat:

Plastic food dishes:

My coffee cup:

My sports bra strap:

My watch:

Rope on a tree:

Scissors in my pocket:

My leg:

Again with the hat:

Garlic:

The ladder:

The rake:

My bandanna:

Paper and pens:

My finger:

Hose hanger:

A gate latch:

Silly hats the other is wearing:

Donkey tails:

Gate chains:

Plastic bags:

Anything on the barn workbench:

The chicken coop door:

Twine:

Dried garlic stalks:

and...
Hedge clippers and rubber boots:

Getting these boys was, without a doubt, one of the best decisions I have ever made and I thank my beloved and oh-so-wise goat mentors (Maryann (Goat Philosophy 101) and Wendy (Life Beyond the Sidewalks)) for directing me, kindly and consistently - and over the span of almost a year - in this direction.

Happy 1 year anniversary, Pete & Reggie, my sweets. :-)

Roxy, the farm pup, welcomes Pete and Reggie to Critter Farm, 5/02/09

There were these really big rocks on the highway

I think I've mentioned before that I always have my camera with me. However, that wasn't entirely full disclosure. Sometimes I have two, occasionally even three, cameras with me. Add to that my cell phone camera, and that makes four. My photo documenting has become second nature to me in the almost two and a half years that we've lived here on Critter Farm. Neither family nor critters so much as blink anymore when I pull out one of my electronic devices and start clicking away.

Still, there are times when I probably should not be photographing:

Say, like on the highway:

...while I'm driving:

Nevertheless, one frequently sees fascinating sights on the highway, some of which practically call out to be photographed.

Like this, for example. I've been seeing these trucks for months now:

...lugging enormous boulders along the major thoroughfare, through the city of Portland and then back out, heading toward the coast:

The sight of these huge rocks rolling down the highway never fails to amaze me:

Where are they coming from? Where are they going? Doesn't anybody else want to know?!:

The trucks always travel in pairs:

Can you imagine the cost of moving these beasts?:

These sure must be some important rocks.

And then I drove by them. I turned in one direction and they turned in another. I have no idea where they went.