Mancos Mule MJ: March 2010

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

BIG difference

One week in March!

What a BIG difference ...

one sunny, windy week can make.

March 13, 2010

March 22, 2010

The mule loved her first spring warm up in the round pen. Chalk up a few points for Polly! The horse however was an idiot! It looked like I was trying to work with a very frisky caterpillar that wasn't quite convinced that he was through hibernating for the winter. We had to take it all very slowly. For some reason he thought that we should be doing everything at warp-speed. The boy just couldn't believe that I was actually asking him to do something besides stand around and look at the snow fall! Guess these last few months have taken a toll on all of us here. The yellow horse's excuse, cabin fever, or in his case, corral fever! Chalk a couple more points up for the yellow horse!

I should have taken a photo or two, but I haven't yet mastered how to pay attention in the round pen and take photos at the same time. You'll just have to believe that we have ALL had our first little workout for the year. Chalk one up for me!

BTW
Weather forecast for tonight:
Spring rain turning to snow!

Friday, March 19, 2010

USPS Stamps to the Rescue – The Campaign

In celebration of the new Animal Rescue: Adopt a Shelter Pet stamps, the Postal Service™, together with Ellen DeGeneres and Halo: Purely for Pets, is giving shelter pets around the country a First-Class Meal.

Check out this website. Maybe you want to help make a little difference in the life of a few good dogs!

http://www.stampstotherescue.com/thecampaign.asp

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

It's called Caution not Stubborn

Here are a few shots taken this morning
under a very blue, warming sky.

As soon as the blankets came off I sat on the ground in front of Polly's stall to take a few pictures of her. This mule is suspicious of ANYTHING out of the ordinary. That includes me if I do something that is not part of her daily routine. Sitting on the ground was cause for stepping back and thinking about me for a while. I was definitely out of her comfort zone!

So I waited a few minutes ...

and so did she.

This is a rock solid mule once she makes up her mind that something is safe and okay! I have learned, sometimes the hard way, that you just don't want to hurry her into making decisions. Especially if it's something really scary or odd, like me sitting on the ground by her morning breakfast! What could I have possibly been thinking?

By the way.....

Yoo Hoo! .....

Can we get your attention PLEASE?

FINALLY ....

Happy St. Patty's Day to You!

from Maggie and the rest of the

Mancos Mule Team!

Monday, March 15, 2010

A WEE Glimpse of Spring

Mancos Melt Parade

March 6, 2010

Snow melting in the round pen

under Blue, Blue sky

March 14, 2010

Neighborhood Skunks are "out and about"

Round Penning Robin!

March 12, 2010

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Between a Rock and a Hard Spot

Winter turning to Spring pasture...

I'm sure that I mentioned that I had fallen and fractured 2 ribs. That was in January, all was healing and although I was not 100%, I was feeling better by the day. That was, until last week. I had the horse in the barn and was cleaning feet. They get nasty this time of year, and both the mule and the horse have developed a little thrush problem.

In the above photos are:

Polly (the mule's) foot in wet corral conditions and

Rhett (the Horse) doing what he loves to do best ... eat!

Anyway, Back to the story. It seems that my streak of clumsiness and being in the wrong place at the wrong time continues to haunt me. Those of you with horses know how, even when doing it properly, being under a 1000+ pound horse /mule puts you in a somewhat vulnerable position. Okay, now add the fact that at that very moment a huge chunk of frozen snow decides to fall off the barn roof! Within seconds the normally good-ground- mannered horse lurches forward and slams me into the stall door. Damage redone. Some would say (like my husband Toma and my doctor) that I probably shouldn't have been there in the first place, but I had already been doing this for about a week with no ill-effects. No one to blame, but maybe myself, and so here I am again with very sore, but re-healing ribs. This is going to be one long winter-into-spring season! AND Lots of extra work for my very helpful husband, who already leaves for work in the dark and gets home in the dark. Now he gets to do my barn chores too!

Here are just a few random photos of my friends looking very discussed, dirty and bored because their chief cook and bottle washer is once again on temporary leave of absence!