My Little Mules

My donkeys, Baalam and Bathsheba, have been boarded with the Byers for a couple of months while the farrier worked on their feet. I bought the donkeys from a man who had just turned them into a field with a bunch of horses and let them fend for themselves. When I first saw them they were in horrible shape, emaciated and skeletal. Their poor feet had never been worked on and Bathsheba was almost crippled. Baalam is Bathsheba's son, although he is the larger of the two. They are so devoted to each other that if you move one donkey an inch from the other one they panic and scream in alarm. I took them in, and in my pursuit of making up for all the neglect they have endured in their sad lives, I fed them. ... and fed them .... and fed them. They became as round as butterballs. This, of course, has put more stress on their poor feet. The farrier told me I was killing them with kindness. He set up a diet for them and has been consistently working on their feet. They have slimmed down and the improvement in their feet has been amazing. The donkeys also have enjoyed the tons of love and attention that the Byers bestow on anything and anyone who is around them. I have two spoiled little mules! Steve and Cheryl Byers have a place on Turkey Creek called Marantha Stables and this is where the donkeys have been staying, along with all the Byers' other equine. I am looking forward to bringing them back home this month. When they are at home and they see the light go on in the bedroom-which they can see from their little barn -they begin to bray-AT THE TOP OF THEIR LUNGS!! They knew it is time for food. So my neighbors have probably been glad for the peace and quiet for a while.