Walk with Bellis

J said there is a new geocache in our neighborhood and I asked if we could take the donkey. He said yes and I realized I have no lead rope.

I own exactly three lead ropes and they are all at the barn in Wuppertal. J asked why. I said, "Well, one is long (NH), one is nice, for being fancy, and one is for everyday use, leave in the rain on the paddock gate."

I went upstairs and got a set of biothane reins and that was my lead rope. I think 3 lead ropes might not really be enough for two animals split between 2 barns. Hm.

Bellis was thrilled to be out, pulling me along happily, and she was concerned/amused when J crawled directly under the bridge she was standing on. Then as she nibbled blackberries along the bridge, her hooves sunk into a hole next to the planks and I flashed back and got upset - SHE'S STUCK IN THE BRIDGE! but she was not worried, and only looked stuck. My goodness I will carry bridge trauma with me the rest of my life, after Baasha's accident.

Two hikers passed us on the too-narrow trail and were very kind about us taking up the entire single track. Who can be angry at a donkey though? I swear, if it were a horse they'd have tsk'd us.

It was a really fun walk and back home, I spent some time with Bellis in the pasture and watched the herd of sheep that had moved in to the adjacent pasture on the hillside across our creek. Many lambs crying like human babies and lots of gurgly mothers calling to find them.

This one lamb kind of flopped behind a sheep and was red in color. I thought, did I just witness a birth? But the mother didn't lick the lamb, so apparently I'd missed it. I hurried to the house for my binoculars to get a close up look at the baby.

I tossed Bellis some bread slices on my way back and she scared me when she finally joined me, cuz I was concentrating so hard on that baby.

The mother's face was bloody, the baby was bloody, and trying to find milk between her forelegs. Then they both lay down together. I wondered if the baby would make it.

I remember the shepherd telling me that Winter lambs are the strongest.

I suppose that means if they survive the Winter, they become the strongest.

Then I saw this menacing sheep staring me down the entire time on the fenceline. I was happy to have Bellis with me. She will not allow sheep to come running into our field.

Then I saw another baby and its mother with placenta hanging down. Did I just miss TWO births by a matter of hours? Crummy timing! But I was so thrilled to be witnessing the miracle of life, completely alone. The second lamb also tried to nurse between the forelegs and eventually wagged its tail in ecstasy as it found the real milk location.

I kept watch on both of them until my arms could no longer hold up the binoculars. I didn't need the binoculars to see them, but it was just nice to see the details.

Other lambs frolicked around and there is nothing on earth more cheerful than that. I wondered if they were days old or weeks, I have no idea.

One adult came to the bloody lamb and head butted it! I was astonished, why would a sheep head butt a newborn? I wondered if it's a welcome to the herd. Or a "Don't consider drinking from me, I'm taken! My baby is ...well, ....way, way over there, but I have my own!"

We've been here 7 years and have had sheep either next to us or actually on our field several times, and this is the first time I got to experience the miracle of life, well, almost.

I miss my beloved city of Seattle so much, but to see lambs learn to nurse for the first time on a hillside........I'm counting my blessings.

Since I have no new photos, here's some memory lane.....


Princess Buttercup (Centennial Princess, or, "Leia") and I at a river on Mt Adams. To be honest I took the photo cuz I couldn't believe we were expected to cross this thing. How deep is it? Look at the color, it's glacial runoff. How dangerous? My good mare actually agreed with me for a moment, "Let's not, then." And I said, "Well, the CMO map points us this way, so..." and she said, "OK." But seriously, I was all alone and would you step in with your horse?



Frogs chirping flowers blooming, Mt Adams is the prettiest place I've ridden a horse. Except I did that bloody stairway the wrong way, since I rode the entire trail backwards. Going down a stairway on a horse is way harder on them than going up. At this moment she is saying, "Can I resume grazing?" and I'm, "Just one moment..." That's Baasha's bridle she's wearing, the one I gave Gabi at our new barn the day I moved in, because it has too many memories and I don't want to use it on Mag. I loved this mare so much. My husband and I got to know each other as she carried him and Baasha carried me. I will never accept the prejudice against chestnut mares because of her.