Busy Weekend - 2 Lessons, & New Clothes!
I’ve had a very full weekend! I had a lesson on Friday, wore my new clothes for the first time on Saturday, when it rained, and had another lesson on Sunday.
On Friday my human and I went to the mountains to work with Peggy, our trainer-friend. Peggy is very nice, but doesn’t let me get away with things I can normally get away with, like pushing people out of the way with my nose. She’s very nice when I’m good, but when I’m naughty she gets right in my face about it! I’m used to just screwing around and doing whatever I think sounds like fun, but with her I have to pay attention. She’s teaching my human how to make sure I’m good all the time, too, so I think I’m going to be paying attention a lot more now.
The first part of the lesson was hard, because I’m not used to having to move out of the way when people move near me. I used to just clobber them with my head, and they learned to stay out of my way. Apparently I’m supposed to march right along with them (without being dragged along), stop when they stop, turn when they turn, and so on. Oh yeah, and not hit them with my head. Must remember that… What was that again? Oh yeah…
The second part of the lesson was easy! They just wanted to ground drive me around the place at a walk. Peggy is good at it, and I walked right along where she said. My human needs practice, though. She was steering me all over the place. She’ll get it eventually.
We left after dark. The ride home in the trailer was cold, and for a lot of the way I couldn’t see anything at all along the roads, just gray nothing. It was kind of spooky, but I had hay to eat, so there was nothing to worry about.
Saturday was lovely. It rained a little, and our human spent most of the day cleaning our pen. But first she put out new clothes on all of us. I got a lightweight blanket, for hauling and camping in cold weather, or in case I get sick. I think I look very handsome in it, if I do say so myself. (Check out the photos I posted, below!) Clementine looked OK in her new rain sheet. For a donkey, I mean. She was very full of herself, and kept parading around like a fashion model. Eeyore was a big baby about wearing his, but he eventually calmed down and ate his breakfast.
Sunday we had another lesson, but the work started before we even left home. When I stopped at the gate to contemplate whether I really felt like going anywhere right then, my human insisted right away that I get moving and come with her. I felt like a 4H calf attached to a old donkey’s harness! She just walked right off and I had to go along.
This lesson was easier, because I am starting to get the idea, so I did a lot of things right. I’m still not sure about walking around in circles and changing directions though. It’s easier just to stand still and nap. Today, instead of ground driving, my human rode me a little. Not enough to count as hard work, but just like when she was on the ground she expected me to pay attention and do what she was asking. I have to think more about all this, and she said we’d do more of it at home, too.
When we got home, instead of going straight to the back yard and letting me go off to graze we went to the front yard. The grass there is very tall and green, and way better than the grass in the back. That was great, but darned if there aren’t a lot of scary things out there! Voices that come from trees, even. I snorted at some of them, and stared really hard, but couldn’t figure out what they were. My human made me pay attention to her, and kept asking me to do stuff, but still… We finally went out back, where she made me walk over some of the logs that are lying around. Then I got to relax, and she let the donkeys out. I’ll bet they were mad that I got to go eat the tall grass out front!
My brain is tired. I’m glad the ground is mostly dry now. I’m going to sleep well!
