One Mighty Fine Ass...

No folks, I have NOT been staring in the mirror again...

...well even if I have been staring in the mirror, I am not the "subject ass". 

I want to tell you about a friend I have had for most of my life - Barney the donkey.  He truly is one mighty fine ass.

Sometime in the late 1970s or very early 1980s, my uncle adopted two wild burros from the US Bureau of Land Management.  My uncle was an amazing guy and one of the most intelligent people I have had the pleasure to know.  He restored antique automobiles, was on a "pit crew" for an Indy Race Car driver, was an avid hunter, the list goes on and on...

These two adopted burros were my first glimpse into the world of livestock.  Uncle John named the boys for two of his favorite television "asses".   "No. 7" was named after the donkey in the show "Grizzly Adams" and "Barney" was named after Barney Fife in "The Andy Griffith Show".  I spent many happy hours in my youth visiting my uncle and feeding "the boys" any weed I could pull and reach over the fence.

Poor old No. 7 died in the mid 1980s.  Rather than calling and telling me about this, my uncle, being a bit eccentric, send an envelope of pictures detailing the sad event and burial.  In retrospect, I chuckle at the thought, but as a child it was the perfect way for me to learn and be a part of this important lesson of having livestock.  Uncle John quickly found a new friend for Barney, an older jack named "Luke".

Many years passed and I continued to be very close with my uncle.  He had a beautiful piece of property in the woodland Upper Pennisula in northern Michigan and I spent time with him every fall hunting deer, learning to cut wood, talking about life, and making memories that will be with me forever.

It has been 6 or 7 years since my uncle was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer.  He asked me if I would take the donkeys for him and if I could give him the slightest peace of mind that "his boys" would be taken care of, this was the very least I could do.  My uncle told me that once I had a donkey, I would always have a donkey.

Luke & Barney

Uncle John passed away in the spring of 2007 after a long and well fought battle with a terrible disease.  Luke the donkey, who was in his forties at the time, died a year later.  Poor old Barney, no spring chicken himself, had been pastured with Luke for over 20 years and was heartbroken on the day that Luke died.  Within 24 hours, having heard the news of Luke's death, some good friends offered to let us buy their miniature Jenny to keep Barney company.  It was LOVE at first sight.

This is where my "can't leave well enough alone" gene kicked in and I somehow talked myself into buying a 2nd Jenny....   FOR BARNEY...  did I mention that she was also pregnant???  (see some amazing pictures of the donkey birth)

Barney is definately showing his age.  The winter of 2008 was very hard on him and I was worried that he may not be with us long.  I bought him a waterproof and insulated winter blanket, had our Amish friends build him a new run-in shed, and started hand feeding him Equine Senior feed every night.  That's right folks, since 2008, I hold a bucket for 15 - 30 minutes each and every night while Barney chews every mouthful.

This is time I have come to enjoy with my old friend.  We talk about the weather, the latest happenings on the farm, and remenisce about our younger years.  I would like to think that my uncle is watching us and smiling... 

Gibbs, Sophie, Barney, and Zoey

By the way, I didn't believe it then but I am pretty sure my uncle was right... I can't imagine life without a donkey or two around.