Isn't this a great shot? How does that happen? Only for Susan, dear Susan, i assure you!! Xote and Sancho were only 2 or 3 months old when this picture was taken. We all went out to visit a friend of Susan's to see her llama's, and of course her donkeys. Who knew that by the end of the summer these guys would be at our place?
Together, with Osama bin Llama, they have been the "Field Operations" of our Livestock Guardian Team, and have done a Superior job. Unfortunately, we had to split up the team on this past Christmas Eve. Xote and Sancho are now about 4 years old, had reached maturity, and become, shall we say, rather randy, and i was afraid they were gonna hurt each other, so we found a new home for Xote. And what a blessing it was, Xote now has a better home and more attention that he had here!! I knew the lady that got him was the right fit when she showed up to meet him with carrots in her pocket. Even better because she already had a jenny, and we hear that Xote and Izzy are getting along famously!
One of my top ten all time favorite books has always been Don Quixote, so, when given the opportunity, of course i had to name a donkey....Xote, with his loyal companion, Sancho Panza. As fate would have it, the names were perfect for them-Xote is capricious and oblivious, and definitely the one thinking up the plan. Sancho is short and grumpy, (and rather lippy,) but always right there behind Xote.
They are very well socialized, if you are in the pasture, they were right by your side. Sancho still is, of course. When i go out to feed Jessie and Owens, Sancho, who is usually at the lower end of the property in the mornings, will come running up the pasture, braying and calling "Wait, wait, i'm coming!!" to get his share of whatever is being doled out that morning.
Smack dab in the middle of our pasture is a HUGE, very old oak tree. We call it the Grand Oak. For a while after we moved here, i used to try to go read under the Grand Oak, but finally gave up because there was no peace there. If i took off my shoes, they were stolen and carried up to the barn. My bookbag would be lifted or the hat removed from my head and taken off who knows where. The stinkin' donks even tried to cart off my chair when i got up one time. And don't even think about trying to picnic.
On the LGA side of things, they hate snakes as much as i do (i believe in Lewis Grizzard's theory that there is only one kind of snake in the United States, the Copper Headed Water Rattler) and seem to also hold to the theory that the only good snake is a dead snake, so i have been pleased to find on many occasions, pancake snakes, complements of my good boyz.
The team has also kept the feral hogs and coyotes out of the pasture, though not out of the surrounding fields. That is what the dogs, are for, more on that later. Although i will take this opportunity to mention the Great Pyrennes mix we aquired about the same time as Xote and Sancho. Her name was The Fair Lady Dulcinea. (If we ever get a horse it will be named Rozinante.) Dulcie was a great girl-exellent guardian, and the only dog i ever knew that would smile when she greeted you--intimidating unless you knew what she was doing! She went out with her boots on, defending her home from the coyotes. We heard the fight, but didn't realize what was happening until it was too late. She is missed.
One of my favorite little pleasures on the homestead is when all the LG team starts singing. Except for Osama, of course. He just stares at all the plebs with disdain. But the chorus starts with Sancho (or Xote, in other days) braying, and then the dogs join in with howling. They just go on and on, and it is the funniest thing. If Ellie May and Jethro and i are out there, we join in as well. Wish you could hear it. It's amazing!! Almost as moving as Handel, in it's own special way.
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