Smurf Invasion.....

I am walking on flat smurfs!



ACK! Smurf attack! It is on my neck!



Holy moly! Now it is on my butt! Someone control the smurfs!


(I am putting on another video - hope it works....it is simple but was fun since I did it by myself)



First of all I would like to apologize to those with sensitive eyes...my legs very rarely see the light of the sun, as you all can tell! Now you all know why I wear jeans on those close to 100 degree muggy days...it is for your protection! HA!

The weekend was not what I had planned, but it was still a good one.
Saturday we got some pretty big storms with heavy heavy rain, and we were soaked and muddied up again. I really do wish we could have shifted these rains to California to help with the fires. You all are in my thoughts!

I did try to work with Tripp before it started raining, but it was a matter of minutes before it started. We kept going until the wind picked up and the buckets started pouring on us. Tripp and I voted on it and decided to call it a day! It did quit later that evening, and I did get to work with some feet and the plastic bag, but that was about it because it was very slick out. The pen sits right on top of a clay shelf, so there is the little bit of mud right on the clay. Slippery slopes of fun...

Today was a lot of fun. We worked on the basic stuff we have been doing, then of course the plastic bag and I did some more with the tarp. He is getting better with the plastic bag. I keep one attached to me, so I started rubbing him with that one and got all over his body. I did the same thing with the 2 bags on the stick. The main thing he cannot deal with is it going over the center line of his body. So I worked on keeping it low - he still stresses out with it, but did so much better.

Then I decided to get the tarp - aka - the big flat smurf! We have played with it before, but that was it. Sometimes I forget what I need to be doing... :-) First we walked on it and he really didn't care one bit about it. At first he tried to bite it and pull it up, but he was standing on it. He lost interest real quick. We walked over it a few times just to make sure it wasn't a fluke - nope, no worries. Then I decided to fold it up and put it over his back. Still not to worried about it. I then strung it out so it hung on each side of him and hit the ground, and he still did alright. He ended up stepping on it with a back foot and it kind of pulled on him a little bit. He stopped - I think he felt stuck. So I backed him up a couple of steps, moved it a little bit, and we carried on with our 'walk'. I played with feet again. He is very adamant about me leaving those back ones alone - so what do I do? Mess with the back ones! This morning he did pretty good with them, but this afternoon he was back to the leg swings. I went back to the rope and started rubbing all over his legs, then lifted them. He did a lot of swinging and I didn't let go until he quit.

After all of that I decided we needed to take a walk thru the donkey area and look for grass sprigs. I took my camera and a magazine and away we went. We did practice walking thru the gate and back a couple of times. Once he did it without hesitation we headed to the greenery. There was a breeze, it was peaceful, so I planted my butt down to read while he munched on grass and weeds. Brian got home just in time to see us walk back thru the gate...and he was impressed. That was not the show he saw last time! hee hee!

I got on him again tonite and he was a little more feisty than he had been. I kept it short and sweet. Brian walked around the pen and I would guide him first to the inside, then to the outside of him. We walked over our timber and he is earning a new meaning to his name. He is kind of clumsy and trips going over them. I keep telling him that we are losing points, but Tripp says points mean nothing to him. Really! I heard him say it! ;-)

I am almost out of apple wafers. He does not get them all the time. Treats are supposed to be just that - treats. But he sure does enjoy them. We got a big bag of alfalfa cubes that was discounted 50% because the bag was busted open. Right now those are our treats. The cubes break off into little 'flakes' and are perfect size for treats! That bag will last a long time.

Wow....I got this updated before 11:00 at night. What am I going to do with my free time?

Everyone have a great night and a great week!

Until later....Karen and Tripp