1 a : a place where animals are kept and trained especially for exhibition
b : a collection of wild or foreign animals kept especially for exhibition
2 : a varied mixture <a menagerie of comedians — TV Guide>
The collection of animals at our house has expanded now to nine. Allow me to make introductions. hhhmmm, how to start? Biggest to smallest? Outdoor to indoor? youngest to oldest? Smartest to .....well, not so bright? Darkest to lightest? Rookie to veteran? Male to female? Oh, for cryin' out loud!
Ella came to us as Willa, named for her will to survive. Her Mother had perished trying to nurse her and another foal that wasn't even her own. Ella and her brother were trying to survive on mesquite beans and barely had the strength to load into the trailer when finally rescued. Rescued, by the way, from a rancher who had already been warned by law enforcement about neglecting his animals.
She is now queen bee! The boss lady. She has a sweet disposition and has taken to being ridden by Manny only. Not my youngest yet, they both aren't quite ready!
Along with Ella in our front pasture is a family of miniature Sicilian donkeys. Some call them Jerusalem donkeys, because they were the type of donkey Jesus rode on and have a beautiful black cross on their backs!
"The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem.
So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!"
And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written,
"Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt!" "
John 12:12-15
We first got Willow, a one year old male from a wonderful home here in Boerne that cares for children who have severe disabilities or illnesses. His Mom was having another baby donkey and young siblings aren't supposed to stay together! So, we brought Willow home after much sweet talking to my Manny! Willow has an awesome, funny personality and is very handsome.
I didn't like the fact that he was so lonely, this was prior to Ella's arrival. I guess I should have introduced them in chronological order!?!? Anyway, I mentioned his lonely state to my sweet friend, who happened to have a neighbor with too many donkeys! So, they brought us Sophie or "Sophia Maria" as I call her. She is not as pretty as willow is handsome and was very fat when she arrived! Her owners didn't know if she was pregnant or not, but said if she was, she would not be willing to let willow get near her. Needless to say, not long after her arrival, a love affair ensued like one you have never seen! I felt like I needed to shield the children's eyes!! Quite the biology lesson, anatomy lesson or birds and bees? Some sort of lesson, whew!
He was my little buddy donkey until one day he kicked a porcupine and I had to hold him down while Manny extracted over a hundred quills. Then, of course came his gelding. I couldn't participate, much less be on the property. I suppose I went shopping....what I usually do to ease my pain and grief. Needless to say, he doesn't love me like he used to......isn't that a country song?
Amigo had already been fixed, so we bred daisy to a beautiful sire and she had a litter of 10 puppies! 5 males and 5 females! The absolute neatest experience for our family!
Daisy and Amigo love to tour the countryside, much to our chagrin. However, we have met some great people because of their travels! They most definitely have guardian angels and I'm pretty sure one of them is named Babs.
About six years ago, some friends of ours were going through a crisis and needed to relocate some of their own animals. So, we took one of their cats. The girls had always wanted a cute, cuddly, playful kitty, so why not? Well, "Cupcake" as she was already called, wasnt exactly what we had signed on for. I call her to this day, "psycho kitty"! Such an odd creature. I promise I have a follow up post one day only on this cat, called "Cupcake Chronicles"....stay tuned!
Our most recent canine, was a 50th Birthday surprise for my Manny. We had been talking for months about getting a third dog, again something cute, cuddly and playful....since we missed with the cat! I researched: Scottie's, Westies, mini Aussies, king Charles spaniels, cairn terriers, Norwich terriers, Norfolk terriers, morkies, Morkie poos, you name it, I looked at it on line! Rescues, Craigslist, AKC, fancy breeder groups. Lord, I feel like I could be a dog show judge now! Well, guess what we ended up with....that doesn't sound right. Guess what we finally chose?! A wiemeriner! Manny had grown up with these and said one day in the midst of our doggy debate, that they were by far the best dogs ever. They don't shed, they are loyal, they won't run, they are protective.....on and on. So, Mama made a mental note and found an AKC litter in San Antonio. Welcome to our family, "Augustus Von Atkins". Gus for short.
He will be 5 months old on November 19th. Ironically, he was born on my Mother's birthday, June 19th! Well, he was the cutest, funniest thing you have ever seen (except for a baby donkey, of course). He is such a handful! So opposite of a Golden Retriever! No wonder Manny loves this breed, they are so alike! Tenacious, curious, high energy, independent, lanky and just plain hilarious! He has gained about 5 pounds a week since we have had him! The vet says he is going to be giant! He isn't five months quite yet and I'm sure he weighs close to 50 pounds. His paws are massive and he has fingers like a monkey that can actually reach and grab! He has already locked me out of the house.......we interrupt this blog to get off of the sofa to get Gus out of the pantry trash can.........
Our latest and greatest addition to the Atkins Menagerie is......we interrupt this blog again to check on Gus........a micro teacup......Potbellied Pig! Her name is Bella and she is the cutest thing you have ever seen (except a baby donkey of course). What a smart little creature! She fits right in!
The only problem we are now encountering is at feeding time! All three dogs, the cat and pig have to be fed separately! Gus is so aggressive and Amigo is so passive that someone is bound to get hurt. Gus already has two scratches on his face....we aren't sure who they are from, but it could be feline, canine or bovine!
First of all, when I buy their food I look like a zookeeper. Each has their own food.....amigo gets wet food because of his digestive issue, daisy gets weight management food because of her overeating issue, Gus gets puppy food, cupcake gets indoor, hair ball control, single cat cat food and Bella gets oatmeal and pig chow!!
Last week the pig tried to eat the puppy food and a knock down drag out took place. Now, I have to close daisy up in the pantry to eat her weight watchers meal. Amigo gets wet food mixed with Daisy's watered down food, outside on the other side of the house from the pig. Gus gets fed inside while daisy is in the pantry and amigo is outside. Bella the pig is fed on the other side of the house without anyone watching, while cupcake is shut off in the utility room with her cat food. Lord have mercy!
I know, I know, you are thinking, "well, you brought this all on yourself, sister....". But, honestly, I can't imagine life without animals. They are the purest example of unconditional love on our planet! One of my favorite hymns is "All Creatures of our God and King". We sang it at my Daddy's funeral, because he was such an animal lover. I suppose that is another inheritance I received from him!
Animals bring me joy! The girls laugh because I have a special voice or accent for each of our animals! That must be a gift from my Mother, because she changed her accent when speaking to her friends of different ethnicities! I used to make fun of her so.....what goes around! But, really, can't you sense how an animal would sound if God had given it a voice, just by looking at them or learning their personality!? Am I nuts? Daisy would speak like Dolly Parton. Amigo would sound like Morgan Freeman. Gus, like Little Bear. Cupcake, like cruella de ville. Sophie like Reba. Willow would sound like homer Pyle. Paco Jack probably has a changing voice but I imagine him sounding a lot like Daffy Duck!! I haven't had a chance to analyze Bella the pig quite yet....but, I imagine she would sound a lot like ____________. I'll let ya know or you fill in the blank and let ME know!!!
ALL CREATURES OF OUR GOD AND KING
Words: Francis of Assisi, circa 1225 (Cantico di fratre sole, Song of Brother Sun). He wrote this hymn shortly before his death, but it was not published for almost 400 years. Translated to English by William H. Draper for a children’s Whitsuntide festival in Leeds, England; first appeared in the Public School Hymn Book, 1919.
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