In all the chaos of the last month - losing my mother and then The One Eyed Pug - and then the show and travel off the farm - I neglected to share the birthday of one of Apifera's finest elders, Matilda.
Matilda came along after our first adopted senior donkey had to be euthanized due to liver and kidney failure after a life of neglect in Texas where he was abused and used as a roping donkey. He arrived urinating blood with a swollen sheath and only had 19 days with us, with multiple vet visits to determine what was going on. No blood panel had been done on him before he was brought here to show us how ill he was. So after we buried him, there was a huge hole in my heart.
And it was helped by the arrival of Matilda.
Everyone who meets her is affected by her soul which she wears outright in her eyes. She is gentle, but also no push over with her mini herd mates. She loves to be held and brushed, she still plays even though she is a bit wobbly on her feet. I love to watch her play with little Paco, her sometimes boyfriend, always friend and son...and poet.
Matilda is one of the first things I see as I drive down the rural road, as she stands in her brown and white spots up on Donkey Hill. Her ears are beacons for many a traveller to Apifera and hold memoirs of her past.
We adopted Matilda after she was rescued by Lavender Dreams Donkey Farm. If you'd like to offer support, find out more at the Misfit page.
