Paco explains summer solstice and Lucia worries her head might explode

I arrived to do morning chores in the outer barn, and there they were, the three of them just as you see here. I stopped in my tracks and took a photo. They did not move, and as I returned to the inner barn to do my cleanup, I heard Paco,

"The summer solstice, also known as midsummer, occurs when a planet's rotational axis, or geographical pole on either its Northern or its Southern Hemisphere, is most greatly inclined toward the star that it orbits."

"Huh, is that so?" asked Pino.

"I don't like thinking of the world as spinning," said Lucia.

"Im glad there's gravity or I'd be on the moon," said Pino.

"And your head would burst open if you didn't have a space suit on," Boone chimed in from the other paddock.

Lucia started to hamper, she did not feel good about this.

"It's okay, Lucia, nobody is going to explode. it is a day of celebration, It is the longest day the year, and think about it, we can take more dust baths under the blue sky today than any other day in the year!" said Paco.

"That is something to celebrate," said Pino.

And with that, Paco rolled, and rolled, and rolled.

I might strip down later today, after the hay has been delivered, and do the same. No pictures.

{The majority of our 540 bales of hay arrive today! Please consider a donation to help us refill our Apifera piggy bank. Thank you!}

Ten years ago we brought home Lucia

This was ten years ago, picking up little Lucia. Can not believe it's been ten years! I was 49 and she was about 3 months. Man....man oh man. She of course has aged perfectly, me-not as well. But she still brings me such happiness. My old farrier used to call her The Little Teacup.

Follow along with Pino and gang

The equine hauler posts daily updates on their Facebook page. I in turn get messages from her so it is helpful and comforting to know where they are staying, and seeing photos at every stop. You can follow Pino, Paco, Lucia, Matilda and Boone! too on the hauler's page.

Posers, pie eaters and cookie smugglers

Lucia has been practicing her "look" she hopes wins her many admirers...and treats come Pie Day.

" Excuse me? Is that a cookie in your hand? May I have one? Pleeeeeeeaaaaaaaaase?"

Sunday, JUNE 15! Are you coming?

I of course will be there, or here. Pie Day is my way of sharing the love I have for farm, animals and pie. Lots of love swirls around that day, and this year we have many new Misfit elders in attendance-Aldo, Scooby, the ponies. Martyn finished the new hut so our guests and Misfits [and volunteers!} will have yet another place to rest out of the heat or drizzle. My books and art will be for sale as will the farm's lavender. All money raised from sales and donations helps to offset the money we spend each year to keep the Misfits healthy.

Seven years of little Lucia

It is hard to fathom that it has been seven years since I walked little Lucia to her new home at Apifera. As many of you know, she is a sister to Pino who is a couple years older than her. I took care of her when she was very little while her caretakers were away and fell in love with her. WHen I heard she was for sale, I created a secret plan t bring her home. Actually, I just bought her and brought her home and then told Martyn. he didn't flinch.

Where is time going? If she is seven years older, so am I.

Read more about Lucia >

Yoga on Donkey Hill

Lucia practices yoga on a daily basis high up on Donkey Hill, in the shade of Old Oak as the farm sits below her.

Windfall bounties for the beauties

I have been picking the many windfall apples around the area - sweet, little fruits fallen from the Mother tree with nothing to do but rot and feed the worms - which is all good and proper - but I hate to see so much fruit not being eaten by my barnyard of misfits.

So I gather as much roadside windfall as I can and share it with the donks, pigs, goats and Boone. AS you see here, Lucia is very enthusiastic when it comes to apples.

This weekend a kind friend also brought over these apples from her old trees - these are King apples and are huge! Big Pig will be thrilled! Even the One Eyed Pug had his share today when he literally knocked into the buckets - the blind wonder boy couldn't believe his luck, stumbling onto such a bevy of delicious apples - pug gas is sure to be swirling tonight.

Annual moment to swoon over Lucia

This is what she looked like when I first set eyes on her four years ago. I had agreed to watch over her for my friend, and her then owner. Once a year I like to take this photo out and share it with everyone - how can it not make you swoon and smile.

Did I mention she was so small I could hold her in my lap and she bounced like a bunny?

You can read all about how she first won my heart and I considered stealing her, and then how she came to Apifera.

Lucia's Little Levities

"Lucia Little Levities" shares the innocence and heart of our teeniest donkey, Lucia Graciella, sister to Pino. While Paco worries and writes poems, Pino heals and humors, Lucia immerses herself in her own innocence. I will post Lucia's Little Levities when she remembers to share them with me.

Want to see the real Lucia? Or buy a print of this Lucia Levity?

When you rub a donkey's belly

Nuance of the mane

The three minis have distinct manes and Lucia's turns a rusty red in summer. Watching the colors of her hair at sunset makes me pause. soak it in, hold it dear and bring it out some winter night when I feel there's no hope for warmth.

The curve of her back stripe makes a road trip direct into my camera, then my eyes, wafts through each cell and U turns at the heart back out in the words, "Lucia, I love you."

Smile of the moment

The smile of the moment....can last all day. Do you know who is smiling here?

How to celebrate your 50th

"She never wanted diamonds or pearls, she always said "Honey,
they're too much money""...

Last nite, Martyn felt rather badly, as he had not made a concrete plan for my 50th today. I had no problem with this, as I have always been a self entertaining unit from a young age, and I had made some birthday plans for today - a donkey walk with my friend where we would meet a mile from here, she with her donkey, and I with my donkey. On the way, we would pick up litter. We had dubbed this the Lucia Litter Patrol, and I made buttons. We hope to do this a few times a year. Picking up litter with a donkey is a slow process, but it was a nice day, and my day got even brighter when I arrived at our meeting point to see Angelo [father to Pino and Lucia] adorned in fresh daffodils. Now tell me, what could have made my birthday better?

I arrived home to find a package from a friend - fresh brownies and a bee house, complete with live, newly hatched bees. I baked a white cake with chocolate frosting later in the day, and had many nice calls and notes.

Last nite, Martyn suggested a spontaneous dinner out to celebrate early. But it was already late in the day, and I said, "What would really be fun is to build a bonfire and grill hot dogs." Within an hour, my gallant king had whipped up a new firepit, carried a table and chairs, candles and blankets to the area. Some fancy pants people would not consider drinking good red wine with hot dogs, but for me, a hot dog is such a decadent splurge. We eat really healthy, but I love hot dogs, as disgusting as they are. Combined with wine, ah, I was in heaven. As the nite grew dark, and the fire lit the scene, the donkeys appeared in the orchard behind us. The glow of the fire lit up their faces and 3 pairs of ears. I was so happy.

Ears in the Wind

Morning Donkey Parade

Pino, being the gentleman of the herd, takes up the rear. Lucia, the little light bearer, is always in front. The ladies are always permitted to goes first. Paco, must be in the middle, so he can watch Lucia, and be better than Pino. And of course, Pino doesn't care - but the expression on his face tells me, "Did I do okay in the parade today?".

Reminders of firsts

Watching Lucia quitely ponder her first snow flakes reminded me to stop and remember the thrill of the first snow. Growing up in Minnesota, we almost always had snowy winters. Winter isn't really winter to me here in Oregon, even though there is a season change. So a breif snow day is magical.

The fact that a liquid up in the sky turns into white flakes - how can one be so jaded not to stop, stand, and admire the snow? It lightens my heart.

I'm glad snow is white. Imagine if it were blue, it would be fabulous, but white goes with everything, and gives everything contrast.

If my posts seem heavy, dulled, it is because I am manically painting the kitchen. We have lived in a torn up kitchen for 3 years, and have finally reached a 'light at the end of the tunnel'. Other jobs were more important when we moved in - the place was a mess, outdated wiring, no furnace, bad fences and more. I feel like this year we turned a corner on the 2 biggest jobs - irrigation and the kitchen. Still so much to do, but an organized kitchen is my yearning, and it's coming to fruition. It's off white beadboard and butter yellow cupboards and plank floor. It screams out for pie baking. Once again, the merits of a handy husband are everywhere. Martyn is doing it all.

And as I paint another cupboard, I prepare mentally for 2008. What will happen this year? What characters will I encounter, or lose? I dream of art directors connecting with my work, illustration jobs, a publisher for Pino, and a new voice for our country. I have so much to paint.

Again - thank you so much to all my readers who write comments, and emails, and cards. I usually don't respond in teh comment section - it takes to long with a land line - but I appreciate your thoughts.

Littles are Happy

The dreary rains have made it necessary to pull out all techniques of fighting the blues...my arsenal includes: lots of fruit, run on the treadmill, keep drawing, donkey-Martyn-pug-Huck-horse hugs and......COOKIES.

I was a self entertaining unit while baking with my new mini donkey cookie cutter from my German artist friend . What better way to give Lucia her first important job on the farm - spreading cheer with cookies. I had way too much fun baking them, but packaging them up with the "Little Lucias" pink label and adorning them in pink cotton rags, well, I was completely happy throughout the whole experience.

The back label points out the farm fresh local butter used, as well as Apifera eggs.
Who knows where the sugar was from - I do buy King Aurthur flour. Testing of cookies was completed by Pino Blangiforti, and Paco Giovannetti gave final approval.

It was almost as much fun sneaking up to my friend's house and tip toeing up to the front porch and hanging the package on the door. A difficult task when the family dog wanted loving, and the barn cat too...

I did have a raw dough hangover for a day. I confess to adoring raw dough. When I was little, my much wiser and very grounded brother would warn me I was going to die someday from raw dough or kissing dogs. So far I'm still here.

And then there were three

Last Spring, I took care of my nearby farm friend's donkeys while she was away, including a little 2 month old lady named Lucia. She is daughter to Gabriella and Angelo, the same mother and father of our Pino Blangiforti. To be honest, I probably immediately started devising a Lucy Ricardo scheme on how I could sneak her home someday. Well, my friend is reducing her herd [and I will be posting some pictures of the jennies she has for sale later this month], and there was no question, I must have Lucia to finish off my little herd. There was no immediate reason to get a third donkey, but no hard driving reason not to get a third donkey. Like I said, I did my best Lucy Ricardo scheming and pretty much had Martyn on the same page within a day. He's a smart man, he knows how to keep a happy household - let the lady of the house be in charge of livestock and animal purchases and sales.

So today, little Lucia took her first journey outside of her birth farm. My friend and I, accompanied by her ever lovely Fiona the Bull Mastiff, walked the 2.5 miles from her farm to ours. Everything was new to her, the sound of the water in the streams and culverts, cars on the gravel, new sounds everywhere, and smells.


She did so well, and as we neared our farm,, she met Rudy, the gelding that lives across the road from us. Rudy lives alone, is never ridden, and he took such a shine to Lucia. I will have to walk her down there often. She let out a little bray for him!

Up the road we went, and I yelled out to everyone, "I told you I was bringing home something special! Lucia is here". The goats and rams gathered on their hill and watched as we walked up the road. She saw chickens for the first time, and then we let her free with Paco and Pino. Paco did his usual grumpy bossy stuff, but Pino was pretty calm. I'm sure he could smell his mother. I spent the day sitting in one of our grass paddocks with Lucia, and later let the boys in. Lucia is no push over, and after some kicks, things calmed down. I did put her in her own stall tonite, she's too little to be out all nite. She has a special window made for her tiny size so she can reach out to the other donks.

So, please be patient with me and the onslaught of Lucia pictures and art that will most likely come from this purchase. She is very symbolic of many things for me right now, something I will try to put into words later.