Skip to main content

Boldly Going Where No Mule from Wickersham Has Gone Before




You may recall that I, Fenway Bartholomule, am returning to work after a summer off for my (now resolved) mysterious hock swelling. With my comeback, and because of my voluptuous figure, I am temporarily abstaining from work on concussive surfaces, difficult footing, and precipitous slopes. Unfortunately, my local trails—lovely and abundant though they may be—are comprised mostly of concussive surfaces . . . and difficult footing . . . and precipitous slopes.

Today, FarmWife hitched up the trailer and took me ten minutes down yonder highway to the lovely and thoroughly tamed Cascade Trail, a wide, flat, well-groomed thoroughfare by which walkers, cyclists and equestrians might traverse Skagit county. It was just perfect! Flat as a pancake, beautifully-textured, well maintained, and sparsely dotted with courteous cyclists and perambulators. Along trailside, placid bovines bore quiet witness to our passage, lending to the morning's overall quality of reflective serenity.

The trail did offer the occasional Suspicious Bridge, the first of which we had need to cross thrice—once with FarmWife afoot, blazing the trail and offering herself up as troll bait, then back again and across a third time with me beneath and her astride. The troll, apparently, was sleeping throughout, but I still argue that my suspicion was well-placed. 

We ended our little jaunt and turned back at the pasture of a lovely gray mule and his horse companions, though the trail ahead looked as welcoming as any. We shall go again. 

Ears to you,
Fenway







































Comments

  1. Golden the Pony GirlAugust 29, 2010 at 7:49 PM

    Lovely photos sir and mam!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Val EwingAugust 29, 2010 at 11:48 PM

    From Badger...yeah, well I've seen trolls, and they eat people on foot, good idea to make her walk across first!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Blue PageAugust 30, 2010 at 9:43 AM

    Funny & nice!

    As a child I had a forest troll who became my friend and who, due to his small size and squeeky voice, I was afraid of at the beginning. Sadly, he eventually he disappeared from my life...

    ReplyDelete
  4. OTTB-Little Big RedAugust 30, 2010 at 11:54 AM

    Fenway, please speak to the goats about how to deal with Trolls. They should be able to give you some tips to keep you and farmwife safe.

    ReplyDelete
  5. BuddyAugust 30, 2010 at 12:15 PM

    WOW Fenway - you live in some beautiful area - so nice and green - I live in the desert - maybe we could switch one of these days - kinda like a vacation?

    Your fren,

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thanks in Advance for Your Mulish Opinion!

Popular Posts

Here are the Cloud Dog's X-Rays

Here, for your edification, are the X-rays of dear Paisley's leg. There is, apparently, no new break (since his Monday siezure) but there is, of course, a great deal of abnormality caused by years of living with a shortened ulna. His pronounced lameness, the vet says, may temporarily improve. Unlike me, Fenway Bartholomule, poor cloud dog can't expect much in the way of a full recovery.   Not having the $$$$ for surgery to fuse the joint, we are working on making some sort of rigid splint to support the limb and prevent further degeneration. That is, the humans (with their space-age material inventions and their opposable thumbs) are working on making a splint; I am working on giving cloud dog brayful looks of support and encouragement every time he totters into the yard to relieve himself. As always, he fears me (me?!) and keeps his distance.  Ears to you,  Fenway
2 comments
Continued . . .

Vegan Spring Rolls

I, Fenway Bartholomule, am a vegan: of course I only eat plants, not people! My human is too, so I'm sharing my blog with her today so that she can participate in the 2014 Virtual Vegan Potluck ! When you're done perusing the recipe for these delicious spring rolls, click "back" or "forward" for the entire potluck experience! Virtual Vegan Potluck: Spring Roll Appetizers Beautiful? Check. Healthy? Check. Delicious? Check. Easy? Check. Fancy? Check. Quick to clean up after? Check. Vegan? OF COURSE! If you're looking for something portable, colorful, and crowd-pleasing for your next potluck, look no further than these simple vegan spring rolls! The best part? You can substitute ANYTHING. I never make these the same way twice, so play around with cilantro, kale, cabbage, scallions, or whatever you think sounds good! Ingredients Veggie mix: 2 carrots (grated) 4 oz mung bean sprouts 1/3 cup chopped peanuts (raw, or roasted and salted) or ...
11 comments
Continued . . .

Mowers and raccoons and steers, oh my!

In my informal Facebook survey I learned that the majority of Friends of the Muleness want more stories—All the Stories!—and that the story they want most of all is the story of the raccoon.  Farmwife says it's hardly a story at all, and that it would be something to talk about had the raccoon been in my barn, or touching my body, or gesticulating at me with it's bizarrely human little fingers to indicate that it would like a little snack or help with its homework. Alas, this is not that kind of story.  Before I tell you about the raccoon I have to go backwards and tell you that I am feeling very good in my body these days. My track through the forest has been expanded, my laminitis is at bay, and my health has been very largely excellent since I came here to the Atomic Ranch in December. I am feeling so good, in fact, that I have been cleared for long walks around the neighborhood! Puck, Farmwife, and I sometimes make the long loop up Saratoga and back around Fox Spit, which ...
1 comment
Continued . . .

To Boot or Not to Boot

There're boots (FarmWife's, pictured) and and then there're boots (mine, below) and boots (suspensory). And THOSE—suspensory, support or protective boots—are what I want to talk about today. (And yes, I know that there are a million other kinds, too, but a mule has only so much time.) I love my Easyboot Epics, and I would gladly wear a second pair on my hind hooves if the opportunity presented itself. So far, it hasn't, but it's only a matter of time until a mule of my caliber starts seeing the corporate sponsorship love. All in due time!  In the meantime, FarmWife wonders about protective or supportive boots. You know, the kind that make a mule look very fancy, ready for anything, and primed for tremendous athletic accomplishment?  Really, I would love to have some. I think they'd look sassy. The arguments in favor of wearing something like a Sports Medicine Boot are thus: I love to a...
14 comments
Continued . . .