I have the best of friends around me here at this new home! I have my human Granny and Gruncle (is he a grandpa? Is he an uncle? I'm not sure), I have a horse companion beside me and two other horse companions a little further down the…
The Scoop on Bird
Human here, to give you the scoop on Songbird. He is shiny, sweet, and wonderful . . . and a little bit broken hearted. (Fenway was once, too.) As I've gotten to know him more over the last month, I've come to understand that he as…
My new home
I moved in with my grandmother! I think she's my grandmother. She's the mother of the woman who looks after me. I am told that this will be my permanent home until the woman buys me some acreage of my own. It is not hard to be pati…
Meeting the Family
The woman introduced me to my Auntie today—I am not sure how we're related, and we don't have much of a family resemblance except in our temperaments, but if the woman says this hoof trimmer is part of my family then I am willing t…
A short little song
This is a very short little song, but it's long enough for you to get a sense of my technique and range. Listen for the little chirps at the end, which the woman finds so endearing. There's good reason my new name is Songbird!
Pearly Whites
Dr. H, Equine Dentist to the Stars, came out today and polished my pearly whites. I know you know I've been excited, so let me just break the bad news to you first—she didn't give me a choice of toothpaste flavors, and I didn't…
This is my "I wanted a massage" face
This woman, my new friend, is of the admirable opinion that part of being a friend to a mule is providing him with all the things he needs to help his body feel good—balanced hoof care, tooth floating, good nutrition, veterinary care, and—…
Interview questions
The woman had a lot of interview questions for me when we met—simple questions, like "do you like ear rubs?" and "do you permit yourself to be moved hither and thither in a horse trailer?", but also complex questions li…
Will I get a toothbrush?
There is an equine dentist coming to see me on Monday! I’m told that seeing the dentist is a normal thing for a mule to do, but this will be my first time. I hope I don’t need braces! I’ll let you know how it goes. I hear some dentists giv…
Oven Island
They told me I was moving to an island. I pictured mai tais and sea breezes and delicious grass skirts. I pictured heat. Then, they told me, "no, Gus. It is not that kind of island. On this island there are rocky shores and bunny rabb…
Short, Dark, and Handsome
When I first moved into this boarding barn, people were asking three primary questions: 1) do you understand electric fencing? 2) how long might you stay? 3) will your name stay "Gus"? Now that folks have had a few days to get to…
Mule: 1. Danger String: 0.
The fences here are made of danger string, but I've got it figured out. There's a roan horse beside me, and when he touched the danger string it bit him. Here's where the story gets strange: he backed away, and it did not pursu…
Introducing myself
I am Songbird Sparrowgrass. If that’s not to your taste, you may call me GusBird Boopsnoot. Some call me Gus, or Bird. I am in between families right now, and in between names. I like this new family, and I think I shall stay. I grew up in…
A new face in town
This blog has been through a lot of changes: first it was Fenway's Brays of Our Lives , then it was my Puddle Run , then it was the two of them smashed together, then it was Notes from the Ark , and now it's Brays of Our Lives again, …
Cast of Characters: II of V (house tigers)
You may recall that when we lived on Bent Barrow Farm, Fenway Bartholomule was astounded by the fact that we kept little tigers in our house. Those ferocious felines—majestic Desmond and comical Townes—have both sadly passed away, but abou…
Cast of Characters: I of V (Doggos)
Humans, meet Bleu. Bleu, meet humans. Bleu is diplomacy in action—a real mule among dogs. He came here from Texas in October 2020, seamlessly integrating into the family. He has not yet put a paw wrong, but he HAS put a tooth wrong—he has …
My Muse
When you establish your writing career by channelling a mule, you set yourself up for a dilemma: how to go on when the blogger outlives the mule? If you're reading this blog, there's a solid chance you found me through Fenway Bartho…
I dream of writing
I've always been a good dreamer, and lately I've been dreaming with an almost exhausting level of detail and complexity. For a couple of weeks now, I've been dreaming about writing books—sometimes my memoir-in-progress, someti…
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