When I was a kid, my neighbors had donkeys, eight or more.  Their braying, sounding through the neighborhood, signified repetition of routine on the farm.  We began to expect it, like the ringing of church bells on Sunday or the National Anthem at 12:00 p.m.   Audrey, my neighbor’s niece, owner of the donkeys, who visited every summer, would sit me on their backs and let me play with the long soft ears.  My sister and I would feed them sugar cubes from a ragged box sitting on a beam in the barn; dampened by summer humidity; dirty with barn dust; a giant spider or two.  We didn’t care that our hands were sticky with sugar, dirt clumped under our nails from scratching their necks, or that donkey hair stuck to the backs of our bare summer legs. We looked forward to all of it.  

     A similar scenario takes place today at Chip-In Farm.   Ollie and Stanley are spreading their braying throughout the neighborhood of Bedford.  Ollie and Stanley, friends for life, have a few things to say to Farmer Sandy if she tries to separate them, and they let her know when it’s dinner time.   They don’t want their ears rubbed, but they love a gentle stroke on the neck, and they have noses as soft as velvet.  Cohabitating with all the baby goats seems to appeal to the two friends.  Apparently, with all of this rain, Ollie has decided he does not like to get his hooves wet; he has become a puddle jumper; Stanley does not understand the nonsense and walks right through.

     It’s worth a stop at Chip-In Farm to set your eyes and ears on Ollie and Stanley.  

Fun Facts about Donkeys

• Donkeys originated in East Africa from the African wild ass.
• The Spanish brought the donkey to North America.
• Donkeys were instrumental in long distance trade and agriculture.
• Donkeys played a significant role in the American West Gold Rush.
• The most famous donkey is Perry, who lives in California and was the model for the donkey character in the movie Shrek, voiced by Eddie Murphy.

Kristi Atherton

Farmer’s Helpers at Chip-In Farm