Stump

Good Evenin'

Well, decided ta go back today, see if I couldn't come up with somethin', help out with old Stumpy's back toe; he's the granpa of the burro clan and his left rear toe grows twice as fast as the rest and just keeps doin' that "turkish slipper" thing. I started on him yesterday, but figured I'd sleep on it, for I went ta nippin'. I had a question, old as he is, whether or not, ta even try. Then, once I thought about it, I figured I better try, some, as the status quo, wouldn't give him any traction, when things get slippery and he could hurt himself. We already had one baby, break their leg, few years back, slippin' on the ice.

Anyway, it all went pretty well. Used ta be, we'd go four or five rounds, me and Stumpy, just ta get one foot done; me figurin' how ta rope him, so I wouldn't kill him, if I had ta snub him up. I'd tried and tried, my best Tom Dorrance/Ray Hunt imitations and none of it seemed likely ta make a difference, 'fore we were both dead and gone. So, I'd conceded, that it was the "rope or nope", and just kept my eye open for concessions or changes on his end, all the while tryin' to keep it relatively safe and gentle. Fella used ta trim these little ones, 'fore me, lost his temper with another and it ended up a death match and it wasn't the farrier. That's when he got the pink slip and I was summoned.

Anyway, one day, few years back, when the others had all decided I wasn't so bad, Stump just walked in, like he'd come ta see the barber, stood there and waited his turn. I never could figure, if he'd decided that his feet felt better when I was done, all on his own, or maybe his wife, Gramma Daisy had chewed him out for bein' so cantankerous; she likes me quite some and always comes ta greet me, wants ta be the first.

So, ever since, we've just got along like old friends, no ropes, nothin', even when I quicked him once tryin' ta get that back foot right, which still remains a risk. That foot grows so crooked and strange, live tissue all the way out to the toe, it's always a gamble tryin', get anything right. But, ended up quite nice lookin' all things considered and even manged ta clean up the bottom some, so he'd have a little traction, come ice. Give him a good scratch and turned 'em loose.

Had a nice visit and coffee with Wayne and Kate, played 'em a song someone give me fer my birthday, showed 'em the book and headed home, all neighbored up for another few months; awful nice folks.

Have a nice night.

Best,

jeune