Final Bits

Yesterday got hot. But not hot enough to buy a day off at Casa Claire. Food prep has become almost a daily part of my schedule – Claire and Honey have amazing appetites but I believe that if I feed them healthy food throughout the day the rest will take care of itself. So far, they are both healthy and happy.

Clean water is also a necessity, so I also had to repair a small leak in the large water trough that Claire first brought along with her from Mike & Amy Honeker. (Hey Mike and Amy, say hi to Charles and Delaney.) Thank God for Flex Seal.

Quality hay is a major part of their diet. In the summer, their consumption drops because they get to graze on the natural grass all over Casa Claire, and forage on the cottonwood leaves, but by the end of the summer, through winter and spring, they consume a lot of hay – great roughage for all of those fruits, veggies, nuts and pellets that pass temporarily through their huge rubber dishes and then intestines throughout the day.

So, I had to transfer the final piece of the puzzle from the old barn – the hay wall rack, that used to hang on the inside eastern wall of the old barn. Claire and Mr. Rogers stopped using it once I put the large floor hay rack in, but as it used to sit above the inside trough, Honey would sometimes munch while having a nighttime drink inside.

I figured since the mules spend a lot of time on this east side of the new barn, especially at night – it’s large white metal wall reflects the warmth of the first sun and also provides a great wind break to the western wind shears coming off the foothills – both the outdoor trough and wall rack would offer easy sustenance at midnight.

Of course, all of this good food leads to lots of good mule shit that needs to be collected and deposited at Hadrian’s Wall out back, where it breaks down into a nutrient filled layer of earth, with great vegetation growth that the mules love to munch on. I collected three barrows of mule muffins yesterday from inside and around the barn. My arms are definitely getting longer trying to push the barrow forward without tipping off any of the mule muffins.

I also took the last of the mules’ winter coats into Hygiene Feed to be cleaned, repaired and waterproofed. This way I will have plenty of coats for Claire and Honey to choose from after the temperatures start dropping once Thanksgiving arrives. I try not to coat them before TG so that their natural winter coats come in fully. The mules are really tough on the winter coats, often tearing gaping holes as they scratch themselves on trees and posts and roll on the ground. Of course, if I happen to spot a matching set of something stylish from this year’s selection at Murdoch’s, I won’t be able to prevent that impulse purchase. You can never have too many coats in NoCo. And Claire and Honey can be fashion divas.

This morning, Claire and Honey were waiting patiently for my arrival by the outdoor rack and trough.

So, with everything now in place, in five minutes they were munching away in their new digs.

Not bad for a Bronx lawyer on Green Acres, aka Casa Claire.

Well, Sunday awaits.

You fine, five readers take it easy and give God that mandated day of rest.

Read a series of good books if you have the time.

I have to go pick up wood shavings and replace some of the bedding in the new barn. It’s like a giant cat box. Maybe I’ll check out this years Mule Coats.

First, some kitties to cuddle and rounds to make.

Before I sign off I would like to commemorate a young man who was a friend of the next generation of McCaffreys in Riverdale, whose stature, heart and personality matched that of our giant, Evan, oldest son of The Ginger.

John Cooney, on the right, who hailed from South Riverdale, was a frequent visitor at the McCaffrey Compound. A really nice kid. A loss to his friends – like Shorty Harris (a friend of Luke’s) – and to Riverdale.

My youngest, Mark, had just visited him last week in the hospital, where he was in a coma. Yes, Mark. He heard you. https://mindmatters.ai/2020/04/can-loved-ones-in-a-coma-hear-us/

I’ve gotten used to seeing notices of members of my generation crossing the veil. I pray I don’t have to get used to seeing those notices for my children’s generation. Vaya con dios, John Cooney.

One more reason for the rest of us, no matter what else we may have on our plates, to make today a great one.