A farm is filled with drama, large and small. An ice storm – the nastiest weather I have ever seen –  hit this morning. I had already fallen down twice on the way to the barn. Simon was lagging behind Lulu and Fanny – his legs are much stiffer and more feeble than theirs and he slipped and got stuck on a treacherous spot by the steps. He was braying loudly, but could not move. I got up to him and using a grain bucket led him up the hill and through the pasture gate to the other side of the barn, which we opened up to let him in. We kept him in the barn for five or six hours and much of the ice melted. We put down animal-friendly salt and he made it back up to the Pole Barn.

I shudder to think of him falling on the ice. He brayed loudly, and Lulu and Fanny answered from inside the barn. It is profoundly touching to see how much the donkeys worry about one another.