I was astonished to see that as the sheep and donkeys all refused to jump the mud bog, Minnie the barn cat came right through the weeds and water and mud, sashayed over to us and went off to the side to hunt some mice in the reeds. This prompted me to yell “wussies!” at the retreating sheep and donkeys. If a cat could get across, surely a donkey could. “Look at this, Lulu!,” I shouted, but Lulu was not interested.

Maria is giving me this look that says what-kind-of-idiot-would-spend-money- to-build-a-pasture-that- none- of- the -animals seem-to-want. Wait until August, I say, when the grass is dry and we are panicking about hay. I hope this is right, because she does not ever forget. Good for Minnie. Maybe she will use the pasture.