Donkeys are curious creatures, affectionate, independent, hardy and self-sufficient. They don’t really shed their winter fur until August, and then in October, they start growing it back for winter. These days Lulu and Fanny look sleek and polished, they spend the hot part of the day either in the pole barn or under the apple tree in the pasture, munching on the ripening apples growing this year.

The farmers believe that if there are lots of apples on a tree, it means that it will be a harsh winter – the apples are for the hungry animals. Recent history has suggested otherwise, our McIntosh apples seem to grow out every other year, regardless of the weather. The donkeys love them, they hang out for hours, picking apples off of the low-handing trees, munching them off of the ground.