We are in the midst of a major lilac bush trimming now that the bushes have blossomed. We have four huge lilacs, perhaps as old as the house.

When Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, farmers all across the country planted lilac bushes in his honor, and almost every farmhouse I see has lilac bushes planted around the house, inspiring Walt Whitman’s famous poem, When Lilacs Last In The Dooryard Bloomed.

Our bushes were probably planted in the late 1860’s. They are big and in need of trimming. Here, we recycle or repurpose almost everything, and rather than pile the twigs up to burn or toss in the woods, we feed them to the donkeys, who love fresh leaves.

Unlike most dogs, they are quite independent, they love some attention, and then prefer we mind our own business. Everything a donkey does must be its own ideas. If they think it’s yours, they won’t do it.

The donkeys are extraordinarily simple to care for, they eat almost anything green and send happy hours munching on twigs. When lilacs bloom, donkeys thrive.