No animal ever got my number quicker or better than Lulu and Fanny. I swear donkeys are psychics.

I was out watering the garden this morning, I wasn’t even aware they were watching me. They came out so quietly I didn’t notice them. They knew what they were doing.

I suddenly felt a tug in my heart and then heard the softest, gentlest sigh-bray.  l looked up and Lulu and Fanny had entered my consciousness letting me know they wanted and exected some alfalfa treats.

They know loud braying sometimes startles me. They have a completely different bray for Maria.

Fifteen years ago, when Lulu first came to the farm, my study looked across a gravel driveway and out to the pasture gate. She could sit by the gate and see me in my office window.

She started braying softly. I would look up, and when I looked up, she would bray again. It was so soft and gentle I got up, went outside, and gave her a carrot.

Donkeys are like border collies in at least one respect.

One time is a treat, two times is a lifelong addiction. Don’t do anything twice you don’t expect to do every day.

Every day at some point, I will come outside and her the two donkeys braying softly to me. I explained to them once that I am like a donkey, it’s easy to manipulate me once, harder after that. I think they laugh at me a lot.

This particular ritual only happens once a day, they know I get annoyed if it happens too often. So once a day, for 15 years, I will hear this soft bray at some point in the day when I come out and I go straight to the barn and get their alfalfa treats.

No questions asked.