May 2 - A Day in the Life of Gunner the Camel

Gunner the Grump

Who-da-thunk camels are sentimental? Well...turns out Gunner is just such a guy. For most of the year, Gunner share's the western pasture of Fink Farm with two Z-Donks. That's a cross between a zebra and a donkey for the uninformed. Gunner and the Z-Donks don't actually share the pasture; they're separated by a beautiful 5-board fence. If you watch Gunner on a typical day, you'd hardly notice that he is even mildly aware he has next-door neighbors. Their eating styles are almost as different as their appearance. The Z-Donks are much more aggressive and do more damage via their grazing habits. As a result, the Z-Donks must be moved periodically to avoid overgrazing and turning the pasture into a mud pit. About a week ago this relocation took place. OMG!! You'd think Gunner had lost his kids AND his girlfriend. He's so upset and stressed out that he's been moaning and groaning night a day for a week. Give me a break; a camel is upset over a couple of misplaced Z-Donks?? Trust me...you can't make stuff like this up.

A Temporary Fix

Yesterday, Gunner got some new friends, at least for a few days. Seems some of Mike and Michelle's buddies from Montana blew into town with some new bulls and heifers. In order to get acquainted with the Fink Farm, Mike unloaded them into the pasture next to Gunner.

Exhibit "A"  Mike and Ty watch the critters disembark.

As the cattle poured out of the trailer, Gunner was all eyes and ears. Of course the bovine bunch had been on the road for 3 days and were a bit road weary. But they settled in nicely.

Settling in

Gunner was right there to get the rules right and make sure they understood who was boss. The cattle, on the other hand, had never seen anything like a half-crazed camel before and stopped between bites for plenty of long stares. In fact, I overheard one of them asking Gunner, "Who's your daddy?"

Gunner - explaining the rules of Fink Farm to the newbies.

I must say...there's some magic happening. Gunner hasn't said a single word since the herd happened into town. I hope it lasts for a while!

So...stay tuned...