Drowning my sorrows in joyful things.

Yes, it was a long and unhappy week but it was time to find some redeeming value for a week of sadness and loss.
I work this festival with a friend every year. We are "the gourd ladies". This is Amador City.

This is my favorite little, "I want to buy a house and live here" town. Wouldn't it be lovely.
I would be a city mouse/country mouse and have the little old house in town... in addition to the farm.
 I know... I'm a dreamer. It's like wanting the houseboat on the river and an old driftwood fenced house at the ocean. I guess I will never be happy in just one place.
Anyway, we had a wonderful evening. It was Friday, the 13th... but I figured that the week couldn't get any  worse than it had been, so it was all up hill from here.

 The weather was perfect. The heat was over and their was a wonderful breeze. We didn't sell much, but it was fun. I saw friends that I used to work with and met new people.
We listened to Herb Boxhorn and his talented duo play wonderful summertime songs next to the river.

Everyone bought a wine glass and tasted wines from 20 different local wineries, walked up the street and down, talking, laughing and having a really good time. It's amazing how a little wine tasting mellows folks out.
This was just what I needed to get away and forget the empty goat house for a while.
Our table was in front of the Bell Flower Home and Garden outdoor store. They sell metal flowers, fences, gates and animals.

I love this place. The new addition to the zoo of animals that are sold here was a donkey.

I wanted to bring him home with me but I didn't. I felt it was too soon to bring another animal to the farm. Although, he wouldn't have required any food and he would have lived forever.
I refrained from buying this wonderful creature and enjoyed the rest of the evening.
***********************
My sister arrived on Sunday. She is here for a short visit. The Corgi boys were so happy to see her.
Yesterday we drove to Amador City. Most of the stores were closed and the streets were empty. It looked so different than Friday night.
Then we hit Starbucks and got pedicures in Jackson. We drove home and guess what happen?

Look what showed up in my front yard...

Yep! My sister fell in love with the DONKEY at the Bell Flower and he (or she) is corraled here until it goes home with Sis.
Carl and Cutter are not happy about this.

At first they were scared to death and did this dance back and forth, trying to figure out what it was and how it got into THEIR territory.

Carl took particular issue with this metal monster, poking at its back legs and  growling at it. He just couldn't understand why this deer-like animal didn't run away from him like all other animals around here do.
He was incensed at its audacity for standing right there and glaring at him.

It was a war of wills... and Carl had met his match.

Cutter, on the other hand, retreated to the porch, were he watched all of Carl's bravery from afar. He barked once in a while and then...

He wanted to go in the house. He had enough.

All day, when the dogs went outside they would repeat the whole " Oh my gosh, what is this?" scenario again. It was really funny..... The growling, the posturing, and the ability to forget that this usurper was there, each time they went outside.
 So...Donkey spent the night out there. He seemed OK about it. And the dogs?...

They went crazy every time they went into the garden area.

Today, they are fine with this visitor and seem to have accepted him as part of the garden art. I guess it's because he doesn't move or smell. He has become a fixture and I'm personally hoping that my sister will forget him when she goes home.
Don't say a word ... She's 60 this year. She is, sometimes, forgetful .
Don't you think he looks good right where he is?