Paul: 1987? - July 30, 2007

This is Paul's Editor.

I am sorry to write and say that Paul had a bad episode of colic Sunday afternoon. The vet came out and gave him some banamine and tubed him. Paul still had not passed any manure by the next morning and went down again. A second examination by the vet showed what we couldn't see the evening before, that the blockage/kink was in Paul's small intestine.

We discussed all options with the vet. His opinion was that it was unlikely that the blockage would resolve itself. In a younger horse, chances might have been as high as 20%, but for a 20-year old mule, the chances were nearly zero. The odds of recovery through surgery were only slightly better, assuming he made it through the surgery at all. At this point, Paul was fairly comfortable due to a second large syringe of banamine, but his breathing was labored. He was becoming dehydrated. His gums were pale pale pink.

Right before noon, we decided to let Paul go before he began to feel any pain. Based on the cold hard facts, it was a simple decision to make, but one of the hardest things to actually do. I led him into the round pen and we all said our goodbyes. The vet and I were quiet together, standing hidden on Paul's near side. The vet put the needle in and Paul went down slowly and peacefully, just like he did everything else in his life.

We buried Paul over by the ring, next to the new barn, in a patch of lush green grass. Johnny dug a deep deep grave and laid Paul in gently with his feet tucked up underneath him.

For a mule who went unappreciated for 19 years of his life, his last one couldn't have been any happier. Every one who met him, loved him. I couldn't bring him up from the pasture without people, adults and kids both, stopping to tell him hello and give him a scratch or a hug. You always hear about how stubborn a mule is and how hard they are to work with, but I don't believe that's true. Every minute I spent with him gave me happiness. He had a great memory and as soon as he figured out the logical reason behind my crazy requests, he was happy to comply. He did everything I ever asked him to do and I tried to do the same for him. He was a good friend to me. He carried me wherever I asked him to go. He toted my son around and never took a wrong step. My husband is frightened of horses, so a giant mule should have scared him to death, but he loved Paul and was proud of him, too.

I am so glad that Paige and Johnny took a chance on Paul and brought him home from the auction that day. I am grateful to them for letting me lease him and spend so much time with him.

When the day comes that I see Paul again, I will tell him one more time how proud I am of him. But I don't believe he will have forgotten. After all, mules remember everything.

One Last Thing to Say

I hav had a rough couple of days. On Sunday afternoon, I started to colick. Mah Editor was there rubbing mah head. The veterinarian cam right out to see me and gave me a big shot of bananamine. He felt all around me inside and out and put som mineral oil down into mah stomach. I felt som what better, though a little woozy, when he left.

It rained all night that night, I heard it from inside, where I was waiting in a stall to start to feel better. Mah Editor cam out early the next morning. I was sleeping into the stall with my feets tucked up beside me. We go out and she brushes the shavings out of mah hair and wipes off mah face with a cool cloth. I am still not hungry or thirsty. I am not interested of the water or fresh hay. Mah belleh still hurt. I has not yet pooed.

The vet coms out again. Mah Editor drove fast from work to be there and coms over to rub mah head again. I feel so bad. I get more bananamine. There is a discussion, but I don’t care to listen in. I can not concentrate. What ever it is, it is important, for every one is gathered around. In a minute, Mah Editor leads me into the round pen.

I remember it now. Every body coms up to hug onto me. I get so many kisses. Every body tells me what a good boy I am. It is like every other day, except this time every body is crying. Then every body leaves except the veterinarian and Mah Editor. She says to me, “Thank you, Paul” and som other mushy private things. Now they are quiet with each other and close their eyes for just a minute. There is not one single sound any where. The veterinarian gives me one needle, then another, then another one. I am sleepy now and close my eyes, too.

I want all of you to know that I am on this other side now. There is so much to do, I has not been all around the place yet. When you walk in, all you can see is big grass and rolling hills. Look up and you see mountains in the distance, when I get time I am going to walk over to them. Did you know that every single animal I has ever known is here? Mah own mother is here, I have not seen her in so long. There are so many horses and mules, I did not think I ever met so many, but I did. Dogs, cats, all kinds of animals, som of whom belong to som of you. They are waiting for you. If you are an animal and you go to the other side before the people who love you, this is the place where you wait for them. When your human person gets here, then you go over to them and pick right up where you left off when you were onto the earth, except this time neither one of you has an ache or pain, or has trouble communicating, or runs short on time because you has to go to work and pay the bills.

So I will wait for you here, right where the grass is high and the clover is mixed into it, close to the shade trees. When I see you coming across that field, I will be right over to meet you at the gate, just like always.

I bleev I will see you all again. In the mean time, I remain,

Your Friend,
Paul

Bizzy!

I guess you might hav been saying to your self, "Where has Paul been?" "Wut has he been doing?"

I have not been any where. I hav been right here, waiting for Mah Editor to stop working so much. She works into a lah firm, a place where you go to if you need som one to help you transact official business, or if you get into fight with som one and need to hire som one to help you argue, or you steal som one's belonging or stab them with a nife and are going to jail. Or if you just want to get a house, Mah Editor will help you do all the paper work to get your self a house. At the end of the month is when every body wants to sell their house and buy a new one.

All week long she has been hearing, "I HAS A QUESTION ABOUT MAH HUD!" "IS MAH SURVEY BACK YET, MAH BUYERS WANT TO LOOK AT IT!" "HOW MUCH MONEYS DOES I HAVE TO BRING TO CLOSING??!?" "IS IT FUNDED YET? WHEN CAN I GIT MAH KEYS?"

There has barely been enough time for her to come out and groom me and feed me an apple at the end of every day. We are going on a trail ride on Sunday. May be she will take som photographs.

The Power of the Internut

You are not going to bleeve this either, but som body in Australia has written to me in an e-mail. (I am so glad I checked mah e-mail. Usually there is not much in it except for ads to embiggen various parts of my self.)

Yes, it's true. If you don't bleeve me, you can go visit his web page: http://www.bazzyboy.net. I has also linked to it over there at the top.
He has a web site of his own, much snazzier than mine, his Editor is brilliant. His name is Bazz and like my self, he enjoys to eat things. His family is more famous and has run into the races and had statues made of them selves. But since he lives in Australia where every thing is the opposite, he has decided to make a career of going slow and was thus retired from the track. I say, more power to him. There is no point in being into a hurry. What ever it is, it can wait.

Go look at his page. It is nice.

New Friend

Remember how I told you I had som thing exciting to say? Well, you are not going to bleeve this but I hav got a friend, one who is a lot like me. Her name is Anna and she is a Belgian just like my beloved mom and who may in fact hav A TINY MULE GROWING INSIDE HER RIGHT THIS MINUTE! We don't know know yet, it is too early to tell. She came from the auction and right now has got a cut onto her beautiful leg which looks a lot like mah own handsome leg, so she is staying inside for the time being.

Mah Editor has instructions to share mah apples with her. She is a little thin. A halter has also rubbed the hair off her beautiful muzzle but that will be all right. She just got here last night and has already had a bath and is settled into a cozy stall.

I can not wait until she can com outside to see me.

Hyphen-Roe

Today I get a visit from Tonia and Barry Hyphen-Roe. It turns out that they like carrots too and do not travel without them. They bring a bag full out to my place.

Pleased to meet you, Hyphen-Roe.

Grooms me. Yeah, just like that.

Come on, quit looking back. Never look back.

Good job, Hyphen-Roe!

Mohawk

I hav crazy hair.


Look, see?


I don't do any thing special to it.


It just naturally is that way.

Best Ever

This is one of the happiest days of mah life! I will tell you why laters!

TOOEXCITEDTOOEXCITEDTOOEXCITEDTOOEXCITED

Moving Around

I been working on mah reinback and turn on mah forehand. It's not much problem to learn. First I learn the physical cue and teh word on the ground, you know, getting both the messages together, then I can just hear the word and do it, or can just feel the signal and do it. Then Mah Editor climbs up on me and we work on it som more.

We have been doing this all week. It's not as exciting as it soundzzzzzzzzz . . . . . *snore*

Tomorrow, though, I get Two Special Visitors.

Hoof Champion

Today is the day I get new shoes. I've been practicing every day. Because I've been thinking. Before you act ugly to som one who is trying to help you, before you raise your leg up high in the air, before you shift all your weight to the foot he is trying to pick up, before you aggravate som one who has already shooed a barn full of horses that day, who is holding a hammer, you should put yourself in *hiz* position. How would I like it if som one thwarted me at every turn? I would not like it.

So I stand like a champ and get back shoes. I have turned over to a new leaf. Besides, Mah Editor told me that I must behave or soon no one will want to work on my feets.

Guest Blogger Molly Casper

Molly back at ya here, coming to you from indoors in the shade where the fan is blowing. It certainly is cool in here. I don't know what it's like outside. Let's ask Paul, shall we? May be Paul will know. Since he is outside. In the hot. Without a fan. That's too bad for Paul.

(Editor's Note: It's a well-known fact that Molly despises Paul. Paul is fine--a breeze is blowing and he has on his fly mask.)

Check out my spy mask. This way I can look at you with out you knowing I am watching you. In case you are sneaking up on me with a halter and a lead rop to go put a saddle onto me. It is not worth getting the grooms if I am only going to have to haul you around som where. Speaking of masks, Paul has got a mask but his does not have green on it.

That is all I have to say to you right now, Dear Reader. Check back in the future, when I hope to be making another comment.

Okay, Listen Up

Special guest commentator coming tomorrow.

Opportunity ov a Lifetime

As I was coming up out of the pasture today, a trailer full of hay came in on the big bloo truck. The long truck and trailer hemmed us in. The only way out is to eat mah way through the hay stacked onto the trailer. I was born for this.

But as luck would hav it, the big gate can swing open a little wider and we are able to slip through.

Dam.

Little Red Riding Hud

Som what chilly here this evening. 62 degrees F.

I can't wait for fall and then coms winter. I have requested a red coat. One light weight, one heavy weight and one medium-weight puffy liner (does not need to be red but preferably should be red.) Instead of a hud that attaches to me separately, wut I need is a coat with the hud built on.

Smash Hit

Walkin' throo the pasture
Lookin' around
Belleh like a beach ball
Hangin' down

Wut’s that thing?
Will it bite?
Can I eat it?
You know that’s right

Peeps callin’ mah name
Hoppin’ around
Is that a peppermint wrapper?
I know that sound!

Give it to me
Don’t be shy
Com on I’m hongry
I ain’t gon lie

Hurry up and grooms me
That feels good
Put on the saddle
Take a walk in the wood

I’m a giant mule
You don’t need to worry
I won’t trip on nothing
Or get in a hurry

Back to the barn
Tack me down
Lemmeh eat som grass
And stroll around

I’m Paul.
Yeah that’s right.
I’m Paul.
Rollin’ VIP
Huh huh huh huh
I’m Paul.
Wut wut wut?
I’m Paul.
(fadeout)

Danger! Look Out!

Snake in teh grass! Snake in teh grass! Stomp the mule dance on him! Mash him, even though Mah Editor is on mah back!

Oh, wait . . . it's just a garden hose. Never mind.

Mah Brain

The Real Story About the Fourth of July

After the American Revolution ended, when Charls III, King of Spain, wanted to make friends with George Washington, he knew he had to send him som thing good in the mail. Som thing fancy. Som thing valuable. Som thing that no one else in the world had.

Did Charls send gold? No. Did he send jewelrys? No. What about a fancy sword with Washington's name wrote on the handle? NO.

Charls sent George Washington a mammoth Spanish jack donkey, so that he could start making draft mules like yours truly. And in conclusion, that is why we have the Fourth of July, to celebrate mules in America. It's a fact, you can look it up on the internets.

DO NOT LIEK!

Today I made a self-discovery. I don't like things onto my legs. In fact, things onto my legs turn me into a real jerk.

I hav given my Defy Teh Fly bands to Lady.

9-1-1

Last night there was an animal into teh pasture. He looked like this:
Didn't get a good look at his face though he was wearing a mask.

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