Jethro fulfills his mission in life.

If it is true that America is becoming a third-world country, I am finally in the vanguard. For the last few days I've been strapping Jethro the donkey into his pack-saddle (which I repaired using tarp tie-downs to tighten the straps under his belly) and using bungee cords to secure my chainsaw to the pack saddle - I also put a long piece of chain in a backpack. Then I take Jethro off into the woods with his heavy burden (he doesn't notice it at all), use the chain to hobble him to a tree, and he chows down while I cut down sweet-gum trees. Then we reverse the process and come home. He loves having a job. I love not lugging the chainsaw.

Jethro usually has happy ears when I've got him lugging stuff through the woods, whether it's rocks, water, or a chainsaw. Happy donkey ears: parallel and laid at an angle back from the head. That means he isn't afraid of anything and isn't waiting for something better to happen. It's the donkey version of "be here now."