Master Eitan

Eitan rides a donkey at Tia and Stephen's farm. Unlike horse fur, donkey fur is not waterproof and so donkeys must find shelter when it rains. Donkeys have larger ears, pictured, than horses to hear the distant calls of fellow donkeys, and to help cool the donkey's blood. I also learn that a mule is the offspring of a male donkey and a female horse (the reverse, the offspring of a male horse and a female donkey, is called a hinny). A female mule is called a "molly." A jackass, a burro and a donkey are different names for the same beast. And there, my Equus-loving friends, you have it.

Madeleine continues to bring things to school for show-and-tell but really, I think, to receive some attention from head teacher Mrs. Reynolds. Items rejected include my passport, mom's pearls and other decorative bobbles, Thomas Pynchin's "Gravity's Rainbow" (that was this morning), clocks, walke-talkies and other items which somehow match her code. Today Sonnet decides enough-is-enough and we lay down some rules: Monday's only. Madeleine cries, whines and begs to take something today and I relent, telling her that if she presents a reasonable argument we may allow her an extra day. A condition, however, is that she must write her position on a piece of paper. We shall see where it goes.