A good busy day! All I had to do was smile, no sales talks needed. I have a collection of tales from five years of walking tours, classes, and hours of Wikepedia. My clients leave happy: tips are good. Today I cleared about $180, and tomorrow (Sunday) could be a good day too.

In between tours I coax the animal lovers over to my mule for pictures and to stroke the velvety nose... like this cute little lady is doing:

My mule's name is Bonnie. She is 20 years old, has been on the street for 16 years. She listens well. She is very fit: she can trot for a mile without getting winded.

She isn’t perfect... she does not like puddles, manhole covers, gratings, or even black asphalt patches. I must be alert to keep the carriage out of trouble when she shies away from stuff.

But she is also fastidious. She only makes waste in the privacy of her stall, not on the street. Her diaper is empty at the end of the day, so I don't have to wash it out.

The other evening, she snuck into her stall when my back was turned and I found her rolling around in the sawdust to scratch her back. Today, I gave her a good brushing and she didn't have to roll around in the sawdust... I'm learning. The morning and evening grooming sessions are clearly building a bond.

A mule seems to mostly take after the mare, but then you notice the Jack coming through: a big head, long ears, pulling power, and agile legs with hooves that can kill a man or a mountain lion in a jiffy. come from the Jack father. At feeding times, some voice their impatience. They go "whinny whinny whinny-HE HAW" ... it may be a way of complaining to long missing jack and mare that made her, that the food comes way too slow here.