The Barneys

Chuck Martin
The Barneys


Marla lives in Crawford, Colorado, on a small spread of land, with her husband Charlie, a bunch of dogs, a horse, and two donkeys both named Barney. She loves donkeys. She thinks they are misunderstood, as they are patient, smart, and calm if you know how to handle them. She says leaning into their soft coat you can smell the Wild West; look into their eyes you see magic; and they come in many wonderful colors, shapes, and sizes. Marla always yearned for donkeys, and now has two, Brown Barney and Blue Barney.

One day, while driving not far from her place she met Brown Barney standing sideways on the road, blocking the way. Marla tried to persuade Barney to move. No chance! He was going to stubbornly stand his ground. A considerable time later Barney decided he wanted to move. Barney was an escape artist, and a rogue in the neighborhood. One time Barney backed into the front doorway of a neighbor‘s house, and they had to leave out the back.

Marla started searching for Barney on a day to day basis, and thrilled to see him as she drove by his pasture. Soon she was stopping feeding him fruitcake just so she could pet, and touch his velvety ears. Marla and Barney bonded. She found the more time spent with him the more she realized he was much more than just a donkey. He was a friend. She asked his owner if she could spend time with Barney, and he said, go ahead. After a struggle Marla finally got him to bridal, and would take Barney up the road to her place, and then back. One day the owner told her to keep him. The man seemed happy to see him go.

A while later Blue Barney came into Marla’s life. Since then Brown Barney has taught his pal how to escape her pasture, through an electric fence. They close their eyes, and keep walking, as it must hurt only for a little while. Blue Barney has taught his buddy some tricks too, like eating shrubbery, for no reason. They are now a large part of the Bishop family, and if you ever driving through Crawford, and two donkeys block your path, say hi to Brown and Blue Barney, and before you drive off, notify Marla.