"Stubborn as a mule"???

Look at those sweet faces!! I really believe that "Stormy," the one on the right, KNEW I was saying, "Oh, how beautiful you are, you pretty, pretty girl!" Those perky ears don't miss a thing!

More sense than a horse?

Last night was one of those times when I have so much fun covering a story that I feel I should do it for free!

I went out to Carl Cockrell's farm about 4 miles or less from Bell City to do a Progress story on him and his mules. I had been talking to him about it for a year or more, so when I needed a subject for our August 28th Progress edition of the NSC, I gave him a call.

He was delighted! Carl has worked around mules all his life.

"My dad farmed with mules," he said.

In 2004, Carl started breeding mules with six gaited mares and a gaited jack.

Why "gaited"? That's easy--these mules can be used for riding purposes; in fact, the two in the photo are his riding mules. He has five more, and two of those are being broken to pull a pretty red wagon that's sitting in his front yard.

I was supposed to go out to Carl's place first thing, Monday morning. Unfortunately, it rained Sunday night, and his mules rolled in the mud! Carl can't stand for his mules to look bad, so the trip was postponed, while he spent three hours cleaning them up!

By the time I got there at six, after the day had cooled down a bit, the mules were looking clean and shiny, smooth as silk!

It's easy to see how proud he is of them.

I've never ridden a mule, but I have ridden a donkey, and I know how rough it is. I thought every bone in my body would break!

I didn't offer to climb up on these lovely animals with my much-older, brittle bones, but Carl pointed out that the mules provide a very smooth ride.

"I can ride on these mules all day! I get tired in a truck or a car, but I never get tired or sore on a mule!" he said. "I haven't ridden a horse in 20 years!"

He also likes how smart a mule is.

"A mule won't hurt itself!" says this seasoned rider. "They'll stop before they''ll walk into danger."

Down the road, Carl keeps the other mules, two of which he's breaking to pull a striking red wagon with fancy gold trim.

As we talked in his front yard, neighbors drove by, waving out the window. I can hear them saying, "Well, I'll be horn-swaggled! There's Carl a'talkin with that there newspaper lady agin!"

Carl and I go a long way back--probably 30 years or more.

He used to buy border collies from my husband and me. I love to hear him tell stories about how smart those dogs were.

I know this won't be the last story I do about Carl Cockrell and his mules. I'll have to go back when he has those two up and running with the fancy red wagon.

Carl is 75 years old, and I hope to see him riding for many more years! Just watching him makes me wish I could saddle up one of those pretty mules and take off across the countryside!