The Burro's Colt: The Third Book in the Series

By P. J. Day

The author, P.J. Day and his two brothers and two sisters grew up in the magical valley of Tesuque (Tazookey), located about five miles north of Santa Fe, New Mexico. One of the family pets was a little gray burro they had named Pedro, who was less than a year old when he came to live with them. While reminiscing about that marvelous childhood on Christmas Day 2001, the first book, A Burro's Tale was conceived. Some years after that, the story continued in Call of the Burro and now the third book in the series; The Burro's Colt.

The setting for The Burro's Colt continues to be the Tesuque Valley. Some of the original burros from A Burro's Tale and Call of the Burro remain on the ranch. Many of which have become too old to rent out for any serious work, but continue to be loved and cared for by Raphael and his family. In this third book in the series the burros are more in the background of the story rather than the story revolving around the burros many adventures.

A twist of fate places Pedro in the position of serving Jesus once again in his time of need. Jesus and the Holy Family have returned to Jerusalem after being gone for some eighteen years. The Burro's Colt places the reader in numerous situations throughout the book that the reader must determine what they themselves may have decided to do under the same circumstances. Especially, if they were put in the kind of danger that taking the wrong side might have placed them in, within what has undoubtedly become the greatest story ever told.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: May 26, 2023
• ISBN: 9798887513003

Book preview

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The Burro's Colt

The Third Book in the Series

P. J. Day

ISBN 979-8-88751-299-0 (paperback)

ISBN 979-8-88751-300-3 (digital)

Copyright © 2023 by P. J. Day

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

About the Author

About the story

Dedications

The Garden

Family Business

An Aging Herd

The Nazarene

Tiny and Cheep-Cheep

Preparations

Reunion

Stairs for Six Sisters

Rabbit Stew

Trouble Brewing

Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls

Intervention

Bunnies and Birds

April Showers

Choir of Angels

Sunday Dinner

Moving and Storage

Home at Last

A Family Tradition

The Gift Is in the Giving

The House of God

Doggone Rabbits

Evils of Gossip

Old Friends

Passing the Torch

A Triumphant Ride

Dark Days Ahead

The Storm

Painted Eggs

He Has Risen

Author's Notes

Vaya con Dios.

About the Author

The author grew up with his two brothers and two sisters in the Tesuque Valley, located about five miles north of Santa Fe, New Mexico. He and his siblings were generally allowed to keep whatever animals they brought home with them, provided they cared for them. This allowed for an interesting coming and going of an assortment of pets over those childhood years.

One of the many life lessons they were blessed to learn growing up in the Tesuque valley was that they were responsible for what they tamed. When an animal allows us to tame them, they make themselves completely vulnerable and dependent on us. Not merely for food and water but for companionship and affection as well. This may not only be a good lesson for the taming of animals but a good rule for the taming of people that are woven into the fabric of our lives as well.

In his adult years, PJ was employed as a chef in the food and beverage industry for many years. Don't be surprised if you walk away from a simple family meal in the book incredibly hungry and need to take a short break to raid the fridge before you continue reading.

PJ adopted a one-year-old baby burro from the BLM Wild Horse and Burro Adoption Center in 2012, and he spent a good many years and countless hours gentling him. He, of course, named him Pedro after the family pet they had growing up in Tesuque. Whenever time permits, he travels with Pedro introducing him to children wherever they go. The children delight in meeting Pedro, and Pedro loves the children. Often, when it's time to leave, PJ has a difficult time getting Pedro back into the trailer because he would rather stay and visit with the children.

About the story

The Burro's Colt is the third and final book in this trilogy of stories. The series of stories began with A Burro's Tale , followed by Call of the Burro , and finishes up with The Burro's Colt. The stories take place at the time when Jesus walked the earth.

Why Santa Fe? The backdrop for all three stories is in Santa Fe, New Mexico, the surrounding valleys, and the culture of the people who live there. I have lived and worked throughout the United States in my lifetime, and of the many wonderful people and places I have lived, Santa Fe stands out for a number of reasons. The population is overwhelmingly Christian, and that, first and foremost, created the ideal community for the stories. Many of the people who have lived there for generations do not have a lot of material possessions yet are grateful for what they have. They live a simple lifestyle and prepare very traditional, regional dishes that to date are some of the most delicious foods I have ever eaten.

The Tesuque Valley is the place where my two brothers, two sisters, and I grew up. It is located about five miles north of Santa Fe. Many of the nuances and circumstances that found their way into the stories were actually situations from our childhood. The people of the area are also intertwined in the folklore that comes with the many churches and the mysteries that are attached to them. Personally, I believe if there were any other places Christ would have left his footprints during his brief time on earth, it would have been Santa Fe, New Mexico, and the surrounding area.

Pedro, the central character in the story, was one of our many pets growing up and was the inspiration for the stories. The burro is heavily entrenched in the Hispanic culture and is also historically significant in the Bible during the time of Jesus. A burro will live thirty to fifty years on average, so it is entirely feasible that the same burro could have been there for Jesus when he needed one throughout his life. That I suppose is where these scenarios intersected for me and became the perfect canvas for the stories.

I hope that you will allow yourself to step into the story and experience it as if you, too, were there alongside Raphael and his family. If you have never visited Santa Fe and you ever have the opportunity to do so, I would recommend not letting the opportunity slip by.

Dedications

This is the final book in this three-book series. First and foremost, I would like to thank God for inspiring me and allowing me to write the stories. My life has been so incredibly enriched by the experience.

I cannot possibly do justice in the attempt to share the sights, sounds, and smells of my childhood in the Tesuque Valley, but I have done my best to include them on the canvass of the stories. It really is a very magical place, and I have been blessed to visit there frequently while recollecting elements from my childhood for the stories even if those visits were mostly in my mind.

To the adorable, loving, humble little burro. What they want most of all is to be around us. The burro asks for nothing, and they stand ready and willing to give everything. All they ask is that you explain what it is that you want clearly, and they are happy to oblige. They are hearty and generally healthy and can live on some of the most nutrient bare diets imaginable. Like most animals that serve us willingly, all that they ask for in return is a little love and kindness.

Maybe childhood should be more revered for the indelible memories that we carry with us for a lifetime. That carefree time when all we had to worry about was whether we would be caught for doing what we should not have been doing in the first place and whether we were having something delicious or something terrible for dinner.

The most rewarding part of sharing Pedro's stories today is when Pedro and I can share them in person with the children. The children's reaction to meeting Pedro and Pedro's enjoyment of the children are absolutely beautiful.

Chapter 1

The Garden

Looking into the bottom of his cup, he took the last sip of a now cold cup of coffee. Raphael thanked Mama for yet another fantastic breakfast. It was so much quieter around the house these days with Juan and Rachel long gone, both with growing families of their own. He and Mama had finally succumbed to a much slower pace of life in recent years. Raphael had just turned sixty and Mama fifty-six. It had taken a number of years after the children had left home to settle into a more relaxed daily routine. They now enjoyed those days but occasionally missed the hectic pace of life they had become accustomed to for so many years.

Raphael went straight to the small family garden as he did directly after breakfast each morning. This garden was merely for the family to enjoy. The vegetables were grown in smaller quantities and not for sale at the market. Grumbling under his breath, he scratched at his beard at the additional overnight damage the suspected rabbit had caused in the garden again. He vowed to get that sneaky rabbit once and for all. Raphael witnessed the rabbit scurry under the house on numerous occasions and was fully aware of the rabbit's alternative escape route on the other side of the house.

He positioned their two ranch dogs on the other side of the house at the alternative hole the rabbit had used to previously escape capture and ordered them to keep their position. The dogs took their marching orders seriously. They stood on high alert directly over the hole, tilting their heads back and forth, watching and listening for the slightest movement from below.

Raphael was so focused on catching that doggone rabbit once and for all that he did not hear his daughter Rachel and granddaughter Tilly arrive. Rachel and Tilly had been visiting with Mama in the kitchen for some time. When Tilly had tired of the unending hugs and kisses from her Gama, she asked where her Gampa was. These were the names she had given Raphael and Mama at two years old—around the same time that she had renamed herself Tilly. Among other minor pronunciation difficulties, Tilly had trouble pronouncing her R's, which was quite normal for many children at that age.

Today is the day, Mr. Rabbit, Raphael mumbled, banging a long tree branch deep down inside the rabbit hole. You are going to sweeten Mama's cook pot tonight, and I will enjoy every tender morsel that has been fattened up on the vegetables in my garden. Engrossed in his mission to catch the mangy little cottontail, Raphael had not heard Tilly stoop down beside him on the ground.

Gampa, you are not going to hurt my bunny, are you?

Startled and banging his head while backing out of the hole, Raphael responded as innocently and sincerely as he could to Tilly. No, no, Jita [Hita, my little loved one]. I was merely inviting him to dinner. I know how much he loves the baby radishes and carrots from the garden, and I was thinking that he might be hungry again. Still kneeling, Raphael brushed himself off and took Tilly in his arms, kissing her repeatedly about the face. The whiskers from his long, gray beard tickled Tilly, and she began laughing hysterically as she always did.

Tilly begged Raphael, Gampa, Gampa, stop, stop! In between begging Gampa to stop, Tilly screeched with laughter. When Raphael finally stopped kissing his little Tilly, she literally sunk down into his thick shoulder, exhausted, and her chest still heaving from the uncontrollable laughter. Raphael's chest was heaving as well. He let out one final, loud, satisfying round of laughter and told his little Tilly how much he loved her and how much he had missed her.

Once Tilly had gained control of her breathing again, she pushed back from Raphael. Grasping Raphael by both shoulders with her tiny hands, Tilly put her forehead to his and looked him square in the eyes. I love you too, Gampa! At this moment, nothing else mattered in the world. Tilly was with her Gampa, and Raphael smiled from ear to ear in total delight with his little Tilly.

Raphael stood up and put Tilly on the ground. He took her by the hand and stooped down over her. Jita, what do you say we go inside and see what kind of treat your Gama has for us to eat?

Tilly responded cheerfully, Yummy, Gampa! Tilly now pulled Raphael by the hand, anxious to get back inside the house for the treat. She asked Raphael if they could go out to see the animals after the treat, and he cheerfully agreed. Raphael let out a couple of short whistles signaling to the ranch dogs that the hunt for that no-good rabbit was temporarily abandoned. When he turned back around, Tilly was returning with a baby carrot and a radish for the bunny. She placed them in front of the hole under the house and stood back up with a big smile on her face. What was Raphael to do? He smiled back at Tilly, took her by the hand, and headed for the kitchen. All the while, he thought, Now how am I going to get rid of that darn rabbit now that Tilly has adopted him?

Tilly swung open the door to the kitchen and ran right by Rachel and Mama. She stood directly in front of the counter where the crock full of treats was kept. She had both hands on the counter. Tilly's eyes barely reached the top of the counter, and she stared at the crock until Raphael stood behind her. She was not tall enough to reach the crock on her own so she waited patiently for Raphael. Raphael slid the crock closer to the edge of the counter and removed the lid. He looked back and forth from the contents of the crock to Tilly with an exaggerated expression of surprise. Tilly could not take it any longer. She stood back from the counter, put both hands on her hips, tilted her head, and looked up at her Gampa. She held one tiny hand out flat and said, Please, Gampa?

Raphael reached in the crock and handed Tilly a biscochito. She waited politely to take the first bite of her cookie and said, What about you, Gampa?

Raphael retrieved a cookie for himself, and Raphael and Tilly enjoyed their treat accompanied by a cool glass of fresh milk. Biscochitos were a version of a sugar cookie dusted with cinnamon and sugar. The secret ingredient is the tiny black anise seeds that Mama added to the batter that were visible throughout the cookie.

Just as anxious to visit with the animals as she was to have her treat, Tilly rushed her Gampa to finish his cookie. She kissed Mama and Rachel and took Gampa by the hand, leading him out of the kitchen and onto the patio. As soon as they were out of the house, she bolted from Raphael heading straight for the barn and the animals. When Raphael caught up to Tilly, she was stooped down on the ground, just under the old apricot tree adjacent to the barn. Look, Gampa! Look! Tilly was hovering over two baby crows that had apparently fallen from the nest onto the ground. They did not seem to be injured; they were just cheep-cheep-cheeping at Tilly, and she cheep-cheep-cheeped right back at them.

There was no sign of an adult crow, and Raphael was not about to attempt to climb that tired old apricot tree in order to return them to the nest. Besides, Tilly had likely been touching them already, and it was doubtful that the mother crow would accept them back into the nest with a human scent on them.

What should we call them, Gampa? Tilly questioned, looking up at Raphael.

As he stooped down next to Tilly on the ground, Raphael answered, I don't know, Jita. What do you think we should call them?

Tilly was quiet in deep thought for a moment and then responded decidedly, I think we should call this one Tiny—she pointed to the smaller of the two—and this one Cheep-Cheep.

Nodding his head in approval and smiling back at Tilly, Raphael agreed that she had