Current events: End of July

I can't believe it is almost August. And I will be 49 next week! I don't feel 49, that's for sure. At least not in my spirit.
This was an interesting week. Gabby, the donkey, went ballistic and attacked Zinnia, the sheep. I didn't see it, but Greg did. He came into the house all upset. He was out there working on his chicken pen when he saw Gabby biting Zinnia. He had her on the ground and had a mouthful of her wool in the rump area. He was also stomping her with his front feet. The other sheep were all cowering against the fence, except for Solomon who was hunched down in the tall grass. Greg tried calling Gabby, but he didn't listen. He finally got him off of her by yelling at him and chasing him away. He said it was pretty horrifying to see and, if he'd have had a gun with him, he would have shot Gabby. He was convinced we needed to get rid of him.
I got him calmed down and we decided to keep Gabby away from the sheep for awhile. I told him that normally docile animals don't act like that unless there is something wrong, and, unfortunately they can't tell us what is wrong. So, Gabby is now in solitary confinement, at least until we figure out what his issue is. He is braying a lot more than usual, but other than that, he seems fine.
The sheep were giving him a wide berth for the next day or so, not even getting close to the fence that he was on the other side of. I checked out Zinnia and she seemed fine. Now they are walking along the fence with no apparent fear, and everyone seems back to normal.
I learned today that it is "rutting season" for donkeys and even geldings are affected by it. My uncle said his two geldings also attacked his goats, so he had to isolate them as well. I am glad we won't have to get rid of Gabby.
I re-did the sheep's bedding area yesterday. I cleaned it up real good, down to the dirt. Next I put limestone down, then I filled in some ruts and low spots with sand. On top of that I spread wood chips. They really seem to like it. This morning my body feels every bit of 49 years old, though! Ha-ha!
Today Greg went out and found some wild blackberries growing on the property. We were wondering if we had any. I guess I will be making some more pies! I hope I'll have enough to freeze some, as well as make some jam.