Author Archives: Uncle Donkeys Tales

Who would I be if I could be anybody I wanted to be for 24 hours?

If you could be someone else for a day, who would you be, and why?

I would have to say I feel silly saying this but I wouldn’t mind being Cleetus McFarland (Garrett Mitchell) for a day… Why???

Even though I was in a car accident that broke my neck and made it so I could no longer walk again, I still love going fast. I enjoy hauling butt down a nice Mountain Road once in awhile. Hugging the corners, putting the brakes to use, the smell of burnt rubber and methanol fuel… I also enjoy working on cars. If I had the opportunity to ride in a race car or a dragster, you can bet your bottom dollar I would not turn it downn. I would jump on that in a heartbeat.

Cleetus McFarland… Well, he is absolutely living in my fantasy world. He literally gets paid to have fun all day. He can drive anything, a circle track, knows how to drift, and goes almost 250 mph in 1320 ft on a regular basis. I would be happy if I could do  just one of those things once a year haha.

He knows how to have a damn good time and he can afford to do so as well. He takes care of his people and treat them right. He is anything but selfish. You can tell he’s got a heart. Hell he even has his pilot license and gets to fly regularly. Not just any old airplane, he’s also been the copilot in a Black Hawk helicopter. We are even starting to see that he’s learning how to be a great father as well.

He owns his own airplane, he owns his own race track, and he lives no more than a mile away from a drag strip. He’s always got at least five cars with no less than 700 horsepower ready to rip. He’s in Florida I’m in Idaho. He’s been here to rip jet boats in the river and in my neighboring state Washington, I watched as he proved he could absolutely shred a jet boat and dominated jet boat racing. When it comes to anything fast he knows what’s up.

He might be younger than I am but I idolize him. If I could go back in time and change any aspects of my life to guarantee I could do what he’s doing… I would do it in a heartbeat. So long as I got to keep my kiddos. Nothing will make me ever wish I chose a path that did not have my children within it. They are 100% my world..

Hey, thanks for reading and I hope you can agree with my outlook. Go check out some of my other blog posts. If you’d like to get to know me on another level, check out the post titled “Uncle Donkey’s Story… The one that tells all.” Please leave a comment or ask a question, I’ll gladly give you any answers I do have and if I don’t know I’ll tell you I don’t instead of trying to make something up.

Be safe and remember… If donkeydidit… That’s right… You can do it too..!

The two main reasons why honesty is so important to Uncle Donkey…

One main reason honesty is so important to me is because growing up up there was eight of us kids and I was the middle child. The one that got all the hand-me-down clothes and the one that got blamed for everything he didn’t even do. I spent a lot of time being punished for things I did not do.

The second reason is because I hate the feeling of being let down. If I tell you I’m going to do something I do it. If I make a promise I don’t break it. I grew up in a broken home. Mom and dad were divorced and there was lots of people in and out of my childhood. Lots of people that told me they would do this, lots of people that told me they would take me to do that, lots of people that never did what they said or promised they were going to do. I remember always getting let down as a kid and I told myself I wasn’t going to do it to anybody because I didn’t like the way it made me feel. I am so brutally honest I will either hurt your feelings or get myself into trouble. Oh and I’m not afraid to be told no. I always ask before I take anything and I make my kids do the same. I often tell them don’t be afraid to be told no, don’t hide things from me if you come to me and tell me straight up I’m not going to get mad but if I find out you’re lying and trying to hide things from me, I’m going to be pissed, and anytime somebody tells my children they are going to do something I always tell them don’t ever make my child a promise you’re not going to keep and if you do we’re going to have issues. Also I always hold myself accountable. If I screw up I am not afraid to admit it.

Donkey’s dating advice… If only I  could have learned from my divorce before I was actually  divorced.

Granted there was some infidelity on her part but I’m not here to drag my ex-wife down or put her on blast… At least I can stand up and truthfully, proudly, say that I’ve never cheated on one of my girlfriends or my wife and I’ve never abused a woman in my life. All that being said though I will tell you   on  u one thing for sure… If I knew then, what I know now… I could almost guarantee I would still be married. I’ve been in four relationships and yes I’m currently single, but I’ve only been married once and we were together for 11 years. My other relationships came after my divorce and never really got serious.. s. More just like a fling. Nowadays I have too much to worry about and don’t have time e for dating. With that in mind My marriage is the one relationship that taught me the most and I applied these techniques into my other romantic relationships. Let me tell you it made things so much easier. I’m telling you, if you and your partner are in a quarrel right now, try applying some of these techniques. Hold yourself accountable and be persistent don’t let up and eventually you’ll look up and be like we’re not fighting anymore wow. Do not expect     things to change overnight.

When it comes to being in a relationship, communication is extremely important. Unless it’s a surprise for them, your partner needs to know what you’re doing, why you’re doing it, and who you’re doing it with. It’s important so that you guys can establish trust. You need to be confident that you are exactly what your partner needs, you’re exactly what they want, and they won’t risk losing that. I was always really good about communicating

Don’t be like me and message your partner multiple times a day asking what they’ re doing and then be upset because they don’t respond. Send one message and if you haven’t heard from them in a few hours, send another one. If you are in a relationship and you’re not with your partner, be sure to check your phone once every hour or so just to make sure they aren’t worried about you and nothing has happened. When they do respond trust that that is indeed what they are doing and be okay with it until they give you a reason not to. I’ve been in four different relationships and my gut never lied to me. So trust your gut.

If your partner is upset with you because you did or did not do something… Do not shout back if they are shouting at you… It’s is okay, let them be upset. Do not let it ruin your day. If you don’t like what they’re saying or how they are treating you in this moment, now is not the time to bring that up. I learned to Wait till later in the n day or the next day after they’ve had a chance to calm down and then subtly bring it up… Once they calm down, kindly and respectfully let them know what they did that bothered you. If your partner gets mad at you and you don’t like what they say and you get mad at them… It’s just going to be back and forth back and forth and you’re going to fight all day or even multiple days… Weeks! The best thing you can do is tell yourself… Nobody’s going to ruin my day but me and it’s okay for my partner to get upset.

Don’t be controlling and tell your partner what they can or cannot do. At the same time though, you shouldn’t be going anywhere you’re not willing to take your partner and if they ask to, let them go with you. I was never super controlling but I do remember getting upset at times when my ex-wife would go to the bar or something like that without me. It should be perfectly fine for your partner to go out without you once in awhile and let loose. If you’re willing to dress nice and look great to go to work or other places without your partner.. You should be willing to do the same while you’re at home or when you go somewhere with your partner.

Make time to at least sit down and spend one hour a week together. Even if you’re just watching a TV show. If your partner asks you for your attention or to do something with them…It’s important that you do. Make sure you give them all of your attention in that moment as well and you’re not scrolling through your phone. If your partner asks for your attention they are probably feeling lonely or like you are on two different levels. If you guys have been together for a while and they say I love you, for heaven sakes, say it back.

If you are in a relationship, the only people that should come before your partner are you children or your parents. If you have children, they come first. Next in line is your parents and then your partner. If you don’t have children, they only people to come before your partner are your parents. That being said though, communication is key! No matter what’s going on the second you get a chance, communicate with your partner what is going on.

Be sure to show your partner and explain to your partner that you appreciate what they’ve done or what they are doing and what you appreciate. Explain to them why you love them and why you’re happy to be with them once in awhile. It’s important they don’t feel like their efforts are going unnoticed. You do not need to buy gifts for each other… Just do nice things for each other once in awhile that you don’t do all the time. Make them feel important once in awhile. For instance have a bath with candles ready and waiting for them when they get home from work or their favorite meal piping hot, ready to eat when they walk through the door. Fill up the car with gas the night before work or make their lunch so they don’t have to. Honestly it’s the small things that count.

If there’s something they want you to do and you can’t, at least show them that you tried. Show them that you care about what they want and you would love to fill their deepest desires. Also if they have children that are not yours, it is vitally important that you earn those children’s respect. Never disrespect or talk about your partner in front of their children. If you do not have the respect of your partner’s children your relationship will never work out and it will be constant problems. Never ever expect them to put you before their children… EVER!

Don’t constantly question your partner and don’t be clingy. It’s okay if your partner doesn’t want to go do something with you, it’s all right to do stuff by yourself and it’s okay if your partner does something you don’t like. It’s okay if they work a 12 or 14 hour shift, come home for 5 minutes and run off to one of their friends house for a bit. As long as it’s not an everyday occurrence and your consistently expressing that it bothers you. You don’t have to like everything your partner does. Getting time away from each other in fact, is a necessity. Spending time away from each other indeed causes you guys start to crave each other’s attention, miss each other, and wish that you were with your partner in certain moments. Constantly being in each other’s company causes you to start wanting your own space and time away from them and it’s not good for the relationship. If your partner does something that you don’t agree with, that does not mean it’s okay for you to go and do that as well! Two wrongs do not make a right and now you’re just being a hypocrite anyways! Also another thing I see a lot… You can’t sit there and wonder why your partner is in a horrible mood all the time if you’re constantly belittling them and putting them down. Only expect them to act the way they are being treated.2

A bit of advice I really wish I would have listened to from the doctor’s when I broke my neck. Keep your cares separate from your love life. Do not make your spouse take care of you and be your lover at the same time. Caregivers are there to care for you not your wife or girlfriend. All it does is cause conflict and you start to nitpick and annoy each other which leads to the inevitable. Cheating, constantly wanting to leave, not wanting to go places with you, divorce, and separation.

Now I did try really really hard to make my marriage work but Don’t get it twisted up I’m not implying that I have regrets and I don’t wish I was still married to my ex-wife. It was pretty nasty at the end and it was definitely the right thing to do. We were both out of line and the kids didn’t need to be around it. I just really enjoyed being married and the fact that it was with my very first girlfriend. I liked the feeling of having to care for somebody, provide for somebody, and protect somebody.

Now I could keep going, but, I’m curious to know what y’all think on this advice. Go to the homepage and scroll to the bottom and leave a comment. Share this with everyone you can and help my blog go viral. My kids and I need it! I need to earn as much as I can to pay for my cares!

Thank you thank you thank you and remember… If donkeydidit… You can too!!!🤙

Where is Uncle Donkey from?

I was born in Nampa Idaho and raised in the neighboring town Boise Idaho. So I was basically born and raised right here where I’m at now. Until I was 19 years old Idaho was all I ever knew.

Right around my 18th birthday was when my ex-wife and I first got together. She had family on her dad’s side and her dad lived in Knoxville Tennessee. Shortly after I turned 19 and before we ever knew we were going to have any children together, we decided to hop on a Greyhound bus and go check out something new. Knoxville Tennessee here we come.

It was such a thrilling adventure and I remember being so exciting. We thought we were going to go live there for at least a couple years. Within a month of living there we realized it was nothing we expected it to be. The crime rate was so high. You didn’t nod your head at the wrong person, you didn’t look the wrong way, you didn’t go anywhere without looking over your shoulder, and you didn’t wear the wrong colors. It was like living in a movie. It was so foreign and I’d only ever heard stories never lived it myself.

After we were there for about 9 months my ex-wife and I found out we were going to be having a baby. A girl to be exact. Almost instantly upon discovering she was pregnant, we had both agreed that we would be moving back to Idaho because Knoxville was no place we wanted to raise a child especially a little baby child. We only lived in Knoxville for just shy of a year. We arrived in Knoxville on March 10th, 2010 and arrived back in Boise it was March 6th, 2011 almost 1 year exactly one year later. Oh boy! Let me tell you we were so happy to be home.

Being back home meant no more gunshots at night when you’re going to sleep, not being worried about who and where to look, nobody trying to sell you drugs every time you walk to the store, and most importantly a safe place to raise children. In Knoxville nobody talks to anybody. In Idaho everybody looks out for everybody and we all take care of each other. You are brought up with morals and you know right from wrong. You hold yourself accountable and you treat others how you want to be treated.

Anyhow that’s my short story for today, please like comment and share!

Don’t forget… If donkeydidit… You can too!

Uncle Donkey is turning 35!

I turn 35 years old here soon and I have to say… 35 seems old, but, it feels like it just whizzed right by. I’m sure that’s because I’ve raised a couple teenagers and I have been through a lot of very traumatic and life-changing events. I mean we all have. No doubt it has affected and changed my children. I’m just blessed that they were not injured in the car accident and that they were so little when everything happened.

Think about it, I’ve pre tty much been in a wheelchair for all of my adulthood. I was just barely 23 years old when the car accident happened and I broke my neck. Before that I worked so many hours I never got to even see my children let alone have a moment to stop and think about time. It’s like life has been continuous chaos and you never really have a minute to stop and fully enjoy any moment or allow time to slowly pass by. It’s like when you’re at work and it’s a slow day not much going on, time takes forever to go by but when you’re super busy at work, your work day just flies right by and the next thing you know you’re sitting at the dinner table with your family eating dinner. I missed a lot of my children’s toddler years because I was just working so many hours. I did foreclosed property cleanups and maintenance for Fannie. Mae Freddie Mac and Bank of America. Just grinding hard making sure the people I love the most have what they need. Bills paid, gas in the car, and food on the table. You know the basic shit you need in life.

The little bit of good that did come with the car accident is the fact that now I have all the time in the world for my children and loved ones and it allowed me to start college funds for all three of the kiddos. Anyhow thanks for reading please like and share. Remember… Be what you want the people you love to be. Don’t expect to be treated right if you’re not treating somebody else right. If you want to have a good day think happy thoughts. Negative thoughts bring negativity.

Thanks again and never forget… If donkeydidit… You can too! 🤙

N

What a donkey finds boring

What bores you?

First and foremost I can’t stand staying at home for more than three or four days. I have to at least go for a drive.

Second, I know it’s only about 5 days a month but I can’t stand it when my kids are at Mom’s. I get so bored.

Third, doing the same thing over and over. Got to have a little change here and there. Something new. Uncharted territory if you catch my drift.

With all that in mind, nothing is nearly as boring as driving from Boise Idaho to Mountain Home Idaho haha. Nothing but Sagebrush and Tumble weeds for almost a full hour of non-stop driving at 80 mph. I used to have to drive it everyday way back when I was hanging drywall for a construction company.

It’s okay to be a loner

What advice would you give to your teenage self?

Don’t try to fit in, it’s only going to get you into trouble. Who cares if you don’t have friends stay focused on school and don’t get behind. Whatever you do no matter what happens, Do not drop out, give it all your effort, and do not give up. In the end it will all pay off and looking back you will not have regrets.

Moving to a new house

What is the biggest challenge you will face in the next six months?

It is sad because this is the only house my children know and they started kindergarten living here and have walked to school since second grade. We didn’t let them walk it until they were in second grade. They completed Elementary School and are now in Middle School. We live close enough for them to walk to middle school as well and if I have my way we also live close enough they can walk to their High School. That being said though it’s going to take a miracle to keep this house.

I have a trust that is designed to pay for my care as a quadriplegic. When we set it up I was married and we were not taking the cost of night time caregivers into account I was divorced 5 years ago. That being said though there is less than $100,000 left in it and I am being told if something major doesn’t happen soon I am going to need to sell this house, move somewhere else, and use the funds to continue to pay for my care. It cost over $50,000 a year just for my caregivers at night. I have an annuity that pays the trust but it cost more monthly than the annuity is paying the trust.

When I bought this house all I could think about was my kids getting it after I passed away. I wanted them to have it, a place of memory, a place to go to remember dad, or something to sell and split with each other to put a down payment on their own house or buy a car. An inheritance.

I started this blog to hopefully start making money to put towards my trust. I also have a GoFundMe set up if you would like to donate.

https://gofund.me/a13ceee4

I really don’t want to lose this place there are too many memories, my children would have to leave behind all their friends, and it almost impossible to find a rental property that meets my needs. If you can please share it will help my blog blow up, know how to help me make some serious cash, or are in a position to help out. Please reach out to me and let me know. I’m a fast learner and I enjoy learning. The bottom line is something has to change and it needs to change now. Thank you for reading and I hope you have a wonderful day! Don’t forget though… If donkeydidit… You can too!

A vinyl record holder/entertainment system

Describe the most ambitious DIY project you’ve ever taken on.

Back before I was in the accident and broke my neck I was pretty handy when it came to Woodworking and any kind of construction. I did lots of construction. That being said though there is one project that comes to mind… One project I really wanted to look nice when I was done. Heck I was a construction worker not a finish Carpenter. And this was going to be directly in the middle of the living room. One of the first things you see right when you came in that front door. But anyways, I had these hippie Neighbors, they were a couple of real nice guys. Well, they must have had 2500 vinyl records minimum stacked all about their house and they wanted a place to store them, organize them, and just unclutter the boxes of vinyl laying everywhere. That’s when I convinced them I could build them a custom entertainment center strong enough to hold all that weight and not fall through the floor. You be surprised how much 15 vinyl records weigh, let alone thousands…

We agreed on a budget so I took my measurements and then I went up to the hardware store and handpicked All the lumber I was going to use. I was pretty picky because I wanted this to look really good. Once I had my supplies I started by reinforcing the floor joists from underneath the house. I would say they easily had 1,000 lbs in records. Once I was confident everything was reinforced and ready for all that weight, I took lots of measurements. I wanted to make sure each and every cubby could fit and hold the maximum amount of Records and I wanted them to have a spot for their record player.

7-in records what fit precisely on the top part of the entertainment center 10-in records would go in the middle and 12s on the bottom. In the very center is where the TV would sit and on the right of their TV was the record player. Once everything was built and completely anchored to the wall, I hand sanded, stained, and epoxied every square inch to match the wood floors and paneling they had throughout their house. But also did this so that it was nice and smooth and didn’t mess up the record sleeves. By the time I was done it was smooth as glass.

Anyhow, you might think… well it’s just an entertainment centerf, but No it was much more than that, it was literally a piece of art by the time I was done and the hippies… Well, they couldn’t have been happier. It’s been 12 years since I built it and it’s still standing strong today.

An Uncle Donkey update!

Thank you all for reading my blog and giving me positive feedback. I just wanted to update everybody on how things are going. As of right now my Blog has had 1,243 views in total since I went live with my website on  February 8th and posted my very first blog on the 12th or 13th And my GoFundMe has reached $675. So thank you thank you thank you. The bigger my blog gets the more likely I’ll be able to come up with the funds needed to continue to pay for my cares on my own. Every cent I make will be going directly towards my trust. I completely understand that making money takes hard work and dedication. That is exactly why I have legitimately turned this into a full time job. Since the 8th I have dedicated at least 6 hours a day 7 days a week into setting up this website and Publishing posts. Go explore it see how far it’s come just since the 8th of February. I know I’m proud of it and keep in mind that before this I have never set up any kind of website or done any kind of blogging in my life. Everything you see at my website is not only true but I taught myself and learned within the last 20 days. I encourage any feedback negative or positive that you do have as I see it as a learning experience and it will only help me grow. Also if you would like to and you are in a position to do so… the link to my GoFundMe is…

https://gofund.me/a13ceee4

Please and thank you for any and all of your help even if you are just sharing my blog and spreading the word. Any information you have I would love to hear I am soaking it all in and learning as quick as I can.

Trust me when I say this… If donkeydidit… You can too! 😉

Bruh

If you could permanently ban a word from general usage, which one would it be? Why?

If I could permanently ban a word it would be bruh because I can’t stand it when my kids call me bruh

Living on SSDI, how Donkey does it…

Write about your approach to budgeting.

I don’t get much to live off each month so I am very careful… I have automatic bill pay set up for each and every one of my bills. Within 6 days of being paid everything is paid. So by then I know exactly how much I have to get through the rest of the month. Even though I know that everything is paid, I tuck away at least a hundred bucks to get me through the last 10 days before I get paid again. Everything else that I have I know I can use to go have fun with my children, buy items that are needed, or pay towards debt. One week before payday I count my money and anything extra I have or didn’t end up needing usually goes towards things like debt, clothes for the kids, or the occasional pizza order.

What does a donkey drink???

What is your favorite drink?

When it comes to alcohol I really don’t drink that much but my favorite mixed drinking is crab apples. It’s a mixture of Mountain Dew and apple Crown Royal. When it comes to non-alcoholic beverages my favorite soda is Mountain Dew. What do you like to drink?