This is Jenny.
Victor and I used to pass Jenny every day on our way to work, when we worked where we used to work. When I first saw Jenny, I thought she was a mule, and I had some vague recollection that female mules are called “jennies” and male mules are called “jacks.” So, we started calling her Jenny.
We soon discovered that Jenny was equipped with male genitalia, but not wanting her to feel judged about her lifestyle choice we continued as before. She never said anything, but I sensed that she was grateful that we accepted her for who she was.
But now, I’m not even sure she’s really a mule. Her ears seem too short.
Jenny winters somewhere else (when we were in the Yucatan in March of 2005 we thought we saw her down there), so as the time neared when I was to leave my old workplace back in early April, I feared I would never see Jenny again. She returned from her winter quarters just three days before my last day of work. I was happy to have a chance to see Jenny one last time.
If you want to see Jenny yourself, look for her between April and October on the Point Reyes Station-Petaluma road in Marin County, California. She’s closer to Point Reyes Station, on the right as you’re driving towards Petaluma.