By: Katrina

Thanksgiving is a Special time for all of us to reflect and realize how thankful we are for all of the wonderful things in our lives. Economically times are tough! We may have to tighten up our belts a bit, but as Americans we have so much to be thankful for.

When you sit down at the dinner table tomorrow on this glorious day, remember as Americans the freedoms we have the ability to speak our beliefs, vote for our favored political candidates, follow the teachings of our religion, pursue an occupation of our choosing, and enjoy our hobbies.

Be thankful this day for your health, having food to nourish your bodies and your family. Be thankful this day for our troops who put their lives on the line so that we can all be free.

My occupation is a banker and you can imagine I see negative economic news every day. But I am very optimistic that this will be an event of the past just like other downturns we have experienced.

Enjoy this wonderful Thanksgiving and remember we live in the greatest country in the world, and don’t forget to hug your precious donkey.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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 If she can’t eat, you can’t sleep!

If you are a regular reader you have already heard of Lucille. If not, she is Katrina’s cat; not our car; KATRINA’S cat. She will have little to do with me and often looks at me with great disgust and wonders why Katrina lets me stay in the house. If Lucille was a human I am convinced she could be a serial killer. She is the only bi-polar cat I have ever seen.

One minute she is sweet and gentle (to Katrina, not me) and the next she is a witch! She is at her most extreme when her food bowl is getting low on food.

Our two cats, Lucille and Linus, are used to having a bowl with food in it at all times. This makes it easy for them and simplifies our lives when we can’t be at home for their regular feeding time. For the most part they will graze on the bowl all day long and eat just a little at any one sitting. However, Lucille has one terrible flaw.

She is very controlling and can’t stand it when her food bowl begins to get low. The cats eat out of one of those clear plastic jugs that is filled with food and inverted over a feed bowl. As they eat the food falls down into the bowl ensuring they always have food. When Lucille sees that the food is getting low in the jug she goes into her “Aren’t I Cute and Loving” mode. She will begin to purr and rub up against Katrina, she will seek out attention. This is the only time she will do it. If she is loving, the food is getting low.

Katrina loves to milk this for all it is worth. She enjoys having Lucille pay her attention. The rub is, if you don’t fill her food bowl before you go to bed she gets even.

Last night was one of those times. I needed to get up at 5:00 a.m. to catch a flight to California for work and really needed a good nights sleep. Katrina forgot to give Lucille food so she let us get to sleep and then it began.

Every time this happens, Lucille let’s us get deep into a sleep and then begins to run around the bedroom making as much noise as possible. She sticks her claws out and walks on the carpet; it sounds like she is scratching her claws on a tree next to your head. Then she bounces over to the small metal blinds on the glass doors out to the deck and begins to hit them with her paws. The sound is like a xylophone being played by a 2 year old. If that doesn’t work she will scamper across the bed on the pillows directly above our heads stopping at the night stand to knock off what ever she can find.

Last night she was playing piano on the door blinds; I looked up from my pillow and reached for a shoe to throw at her; I looked her straight in the eyes and I could read what she was thinking. If she could talk she said, “You see me you lazy oaf, get up and get me some food.” With that said she scampered off before I could reach a shoe. The concert of annoyance continued all night.

When we could take no more Katrina got up, went to the garage and brought in a full jug of food for the little control freak. At that point it was time to get up anyway.

We showered, dressed and headed out the door. As we looked back Lucille was sound asleep on the bed, her tummy full. She won again.

Technorati Tags: animals, cat, cat food, Lucile

Stolen Car, Crashed, Recovered, Gone Again

This is not an animal story but it impacted Katina and I a great deal and we wanted to share it with you and alert you to be equally careful with your animals. I have heard stories about guys getting their car stolen from a cruise-in or even at car shows. I have heard of a guy’s trailer, tow rig and hot rod being stolen from his motel parking lot. I have heard stories about guys getting cars stolen and having no insurance.

As usual, I never thought it would happen to me; of course it did. Two months ago Katrina and I had a Corvette stolen from outside the restoration shop. The car was never to be outside but just this once, it was left out overnight. Within two hours of the shop closing its doors video cameras recorded it being driven away.

The car had been at the shop for well over a year and it had an engine rebuild, new paint and new interior. I had picked it up and paid the bill but the windshield wiper still didn’t work and there were a couple of other small items that needed to be taken care of. It is enough to drive a guy to drink.

The punks who stole the car, filled it with gas, washed it, drove it to Nashville and did who knows what with the car that night. By the next morning they decided to give it another bath, this time in the Cumberland River. They started the engine, put a big rock on the accelerator, put it in gear and stood back to watch. These idiots evidently forgot to straighten the wheels and it hit a guardrail (all of this is from the Police Report).

So the car was stolen, wrecked and then recovered, but it is gone again. This time my insurance company towed it away. The damage was more than the car was worth so the insurance company totaled it. Of course the insurance money doesn’t cover the total costs we had invested into the car nor the memories of nearly 20 years of ownership.

Several lessons we learned that I will share with you.

1. Have good insurance and keep it up to date. Check out Grundy Insurance.
2. When you take a car to a repair or restoration shop make sure they have adequate insurance.
3. NEVER leave your collector car outside overnight and NEVER leave it outside of your site during the daytime. Old cars are easy to steel and they are a temptation for joy riders and are loaded with valuable parts that are easy to sell on eBay.
4. Just remember, if your pride and joy is ever stolen and if you get it back; it will never be the car you once owned. I owned that car nearly 20 years but I had no desire to go through another restoration and have it back. If the damage had not been so significant I may have felt differently.

If you would like to see more photos of this car,  more on its history and more about the damage, Click Here. To see some of our other car related articles, Click Here.

How does all this relate to miniature donkeys? As much as each of us love our little critters there are those who only see with jealous eyes. They may think they can sell the animal, they may want one for a pet for a child or grandchild. They may have other motives that we can’t even imagine. We must all be cautious of leaving our animals alone out in public, at shows or other events. We should also make sure our properties are reasonably secure from unwanted visitors.

You may also want to visit with your property insurance company to see if they offer an additional policy for your animals in case of accidental death or theft.

If you have any suggestions please let us know and we will share them with our other readers.

Times are getting tough and will likely get worse before they get better, please be careful.

Technorati Tags: child, corvette, grandchild, insurance, miniature donkey, police report, stolen

This Time of Year

One of the most asked questions Katrina and I always get from local folks in Tennessee is why did you move from Southern California to Middle Tennessee. That answer is very easy this time of year. Actually, it is easy anytime of year.

This morning I got up at sunrise to go out and feed the animals and pick up the morning newspaper. It was a crisp fall morning, the sun was bright and the sky was clear. The birds were singing a wonderful melody and the miniature donkeys were providing a not so harmonious backup of hungry braying. As soon as my feet hit the ground Dolly was running and playing. She turns into a pup again as soon as the temperature drops and there is a crisp in the air. I instantly had a smile on my face and was a peace, there was no bad in the World just the tranquility of living in such a beautiful place.

These are the older Cobra miniature donkeys, all Jennets, in the big pasture.

This is my view as I walk our to pick up the morning newspaper.

I am no where good enough with words to explain how different the changes of seasons are in Southern California vs. Middle Tennessee. I can not explain how rewarding it is to be living in the rural environment surrounded by trees and animals.

We have a very quiet highway out front but every morning someone will wave as they go buy when I pick up the paper.

For an instant this morning, for me, it did not matter who won the election on Tuesday, it did not matter that my 401k is in the dumps, it did not matter that a gallon of gas costs more than a combo at the local burger joint. I was happy to be healthy and able to enjoy what God has provided.

As you approach the house.

I am not a great photographer or fabulous word smith but I would like to share with you the wonderful morning I had and up date you on a few of the animals on the farm. I hope you will in someway experience the blessing that I did on this day.

This house is a home and we love it.

As we walk back to our stables you can catch a glimpse of our neighbor’s barn.

From the back of the property their barn is in clear view.

Here are some of the younger Cobra Miniature Donkeys in their yard.

Look at these two faces. How could you not have a good day when you are greeted with such cute little critters every morning?

These little jacks (left to right); Comet, Dynamo, Cougar and Neery are the most lovable and gentle little animals on the farm.

It has been a very dry year and the pasture provides little in nourishment but is beautiful this time of year.

Middle Tennessee is very rocky in places, our property being one of them. The land is not great for crops but is very similar to the miniature donkeys native habitat and them seem to love it.

Here are those lovable little jacks again. (Comet, Neery and Dynamo in back)

For those of you who have been following the site regularly you probably have been wondering about an update on Topper. Well, here he is! 11 weeks old and acts more like a loving lap dog than a equine.

When he sees either Katrina or I he comes running and won’t leave our side for anything.

This is where Topper and his mother Jetta now live. It is our “back yard” and also is home to other mature miniature jennets. Topper bosses them all around.

Here is Topper and Jetta together.

Jetta is very curious and is always looking around.

Topper looks mad in this photo but he is playing and is about to charge me. It was very difficult to get photos of him because most of the time he is right under your feet.

Here is Dixie (mule) and Daisy (her mother the black and white horse). They are both doing very well and very curious about all the little critters.

Ever wonder about the difference in size between a miniature donkey and a full grown horse? See for yourself.

This is one of my favorite places to rest after the chores.

Dolly really enjoys the cool weather; she runs and hunts in the cool mornings and then lays out in the sun all afternoon.

This is one of my very favorite spots on the entire property. Sitting here and listening to the waterfall and watching the animals makes the time fly.

If you would like to read more about our change of life style from California to Tennessee, Click Here.

Technorati Tags: animals, barn, change of seasons, Cobra Miniature donkey, dog, fall, horse, Miniature Donkeys, mule, Photos, Southern California, Tennessee

By: Katrina

We are always learning new things about our wonderful little donkeys. I think they teach us as much as we teach them. If you are familiar with horses you may be interested in how we have found them to differ from donkeys.

1)      Which is more intelligent?

There are some extremely smart horses, but a donkey is a very intelligent animal that learns rapidly (which is sometimes a good thing and sometimes, not so good), assesses a situation and responds once it is determined the action is safe. For example, a loud noise may cause some horses to be startled and they’ll jump, run or even panic. A donkey will remain calm, assess the situation and then react accordingly.

2)      Are donkeys really stubborn?

When encountering a new or awkward situation, a donkey will stand calmly, assess the circumstances and decide whether it is in its best interest to proceed. To generate high performance from your donkey requires a high level of trust.

3)      Life span

A horse lives between 20 – 30 years, whereas, a donkey may live between 30-40 years.

4)      Health

A donkey tends to be healthier than a horse in that a donkey will eat until full and stop, whereas, a horse will continue to eat and create digestive issues. However, when feeding a donkey, alfalfa hay can be too rich. A donkey can survive on a coarser pasture than a horse. Lush pastures suitable for a horse may be too rich for a donkey and cause a series of health issues. A diet of grass hay, beet pulp, oats and a small amount of grain (with even levels of sweet feed) is recommend.

Horses have 64 chromosomes, donkeys have 62. Therefore, a mule (donkey is the “father” and a horse is the “mother”) is sterile.

5)      Worming, Hoof care and shots

Horses and donkeys both require a regular schedule of worming (alternate wormers every 60 days), annual vaccinations similar to horses and routine hoof care. Hoof care is required every 6-8 weeks. A donkey stands more upright and has tougher, more elastic hooves than a horse

6)      Gestation Period

Approximately 11 months for horses and 12 months for a donkey.

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