This is a special time of year for family and friends. Every family has its traditions. As the families grow and age the traditions are sometimes handed down from generation to generation but other times new traditions develop. Katrina has started a new family tradition; it has been going on for several years now (unfortunately). My idea of a tradition is a roaring fire in the fireplace with a hot apple cider by my side, my cat in my lap and Christmas Carols playing softly in the background.

Katrina, on the other hand, would rather bundle us up like Eskimos, hang Christmas Stockings on poor defenseless little donkeys like they were some portable fireplace mantle and then head out to some little Tennessee town and walk for miles in a Christmas Parade. Most participants in such parades are in trucks pulling floats. Some of the more adventuresome of the participants will ride in convertibles with the tops down and the heaters turned on high.  There are usually other animals in the parades, big animals, horses; animals that people ride! Now our little critters have short legs and donkeys tend to want to move rather slowly. These are deliberate animals who like to think things through and not be rushed. A strange place with weird people lined up on both sides of the street, horses all around, bands playing and candy being tossed to screaming little kids dashing about does little to encourage the average donkey to keep on keeping on.

Our slow pace usually means trying to start in the middle of the parade and hope we don’t end up at the end of the parade before the parade ends! The last thing I want to do is be walking donkeys down main street watching the parade pull out of site with an angry 18 wheeler truck driver who has been sitting in stopped traffic for some parade on my ass’s ass!

We have lots of donkeys and it is a great new tradition, come visit us next year and we will put you in the parade!

Technorati Tags: Christmas Donkeys, Christmas Parades, Donkeys with Santa Hats

Our Saluki, Bark & Dives Sophia Haj of Khiva (bred in Japan by Kumiko Mogi) and out of Rafi (BIS Winner, Specialty Winner, Ch. Baklava’s Rafi Rasil of Khiva) attained 1/2 of her points towards her Championship and then not shown for two years. She easily attained her remaining points in three weekends (Nashville, Louisville and Perry, GA shows). She was awarded her 2nd Major at the highly competitive Louisville weekend (only shown 2 days of the circuit) and finished in Perry, GA (shown only 2 days). Below is a win photo from Louisville.  See our other Salukis at http://www.khiva.net

Technorati Tags: Atlanta Kennel Club, Baklava Rafi Rasil of Khiva, Dog Shows, Hounds of Khiva, Khiva Salukis, Kumiko Mogi, Louisville Kennel Club, Nashville Kennel Club, Saluki, Showing dogs

By: Katrina Fleener

Mr. Peabody’s “Way-Back Machine”

We don’t really have a “Way-Back Machine” that lets us travel back in time. However, one cold winter night we did come across some old photos that put a smile on our faces. We thought you might get a kick out of them also. We will only do a couple at a time to keep from boring you to death.

First of all we need to look at where we are today.

TODAY!  Having fun at a Christmas Parade (2009)

We had a lot of fun participating in a local Christmas Parade. This was the first for our Miniature Donkeys and they acted as if they had been in parades on a regular basis.

BACK IN THE DAY (The Seventies!!!!!!!)

How fun is this photo!!!!!!  This was back in the Seventies and I was a teenager. The dog is my Greyhound, Cyrus, as a puppy, at his first dog show. This Greyhound was from the last litter from the famous Seamair Kennels, Santa Barbara, CA.  Seamair was very well-known in the 60s. This is a show win in which the judge was Joan Frailey. Cyrus easily attained his American and Canadian Championships and helped me to wins in Junior Showmanship.  Every weekend was spent at a dog show with my mother and siblings.

This photo (although quite old and worn) is also from the Seventies and is my Palomino Quarter Horse, Lipton. The first time I ever saw Lipton and rode him and he bucked me off. Despite objections from my parents, that was the horse I wanted to purchase. I like spirit and a challenge. He was a challenge at first but we became best friends and spent countless hours on long trail rides. The next time you see my, ask me why the horse was named Lipton!

I also showed him a few times in Western Pleasure, but in those days, I was concentrating on showing my dogs.  Our family also had a sorrel Quarter Horse, two Shetland Ponies, a Welsh Pony and a 1/2 Arab/1/2 Welsh foal.

Technorati Tags: Greyhound, joan Frailey, Miniature Donkeys, Palomino, Quarter Horse, Seamair Kennels

This past weekend we had a Big Winter storm. Unlike the Midwest and Northeast, folks in Tennessee are not accustomed to these conditions. There were at least 100 auto wrecks and 1,000s without power for a period of time. But it sure was a beautiful!!!!

Dolly, our farm dog loved running in the snow.

As you can tell from the lack of hoof prints on the snow, the Miniature Donkeys were not as keen on the weather. They preferred their snuggly barn with plenty of hay.

But Wait!  We had a few brave souls who ventured out into the snow.

Well not for long!!!!! The Donkey train decided snow was not for them and ventured back to the barn.

One of our animals found the snow very exciting!!!!!!!!!!

Technorati Tags: Donkeys in winter, Farm animals in the snow, Miniature Donkeys, storm in Tennessee

By: Richard

Did you ever play Marco Polo in the swimming pool as a kid? You know; you close your eyes and yell “Marco” and the other kids yell back “Polo” and you try to find them. Well today I played “Marco Polo” in the barn but it was really “Louise Meow”. I also kept my eyes open even if it was an unfair advantage.

Let me explain. I went out to the barn this morning to feed the little miniature donkeys. The first thing I usually do is encounter Thelma and Louise, the barn cats. Thelma is usually just returning from a night of hunting in the woods behind the barn and Louise is usually just waking up from a night of restful sleep in the hay loft. On this morning Thelma greeted me in the grain room with a meow and then another and another. This was unlike her and there was no Louise. I really didn’t think much about it until I went out into the stall area and heard more meows.

These were obviously coming from Louise and sounded somewhat distant so I figured she was up in the hay loft and would soon be down to say hello and get a little loving. As I fed animals she still did not come around but kept meowing. Now I had to figure out what was wrong.

I would yell out “Louise” and a “Meow” would echo back. I kept yelling “Louise” as I walked through the barn. The “Meow” would get louder and then quieter. As the banter continued I began to hone in on the allusive meow.

Then I found it. The “Meow” was coming from the tack room. I opened the door and out sprang Louise. She meoooooowed and ran for the grain room and some breakfast!

We have had a hectic couple of days around here, which you will read about soon, and Katrina had accidentally locked Louise in the tack room when she was turning off the water to the stalls the night before.

All is well and Louise and I have a new game to play.

Technorati Tags: lost cat, marco polo, thelma and louise

By: Richard

Katrina and I recently expanded our animal empire by two. It all began this winter when my animal loving wife went to the barn to feed the precious little miniature donkeys. She opened one of the plastic bins we keep grain in and out jumped a barn mouse!

In her words it was more like a 10 pound rat and it went for her throat but she was able to wrestle it off only with the aid of a nearby shovel. My guess is that her screams hurt its ears so bad it ran for the field and never returned.

The Tractor Seat is Louise’s favorite spot in the barn.

Well, it makes no difference which side of the story you believe we agreed we needed to get a couple of barn cats to keep the mice population in line. After all we purchase grain to feed our animals and not the entire population of mice in Rutherford County.

With the assistance of Katrina’s sister, Valerie, we added two new little kittens to the barn. They are named Thelma and Louise.  They are terrific. Thelma is a real hunter and daily places her catch from the night before in the barn in plain site so we can’t possibly miss it. Bird feathers and mice body parts are now part of our barn decor. Although Thelma is loving and purrs as soon as she is picked up her joy in life is doing what we asked of her, hunting.

Thelma with a full stomach!

Now, Louise is a different cat. She is more of a lover than a hunter. I have yet to see her so much as bat at a fly. She prefers to sleep and be petted. When she sees Katrina or I approach the barn she starts meowing and running after us. She wants to be picked up and purrs as soon as we stop to pick her up. When we do, she just melts into our arms and purrs louder.

Even if she never catches a mouse she has a home for ever. In fact I have told Katrina I think we should swap her out for Lucile our house cat from hell. Louise would be a wonderful house cat and Lucile could use a reality check that living in the barn would deliver.

I never have to worry about the Tractor Seat being dirty, Louise keeps it neat as a pin!

Technorati Tags: barn cat, bird, mice, mouse, thelma and louise

By: Richard

Just found this on YouTube and couldn’t resist. It is just too good. Now, if we can just get one of the miniature donkeys to strut to a Four Seasons or Beatles song we might be able to retire! I’m headed to the barn with my boom box now!! Where is Macy Lee? She has attitude.

Technorati Tags: bird, miniature donkey, ray charles

By: Katrina

A Xoloitzcuintlil, or Xolo for short (pronounced Sho-Lo) is a hairless breed of dog from Mexico. I really love interesting breeds of horses, dogs, etc; and this is pretty unique.

The breed comes in three sizes: the Miniature, Intermediate and Standard. The one in the photo is a Miniature, Karmen, shown by my mother, Barbara Hamilton. Karman is a World Champion and has Championships in 11 different countries.

History

The Xolo is native to Mexico, Central and South America and the Caribbean. Archaeological evidence shows that the breed existed in the New World for more than 3,500 years. Their value in ancient native cultures is evidenced by their frequent appearance in the art and artifacts produced by the Colima, Aztec and Toltec civilizations in Mexico.

Xolos were considered sacred dogs by the Aztecs because they believed the dogs were needed by their masters’ souls to help them safely through the underworld. The Aztecs also raised the breed for their meat. 16th Century Spanish accounts tell of large numbers of dogs being served at banquets.

When Columbus arrived in the Caribbean in 1492 his journal entries noted the presence of strange hairless dogs. Subsequently, Xolos were transported back to Europe.

Xolos were among the first breeds recorded by the American Kennel Club. The first AKC registered Xolo was in 1887. The first AKC champion was in 1940. In 1959 the Xolo was dropped from the AKC studbook due to the breed’s scarcity and perceived extinction.

As of 1/1/09, the breed has just been introduced into the Miscellaneous Group at AKC dog shows, with exhibitors working towards full AKC recognition in the near future.

Technorati Tags: AKC, American Kennel Club, Aztec, Barbara Hamilton, Mexican Hairless, Xolo, Xoloitzcuintle

  By: Richard

Our cat, Linus, has been a part of the family for many years. He has learned all of our habits and how to take advantage of them. He also, like most cats, loves milk and yogurt. In the morning while I am having breakfast it is not unusual for him to beg  for a little milk in his bowl. However, let me grab a cup of yogurt and he is an instant pest. He can be in any part of the house and as soon as I pull the cap off the cup of yogurt he comes running.

Our ritual is that I eat what I want in the cup but always make sure to leave a little around the edge of the cup and in the bottom. I place it on the floor next to me while I finish reading the paper and he cleans the cup out.

I was recently on a regular business trip out of town and stayed at one of those hotels that has a free breakfast bar. As usual, I went down to the lobby and grabbed a newspaper and a tray of food including yogurt. I found an empty table in the center of a group of similar travelers and began reading the newspaper and eating my food. That is one of my morning habits, read the newspaper and eat breakfast. I don’t make small talk, just catch up on the news and enjoy my food.

When I finished the cup of yogurt, you guessed it, I never looked up from the paper; I just reached down and sat my nearly empty cup of yogurt on the hotel lobby floor next to me! I never gave it a second thought, Linus would soon be licking the inside and I would hear the usual sound of the plastic cup scooting across the tile floor.

But wait there’s more! I was not at home! The floor was not tile and most of all, there was no Linus! I quickly reached down, picked up the cup and put it back on the table. I never looked around to see who was watching. I was too embarrassed. However, I did sense a slight quieting of conversations in the room.

I guess I am beginning to a feel a little too much at home at that hotel. I may need to start staying somewhere else.

Technorati Tags: cat, embarrassed, hotel, linus, yogurt

By: Richard

Katrina and I recently visited the Florida Everglades and had a wonderful time. We were not surprised that there were no miniature donkeys but we were surprised that the area looked nothing like the image we had in our minds. There was no bayou like you see in and around New Orleans, no tropical jungle like you might find in Mexico or else where in the tropics, and there was not even a lot of water.

We visited in February which is a good month to get out of the cold up north and it is the time of year that there are a lot of birds in the Everglades. However, it is also the dry season in southern Florida. That is good from a visitors standpoint but it means that the Everglades are very dry and will be nearly completely dry in just a few weeks.

This year is dryer than usual which means the alligators are very much out in the open. Here are just a few of our photos. We know they aren’t miniature donkeys but if you love animals you should enjoy these images anyway.

Let’s start out with a couple of Love Birds, feathered……

….and not feathered!

Pelican looking for a meal, he found one just seconds later.

How many Pelicans do you see sitting in the tree? There are 3.

The Dolphins were more interested in feeding than entertaining.

This place next to the doc looks just like a movie set.

Mr. Turtle takes a sun bath.

Look closely for the bird.

Ok, here are some alligators. These are babies and only 6″ to 12″ long.

You can see mommy alligator just off to the left and babies on the rock. She will lay eggs with 40 or so hatching. Only 6 to 8 will likely reach a year old.

If you look closely you can see a couple of babies crawling on their mom’s back near her rear leg.

Not everything in the Everglades is camouflaged.

Look closely and you can see the baby bird just to the right of mom.

This is as much water as you will see in the Everglades in the winter. This was taken on a boat headed out into the Gulf of Mexico. You will find a few lakes or ponds in the area that will also resemble this. Most are only inches deep.

This is the most common site we saw in the Everglades whether we were in the north end or south end. During the summer (the wet season) this should be full of water but there will be few birds around and the alligators will be in the water.

This site was astonishing. Each of these alligators is 6′ long or longer! There are even more outside of the picture.

This bird just finished diving into the water for a meal and must now sit in the sun for a half hour to dry its feathers before it can fly again. Some birds have an oily coating on their feathers so they can fly immediately after coming out of the water but not this bird.

Pretty flower but can you find the butterfly?

Technorati Tags: alligator, bird, everglades, florida, miniature donkey, turtule