I tagged along with Susie, Erin & Jenny today out to Castleton,Va (beauuuutiful!) to look at mini – donkeys.  Susie is thinking they might be a nice addition to her farm, since they are effective at removing harmful parasites from sheep pastures.  Personally, I had no idea there even were mini – donkeys.

There is nothing “mini” about their ears.  Their soft, fuzzy, furry ears.

This little one looks just like a fox to me.

As you can see they are not “mini” as in “tiny”, but much smaller than other equines.

Here is one next to Susie for size comparison.

The gentleman who runs the farm had a nice hammock out in the pasture with them.  Isn’t that lovely?  You can relax with a book or your knitting surrounded by nuzzly little inquisitive donkeys.

Erin playing with an ear.  It was impossible to resist those velvety things.

It was exactly eleventy- billion and four degrees out there in the shade and yet the adorably pregnant Jenny never looked any worse for the wear.  I, on the other hand, would have swelled up like a giant red beach ball and collapsed.  Even when not carrying a fetus around I don’t manage heat well.  I was drenched with sweat petting these guys.

We were given a few buckets of carrots to break the ice.  Once they decided were were ok peoples they were very sweet and almost cuddly in as much as an animal like that can be.

Then we met the mini – horse.  I am pretty sure his name was Silver.  He was magical.

Yes, he was this hazy and soft and blue in real life.  Ok, not really, I softened him up a bit to add to his mystique.  I did find myself wondering where the fairies and goblins and princesses were, though.

At that point we were ready to hit the road since Susie and Jenny had a fabulous date ahead of them with the county dump, but our hosts offered us respite from the heat in their AC and set out bowls of cherries and sliced tomatoes and cold water and it was absolutely wonderful.  They told us great stories and we saw the collection of “mistake” wooden bowls he had made.  They were stunning, as was the wooden farmhouse-style dining room table we were sitting at that he had likewise crafted himself.  We were all sent home with one, happy as larks (and those bowls will all be forever known as “Donkey Bowls”).  But before we left, we met Sid Vicious,and got his picture in Susie’s Donkey Bowl.

For more info about the Mini-Donkey Farm check out Susie’s blog; if you don’t see what you’re looking for in her post from today, you can contact her through the blog-site and she’ll hook you up.