Xena, Warrior Donkey
In December of 2004, Inspo added another creature to its menagerie, Xena, Warrior Donkey. Xena started out as the kernel of a business venture between Belinda and her niece, Erin. "Erin, I'll spring for the donkey and you'll be in charge of training and getting her ready for sale", said Aunt Belinda. "Great idea, Aunt of the Year", said Erin. "We'll take her to a show and someone will fall in love with her and we'll make a profit. Then, we can buy one or two more and soon we'll be wealthy beyond our wildest dreams".
(It should be noted here that I was out of town when this venture was hatched.)
But enough about me.
Everything went as planned. Xena was cute, brilliant and small enough to get a special rate (free) from the shipper. We arrived in Florida and got ready for the first show at Fox Lea Farm. Xena had learned to jump through Hula Hoops, lead like a champ and was generally irresistible. Sure enough, people were drawn to her like flies to honey. An offer was made (yes, there was sufficient profit in the deal to qualify the experiment as a modest success), and the plan looked golden.
Until, of course, Belinda and Erin realized what was about to happen. They looked at each other in horror, and called the deal off. You guessed it; Xena was now a member of the family and likely will never leave our care. The good news is, that donkeys are easy keepers.The bad news is, that the darned things live forever. Belinda may be changing her will at any moment.
As you can see by the pictures, Xena has an amazing effect on people.
I call this piece "Donkey Love...is it wrong?"
Who needs video games?...........we have Janni and Xena
Here we have (clockwise from top left), the donkey, niece, aunt, and dog of the year.
We actually had to use the "Jaws of Life" to pry Cassidy Nutter away from Xena
After a full day of people pleasing behavior, what could be better than relaxing with an old friend and a smoke on the deck?
Don't worry, all you "animal rights people", when Gigi is not here, we shave a small place on Xena so it's easier to keep her Nicorette patch on. Wouldn't want Xena to get the jitters until her co-enabler comes for a visit, would we?
If you would like to have a Xena of your own, please give us a call. Just please promise that you will come pick up your ass quickly, before "someone" gets too attached.
But wait.................we have an update
So Xena comes in the other day and says, "What's this I hear about my image being splashed around the Web? I don't remember signing a release." Once we showed her that the pictures were tastefully done, she was cool with it.
You just knew there had to be more to this saga, didn't you?
The pictures of Gigi and Cassidy Nutter show what this donkey can do to a person. The two of them kept wailing and caterwauling about getting one of Xena's foals as soon as one was available. To us, all that meant was that they were at least two or three years away from enjoying a little donkey love. So...yet another plan was hatched.
Enter Whitney, sired by the same jack as Xena, same age, a little finer, just as smart, and most importantly, just as irresistible.
Did I mention that Xena and Whitney had been raised together, and had not seen each other since they were ripped apart last year?
This has got to stop. I'm getting weepy.
Before long, Xena was showing Whitney the ropes. How to con your way inside for "special treats", catch a little internet action, play with the dog...you know the drill.
Then, just like that, the reunion was over, and Whitney had to take the next step on her journey to Gigi, Cassidy and Scott. Xena was determined to keep her sister around as long as she could, even going as far as barricading the trailer ramp. It was typical donkey civil disobedience.
To see how this journey ended, go to:
http://www.touchngofarm.com/whatsnew/farm.php
And please, don't cry for Xena, I have a feeling she'll have company soon.
Xena and Janni Catch World Cup Fever
Every four years, over a billion of the world's most rabid sports fans (and approximately 27 Americans) celebrate the World Cup of Soccer. It's no different here at Inspo, where horses from Holland (hence the Orange headline above) listen for news of their home side's heroics. To help them get the soccer fix they crave, Janni and his faithful companion Xena played a spirited (and periodically ugly) game of voetbal in the front yard for the delighted fans.
Xena took command early
Janni showed some skill early in the match with this tackle
Things got ugly as the match resembled England v Argentina
Luckily, the horn sounded for half-time.
Late in the match, Xena lined up one of her famous right hind cannon shots, but......
Janni, the wily Aussie keeper, was there to make the save, as the match ended in a hard fought nil-nil draw.
Stay tuned for more exciting action, as Xena attempts her famous Hoof of God scoring play.