5 Questions

Each month we will publish this column so that members who may have never met can get to know each other. This month’s answers are provided by Lynn Price of Shelbyville, TN and, Deirdre Tarr of Jefferson City, TN.


1) What is your favorite thing to do with your donkey(s)? LYNN: Just wander out to pet them and watch their silliness, scratch their itchy spots and feed them carrots. DEIRDRE: The babies are tops. I love to gentle them, handle their feet, give them hugs, sit with them in my lap and show them off to visitors as one of the best reasons to raise donkeys. I love to have animals gentle enough for my little Florida city nieces to be able to halter and lead around the farm. They love it, too! A friend recently gave me a little saddle type pad that I am going to put on my friendliest donkey and hopefully teach her to allow my little almost 3 year old granddaughter to ride while I lead the donkey. The fun just keeps on....

2) Tell us one thing about you we don’t know. LYNN: Owned a Bed and Breakfast for 6 years in Wartrace. DEIRDRE: I've had to opportunity to give a hug to two of the people I admire most - James Dobson and Beth Moore.

3) Do you have other animals? If so, tell us about them. LYNN: A mom and baby Scottish Highland cows (and mom is pregnant again :), 2 pregnant goats (due any time), 2 girl babies and 2 boys. They are hilarious to watch. 2 dogs, 4 cats and chickens are coming this spring. DEIRDRE: I have raised alpacas for about as long as I have raised miniature donkeys (15 years). They are very compatible. You just have to make sure there are plenty of feed pans when it is feeding time. (And keep the adult male donkeys separate!) Alpacas are very quiet animals who make a soft humming noise and have some of the softest, warmest fleece in the world. There are two types (huacaya and suri). I have huacayas. When they are unshorn they look like beautiful fluffy stuffed toys with huge eyes out in the pasture. When they are shorn they look like stick figures of E.T. (The Terrestrial). They are great alternative livestock!

4) You are granted a day of perfect weather whenever you like. What day do you place it on and why? LYNN: A Saturday any time so I can get caught up with gardening in my greenhouse. DEIRDRE: Probably Thanksgiving because we have 25-35 relatives come to visit us (sometimes for a whole week!) around that holiday and it is wonderful to be able for everyone to go outside and play Frisbee or corn toss or hike to Cherokee Lake which is quite near us.

5) Have you learned a new (household or farm) short-cut/trick/hint lately? If so, what? LYNN: Letting the hay do the work :) We spread the flakes around for the goats and it self seeds for pasture. DEIRDRE: In my garden this year I decided to plant a row of giant sunflowers next to the delicious greasy beans so that the beans could climb up their large stalks instead of having the normal twine and stakes in the garden. It should be both pretty and practical. If anyone out there in donkey-land knows of some good organic pesticides, I'd love to have you send me the info as I have some very irritating bugs on my tomatoes this year.