The saga of the stray donkey continues... 
Over the holiday, a neighbor called to ask if I had a miniature horse. "No," I replied, "And I don't want one." Since he has miniature horses for sale, I was heading him off at the pass. It turns out he wasn't trying to sell me anything.
"Naw, there's a real ugly miniature horse loose in Sam's yard (he's my next door neighbor) and it has a rope wrapped around its belly. I thought if it was yours, I'd help you get it up." I tried to explain that I didn't know anything about a stray miniature horse, but that I was having a miniature donkey as a frequent visitor. "Hon, I hate to tell you this, you being a doctor and all, but that ain't no donkey. That's an ugly little horse." He had a big laugh at my confusion, but two farm men had told me it was a donkey. It didn't look like a donkey, but that's how it was billed. That's all I'm saying about species recognition. I had already figured out about the ugly part on my own.
"Naw, there's a real ugly miniature horse loose in Sam's yard (he's my next door neighbor) and it has a rope wrapped around its belly. I thought if it was yours, I'd help you get it up." I tried to explain that I didn't know anything about a stray miniature horse, but that I was having a miniature donkey as a frequent visitor. "Hon, I hate to tell you this, you being a doctor and all, but that ain't no donkey. That's an ugly little horse." He had a big laugh at my confusion, but two farm men had told me it was a donkey. It didn't look like a donkey, but that's how it was billed. That's all I'm saying about species recognition. I had already figured out about the ugly part on my own.
Here's the crazy thing. At the Blue Springs Board of Alderman meeting tonight, I mentioned about the little donkey. One of the other alderman was so surprised. She's had a donkey in her yard too! We compared pictures and phones were passed around the table. Everyone agreed that she had a miniature donkey in her yard. Of course we all agreed that what was in my yard was not pretty, but our city attorney settled the matter conclusively. "That's a miniature horse. I'm sure of it." Everyone knows that the attorney gets the final word, so my stray donkey is now a stray miniature horse!
The real question is why do we have these little equine wanderers loose in our town? Neither of them looks malnourished or mistreated, although the miniature horse on my side of town does have a rope halter caught around his belly. (It's not too tight, but I can't get close enough to him to remove it.)
My neighbor Sam, who thinks the miniature horse is a donkey, says it's lonely and looking for some company. With my three horses in the pasture, the little one has just made himself at home. Who'd have thought it? I want to have a warm and inviting home, and to be hospitable to strangers, (especially since there is the chance of entertaining angels without knowing it (Heb 13:2)) but, really, I did not expect that to extend to strange horses.
For now, he's out of the road, and that's a blessing for everyone, so I guess I'm in the equine entertainment business. He sure doesn't look much like an angel though.
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