Another Christmas has come and gone.  There were many surprises and fun times.  Our newlyweds announced that they have a baby on the way.  Come August we will be grandparents for the seventh time.  I pray that all goes well for mama and baby.  I'm sure our son will be an excellent daddy.  Congratulations to Sam and Cass!

Today we were hit by the storm that dumped tons of snow throughout the west.  It was a blizzard and we still have about 2 inches of snow on the ground.  Tonight it is going to be cold, very cold, like 20 degrees, so all the snow will freeze and get icy.  I had plenty of trouble getting up our hill today.  I don't think I will attempt any travel tomorrow unless it warms up and thaws out. 

The grandkids were at our house most of the day and went out to play in the unusual weather.  They built a tiny snowman and threw snowballs at each other.  Of course, we "older folks"  aren't as thrilled with the cold and wind so we had more fun once we came back inside, started a fire and had some nice hot chocolate. 

The dogs had a great time rough housing and playing just like everyone else.  I'm not so sure the alpacas and the poultry enjoyed it as much. The chickens pretty much stayed inside.  The alpacas stayed in their shelters too.  The wind had the snow coming in at a horizontal slant so the alpacas got snow on their backs in spite of having shelter.  Sometimes I really do wish we had a real barn to put all the critters in when the weather gets nasty.  My gray cat, Loki stayed inside until dinner time and then he went outside.  I hope he comes back in before we go to bed tonight.  Mikie stayed in the barn all day.  He poked his nose out for a little while while I was feeding everyone tonight, but by the time I collected all the eggs and fed all the animals, he was already back inside.  

I saw a new stray cat by the pool yesterday morning.  He/she was big with long jet black fur.  I wonder if it has a home or if it is struggling to stay warm and dry now.Maybe it got in the barn and had a bit to eat before the storm hit.  I try to keep the cat dishes full of food all the time because there are a few strays around.  they keep the rat, mouse, rabbit and snake populations in check.  I read that cats are true carnivores and do not taste sweet stuff.  Dogs are omnivores like people and bears.  No wonder there are so many dogs!  They can survive on anything!  

Tomorrow is the last day of 2010.  I cannot say that I am sorry to see the old year go.  I hope the New Year is better for everyone.  Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas Eve!

I woke up to fog and frost.  It was about 27 degrees.  The sun was shining through and eventually the fog cleared.  I got a good picture, a bright white layer of fog between us and the Whetstone Mountains.  

I wrapped more gifts and cleaned.  Then I prepared food for our traditional Christmas Eve party.  Our spread was impressive if I say so myself.  I did have help from my daughters.  One made meatballs and a fruit platter with sweet dip.  She also brought crackers and seafood dips.  My second daughter made salmon bruchetta and cookies.  We also had cream cheese tortilla roll-ups, b-b-q'd little smokies, chilled shimp with cocktail sauce, a vegetable platter and petit fours.  I think that was everything.

We let the kids open their stockings.  Then we ate and ate a little more.  Then we sorted gifts and opened gifts for the people who were here.  Sorting was not an easy task.  For a poor economic year I feel that we are blessed.  I could not believe the gifts under the tree.  Praise the Lord!  

Tomorrow we will have a traditional sit down Christmas dinner.  I will use the "good" China!  I try to use it at least twice a year, Christmas and Thanksgiving.  It is only supposed to get down to 32 degrees tonight.  Should be a little warm up spot for Santa and the reindeer.  Our grandson put out cookies for Santa and reindeer food too.  How could Santa miss?

Hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and May God bless you each and every one!

Only two days to go!  Christmas is coming!  

I woke up to a "Praise the Lord" sunrise.  Absolutely breathtaking.  Then I went for my walk and took some pictures of the front moving into our area from SoCal.  I was fortunate to see a whole herd of mule deer on my walk too.  They were moving fast and far away.  It was difficult to capture them.  They will probably look like a spot on the picture if you can see them at all.  The mesquite trees here are so low to the ground.  They make perfect cover for deer and other wild animals.  

Today I'm going to try to finish wrapping gifts and plan the Christmas Eve and Christmas meals.  I mostly have things I need.  I just have to figure out what I can make ahead of time and where things will go.  Someday someone else will do all this.  I also appreciate what my mom and Steve's mom and other women have done in years past to make Christmas enjoyable for the whole family.  Whew!  It is a lot of work.

The kids and grandkids are off to see the new Disney movie "Tangled"  so I'd best make use of the time!  Merry Christmas!

Death is not the hard part.  The hard part is before death.  It is the pain and suffering.  It is the indecision and worry.  The agony comes before so that the death is a release, a freedom and a new beginning.  Tinker was released from his pain and suffering today and so was I.  

We, Steve and I, took him to the vet at 8:45 am.  Tinker seemed to remember because he got in the SUV fairly easily and jumped out easily once we got there.  The vet looked him over and asked questions.  She said that he either had Valley fever or cancer.  She said we could treat him with more antibiotics and valley fever medicine.  She could do more xrays and tests.  She said that he would never get completely well no matter what we did and he would probably die anyway.  Then she said we could have a few minutes to decide what to do and she left.  It was difficult for me to decide because Tinker was such a sweet boy.  I asked Steve what to do and I decided that ending it today was the best thing for all of us.  When we told the vet, she said we made the right decision.  She could not and would not decide for us but she said it was right.  

So, I hugged Tinker around his long fuzzy neck and told him "Thank you, Tinker".  I cried and let him go.  I did not stay for the vet to do her job.  She said it would be painless for Tinker but I want to remember him alive so I left.  Steve took me home and I am doing the every day things again, laundry, watching grand kids and planning dinner.  

Tinker was my first and favorite alpaca.  He had the best personality and always liked attention.  He hummed his greeting to me everyday until he got sick and he was not afraid.  He watched out for danger and gave his alarm call to warn the others.  He fought his brother bravely until they were separated.  He endured all his treatments and shearing without complaint.  He taught me about alpacas, the good parts and the difficult parts.  He will live on in my mind and my pictures.  Thank you Tinker.

At 6:45 it is still dark outside.  We had rain most of the night but it seems to be clear this morning.  


Tinker took a turn for the worse.  Last night when I went out to feed the animals, I could not find Tinker.  After I fed the other two boys I searched for him.  He was standing on the east side of the barn behind the board we put up to help keep the weather out.  His head was nearly on the ground and he was sort of swaying back and forth making a noise almost like a moo instead of the alpaca hum.  He did not jump away when I touched him nor did he seem aware that I was near.  I came inside and called the vet.  They cannot do anything until Monday.  


I figure Tinker is either in so much pain that he cannot function or the cancer or whatever ails him has invaded his brain.  Either way, we are done.  I had Steve go out with me to give Tinker an injection of pain killer that I had left from his foot injury.  I will continue to give him that until we take him to the vet for the final time.  Sometimes we do not get to keep our own timetable.  I do not want Tinker to suffer any more no matter how it hurts me to have to let him go before Christmas.  


I guess it is light enough to get the chores done now and check on Tinker again.

It is 6:30 am and still absolutely dark outside.  The stars are shining brightly and there is no sign of rain, no clouds, no wind.  The weatherperson predicted possible rain for us last night with showers more likely today.  We shall see.

I think that Prince has grown back his fighting teeth.  Upon a closer look at Stewie, he has a big chunk out of his ear which was not there before their fight the other night. Not only does he have a piece missing, it also looks like Prince tried to pierce his ear, which is Prince's hallmark.  Tinker has a hole completely through one of his ears that you could hang a tassel in because of fighting Prince.  

I was going to go to Tucson today and look at trailers, however, I have decided to wait awhile before jumping into another purchase by debt.  I can transport alpacas in the back of my SUV, only one at a time, but it can be done.  Also, I don't know if I will have any customers for stud services yet.  

Tinker's jaw is still not healed even after a whole month on antibiotics.  I will have to consult with the vet again, but it looks like he will likely be put down after the holidays.  I do not want to ruin Christmas with the death of my first favorite alpaca on my mind.  I just don't want to think about that now.  Fiddle-de-de!

The hens are laying lots of eggs now.  I have been leaving the heat lamp on in the barn at night.  I think that helps.  I have four 18 egg cartons in the frig that are full and one 12 egg carton full.  I will have to make more room today.  I should put out a sign to sell them at $2/dz, which seems to be the going rate right now.  Steve is also picking up about 5 turkey eggs a week.  I don't go in the turkey pen.  They attack me, so I make Steve go.  In fact Mr. Washington attacked me the other day too so I keep an eye on him and keep the feed bucket between us.  He is a good sized rooster and gorgeous, but those toenails and beak can be painful.  He seems to like to sneak up behind me and attack the back of my legs so if I just don't turn my back I am OK. 

I am hoping to visit another alpaca farm this weekend.  This lady called last week and is interested in using Cimarron, my grey boy with the white face, for stud services for her females.  Cimarron is only 3 years old and is not a proven stud.  Males only just reach breeding age at 3 years so I will have to see how much she is willing to pay to take a chance with him.  I will keep you posted.

Here it is Monday again.  We had a busy weekend, looked at a house and went to a movie with the grandkids.  The house was too small and too expensive.  The movie was fun and exciting.  

Last night while I was in the shower, Steve heard the alpacas fighting.  He went out with the flashlight to see what was happening.  Stewie and Prince were at each other big time.  Running and screaming, Steve could see the blood flowing too.  I went out this morning to feed them and didn't see much.  Prince showed no signs of trauma.  Stewie had faint blood smears on his neck, side and back.  This indicated to me that Prince was the one bleeding.  He probably bit his tongue trying to bite Stewie and smeared his blood everywhere.  I will have to check for fighting teeth sometime when it is light and Steve is home.  It gets dark so early now.

We are thinking of buying a horse trailer to transport alpacas.  It would be a way to put the boys into the breeding cycle and maybe make some money in the alpaca business.  It doesn't look like fleece is going to bring any money in anytime soon.  Steve has Thursday off so we are going to look at trailers that day.  If we get one before the end of the year, it may help with our taxes.  

I plan on getting some more of the Christmas gift wrapping done today.  The laundry is already done and waiting to go out on the line to dry.  It won't take long since we have a brisk breeze and a sunny sky.  

We have gotten several Christmas cards from friends and family but no one has included a letter so far.  Must've been a difficult year for everyone.  Let's hope the holidays are good and that next year is better!

It is amazing how one little event can trigger a whole chain of events.  Yesterday morning when I opened the barn to feed the animals, I noticed that my favorite kitty didn't look so well.  In fact he looked very angry and somewhat afraid.  He was holed up in one of the portable kennels that I have out there for the cats to sleep in and he was very reluctant to come out.  When he finally did come out, he was limping and favoring his left hind hip.  He moved very slowly and very cautiously.  He watched for Mikie, the other cat, to leave the barn and then he deemed it OK to poke his nose out.  Since I haven't had much luck keeping cats around here and since Loki is my favorite cat, I did not like this at all.  I found one of the cat beds knocked on the floor so I surmised that maybe the two had fought over the bed.  Loki used to be my indoor cat until my daughter's dog, Lux, moved in.  I figured it was time for Loki to move back into the house.  I would juggle his schedule the same as I juggle Penny and Lux's schedules.  Loki and Penny are buddies so Loki can spend time in the bedroom with Penny whenever Lux is out and vice versa.  

Of course, this involved more work than I envisioned at first.  Of course!  I used to have a place in the pantry where I had a litter box and the cat food dishes.  If I wanted to have Loki in the house again I would have to restore that space which was now full of shelves of canned goods.  It is the pantry after all.  So I started moving things around and then I started cleaning things up cuz, Heaven forbid! one should move dirty things especially if they have been stored for a year and there are mice droppings everywhere!  My goodness!  

I moved bug spray and planting supplies to the garage.  I threw out canned goods that had expired dates.  Secretly, I think, if they are not opened they are probably still good, but my children would just choke on the very idea of eating anything that is "expired"  so out it goes!  Then I cleaned and moved shelves and replaced the good canned items on the now cleaned and moved shelves.  I found old Christmas popcorn cans and cleaned and labeled them.  I placed items like sugar and flour in the labeled cans so that the nasty little mice could not damage these and render them unusable.  I found a bag of Top Ramen soup that had been chewed through and half the noodles eaten.  YUCK! YUCK! YUCK!

You know, I hadn't heard any mice in the house for a long time so I was kinda shocked by all the mess I found.  My ears must be getting old or else the mice just come out when I'm sleeping!  I am glad that everything is cleaned up and straightened up and that every thing in the pantry now is something good that we can use.  I also got the a covered kitty litter box from the barn and cleaned it up.  Steve got a new mat to put the cat food dishes on.  I brought Loki in and showed him the new set-up, which is the old set-up for him.  He seems to appreciate being inside again.  He comes and sits on my lap every chance he gets.  He spent the night prowling around the house.  Maybe there will be fewer mice now that Loki is back at his old job. I guess our little barn wasn't big enough for my two mousers.  Everybody needs their own job and their own space.  Hopefully, the balance between the two cats is restored.  I got a clean fresh pantry out of a cat fight! Ha!

Countdown to Christmas

Only 24 days til Christmas!  I am almost finished with the shopping and the grandkids have already decorated our tree.  What a fun time they had doing that.  We did it the day after Thanksgiving for something"fun" to do.  And it was fun! 

I have also put up most of the decorations inside.  We have not put our lights up outside yet.  The weather has not been very cooperative.  We've had very windy days, including one day with 50mph gusts.  It is also very cold for us.  It was only 22 degrees yesterday morning.  All the water buckets were frozen.  They were frozen solid, not just on top.  I couldn't even kick a dent in the top.  The whole bucket from top to bottom was one big ice cube.  Nothing to do about it, just wait it out.  I knew it would warm up enough for the animals to get a drink during the day.  Besides the hoses were frozen too.  By the end of the week we are supposed to be close to 80 degrees again.  

The vet tech called and asked how Tinker was doing.  I told her he seems better but still not gaining much weight.  She thought the vet did not take a biopsy so we do not really know if he has cancer or what.  I had some questions so she was going to talk to the vet and call me back.  I am still waiting.

Our chickens are finally laying eggs on a fairly regular basis.  I've been getting one or two eggs every day.  Yesterday was a record.  I got 6!  I did put the heat lamp on in the barn for them at night.  I probably should get another heat lamp.  I hung the one next to the hens without the rooster.  The ones with the rooster would probably enjoy the warmth too.  Maybe they would lay more eggs too.  Also, we are still getting about one a day from the turkey hen.  So I've got about 3 dozen eggs in the frig right now.  Steve took a dozen to work for lunches and snacks.  I will give some to my daughter too.  Maybe by summer I will be able to sell eggs to the neighbors.  

I had what seems like a setback.  I sent about 11 pounds of alpaca fiber to the Alpaca Blanket Project in August.  They sent me an email on Thanksgiving saying that they are sending back 9 pounds that they could not use.  So I had to send them an additional $16 to get my fleece back.  I don't know if I will send any more.  It is a loss of money for me.  I don't know if they will pay me for the 2 pounds they did use or just keep a tally on my account.  I think they do not pay until you accumulate 50 pounds of usable fiber.  I think one has to have many, many alpacas to make money.  And, even then, you cannot make money from the fleece.  One must have animals to sell, which I don't.  Or I could sell all of them and do something else.  The economy isn't good for selling animals right now either.  Guess I'll just enjoy my expensive "pets" for now.  In any case, it is Christmas time!  I won't worry about "business" until after the holidays! Gee, do I sound like Scarlet O'Hara?  Fiddle-de-de!
 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!  I hope you all stuffed your faces and had a great day!  I got up at the usual time, about 5:30 and got the turkey stuffed and in the oven by 7 am.  The scent of snow was definitely in the air and heavy gray clouds scuddled over the mountain behind us.  We remained cool and windy all day but no rain or snow.  I was indoors most of the day preparing for our 2 pm feast.  

We did not sacrifice one of our tom turkey although, the way they were fighting tonight, we probably should have.  I yelled at them when they chased me at feeding time!  I said, "You silly old birds!  You don't know how lucky you are to still be chasing me today!"  Then I took their pictures.  Of course, they never stay still for that so I chopped off one of their heads (only in the picture) so you can see his beautiful tail display.  

The cool weather makes the dogs frisky and playful.  Yes, they really are just playing.  Buddy's neck hair is so thick, Lux couldn't hurt him if she tried but the picture is pretty cool.  


I am thankful for our family, our friends and our animals.  I'm grateful that Steve has a job, that we have a roof over our heads and that we have everything we really need.  I feel blessed and happy.  I am also glad that all my hard work is done for today and that Thanksgiving is now another year away!  On to Christmas!  May God bless you all!

I got up before daylight this morning.  The moon was full and shining over the mesquite tree on the west side of the house.  There were a few dark clouds and the scent of rain in the air.  Later on the wind picked up and blew most of the clouds away.  The temperature has dropped too.  We are supposed to be in the 30s tonight and the rest of the week.  

Steve and I spent the day cleaning up and making things more ready for this cold weather.  I cleaned out the barn and put new straw in the chicken pens.  Steve placed intact straw bales in the turkey pen to block the wind for them.  He also put a couple more bales on the front patio to shield Buddy.  We still need to put some extra plywood panels and straw in the alpaca barn.  Steve got the second door placed on the hens' pen and reinforced the first one on Mr. Washington's pen.  It was knocked off this morning.  Mr. Washington probably chased those poor hens and they knocked it off trying to get away from him.  Hopefully, that won't happen again.  The way the wind is blowing tonight those chickens will be glad of the closed doors.  So will the cats.  They came in tonight while I was feeding everyone at 4pm.  Which tells you how cold it is here, well, for us.  The cats don't usually come in til around 9 or 10 pm when I make my last rounds before bed.

Last week I planted some bulbs, 6 different colors of iris, daffodils and purple onions.  I used some of the straw today to cover them up after I watered them.  I am not sure about watering them.  I don't want them to sprout until they are supposed to in the spring. However, the garlic we planted last year did not come up and I think it did not get enough water.  That is usually the problem around here rather than too much water.


I have been very busy this week getting Christmas shopping done and making my Christmas cards.  I still need to write a letter or at least something inside the cards and buy some envelopes.  Hopefully I will get that done so that they can go out on December 1st.  I went through all the gifts that I bought so far.  I put the gifts for each person in their own bag.  I still have about 4 main gifts and some stocking stuffers to buy.  I may make a trip to Sierra Vista tomorrow to get that done.  Then I will be free to think of Thanksgiving dinner, cleaning and decorating.  


The moon is shining big and bright again tonight.  Buddy will be barking most of the night because he'll be able to see every wild creature out there. If the wind keeps up he may want to hole up behind his little straw shelter but he won't stay there if those old coyotes get too close.  So you better watch out Mr. Coyote!  Big Buddy's after you!

I finally had a rather laid-back weekend.  My two oldest daughters were away for the weekend so I did not cook any big family dinners.  Steve took me out for dinner on Saturday night and, despite the long wait, the food was good.  

We started getting some eggs from the chickens, only two little brown ones, but also from the turkey hen!  What a surprise!  It never really occurred to me that we might be getting eggs from her too.  I took a picture of the turkey eggs next to store bought chicken eggs.  They are slightly bigger and brown spotted.  I think it is pretty cool! 

I also finished another book this morning.  I think it is the best book I have read in a very long time.  I love dogs and it is a dog story.  The title is "Rose in a Storm" by Jon Katz.  I have read others by him but I think this is by far his best.  It is a story of a massive snow storm from the perspective of a border collie.  I put me in mind of some of the old stories I read growing up about Lad and Wolf and other books by Terhune.  But it was better.  Makes me wish I could write as well.

Tinker seems to slowly be improving but I do not know for how long.  He also does not seem to be gaining weight in spite of his pig like eating habits and his extra grain every day.  He still has several days of medication to take.  I will call the vet after that and see what she thinks.

I have been shopping for Christmas.  I was in Tucson on Saturday, after I dropped the girls off at the airport.  I got quite a few gifts and looked at all the cool stuff out for Christmas.  It was already getting to be very crowded in the stores.  I have decided to take inventory and figure out what is left to purchase and get it done before Thanksgiving.  I do not want to have to deal with the traffic and mob scenes after the holiday.

Steve put a new sliding door on the chicken pen.  It is great!  I don't have to listen to Mr. Washington wake the dead every morning and, the best part is, neither do the neighbors! 
 

It has been a time of purging around here it seems to me.  First, the goats were sold.  I feel their loss every time I walk by the pasture.  Then the sewer backed up.  As a result of that we had to cut down our big beautiful pomegranate tree.  I hate cutting down trees.  But I hate the sewer backing up even worse.  It happened every six months when we first moved in here.  It was down to about once a year but every time the plumber declared that the cause was the roots from that tree.  There is another one growing near the goats' old pasture.  So maybe it will be as big as the old one some day.

And, of course, I feel like I have lost my son even though he has only gotten married.  They are celebrating one whole month of wedded bliss today.  I can hardly believe it has been a month already. Congratulations you two!

I forgot to mention that Steve and I took a trip to northern Arizona after the wedding in October.  It was beautiful up there as the aspens were turning gold and because all the lakes and trees are gorgeous any way.  We, well, Steve and our hosts hiked some.  I stayed behind because I did not trust my knee to hold up.  I sat and enjoyed the scenery while they hiked.  We also spent a day on the golf course.  It was nearly empty and it was like having our own private golf course.  The weather was absolutely fabulous that day too.  We really enjoyed ourselves.  Thanks to our good friends for a fun and relaxing time.

Tomorrow we will remember our Veterans.  Some are very close to me.  Steve served for 20 years.  My Dad and his dad also served for 20 years and both were veterans of the Korean War.  A special thanks to those brave men and all the others who served or are serving today.  We owe them more than we can ever repay.

I hear on the news that many of you farther north are getting snow.  We are just getting colder.  It was only 30 degrees when I fed the animals this morning.  It is supposed to be slightly warmer tonight.  Our weather changed almost overnight.  The wind picked up and moved the warmth out and the cold and gray clouds in.  It is sunny again but the cold stayed.  I got out my long johns and my alpaca blanket and turned the AC to Heat.  The chickens don't like the cold much and huddle inside.  Tomorrow Steve will put a door on their "room" in the barn to keep them warmer.  If it gets too cold, I will turn on the heat lamp for them that I used when they were chicks.  The cats have been coming in as soon as it gets dark too.  Buddy and the alpacas don't seem to mind the cooler temps.  In fact, they seem to prefer it.

Three nights ago, before it got cold, I heard a rattlesnake in the rock garden near the garage.  Buddy alerted me to its presence when it was nearly dark.  I ran in to get a flashlight but by the time I got back, Buddy was relaxed and I could no longer hear the rattle.  Then, on Monday night, I heard it again.  This time, Steve and my girls came out and found it in the big aloe plant.  Steve got the gun but no one could see well enough in the dark again to get a good shot at it's head.  It slipped away into one of the big squirrel holes.  I guess it is still there because the cold hit last night and no snake has rattled since.  It will probably hide away until spring.  I just hope when the heat returns we are reminded of  that old snake so we can watch out for him.

Our weather has been gorgeous the last few days.  The sunset tonight was spectacular, all hot pink and azure blues.  I finished a book today titled, "Stillmeadow Calendar" by Gladys Tabor.  It was published in 1967 and is about life on a 38 acre farm in New England.  The author talks about her life and her friends, her Irish Setter and cocker spaniels, the wildlife and friends and the experiences she has each month for a year.  It is definitely nostalgic and of a time gone by.  She has some profound things to say and I enjoyed it very much.  It made me remember my childhood spent in climates much greener and wetter than the one I enjoy now in southern Arizona.  

All that green and wet has it's darker side too, like more bugs and pests, bone chilling cold winters and views blocked by miles and miles of vegetation.  When I was outside this evening watching the sunset, I realized the great distances I can see.  The dark mountain silhouettes against a soft blue sky cannot be seen as clearly in lands where the trees are over one's head and the land is flat or the hills only rise gently.  Our desert is turning brown again, the only green being the prickly pear and stubby mesquite trees, but it has a majestic beauty all its own.

Tinker is taking his medicine without any problem and still eating like a pig.  We opened up the barn that had been divided when we had the goats so that the three alpacas would have more room and more shelter when the weather turns cold and rainy again.  I am still deciding about moving Stewie and Prince to the west side pasture.  They would have more room but there is no shelter there for them.  I am reluctant to move them without a good roof over their heads. 

I am trying to decide if I will actually prepare one of our turkeys for Thanksgiving.  I will have to kill it and dress it myself as no one else wants to do the deed.  They will all want to enjoy the feast once the dirty work is done, of course.  Reminds me of the "Little Red Hen" story.  Remember, whenever she asked for help preparing the bread, everyone said "Not I!"  Until the end when she has the soft warm wonderful smelling bread on the window sill to cool, then she asks "Who will help me eat the bread?"   The cat, the pig, the cow and the duck all shout, "I will! I will!"  Ha!  But the smart little hen says, "No!  I shall eat it myself!"  And she did.  The thing is, I don't think I could eat a whole turkey by myself! Ha!  Anyway, I wouldn't want to!  So we shall see.  Maybe I will just buy one at the store and spare the pretty birds.


I am beginning to wonder when my hens will start laying.  I will have to look at my records and see just how old they are.  Maybe they won't lay til spring.  It doesn't really matter as they are beautiful birds also and a pleasure to observe.  Now that Mr. Washington is getting the hang of crowing, it is probably in his favor that he is very handsome!  He may end up on the dinner table before any of the turkeys! Ha!


I found some really nice fabric at the store that I couldn't pass up.  Another of my favorite animals is the wolf.  Yeah I know, I should probably hate them now that I am a farmer, right?  Well I just can't.  Anyway, the fabric is a soft gray fleece with wolves all over it.  I thought I would make myself a jacket for the cooler weather.  I also have many other projects that I plan on doing now that the weather is getting cooler and my sewing room isn't so hot all the time.  I am looking for Christmas cards too.  As I haven't found any that I particularly like, I may have to make those too.  Cards are incredibly easy to make and much more cost effective than buying them.  Another, so we'll see!  


I took more pictures of the Amish country when I was in Delaware.  These people are real farmers who do not use electricity or machinery.  I loved seeing their big draft horses.

Happy Halloween!

I returned from Delaware after a grueling day of planes and airports.  I am still adjusting to my old routine and schedule at home.  On Friday I hit the ground running with a trip to my chiropractor and several errands.  Then yesterday the city of Benson decided to have their trick or treat day on Saturday instead of the real date today.  So that caused some hurried activity around here to get all the grands ready.  They all looked great and got tons of candy.  Today, our sewer backed up and we are still waiting for the plumber to show up.  It never breaks at a convenient time, always on a weekend or holiday.  I figure it happens because the system has been overused when we have had company or whatever.  So now the plumber just called and says we will have to wait til tomorrow.  Go figure!

My mom did recognize me and we had a nice visit while I was in Delaware.  It is obvious that the disease is taking it's tole.  She cannot remember to take her medications and often forgets where she is.  She has almost no short-term memory.  Our family is trying to figure out what is best for her.  

The vet said that Tinker probably has cancer and that eventually his jaw will probably break.  If that happens he will not be able to eat and then the merciful thing will be to put him down.  For now, she wants to keep him on the medication and see how he does.  His jaw is still swollen but not as badly.  He is still eating and has resumed his "humming" sound that alpacas do.  He had stopped doing that for awhile.  I have determined that I will not take any extraordinary medical steps to fix Tinker or prolong his life.  I do not think that will be good for him or for us.  So I pray that he will get better but I am not very hopeful at this point.

I got a check for the goats and it was better than I had hoped.  I am still working on my goals and expectations for our little farm.  

The leaves were changing in Delaware and Pennsylvania.  It was really gorgeous in the Amish country and I really enjoyed seeing the horses that my sister rides everyday.  Enjoy the pictures!

I would like to apologize to all of my faithful readers for taking such a long break since my last blog.  I have had a kind of mental block since I decided to sell the goats and have just not felt up to the task of writing.

My son got married on October 10th and there was much stress and many preparations for the fine day.  I was very happy with the wedding ceremony and the reception.  The bride and her family did an excellent job.

I decided to sell the goats at auction in Phoenix because I did not get much response to selling them through Craig's List.  They were all picked up on October 18th.  I will eventually get a check for them.
I am at a loss as to the direction I want to take for our little farm since the goats are gone.  The goats were a lot of work and I have noticed that the feeding routine is much easier now that they are not here.  But I do miss them.  They bleated a greeting every time I went in or out the back door and that sound is no longer part of our landscape.  

Tinker, my big male brown alpaca, has become ill.  I first noticed a big swelling under his chin about a month ago.  I kept praying that it would go away and that his natural immune system would fix him.  However, when the skin under his jaw burst open and solid white puss started oozing out, I knew that the time had come to make the dreaded trip to the vet.  So Steve took a day off from work and we took him in yesterday.  I was hoping it was a simple thing, like a sticker lodged in his mouth or something.  Silly me!  Of course, it is much worse than that. The vet cleaned the wound that had opened up but she could not really extract much puss at all.  She said everything was hard and she could not really tell what was going on.  So she took X-rays and blood.  She came up with three possibilities.  She said it could be Valley fever, or cancer, or some other big long scientific disease name that I could not pronounce nor remember.  So we are playing a waiting game until the blood work comes back.  In the meantime, we are giving Tinker 4 small pills twice a day.  She also gave us a pink sauve to put on the wound and keep the flies off.  It smells like peppermint or something but is not very nice at all.  Tinker was a real trooper through all the poking and prodding that he was put through.  He is so thin now too, just skin and fleece in spite of the fact that he has not stopped eating.  To give him his pills he will be getting a small amount of molasses covered grain so I hope this helps him gain back some weight.

I am leaving today to visit my mom and family in Delaware.  My mother is reaching a stage in her life where she needs more help and supervision.  She has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's.  So I will be dealing with that on this trip.  I will try to post a new blog when I return on October 28th.

The monsoon may be gone but the heat is not!  We are having unseasonably warm temperatures even for us.  It has been a little over 100* most of the last 2 weeks.  No rain and not much humidity and the nights are more comfortable at about 69-70*.  I am still closing all the windows when the AC kicks on and opening them at night.  

We moved the turkeys to a larger enclosure.  Steve made a kind of roof with clothes line so that they will not fly out at night to roost in the trees.  Of course, the only hen got out right away.  I shooed her back in and then we moved the tarp from their old pen over the sheds in the new pen.  She has not gotten out since.   I have been trying to decide who will be our Thanksgiving dinner this year.  I think it will have to be the Royal Palm with the deformed foot.  Since all the Royal Palms are males, I think they will be the first to go.  The hen is a Bourbon Red and there is only one Bourbon Red male so I will probably keep the two of them and see if we can hatch a few eggs of our own.  

My Delaware rooster is getting to be a good size and is trying to crow.  He sounds like he's dying not crowing so far.  I know that he will improve and the neighbors will soon be awakened at 5 am again.  Oh well, that is a small price to pay to live out in the country.  I have decided to call my rooster "Washington" as in Washington crossing the Delawares! Ha!  

The wild sunflowers are blooming all along the roadsides again.  The swallows seem to have gone for the winter.  The hummingbirds are taking their place.  I cannot keep the feeders full they devour the sweet nectar so fast.  I wonder if they are having some help or competition from the fruit bats at night.

The alpacas are all fine.  The goats are getting incredibly shaggy and suffering from the heat.  The shearer is supposed to come next month but I was hoping to sell the goats before that.  I have only had one call about them and the person did not even show up.  He called to get directions and I asked him why he wanted the goat.  He said he wanted a pet and I told him that he should buy two goats if he wanted a pet because goats need other goats.  He also wanted a young goat but did not want to pay more than $50.  I only have one young goat, Casper, but he is a pure angora and I will not sell him for $50.  I figured the guy wanted a meal, not a pet.  There are lots of goats for sale on Craig's List right now.  One farm is selling angoras for between $100 to $250.  They are not registered, which is fine, neither are all of mine.  But, they didn't look like pure angoras in the pictures either.  Pure angoras have fleece all the way down their legs to their hooves and fleece on their faces.  These goats were bare legged and bare faced which means they are mixes.  I have nothing against mixes either but they should not be sold as angoras.  Sorry!  I will get off of my soapbox now.

The flies continue to plague everything that moves.  I continue to spray Buddy and salve his nose.  I think it will not get better til we get a real cold spell and the flies are gone til next summer.  Next year I may have to invest in some of those "fly predators" or something to keep the numbers down.  We've had a few mosquitoes too but not the numbers I had expected after all the rain we had this monsoon.  I still hear a few frogs croaking at night but I think they will be hibernating again soon too.  

I have to re-post items on my Etsy store site because they did not sell quickly enough and were taken off.  I will put on a few new items too.  Maybe I will make some Christmas stuff.  There are so many vendors on the internet now, I wonder how anyone sells anything.  I found another site which also helps people sell their homemade things so I may start a site there too.  I'll keep you posted!

Here we are remembering 9/11.  I pray for the people who lost loved ones and for our nation.  I hope that sanity will prevail and that no mosque will be built near Ground Zero.  

Our weather has improved dramatically.  It was only 52* when I got up this morning.  It will only be in the 80's today.  It feels so good.  I wasn't feeling too well all week.  I was chalking it up top old age but I think now that I must've had a touch of the flu or something.  Today I feel really fine and normal again.  I slept well most of the night, only getting up once.  I went for a walk this morning and it felt good.  I felt so bad all week that I was motivated to start walking again and taking my vitamins.  I really don't think one day of walking and vitamins can make this dramatic a difference, though, so I must've had a bug or something.  Thank Goodness for good health!

Last night Buddy started barking a little wildly.  Not REAL wildly but a little.  So I went out in the dark, (it's getting dark earlier now) with my little flashlight.  Buddy was sort of looking at the ground and searching around his water bucket.  Well, whatever it is can't be too big, I thought.  So I searched carefully!  Ha!  It was a big desert frog!  A BIG Whopper of a frog!  He eluded Buddy by jumping into his water bucket! Ha!  Cracked me up!  Of course, I then had to remove the bucket from the yard, dump the water and the frog away from the house and refill Buddy's bucket with clean water.  

We also had an interesting visitor to our pool.  I'm glad it was already drowned when we removed it.  They are the most hideous things.  This one was about a foot long but I have seen them much bigger.  It was a huge centipede.  Our second grandson, Daniel, wanted it for show and tell at school so I put it in a jar for him to take.  I know Dan wanted to touch the thing.  It was all we could do to keep him from doing so.  He was finally content to carry the jar holding the monster around with him until he went home with his family.  Creeped me out.  Yikes!

We had a busy weekend.  I had to go to Tucson on Friday to see my soon to be daughter-in-law try on her wedding gown for the final fitting.  She looked beautiful and the dress is gorgeous.  I cannot post pictures of that yet as I do not want my son to see her in the dress til the wedding day.  It is a little over a month to go!  

Saturday, Steve and I went to town again to buy some fixer-upper stuff at Lowes.  Steve is hoping to get the 2nd bathroom fixed up before his mom and niece arrive for the wedding next month.  He bought some floor tiles and paint.  I also bought some new curtains for the living room and have ordered a new bedspread for the guest room and some Halloween pillows and a throw.  There is a great deal to do but we will do it as we are able.

On Sunday, the girls and I took a trip over to Tombstone.  I thought it was much further away than it is, but it is actually closer than Tucson.  It only took about 20 minutes without the awful traffic that often fills the road to Tucson.  Tombstone is the Arizona town that is "too tough to die" and the sight of the OK Corral shootout.  There are lots of old fashioned shops and authentic buildings.  Many people are dressed in costumes of the era and mules or horses pull wagons or stage coaches giving visitors tours of the little town.  We also looked at some homes that were on the market.  My daughter thinks she would like to move her little brood there and open a bakery.  There is no bakery there that we saw so maybe that is a possibility.

On Labor Day we labored! Ha!  Steve spent a lot of time weed whacking or digging up the weeds from all the rain.   I did laundry and ironing which are my usual chores for Mondays.  I also took care of all the animals as usual.  I did a little doctoring.  Buddy has a big bloody spot on his otherwise black nose from the flies bothering him.  I put some antiseptic on that and sprayed him with fly spray.  He went and rolled in the mud.  


Everything is totally green and the weeds are taking over.  The mesquite trees are full of long green blooms and the bees are just as busy as, well, bees!  Our Texas Sage bushes lining the drive way are also in full bloom.  I love it when they bloom.  The tiny purple flowers smell great and are so pretty.  I took a picture of a family of quails running down the driveway through the purple sage.


The big desert frogs are out most nights along with tarantulas and bats.  I love being out here in the country with all the sounds of Nature and stars filling the Heavens overhead.  I did notice that it was much more quiet at some of the houses we looked at in Tombstone though.  There is no I-10 or a railroad track over there.  We have a convenient location for going to Tucson or Sierra Vista easily though so I guess a little more noise is a small price to pay.  Buddy is barking his head off!  I'd better go check it out!

Green, green, green! That is what Arizona's landscape is like now!  On Saturday we got a real gully washer of a storm.  We had an inch and a half of rain in about 4 hours!  All the washes, creeks and rivers had flash flood warnings and the San Pedro River is still full from bank to bank!  I usually go out to feed all the animals about 3:30 or 4pm but it was raining too hard then.  About 5:30, I thought the storm was ending so I went out.  Big mistake!  I fed the goats and the alpacas in their shelter because everything was so wet and they were hiding anyway to keep out of the rain.  Well, just as I was filling hay buckets in the alpaca side there was a big jump-out-of-your-skin lightening charge with the accompanying bombastic thunder!  Then, what do you think, the rain came flooding down again.  I waited under the shelter for it to slow up some but I still managed to get soaked to the skin before I made it back to the barn.  I should've had my bath soap and shampoo!  We are drying out some since then for which I am grateful!  I have to be careful filling up the chicken feeder boxes though.  It is still squishy and I almost landed on my butt yesterday!  I could just see the headlines, "Grandma Farmer Kicks up her heels in the mud after Killer storm!" Ha!

I took some more pictures of the aprons I have been making and one of the blankets from the Alpaca Blanket Project.  It is time to start thinking ahead to the holidays.  Tomorrow is September and the beginning of Fall.  I plan on changing out my decor, putting up the fall curtains I made last year with leaves all over them.  Steve wants to do some painting and fixing floors before his Mom comes for our Son's wedding in October.  I just want a new house but that isn't going to happen anytime soon.  So I'll have to be content with fixing up and redecorating.  I am looking forward to cooler weather.  

I am reading a new book .  It is titled " Horse Tales from Heaven."  It is sort of like a diary of a young woman who works with a horse back country outfit taking tours into the Bob Marshall Wilderness in Montana.  It is an easy read and an up-lifting one.  Of course, she is much younger than I am now, but it is still not easy doing that camping thing in Montana.  I'm strictly a warm bed, in house camper now.

It has been rainy and miserable about every day this week.  I am tired of the humidity and wet pens and hay.  The flys!  Oh MY GOSH!  I will be glad when this monsoon season is over.  

I got 2 aprons made this week.  I got grocery shopping done today.  I must be saturated with the news as well as I can barely stand to watch it lately.  I have not had one phone call about the ads I put on Craig's List.  I think everyone is trying to sell animals and no one is buying because of the economy.  No one knows if they would be able to feed them or not.  So Sad!  Unfortunately, I don't think we've seen the worst.  I think that the worst is still ahead.

We looked at a really cute little house in Benson that is for sale yesterday.  The people have done a really good job fixing it up and making it a nice home.  They want top dollar of course, even though it has been on the market for months.  There are some houses around here that have been on the market for years.  No one wants to lower their asking price but appraisals are not matching those asking prices so no one can get a loan for the houses.  It is a vicious cycle!

There is not much to report on the animals.  The turkeys and chickens continue to grow bigger every day.  The goats fleece is getting longer and heavier and muddier and, well, I just don't want to even think about shearing it or washing it.  Maybe it won't be so bad in a month or so, when the rain stops, if the rain stops....

I got a lot of dead hair off of Buddy.  He looks white again instead of reddish brown form the dirt around here.  He still needs a good grooming and some hair shaved off.  He is rusty around the edges.  His tail is hopeless and will definitely have to be shaved.  He looks so funny when his tail is shaved.  The worst part is he is self conscious about it!  He really knows he looks funny!  Poor dog!

Tomorrow I plan to go to Tucson and check out some of the store I haven't been to in awhile.  I am starting to get the bug to decorate for fall.  I love all the autumn colors and richness.  It won't take long for things to change around here once the monsoon stops and the rain dries up, if the rain dries up...

It is hotter than blue blazes!  And at 1pm, the thunderheads are building up and making their presence known already.  We probably won't get to swim today and maybe not the rest of the week as this monsoon weather is predicted to run all week.  

Steve and I have discussed it and this weekend I bit the bullet and put the goats up for sale on Craig s List Tucson.  I hope they sell before shearing time as I do not want to incur that expense again if I can avoid it.  I also decided to try to sell Prince since he is the one alpaca who cannot get along with the others.  Then I will put Stewie back in with the other boys in the back pasture.  Prince has the best conformation and better fleece than Tinker so he would be a better herdsire for anyone looking for one.  The ad will post for 45 days. If you want to check it out, you can go to www.tucson.craigslist.org.  I did post some nice pictures on there.

I also discovered that the people who hold our pool loan no longer do business in Arizona.  That is probably the reason we were not able to refinance our house once again.  The only way to get out of the loan and refinance it with the house is to pay it off with another loan here in Arizona.  It really sucks especially since our appraisal came back too low to cover the house and the pool.  So I will continue to pay as much as possible and hope that the economy and the housing market recover soon. 

While watching my grandchildren the other night, I watched the movie "Marley and Me" on TV.  Those people had no clue about training their dog!  It was an interesting and funny movie except for the sad ending.  You can probably figure out how it ended as it was a dog movie.  Anyway, the guy earned his living by writing columns and just telling about his everyday life and Marley of course.  I often wish that I could earn money that way.  Any one like this column enough to promote it?  HA!   

Enjoy the thunderheads!

I returned from California on Tuesday.  Don't care if I never have to fly again, although I know I will.  I had a very relaxing time away from grand kids and animals.  My girlfriend and I spent the first two days at San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf.  We had the perfect hotel smack dab in the middle of everything.  We just parked the car and walked to all the shops and restaurants.  The weather was very different form Arizona, much cooler.  I enjoyed the foggy damp mornings and windy sunny afternoons.  We ate clam chowder from a bread bowl, fish tacos and salmon while we looked out over San Francisco Bay.  There were plenty of big ships and sail boats.  Sea Lions lazed on the docks and gulls flew overhead.  People watching was also fun.  We heard tourist speaking languages from all over the world.  

On Saturday we drove back up to Chico, CA to my friend's house.  She is currently taking car of 16 dogs.  They are mostly dachshunds, but she also has a couple of fox terriers and a chihuahua.  Most of the dogs are up for adoption as they are rescues.  My vacation continued as my friend put me up in her gorgeous guest room and served me food and wine! Ha!  We watched several good movies including, "Sherlock Holmes", "The Lovely Bones" and "Capitalism: A Love Story."  My friend also made homemade ice cream, chocolate and cherry.  It was to die for! Heavenly!  We also shopped in Chico and went to see Julia Roberts in "Eat, Pray, Love."  Overall, I had a very good time.  Lots of food, fun and girl conversations!

Steve and Sara took good care of all the animals while I was away.  It was strange to come back to a green Arizona!  Steve said it rained and thunder-stormed every night while I was gone.  California has not had any rain all summer.  Everything was brown and dusty except near the ocean.  It is also more humid here at home.  I guess it will be that way til the monsoon is over next month. I could hardly believe how much the chicks and turkeys have grown!  Little Casper also seems bigger.  He will be 4 months old soon.  I will start weaning him by cutting down to one bottle a day starting next week.  Everything is still damp and the flies have not diminished at all.  Steve sprayed some of the alpacas with horse fly spray while I was away.  I will have to start doing that every day I'm thinking.  

My alpaca blankets and scarves came from the Alpaca Blanket Project while I was away.  They are fabulously soft and a blend of lots of alpaca colors.  I only got 2 of each this time so I plan on keeping one and selling the other or giving it for a gift.  I used the time away to make decisions about my little farm and the directions I want to take.  I think I will be downsizing some.  More about that later. 

Here we are a week into August already!  I finally managed to catch one of those big green frogs in the daylight so we could get a picture.  Lux seems to have finally (maybe) learned that they are not good to eat or play with.  I yelled at her to leave this one alone and she actually did!  The animals continually amaze me at their understanding of my words.  

We have been having lots of monsoon rain.  This year is a little different from previous years in my opinion.  The storms seem to be arriving very late in the day and then spewing their wrath on us all night. The conditions seem to be absolutely perfect for the flys this year.  The turkey pen is the worst.  And the smell in there from the fly trap is, well, not very nice to say the least.  I really don't know how to get rid of the nasty pests.  

The monsoon is supposed to slack off a bit this week so our temps will be soaring back up to 106*.  I really hope it doesn't get that hot especially since it is still pretty humid.  I guess I cannot complain when I consider other places in the world that are having much worse conditions right now, like Pakistan.  At least I have shelter and many other amenities that make life easy.  I am grateful for all that I have.

I am getting 2 blankets and 2 scarves from the Alpaca Blanket Project since I sent them my fleece.  I will post pictures as soon as I get them.  I am excited about that.

I am going to California in two days to visit a friend.  We will be staying in San Francisco for the first 2 nights and then going to her home in Chico.  I am looking forward to our visit, seeing SF again and getting away for a few days.  I plan on taking pictures and will post them here when I get back.  Bon Voyage!

We had a monster storm yesterday and half the night.  The lightening lit up every window in the house at the same time and the rain came down in torrents.  Today the San Pedro River, which is normally a dry river bed, was flowing fast and furiously.  Muddy brown ripples flooded the entire channel from bank to bank.  We don't see that very often.


All the animals got wet and pathetic looking.  The turkeys were the worst.  Poor things!  Their pen got soaked inside and out and I cannot do much except wait for things to dry out.  Flys are really bad this year.  I thought I wasn't keeping things clean enough but people at the feed store were complaining about the pesky things too so I guess it's not just our farm.


This morning the neighbor's yard was invaded by bovines.  They got really close to our fence this time causing the alpacas to freak out.  I went out and took pictures and then drove the car toward the beasts and honked the horn, hoping they would go in the other direction.  They just looked at me.  After awhile the neighbor's came out with brooms and started herding the heifers and calves out their gate.  They have done it so many times that nobody gets excited any more.  It's just a leisurely stroll following the cows out the gate.


I was offline for awhile because our "router"? that connects the computer to the satellite stopped working.  I didn't realize how much the computer has become part of our lives.  I missed being able to post here and answer email.


I actually mailed 4 boxes of fleece to the Alpaca Blanket Project on Friday.  I will be lucky if they actually use my fleece and pay for it.  I continue to be excited about the blanket project though.  I hope to buy some blankets this year.  My next project is to send my best fleece to Vanity Apparel.  They will make scarves for me and send them back.  I may try to sell them or maybe I will just give them for Christmas gifts.  I am also researching mills to see what my best option is for the goat fleece. 

We had rain again last evening and looks like we will again today.  Lux, our border collie mix, got mixed up with our giant green desert frogs.  It is pitiful to see and you would think the dog would learn to stay away from them!  But she continues to grab and shake them while they play dead and secrete their poison foam into her mouth.  She then gets all wobbly and bug-eyed.  I'm sure she cannot even see while under the influence of the poison.  We then try to hose out her mouth with water and get the foam out and off of her feet while she fights and struggles against our attempts to save her pathetic hide.  Then we feed her copious amounts of milk which she actually seems to like even in her stupefied state.  Once the milk starts doing its good work, she usually starts acting like herself again and the crisis is passed.  I just wish she'd learn to leave the dang frogs alone! 

I also shrieked as I turned the water on for the dog as two big tarantulas ran away from the faucet!  I had a dress on, the hem down to the ground, I didn't want any big hairy spider crawling up that skirt!  OOH!  Gives me the willies! Ha!


We also had a beautiful rainbow after the rain right over the house.  Pretty cool!


I have packed up some of my alpaca fleece for shipping to the Alpaca Blanket Project.  I went around to the various shipping companies yesterday to find who will ship it for the least amount of cash.  Looks like the USPS wins.  One store did have the 12 x 12 x12 inch boxes that another mill asked to ship fleeces in.  I was amazed at the cost of the box, $5.47, just for the box!  Then this company wanted four times that much to ship the box.  They said they were faster than the good old USPS, but please!  How much faster could it possibly be to justify that much money!  So, as I am not in a big hurry, I will use the USPS.  I want to get a few more fleeces skirted and boxed up so I will probably try to get that done while I am waiting for payday to roll around on Thursday.  Sometimes it is darn inconvenient not having credit cards anymore, but the inconvenience is far outweighed by the fact that stuff is paid for up front and I no longer have to worry about that costly monthly payment hanging over my head.

I al

Lightening flashed and thunder crashed and the rain came down in buckets.  The ear-splitting thunder sent the cats into hiding and the chicks piled up on top of each other trying to escape the tempest.  I ran out to the barn to close the door and find something for the chicks to hide under.  I found half of an old dog kennel and threw it on the floor of the chick pen with the opening away from the outside.  The chicks couldn't get under it fast enough.  I got soaked to the skin on my way back to the house.  Buddy, the "I-never-want-to come-in-the-house" dog was nearly barging in the door to get away from the storm's wrath.  The buck goats huddled together in their small shelter, head-butting and dominance issues put aside in favor of a dry spot and comfort.  Alpacas huddled together too, their differences forgotten.  The turkeys, well, turkeys aren't very bright.  The three Royal Palms (black and white birds) had figured out how to get to their new pen so they were huddled in the shelter in that pen.  The Bourbon Reds, which are brown, were trying to get through the fence to get with their buddies and failed to even figure out that they could still go inside out of the downpour.  This was Saturday afternoon.

Since then we have had bad storms all around us every afternoon, but we have not gotten a direct hit as on Saturday.  Doesn't mean it wasn't exciting around here just the same.  On Sunday night the turkeys, all in their new pen now, decided to roost on the fence and in the tree overhanging the pen.  At about 8pm, I was on the phone and Buddy and Lux started going nuts.  They had something cornered by the garage but I couldn't see what it was.  I yelled for my daughter to help, got off the phone and went after the dogs.  They were after one of the turkeys who had gotten out of the new pen all together!  We all had a merry chase, we did!  The dogs finally treed the turkey in one of the bushes in the yard.  I never heard such a hideous noise! The turkey was actually hissing at the crazy dogs!  Buddy was just trying to keep the bird from escaping but I wasn't sure about Lux.  She is part Border Collie so maybe she was just trying to corral the bird too but we put her in the house just the same.  Then I slowly and cautiously reached into the stickery bush and wrapped my hands gently around the panicked bird's wings.  When I had a good hold on him, I pulled him close to my body and he seemed to relax and just let me put him back into the old pen. He did not seem any the worse for wear and the chasing. 

One of the Bourbon Reds was now in the goat pen.  We couldn't really see her because it was dark but we could hear her calling to the other birds.  I decided that the three in the new pen needed to be put back in the old pen too or they would be out again before the night was over.  I went into the pen and tried to encourage them back to the old pen through the door.  Of course, I didn't get much cooperation.  I had to grab each one and force then back inside.  By that time, the hen in the goat pen had returned to the fence.  I figured she was going to try to get back in with the rest of the flock so I waited to see what she would do.  She jumped back up on the fence and started stretching her neck looking for a way back in.  So I went out and encouraged her into the new pen.  Once she was back in there, I went inside and put her back in the old pen with the rest of them.  I left them all in the old pen.  I think they stay there because it has a roof of sorts and they figure they cannot escape and roost in the tree.  It struck me as paradoxical, this little incident.  Here I am chasing turkeys so they will stay in their pen and be safe from dogs and other predators when all the time my intention is to slaughter them for our Thanksgiving dinner!

I got up at about 5:30 am to the beautiful sunrise.  I am pretty exhausted now as I have been very busy today.  After feeding all the critters, I decided I could not wait another day to move the Delaware chicks to their new pen.  Of course , one cannot just move critters, one must prepare.  

I first had to re-install chicken netting on two sides of the pen.  It had been removed when the goats were in that pen.  I think the chicks are still small enough to slip through the chain-link fence, hence the chicken wire.  That put a pain in my back.  But I wasn't done.  I cleaned out two old metal chicken feeders, filled them and attached them to the fence just high enough for the chicks.  I cleaned and filled the waterer, put new pine shavings inside and out and then it was time to move the chicks.  That is always a challenge.  I tried encouraging them with a broom but that just made them squeak and go into panic mode.  I ended up catching each one and moving her to the new pen.  They seem to like it fine but are a little slow to realize they can go outside.

Next I opened up an old door in the turkey pen so that they can move to their new pen too.  I decided to see if they will figure it out on their own so have not actually moved them yet.  Then I cleaned up the barn and started sorting fleeces to send to the Alpaca Blanket Project.  I got 3 done before my back started killing me. So now I took some drugs! Ha!  Just aspirin!  

I went online to order a "BagButton."  It is supposed to suck all the air out of the plastic bags that hold the fleece so that it will be easier to ship.  I hope it comes on time.  I have to ship the fleeces before the end of the month.  


We are really into the monsoon now.  We are getting storms and nice lightening every day.  Usually it starts out sunny and gets cloudy, but this week we had 2 whole days of gray nasty looking clouds and darkness.  It made the tarantulas come out.  We've had to chase a couple out of the yard so the dogs wouldn't kill them.  I don't usually care whether or not I kill a spider but I make an exception for tarantulas.  They are just too awesome to kill!

It has been rainy and overcast all day.  It made it better for doing farm chores and we accomplished many today.  We reinforced the small alpaca pen in the back.  We added more plywood to divide the shelter, removed the gate on the alpaca side, re-wired places where we thought Casper or the goats would try to get out and moved feeders and water buckets.  Once we felt like things were pretty secure, we started moving animals.  The alpacas were easy.  All we had to do was open the gate and they went into the larger pasture.  Since we were moving goats we decided to trim their feet first and then move them.  So Caramel, Casper, Mouth and Little Bones got toenails trimmed.  Steve trimmed while I held.  They were all pretty well behaved once they were caught and placed on their behinds.  Only Little Bones protested and I think only one little "bla-a-a-ah" came out of her mouth.  After that we put some animal crackers, which all the goats love, in a dish and started leading them to the new pen.  First we moved Caramel and Casper.  We put a leash around Caramel's horns, just in case.  We had to go passed the buck pen and we weren't sure she would not try to stay there.  She did try to stay there too but ended up stopping just long enough to leave a little perfume pee to drive the bucks crazy.  I carried Casper and the cookies and they both went right into the new pen.  Caramel made a lot of noise at first  but seems to like her new surroundings now.

Then it was Little Bones and Mouth's turn.  Little Bones followed me like she had been taught to heel.  Mouth was a little more curious and took several bad turns including heading out the drive way, stopping to visit with the bucks and getting stuck behind a fence.  Eventually, Steve had to grab him by the horns, strattle him and get him into the pen.  Of course, Casper, being a baby still, immediately tried to go through the fence into the alpaca pen.  His head and new little horns went through with no problem but when he decided to backup, his little horns stuck on the wire and he started wailing!  There is nothing as alarming as a kid goat screaming when they are terrified.  Just as I got there to rescue the little guy, he managed to get out.  Hopefully, he will remember the fear and not do that again.  They all seem to like the bigger enclosure.  They had to get a few head bumps out of the way and Casper is learning to use his small size and speed to stay out of the reach of Mouth's horns.  I'm sure they will all settle and be a herd soon.  It rained some and they all took to the shelter without forcing anyone to stay outside so that is a good sign.

After that was all done, Steve removed all the old hay and manure from the barn pens.  I then scattered diamatacious earth all over the ground in both pens.  This is to help get rid of the flies and other insects.  The DE is made up of skeletons of ground up sea animals.  It is sharp like glass and damages the larvae and exoskeletons of insects.  I got the kind that is organic and not harmful to people and animals. It looks like a white powder or talc.  I will let the pens dry out for a couple of days and then move the turkeys and the Delaware chicks into those pens for awhile.  They are not big enough to move to the large space I have for them yet, but they are big enough to need more space now.  I may separate the Royal Palm turkeys from the Red Bourbons.  All the Royal Palms are males.  The Red Bourbons are male and female.  It is obvious now that they are getting so big.  I feel good about what we accomplished today.  Now, if we could just get that other pasture fenced! 

The air conditioner was fixed and it is much more comfortable in the house now.  We did not have to get a new system...yet.  The technician informed me that we will have to get a whole new system eventually because no one is manufacturing old ones like ours anymore, nor are they making the parts.  So he suggested that I start saving for a new system and call him when we are ready to install it.  I said, "Yeah, right!  Every time I try to save for something, another disaster happens and there goes the money!" He just laughed and said he knew all about that!

It was somewhat cloudy when I got up today.  The weatherman says we have a chance of rain and that the monsoon should really hit this weekend.  I hope the monsoon hits harder than it did last year, but maybe I should be careful what I wish for! ha!

I am still bottle feeding Casper.  I will be supplementing his diet until the end of September when he will be 4 months old.  By then he should be eating hay and pellets just like all the other goats.  I have decided that all the goats need to be out in pastures now instead of being penned up by the barn.  Steve and I got some supplies on Monday to make this happen.  We plan on dividing the alpaca barn and putting the female goats, Little Bones and Caramel, in that area along with Mouth, a wether, and Casper, the new kid.  I decided to put Stewie and Prince, alpacas, in the other field next to the buck pen.  I'm afraid if I try to put them in the back with Tinker, Kardigan and Cimarron, they will still try to fight each other even if the pasture is divided.  It will be better to put them where they cannot see each other.  

The turkeys are getting so big that they are feeling crowded.  That is another reason to move the goats.  I will put the turkeys in the larger goat pen until I can get Prince and Stewie into their new pasture.  By then the Delaware chicks will be ready to move to a larger pen and the turkeys can be moved to the old alpaca pen.  Eventually all the poultry will be put in the same pen.  

I am also hoping to get my alpaca fleece screen/sorter made this weekend.  I really need to get the fleeces sorted and ready to ship if I am going to get them to the Alpaca Blanket Project this year.  It is not a difficult item to make so I will make sure Steve does it.  Then I can start my task.  With the economy going the way it is, any source of revenue will be a good thing.

Happy Fourth of July!!!

Happy Fourth of July!  We celebrated yesterday because the City of Benson had their fireworks display last night instead of having it on Sunday.  We bbq'd hamburgers, hotdogs and bratwurst.  I made a macaroni salad and someone brought apple pie.  We all went swimming and everyone went to the fireworks except me.  I never go to the fireworks any more.  I prefer to stay home and keep an eye on the animals and have a little quiet time.

This morning we have lots of moisture in the air.  It was almost foggy when I went for my walk at 5 am.  It reminded me of the coast, the "marine layer" that comes in off the ocean.  I really enjoyed my cool morning walk.  Then I fed the animals and decided to take some pictures.  Someone asked about Stewie and Little Bones so I took some new shots of them.  The turkeys are bigger still and so are the Delaware chicks.  I don't know if you can really tell how much the chicks have grown.

There was a big jack rabbit on the other side of Stewie's pen.  I took a couple of pictures of him, but since I was facing the sun, I couldn't see him very well in the viewfinder.

Of course, there is always a little dirt around to mess up a perfect day.  Our air conditioner went out yesterday.  So money I was planning on spending for new fence and other stuff for the animals will have to be spent on getting the air fixed.  I think we just need a whole new system which will cost even more, but I think we just got this fixed less than a year ago and here it is broken again.  Oh well!  At least we can cool off in the pool and we can survive, even live well without the AC.  I know because we did it most of last summer.  Maybe we can get a tax credit or something if we get a new system.  We'll see!

Hope you all have a great Fourth and remember the people and veterans who made it possible!

The monsoon is warming up!  We are having clear cool mornings and then gradually as the sun climbs higher and the temperature rises, the fluffy cumulus clouds start building up to the south.  They get bigger and darker and closer until they are right on top of us with lightening and thunder and rain!  Blessed rain!  But we've only gotten a smidgen of rain so far.  The weatherman says we will get more after the Fourth.

Another diet bit the dust.  I could not stay on my "smoothie" diet.  It had too much fiber and was messing up my routine, if you get my drift.  Ha!  Anyway, I am still walking and trying to eat a regular diet without overeating so, hopefully, I will lose some weight and be healthy.  Being healthy is the main thing after all.  I'm certainly in a better mood.

I decided that the new kid will be named Casper, The Friendly Goat.  He acts a little spooky and skid-dish even after all this time of bottle feeding him.  At first I thought of "Spooky"  but I remembered I wanted to name this year's kids with "C" names, hence "Casper."  I don't think I am going to like him as much as I like "Little Buck".  He is my friendliest buck and greets me every time I go out to the pasture.  He likes to have his ears rubbed and his neck scratched and he's never lowered his head to butt me like all the others do.  

I have been contemplating about what direction I want to take with the animals and our little farm.  We are spending a lot of time, energy and resources on the animals without much financial reward.  I plan on sending some, if not all, of the alpaca fleece to the Alpaca Blanket Project.  We'll see how much they pay for the fleece.  I also hope to sell some of the angora fiber with my online store.  The angora fiber is more difficult to work with than the alpaca because of the lanolin in it.  It has to be washed in very hot water and it smells more than the alpaca.

I have a couple of sewing projects going.  I am making myself a sundress for the Fourth.  I also just finished two aprons.  One I gave to a friend as a thank you gift.  The other will probably be posted for sale on my Etsy store.  I want to make another one for another friend and then make several more for the store.  

I have also been researching cashmere goats.  Some people who have cashmere goats comb out the usable fiber from these goats or they can be sheared.  It sounds like more trouble than the angoras but the fiber is worth more money.  The industry is still developing in this country, just like the alpaca fiber industry, so I don't know how soon I would be able to make a profit from that source either.  One thing about farming, you have to have lots of patience.  Nothing happens over night.