Shearing Day 2012

Shearing Day 2012 was a beautiful day!  I am so happy to be able to say this, because more often than not we shear on rainy days.  Our favorite shearer  was with us, Michael Banks from New Zealand.  He is is a fast and accurate shearer putting very little stress on our animals. We had a great crew of friends out to help and it was a busy day.  I was so proud of how well we had our cria fleeces blown out,  It was a lot of work but it did pay off.  I need to weigh the clip and then it will be time to dive into fiber.  I am still looking for a good mill if you have any suggestions.

The alpacas were treated to fresh , new, green pastures after shearing . . .I know they are happy!

What a beautiful day on the farm.  A nice breeze and a day in the 70's, what more can one ask for.  I just want to soak in the warmth and the sunshine.  Rich picked up a van full of straw so we placed bails where we have some major erosion problems in the pastures.  Erosion is such a problem for small farmers.  We use the straw to slow down the run-off.  Once we get a gully washer we are really going to have a problem if we do not have a plan in action.  The alpacas love to kush next to the hay, in fact the cats love to lay right nest to the hay.

As you can see, Alexi and J Arbuckle have been playing.  Alexi has now learned to lope.  They are so much fun to watch.

Spinning

It was a nice day, not great during the morning barn chores but a very nice afternoon.  I have put some of the shrink plastic over the Fiber Cottage windows and it actually worked!   It was nice enough in the Fiber Cottage that I could teach my two new students out there!  It was great spinning in the cottage.   I do love to work among the fiber and the looms.  I got the temps up to 68 degrees and that is nice working temperature.  Maybe, just maybe we will have  many Fiber Cottage days this winter.


Changing the subject . . .


Alexi is becoming the little performer.  When we look out our back windows we can often see him romping all over the pastures.  He is so bold, chest butting the dams getting them to chase and play with him.  What fun!

Lovely Day in the Pasture

Once again we had a beautiful day, we will miss them in another month.  Rich and I spent the day working out on the farm.  He attacked the plum trees and helped me tackle the large poop pile in the lagoon pasture.  My there was a lot of beans to scoop.  It may sound awful, but  I really don't mind.  I mowed in several pastures knocking off the seed heads.  We have had such little rain that the dust clogged the mower and Rich had to blow the dust out of the engine to get it running again.
I was able to get a little time in the Fiber Cottage.  I am spinning the beautiful fiber I dyed with pokeberries.  I even managed to work on the triangle loom.  I am getting very close to finishing the 7 foot shawl.  
We let all the girls + J Arbuckle and Eddie be together all day.  J Arbuckle didn't give Alexi any trouble.  They are together tonight, so I have my fingers crossed they will begin to get along.

Oh, yea  . . . the unlady like Lady Bugs are back.  Ugh!

Cold and Damp but All is Well on the Farm . . .

It is a grey day.  It is damp and chilly and my muscles ache.  Ugh!   But the barnyard doesn't seem to mind the weather as much as I do.  I say that, knowing full well that the rain kept them close to the barn last night . . . because the barnyard was full of poop.   Good news is that it all looks great and who ever was having mushy poop is now back to normal.  I hardly know what to do with moist ground and chilly temps, but I know I will figure it out.  Here are some pictures to share.

Alexi in his night time coat.

Al 

Cloudy

Cloudy

Pippilotta Long Stockings

Alexi is always in motion.

Spring, Spring, Where are you?

Where is spring?  After the hardest winter in my history, I impatiently awaited spring.  Now I am so disappointed that it has not really surfaced.  When we do get a rare warm day my "To Do" list is so long I have little time to really enjoy the day.  My husband had back surgery this winter and though he is back doing many things, his stamina is just not back fully.  That just adds to the list, I am so proud of his progress and both of us look forward to him being back 100% percent.
The vet students were out to the farm yesterday.  I love the students working out here, as it gives me teaching time.  They worked with several of the alpacas.  Today,  I am headed out to  the Fiber Cottage.  A 4-H knitting group is out tomorrow . . .ah what fun to introduce them to the beauty of alpaca fiber.
Winter was so hard, I really didn't have much energy after coming in from the barn.  One would think I would have really been productive, but I was tired after caring for the animals and I had little energy to put into creative projects.
If SPRING ever happens . . . I am so ready to start being creative.


PS - We are on cria watch! 

Major Winter Storm

I went to the barn and slipped all over the place.  We had barely had any ice, but just enough to make it difficult to walk in the corrals.  I think I have everything ready for the storm, but maybe I have forgotten something.  they are forecasting a blizzard and up to 21" of snow.  Winds up to 40 mph will cause major drifts and serious wind chills.  I have hay in the barn, straw and grain in the barn.  I wonder if the faucets will freeze up in those temps making it difficult to water the animals.  I worry about my fingers freezing . . . it is so different when you are the sole person to care for this wonderful herd.  Some how, I will do it, but I know I will have little energy for anything else.  I will keep you posted.Publish Post

Shearing Day

Today was Shearing Day!  It is a day I anticipate every spring, with some dread, but mostly with great joy.  That dread is of all the preparation and extremely tiring work, the joy is for  the unveiling of the beautiful fiber our alpacas have been growing all year.  I love to see what the year has brought.  We sheared over 80# of fiber from our 15 alpacas.  Some of the fiber is okay, but most of it is outstanding.  This year, two of my premium fleeces were pre-sold.   I am happy that we have sold the fleeces, but a bit envious of the buyers, as these fleeces are crying to me  to touch and spin. 

We had a new shearer this year.  I liked the careful attention to detail and the slower pace.  I especially liked the animal being on a table instead of on the floor. Much of the skirting I do in the cottage was done right there on shearing table.   My back lasted the entire day, since I was not on the floor.   Rich prefers a faster pace and thought the work on his end was tougher.  I think we all would have been more pleased had the weather been nicer.  the morning started out fine but it was not long before the rain was beating down.  The storm continues tonight.  I believe when all is said and done we should have gotten over 5 inches of rain.  Ugh, Mud!  Little Buster got the chills after shearing.  we put a coat on him and he seems, once again, to be happy.

A very long day,
Alpaca Lady

NASTY Weather

It is NASTY outside!  I think we must have had at least 5 inches of snow, but it was just above freezing so it is drippie, wet, cold and tiring.  I thought the alpacas had stayed in the barn all day.  Although the beans let me know that they had spent a lot of time in the barn, their fleece was sopping wet, so I know they spent some time outside.  That is not a problem for the older animals, as their fleece is long and the wetness does not reach down to the skin.  It is little Frederica and Hippolytte that Imost worry about.  The cria fleec is not as dense and not as long as the the rest of them.  I took a towel and tried to dry their fleece.  I am not sure it helped much, but it made me feel good.

Frederica

I walked down the long drive to get the mail.  It had been in the box for several hours.  A  small hole in the seam of the box had let the moisture in  the box, ugh.  I was thankful the newspaper was in a plastic sleeve.  Now I am warm and cozy in front of a fire, the alpacas are in a clean shed or barn with fresh hay and buckets of heated water.  It continues to look like a blizzard outside and I am so happy I have already been to the barn.

Time to relax,

Alpaca Lady

Another Snowy Day

The snow is falling and it very pretty, but I am tiring of winter.  I must admit snow beats just gray, dreary days, but I am longing to find the bulbs blooming and warm sunshine for my alpacas to sun bath in. 
My son, home from school because of the bad roads, helped me out in the barn.  I had expected mile high piles of beans, but instead just found a couple of small piles.  A blessing on a snowy day.  Perhaps the alpacas will realize the snow is just fluffy and will meander out of the barn so tonight will be a repeat of this morning.  I am not holding my breath on that one!
     Taking  a good look at the herd, I noticed we have some very long nails.  As soon as the weather improves and Richard is home to help me I will be trimming nails.  If you have never trimmed nails, you really don't realize how some alpacas are very compliant, but there a a few alpacas that are a real challenge.  Trimming nails has to be done to keep the herd healthy.
     The middle of winter is a great time to start making serious lists, so when better weather arrieves you have a game plan.  We planned our vegtable gardens a couple years ago.  Last night Richard and I planned for our new blueberries and rasberries.  This will be exciting to get some more fresh berries on the farm.  We have strawberries and wild blackberries already growing on Sycamore Creek Farm.  My daughter, for Christmas,  gave me some seeds from Thomas Jefferson's home.  so we will be planting nutmeg, artichokes, alpine strawberries  for the first time this year.
Time to get to work,
Alpaca Lady

Yet, Another Dreary Day on the Farm

It is a dreary day and you can tell the alpacas are affected by the light.  They long for sunshine as much as humans do.  I did an extra speacial cleaning of their barn, in hopes that may lift their spirits.  Besides, we are suposed to have snow moving in tonight.  I am sure they have a better sense of the forth coming weather than our weather people and all their sophisticated equipment.  If there is wind with the snow the alpacas will park themselves inside, but near a door where they can see out.
Today they stayed in the barn after they ate.  I took my daily walk down to the creek, which is behind the pastures, and no alpacas came to greet me.  On a sunny day they would beat me down there.  Everyone is looking very scruffy and I am beginning to think about shearing.  Shearing is such a busy time, but so much fun.  It is the one time of the year that I am actually organized!
Here are some pictures I have taken recently for you to enjoy.

These three beautiful males are our herdsires.  Fionn Mac Cumhaill, Dancing Paws and Maverick ( full of dust in this pic).

Got to get to work, I am knitting
Alpaca Lady

A Beautiful Alpaca Day!

There is nothing like a crisp, sunny day on an alpaca farm.  The alpacas are ready to eat when I go out and then after a rest they are ready to play and bask in the sunshine.  I have the girls trained to stay out of the barn while I am doing the chores, however, they are through the door as they hear the grain hit their dishes.  This time of the year they look like big teddy bears.
Maverick seems to favoring a back foot.  I have been keeping an eye on it for a few days and it seems to be getting better not worse.  That makes me less worried about him.  I took many pictures of the boys this AM.  I take my pictures as they are in the barnyard.  They still have bits of hay on them, etc.  I really hate to see pictures air brushed or touched up so much you wonder if the alpaca in picture might be stuffed. 

Dancing Paws

Alpacas and Weather

I can almost tell the weather before I head to the barn.  If I see the alpacas out in the pasture eating, you can bet it is not windy and not too cold.  If the alpacas are in the barn it is most likely raining or very windy.  If Eddie is hanging under the trees it might be somewhat windy.  They are out in the pasture trying to find anything green, and the sun is shinning.