Catching Up

I will warn you this will be a long post. For starters my mother-n-law & sister-n-law stayed at our house watching over and tending to the alpacas while we were on vacation. It was so comforting knowing they were here while we were away. Mom noticed right away there were humming birds coming around the porch with nothing for them to eat. I had a plastic feeder up last year and put it away not remembering where I put it. When I arrived home Mom had found and hung up this beautiful ceramic feeder. The humming birds love it and I will have 2 to 3 sipping sugar water at any given time. This photo above is the best one I have taken so far. They sure are fast darting around every which way.

Alpaca Babies

Of course most of my requests for updates are on the alpacas, so I will start with the babies.



The three little ones Honey Buns, Willy Wonka, & Bugsy are doing great. It amazes me how fast they grow. Willy is still the fastest baby we have had and it is a wonder how he can stop on a dime and change directions. Thank goodness he is big enough now where I don’t have to chase him down every day to get his weight.



The three of them are very sweet, and it almost looks like they are in daycare. You will often see them off by themselves out in the pasture plotting some scheme against the adults no doubt.



Little Lightening doll is past due and today she has reached her 361 days into her gestation. Crazy! But look at her she is not budging. Everyday I go out there every couple of hours and take a look at her and say today, maybe today. Then she gives me the look like the one above that says no not today maybe tomorrow. Finders Keepers actually went 370 days when she had Willy Wonka so I am not as concerned with Doll and how long she is taking. I will keep you posted when she finally has it.

The Boys Club

When we got back from our trip we weaned the four 2007 boys, by placing them in the pasture with the three 2006 boys. So here is from Left to Right: Dorian Grey, Radley, Macho Latte, & Calvin. There were many tears and whining at the fence line for the first week but they are doing much better and starting to learn that they are big boys now and Mom isn’t around anymore.



Here is Kingsley & Klaus two of the 2006 boys, they are trying to tell me how mature they are and feel the new boys are babies and are very annoying. They have their moments but the good thing is all 7 of them get along and are forming their own little boys herd.

How many alpacas do we have? I get that question a lot. Right now we have 27 in all. One, Novalei is still in Washington. She is the one I bought at auction this past January. She is being bred there and I probably won’t have her sent home until after she has been shorn. All the rest are here with us. Of course with Little Lightening Doll due to have her baby any time now that will make the count 28. After hers we have 6 more due to have their babies late summer early fall.

My Birthday

I just had a birthday this past April and am now 36. I don’t feel like I am 36 personally I am looking forward to my 40’s. I don’t think I will feel like I am in my 40’s when I am 40ish, so I am thinking I might have more time to do the things I would like in my 40’s. If this is not true, do not tell me let me keep on looking forward to it.

I finally made the appointment and got my tetanus shot. My last one I had was when I was in college. They are good for 10 years. I started thinking about it last summer when we were building the shelter. It took me awhile to actually get up the nerve to go get it done. Seriously I can laugh at it now. The doctor pulls out the needle and it was so small I could hardly see it. He stuck it in my left arm and I did not feel a thing. The whole time I was there he kept making comment s like now the pain begins. I was waiting for the sky to fall or something dramatic. The spot where he gave me the shot hurt a little an hour after and would on occasion that week start to ach a little. Either I have a very high tolerance for pain or people are just lying about the whole situation. Anyway if you are due for one don’t worry it isn’t as bad as they say it is.

Birthday Gift

My in-laws gave me the perfect gift for my birthday. They bought me a Martha’s Vineyard Fiber farm yarn CSA share of the fall 2008 harvest. CSA is short for Community Supported Agriculture. The money will be used to purchase hay & feed, and also to purchase more livestock for their farm. Then in the fall they will do their shearing and process the wool into yarn and send a portion of the yarn to each shareholder. The photo above was taken from Martha’s Vineyard Fiber Farm Blog. The baby angora goats are so cute. Go HERE to learn more about the CSA and their farm. I believe the Fall CSA is already sold out, but they do shear twice a year once in the Spring & again in the Fall so eventually they will have the CSA open again to buy shares for Spring 2009.

Finished Object

I completed my Diagonal Scarf and love how it turned out.
Pattern: Diagonal Scarf from the book Morehouse Farm Merino knits
Yarn: 6 skeins of Trendsetter Tonalita yarn in color 2357 coffee Latte
Needles: size 7
This was a great pattern; I will definitely make another one.


I am still working on my reversible cabled scarf. I have two more skeins to go.

I have run out of time and need to go out and check on expecting momma. I Still have more to catch up on like my next knit project, the barn in progress, & my garden.

Our Caribean Cruise

Chris & I are back from our 7 night Caribbean Cruise. We were on the Crown Princess. It disembarked from San Juan Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico is an American island so it made flying there much easier not having to go through customs. The ports of call were Barbados, St. Lucia, Antigua, & Tortola. We had a wonderful trip and are well rested and sun soaked.

Here are some photos from the ship.
























This is the Crown Princess docked at the Port in San Juan.

Here are some more photos from the trip.








































My Favorite Moment

Webshots photo from 1973scotty

Chris and I booked a catamaran sailing cruise with Cool Runnings in Barbados. They took us out to snorkel with the sea turtles. All though there were only a handful of turtles to a very large group of people, it was magical. For a brief moment under water close enough to touch the turtle everything else just faded away. It was just me and the turtle and all was right in the world. Sea turtles are one of my favorite creatures and to be able to experience this was amazing. This was truly one of the best moments of my life. Chris enjoyed himself too. He has mentioned more than once how awesome the catered lunch was and how he can not get the chicken dish out of his mind. LOL. Now I will be in constant search for a marinated Caribbean chicken recipe, hoping to find something that will come close to what was offered on the catamaran.


I would love to go on and on and tell you all the details of the cruise and our adventures in the Caribbean, and not to mention the 100’s of photos I took on the trip. There just is not enough time in the day, & there is so much going on at home to tend to.

Love is in the Air

We decided to name the new boy Willy Wonka.



He is sweet on Honey Buns.



These two love birds follow each other around all day. It is too cute for words.

Barn Progress

Work started to prepare for the barn. Truck loads of dirt have been brought in.

Then they mash it down with their big machines. Turns out there was a 6ft gradient difference from the front of the barn to the back. Seems kind of silly to truck in a bunch of dirt when there is a bunch of dirt all over the property, but they say the dirt would not be solid enough to build a barn on. So now we are bringing in better dirt. Geez who new?

Spring Cleaning

I am exhausted. I have been doing a bit of spring cleaning around here. It is not easy when you have people outside bringing more dirt. I have been cleaning the ceiling fans, the windows, the front porch and every other nook and cranny. It has been a frightening experience. It is done and hopefully wont need such a cleaning for another year. I am itching to get out into the garden but word on the street we are still do for a frost, so I patiently wait. Chris and I have scheduled a little get away for some R&R. Take Care and I will be back with lots of photos.

Happy Easter

Webshots photo
Easter caught me off guard this year. It is earlier than usual.



A favorite Easter dessert for me is Carrot cake. This picture above is from the epicurious website of the recipe Tropical Carrot Cake with Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting. Oh man that sounds good. You can find the recipe HERE.



I found these knitted Peeps a couple of days ago on Kat’s blog. She posted the pattern last year. Even though I am a little late for Easter I think I might still make a few of these. They are so cute. You can find the pattern HERE.

My plan today is to do whatever I feel like doing. Next week is going to be busy for me, so I am claiming today for myself. My day will probably consist of wondering around the blogs catching up on what everyone is up to. Possibly do some sewing. I just picked up the DVD Atonement and might loose my self in romance while working on current knits.

Palm Springs Photos
I will leave you with some photos from my trip.


Palm Trees of course

No shortage of palm trees.



Bougainvillea
These were everywhere, growing up light posts & fences.



Here are some more Bougainvilleas. Breathtaking.



Alicia and I spent a lot of time at the outlets, but when we managed to break away from shopping we did find a couple of good places to grab some cocktails and good eats. The photo above was taken at Taps Fish House & Brewery. This place was conveniently located at the Promenade shops in Corona. We popped in for happy hour cocktails and some appetizers. Another restaurant we found that was great is called Chez Philippe French Bistro. This place was walking distance from our hotel downtown Palm Springs. It was a bit spendy but well worth the cost. They had an outdoor seating area which was great for people watching.



A red Ferrari & a green Lamborghini behind it. I spotted these two while walking up the streets in Palm Springs. The people around here like their cars.



Lemon tree



Bird of Paradise




Here are a couple of horses out to pasture. All the locals had mentioned they had gotten lots of rain this year and that is why all the hills were green. Most of my photos were of the flora in the area. It was so nice to see everything in bloom. The air smelt of spring.

Happy St Patrick's Day

Top of the morning to you. May your day begin with green eggs and ham and end with a pint of green beer. I decided to go through my stash and pull out all the green yarn and fabric. Not much green. The photo above is all I found.

Favorite Leprechaun Movie

My all time favorite Leprechaun movie is Darby O’Gill & the Little People. Here is a photo of King Brian the head of the Leprechauns.


Sean Connery is in this movie and actually sings a song titled “Pretty Irish Girl”. This is a fun Disney movie to watch on St Patrick’s day or if you are in an Irish kind of mood.



I made it home from Palm Springs. The weather was absolutely gorgeous with temperatures in the 70’s. I will share more photos of the trip when I get a chance.



I did manage to find a yarn shop near Palm Springs. The store was Knit Affair and you can go to the store site HERE. Pictured above yarn on the left is 2 skeins of Plymouth Happy Feet in color #12. On the right are 2 skeins of Cascade Yarn 50% Llama & 50% Wool in color #54 Pastaza Purple Jewel Heather. I have no idea what I will use these for but I couldn’t leave the store with out them.

New Baby

Finders Keepers finally had her baby. I got the call from Chris on Sunday the 9th while I was in Palm Springs. I wanted to get right back on a plane and fly home. He is a little dark chocolate boy. He has the same coloring as his momma.


He is a running fool. I am tempted to call him Forest Gump. With a name like that his prospects with the ladies later on might not be so great, so I will need to think of a studdly name.



Cookie’s baby is doing great; she gets more beautiful every day. We went ahead and named her Honey Buns. For such a sweet girl she had to have a name as sweet.


Keep your eyes open today and be on the look out for any Leprechauns. Don’t hesitate grab him and don’t let him go until he grants you three wishes. What would your three wishes be? I know one of my wishes would be anytime I snap my finger my entire house would be clean. 8)

Girlfriend Getaway

"Shopping by the Sea" by artist Marianne Haas

I am meeting up with my girlfriend Alicia from Oregon for a girlfriend’s getaway. Every couple of years we plan a trip together. This time we are heading to Palm Springs. I have never been there. To tell you the truth I would be happy going anywhere. I am looking forward to putting on some lipstick and feeling like a girl again. My focus this week was to try not to get any large bruises while working on the ranch. The weather around here has been bitter cold, so I am utterly excited about the forecast in Palm Springs with Highs in the upper 70’s.

Reading Material

These are the two books I am bringing on my trip. The one on the left is Mrs. Mike by Benedict & Nancy Freedman. The book on the right is Snow Flower & the Secret Fan by Lisa See. Both books have been on my list of must reads for awhile. I think this will be the perfect trip to finally have time to read them. I am also bringing along the diagonal scarf I started.

Projects awaiting my Return

I recently cleaned out my closet and found a few old wool sweaters no longer in style or in good shape. I plan to felt them and possibly use the fabric to make some bags, and possibly some other crafts. If you have any ideas or links feel free to send them my way.

When I get back I should be rested and ready to take on the rest of winter. There is a twinkle of hope since day light savings time starts Sunday. I love it when it gets lighter later.

Exotic Bloom

One of my Amaryllis bulbs finally bloomed. This one is Amaryllis Cybister Chico. The colors are just amazing. I plan to dry this bulb out when it is done and try to get it to bloom again next year.


Here is a close up of the flower.

Cup a Tea

I am a big tea drinker. Last year I weened myself off of cafeine. That was a little torchersome. I had a terrible headach every evening for about a week. Now I’m on decafe. There seems to be less of a selection of decafe coffee & teas. I thought I would share my 3 faves at the moment. This one above is Celestial Seasonings Honey Vanilla Chamomile.



This is Stash’s Apple Cinnamon. I tried this for the first time last Thanksgiving while visiting family. I have been hooked ever since.



This one is from the Bag Ladies Blossom line of teas. The flavor is Evening’s Comfort. It is a mix of chamomile & almond. You can find this tea HERE.


New Knit Book

I spotted this knit book at my last trip to town. It is Kitty Knits projects for cats & their people by Donna Druchunas. It is a cute little book. Some of the projects are a little dorky but it does have a handful of ones I like. I do like the hat & the little felted mouse toys on the cover.


I also liked this embroidered baby blanket.


Another pattern that caught my eye is this felted applique pillow. Overall a cute knit book filled with great photos & cat quotes and writings. Any cat lover that knits will like this book.

Baby Love

The little one born on Valentines is doing great. We have not come up with a name yet. I have been calling her Honey Buns, because I like to say this is Cookie Dough’s Honey Buns. LOL Of course I have not won over Chris with that name. I have been trying to think of some kind of confection or sweet of a name to go along with her mothers name. Plus I am still waiting to see what kind of baby our other one will have and I might give them a name pairing.



She just gets more beautiful every day. She has great conformation, and if she packs on a fleece like her Momma we might even bring her to a show and see how she does.

Have a Great Week!

Valentine Baby

It’s a GIRL! Cookie Dough gave birth on Valentine’s Day. For me it was love at first sight.



Cookies is a first time Mom and is doing great. We new she would be a good Mom because all last year every time one of them had a baby she tried to claim it as hers. So finally now she has her own.



Cookie’s milk was not fully in the first day so I bottle fed the baby every 4 hours. The next day I felt like I had done a million squats and I could not sit down with out wincing from pain. If you want to work out your butt and thighs bottle feed a baby alpaca for a day. LOL



By Friday morning baby was milking regularly and all is well. Today it is snowing outside so I am keeping them in a makeshift pen we created in our well house. Baby will have to wait until the weather clears up before I let the two of them out to make acquaintances and to explore the pasture. I have my fingers crossed the other alpaca past due waits to have her baby until the weather clears.

Knitting

I completed my Scrunchable Scarf and made a hat using the same stitch pattern. I plan to line the hat with the fabric in the photo and possibly make a brim also. This set is very warm and perfect for a snow day like today. You can find the scarf pattern HERE.



I have been itching to use some of the yarns I bought in Portland last Thanksgiving and cast on for this Diagonal Scarf from the book Morehouse Farm Merino Knits by Margrit Lohrer.



I am using the trendsetter Tonalita yarn in color 2357 coffee Latte. I have never knit diagonally and it is turning out real cool.



Of course I can’t just be working on one knit I went ahead and cast on for this His/Hers Reversible cabled scarf. The pattern is in the book Cables Untangled by Melissa Leapman.



I am using Classic Elite Waterlily yarn in color #1995 Azalea. The subtle tonal changes in the yarn really make the cables pop out. Cables are still my all time favorite thing to knit.



Here is Zissou & Klaus out in the snow trying to show the ladies they are tough and don’t need the shelter. Of course the ladies think they are idiots and are in the shelter cozy & warm.



Dust of Snow by Robert Frost
The way a crow
Shook down on me
The dust of snow
From a hemlock tree
Has given my heart
A change of mood
And saved some part
Of a day I had rued.

Have a great weekend and I hope you and yours are cozy and warm.

She had One Good Day

I am sorry to tell you our little new born took a turn for the worse and did not make it. We named her Siena.



She had one good day. That day she laid in the sun, and frolicked with Bugsy. Felt the wind on her face, and nibbled on the ground.



We tried everything we could to help her fight off what ever she had. Her last few days she spent at the Vet’s office. We still do not know what she had only that it was some kind of virus. Her symptoms were close to Meningitis, which is the inflammation of the protective membranes covering the central nervous system. Chris and I decided to donate Siena to the Camelid Reproduction Center of the Western Slope. In the hopes that her death will help educate and help prevent the lose of baby alpacas.



This has got to be the hardest part of owning livestock. Unfortunately these things happen. Right now I am focusing on the Mom, Never Ending Love. We brought Love home last night she had been at the vet’s office in case the baby needed any milk. She was happy to be home and back in the herd. Unfortunately she keeps looking for her baby. This should go away in a few days as she settles back into her life.




I am on baby watch. Do you remember these two characters Cookie Dough and Finder’s Keeper’s, well they are both due to have their baby any day now. I think that 2 healthy babies are exactly what I need right now.

Doll & Love Arrive

Bugsy is a little over a month old and is doing great. Here he is with Mom taking a nap in the sun.


Here is Bugsy playing alpaca games with Magnolia. They are both having lots of fun chasing each other around.

Alpaca Arrival

Two of our girls finally made it home all the way from Washington State. This is Little Lightening Doll.



She has a lot of spunk I think that is where the Lightening comes into her name. It only took her a couple of days to get use to me. She is already making her way up the hierarchy of the herd refusing to be at the bottom of the pecking order. She is due this April with her first baby.



This is Never Ending Love. I put this red neck chain on her for a couple of days so I could tell them apart out in the field. It only took me a day they are both very different.



Love is a very sweet girl. She fit right in and seems to like her new routine here at our ranch. You would not believe what happened last Thursday. She had her baby. We were not expecting the baby for another 2 weeks. I was so busy that day completing tax filings for the dental office. I was heading out to run to the post Office to make sure to get the 31st postmark on my mailings. I happened to glance out the window and saw a group of alpacas huddled around something. I realized it was a baby.

I was stunned and had to figure out who gave birth. We actually have 3 alpacas due within the next few weeks. I quickly figured out it was Never Ending Love. She had a little brown GIRL. She is under weight and Love’s milk had not fully come in yet. So I am supplementing the baby with Cow’s milk and a little bit of plain yogurt every 4 hours. I will get some photos up as soon as I feel she is in the clear health wise.


I have so much to write about but am having trouble scraping a few minutes together to post about it. I am hoping to get all caught up this month on my taxes & alpaca babies. With two more babies due soon I have been paranoid they might have theirs early also. I am keeping my fingers crossed they both stay in their Mom’s belly till they are done. 8)