June 20, 2008

Shearing Day 2008


Progress on the barn, it was nice to start seeing the beams go up and get a look at how it is going to be.



We finally had our shearing day last weekend. Here is the set up we went with since the barn is not completed. We rented one of those canopy tents for the day. It sure helped keep the sun off our backs. Our shearer came from Santa Fe. This is something you need to book way in advanced do to the shortage of shearers available.



Once we were all set up we marched one alpaca at a time under the tent for their make over. This photo is of Magnolia she was one of last year’s girls and her first time being shorn.



Here is the after photo of Maggie.



Here is Kiri enjoying the fan on her new haircut.



Here is Doll, Scher, & Mimosa



Remember these boys, Radley & Dorian they are looking dapper in their new doo.



I think Willy’s new trim accents his moustache. When I am near him I can not help but go into a bad French accent.

Hay & more Hay

Chris & I drove about 90 miles south to buy some oat hay that had just been harvested. The dealer we were purchasing from did not have the hay at the feed store yet so we had to drive a few miles to the farm, and actually pick the bales off the field and load them. We were able to squeeze a total of 64 bales onto our trailer and truck bed. We had a little bit of drama when we pulled out of a gas station and a few of the bales fell off. We had to pull over and load them back up. We ended up getting some better ties and securing the load better for the drive home. Needless to say by the time we got home we were both pretty tired to have to unload, thankfully we had some friends come over to help.



After that whole ordeal with getting the hay ourselves we decided we would go ahead and have the rest delivered. This is what 233 bales of hay looks like on a flat bed. We decided to buy enough hay this summer for the entire year because it is cheaper to buy it in season. Last winter we were paying around $14 to $16 dollars a bale in the off season and that was grass hay. The hay we just purchased is around $6 a bale and it is much better quality. The nice thing is that with the delivery they stack it for you. Unfortunately the barn is not completed so we had to have them stack it in our 2 car garage. Then once the barn is done we will need to have a hay moving party and get some help moving it all to the barn.



Little Lightning Doll’s baby is doing great. She is a month old now. I wanted to thank you all for name suggestions we decided to call her Lily of the Valley, or just Lily for short.



Lily was the only one that did not get shorn this year. I felt she was too little but there are many farms that do shear them young, especially if they plan to show them next year.


Today is the Summer solstice and I think the longest day of sunlight. I feel like I am running full speed through this year. I am so thankful when I walk out with the alpacas and they make me laugh and have me smiling from ear to ear. They give me a chance to stop and live in the moment.

June 01, 2008

New Pillow Bed for Cosmo


I love this time of year when we are able to open the windows and let the breeze swoosh in to refresh the air. Cosmo is an indoor cat so he especially loves to sit on the window sills taking in all the outdoor activities.



I decided it was time to make him a pillow insert for his kitty pi I knit for him the summer of 2006. I would normally just stuff a towel in the bottom, and thought I would eventually make a pillow for it. First I made the pillow using some suede fabric in my stash. I stuffed it with that memory foam stuff.



Then I made a zippered cover for it using this fabric. It is from the Wizards & Whimsy fabric line. I love the little white tiger wizard cat, he resembles Cosmo.



Here it is, all completed and ready for a cat nap. It will be nice to be able to toss the cover in the wash when it is full of cat hair. The cushion is so comfy I have plans to make a cover for my ugly worn out office chair, and making a similar cushion for the seat.

Cement Pour

They started pouring the cement for the barn on Saturday. We had a bad rain & hail storm last week that delayed the pour.



This slab will be inside the front of the barn were we plan to have a little office on one side and the other side we will store hay & grain. Our contractor says it will be at least 30 more days until the barn is done. Originally it was to be done by the end of May. Chris and I have found the people to be on a different pace out here in the country. Unfortunately it will not be done in time for us to do our scheduled alpaca shearing in 2 weeks. I plan to rent a canopy tent for the occasion, and keep us out of the sun for the day.

Bette

I was able to cast on last weekend for my vest. It turns out the pattern is not as hard as I thought it would be. Now that I am getting the hang of it, I am enjoying the process. Starting with the back I have completed the ribbing and 2 repeats of the cabled lace pattern.

Tag I’m It

I was tagged by the wonderful Angelika, here goes.

“The rules of the game get posted at the beginning. Each player answers the questions about themselves. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5-6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.

1) What was I doing 10 years ago?
Chris and I were living in Oregon and both of us were in college he was in Dental School & I was at Portland Sate University. I originally was planning to be a Pharmacist. At the time I was planning my wedding for the summer of 1999. For me I did not want to spend a lot of money on the actual event I prefered to spend it on the honeymoon. I am all about the vacation. I found a used dress at a wedding consignment shop and had some alterations done to make it more personally mine. I was in to cross stitch & also mosiacs, where I would brake a bunch of old plates and glass and arrange the pieces onto trays and tables. Oh and lets not forget I was madly decoupaging found objects at thrift stores.

2) What are 5 things on my to-do list for today
Chris & I are going to see the new Indiana Jones Movie
Cutting out squares for my plaid quilt.
Knit a couple of rows on my vest
Pull a few weeds in my garden
Make some sun tea

3) Snacks I enjoy:
Apples with peanut butter
Hot Chocolate with Hazelnut syrup
Plain M&M’s

4) Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
Pack up the 4 legged kids and get the heck out of New Mexico. LOL
I would buy a huge farm with all the bells in whistles, where we would live in the Spring & Summer. I would also buy a little cottage on the East coast. Not too small, but big enough to have an amazing design & craft room. We would live there in the Fall & Winter. I would travel the world. I would also donate large sums of money to wildlife preservation & to no kill shelters.

5) Places I have lived:
New York (upstate)
California
Lousiana
Mississippi
Florida
Oregon
New Mexico

6) peeps I wanna know more about:
If anyone has not been tagged yet and want to do this one consider yourself tagged.