Naughty boys

That hay you see? Its the hay that the previous homeowner left behind. I have been storing it in one of the extra stalls. Thinking that when I get chickens in the spring I can put it in their run once they eat all the vegetation down....

Those goat boys you see? They snuck in there while I was cleaning out their stall. Niko and Kip made it all the way to the top of the bales. Finley, being the slower, more laid back of the group, well, he sorta just stayed in place for a minute. To see how he should proceed. Not that that stopped him from snacking by any means.

But then Finley realized that what Niko and Kip were doing seemed like a good idea to him. I mean, Niko was kinda taunting him by continually looking down at him with big mouth fulls of hay. (Joey, however, did not think it was a good idea. He never once tried to climb up there.)

Hes trying to maneuver his way up there.

He manages to get some footing.

He made it. And is very happy with himself as he begins to indulge in even more snacking.

But, oh dear....that didnt last long. Now hes slipping.


and slipping. And Niko just watches. He doesnt even attempt to offer a hand.


Finley lets out a huge sigh in defeat when he realizes the harder he climbs...the faster he falls.


Naughty Boys....

Taking a break

After lots of chores here at the farm...who wouldnt enjoy a party?

The neighborhood that we moved into throws a party every summer. They have community businesses that set up tables and offer helpful tips about irrigation systems, conserving pastures, noxious weeds, etc. The tips were so interesting that even S carried on some good conversations.

They had volunteers that grilled burgers and hot dogs for lunch.

They even had little bags of chips. I heart chips. (even if they are baked)

Dont let J fool you. He really was having a good time.

The kids did some bouncing.

And some bounce falling.

Then it was time to get shoes back on.

So that they could get in line to have their faces painted.

This is what S did while we waited in line.

For as much as G doesnt enjoy bugs.....

It surprised me when he chose a spider for his face.

J went with an awesome chinese dragon.

K was in line with us, but she felt so badly for this little boy that was behind her in line...he was waiting so patiently for his turn, but you could just see him vibrating to have his turn....she let him go ahead. And then she just decided there were too many younger kids waiting...so she chose to pass on the face painting all together.

G got to take a ride around the place.

After that we decided to take a minute and hang out in the shade. G was clearly enjoying himself.



And after he was done keeping the beat(his words) he of course, had to make friends with the DJ. So, what was meant to be a little break in the shade before heading home, turned into a much longer break where he learned all about being a DJ.

Who am I to stand in the way of that?

Garden surprises

I have been in the garden...for days. Quite literally, the weeds have taken over my garden. Im not even going to show you just how many zombie weeds are in there. Just know, its not good. Not good at all. I pull one and return the next day to see 3 in its place.

Aside from that tho...Im happy to say that the apricots have been going strong for the past couple weeks.

The green beans are super yummy.

The garlic was planted by the previous owners, so I dont have any idea what kind I have, but I do know that this particular one came from a group of hard neck garlic.

Hence, the scape you see. I left the scapes on this season. Not for any real reason other than I just didnt cut them off.

Imagine my surprise when right next to the little hard neck garlic I found...I unearthed this puppy.

Look at the size of this guy.

Now look at the little guy.

The size of that big guy just amazed me. And he wasnt the only one in there. I think I came away with about 10 of those big guys. The main difference between the 2 heads of garlic (besides the size) was that the smaller guy scaped and the bigger guy did not. So, is the bigger guy a soft neck? Did the absence of a scape make the garlic larger? I just have no idea.

A little further away in the garden, I was checking on my lovely tomatoes. All of which came from my friend, danni. She started them from seed and then took care of them for me as I was making my big move across the country.

This particular tomato is called Itty Bitty.

And itty bitty it is.


The tomato anyway.

The actual plant on the other hand is a huge sprawling thing.

Can you see how different it is growing compared to my more upright tomatoes?

This gardening season has been full of surprises for me. And even tho the weeds are making me crazy...I am in love with all the fresh produce that I am harvesting every day. It makes me very, very happy to be able to walk to my garden and bring in such plentiful bounties.

Saving something special

As you all know, Dolly is a very sweet and special girl.

Danni and I have mentioned before just how much Dolly loves her bits and pieces of hay in the bottom of the bucket.

You can always tell by the hay bucket who has just been eating since there is a Dolly sized hole the size of her muzzle left behind.

And it just so happens that my very loved goat boys...

Have decided that they like to leave all these lovely bits and pieces behind in their feeder.

So, after many, many attempts of trying to get them to eat the tasty bits, I decided to tell them just how much of a good thing they were missing out on. And after I could tell they had really listened to me...

I then dumped them into a bucket and offered them to sweet Dolly.

Who just couldnt eat them quite quickly enough.

You can see Toni(partially)in the pictures....she was so good about letting Dolly enjoy her special treat. She didnt even try to eat out of the bucket.

And once Dolly got over her initial rush of excitement, she slowed down a bit.

And began to slowly chew every mouthful.

And at one point it began to sprinkle ever so gently out of her mouth.

I think she thought it was a pretty great idea. That whole bucket full of hay bits. And Im so happy that it made her happy.

Smooth transitions and fun at the beauty parlor

When Dolly and Toni first arrived, I was very fortunate to have Danni here with me. Not only because I love visiting with her, but to be honest, just her presence made the idea of being solely responsible for these 2 lovely animals, so much easier. Not that I didnt think I could do it. No. I knew I could do it. I had been wanting to do this for a *very* long time. It was more that I knew how much things had just changed for them. Once a group of 3, they were now down to 2 *and* living in a new pasture with new people taking care of them. Now I dont know about you, but to me, thats a lot of changes.

To help with their transition, I decided to leave them stalled for the first few days.

This way they would know where home base was. They could count on being fed in their stall every day. Whether that be just grain or grain and hay...I wanted them to feel comfortable coming in and out of their stall. And not only was it for their security, but it was for my benefit as well. This way, in the event I need to halter them or give them meds or anything like that, I know I can get them in their stall.

One of the many things that is different for them here is that I use pine shavings for bedding in the stalls. As is evident by her fleece being totally covered in shavings, Dolly didnt seem to mind one bit that I didnt have any straw. She still took her naps just fine.

And it didnt seem to affect her eating habits in the very least, either.

She still loves to stick her whole head in.

And go down to the very bottom of the bucket to get all the hay seeds(and bits and pieces) first.

Now, Toni? Shes been taking the whole move in stride. She likes to nap.

And before she naps, she likes to yawn.

One thing they both like to do is scratch their necks on this huge cabinet that was left in the barn . Can you see the tufts of fleece they left behind?

Speaking of fleece....when the girls came to live with me I knew it was very important that they get shorn shortly after they arrived. The temperatures can reach the high 90's and into the 100's here. And for a llama with a full coat of fleece that can be cause for concern.

Heat stress is a pretty common problem for llamas. They can become lethargic, lose their appetite, salivate heavily around their lips, and may even breathe with an open mouth.

Along with shearing, which is probably the most effective means of prevention, you can help prevent heat stress by making sure they have cool water at all times, offering them shady places to relax, and you can also have fans set up in their stalls for them.

I did a great deal of research and made numerous inquiries to find someone to come shear the girls. The normal time for shearing, which is April and May, had passed and I was having a difficult time finding someone.

Luckily, I was able to find a gal named Brandy, who lives in Idaho. She and her mom own an alpaca farm and she was willing to travel here. So, S and I got the girls all haltered up and ready for their haircut.

Dolly went first.

There was a lot of moving around.

And even some kushing.She wasnt all that pleased with the whole ordeal.

And Toni? She just stood back and watched the entire thing.

I think in her mind she was really hoping this was just something that Dolly was having to endure.

But then came her turn and she did fabulously. (sorry for all the dust in the photos...all that moving Dolly did really stirred things up)

She stood very still and just let them shear. It was quite amazing to watch actually.

She even did a great job when Brandy began to touch her legs.

So that she could trim her nails.

And when Toni was all done she made her way over to S to get some comfort. She was so sweet.

All in all, Id say it took about an hour to get them shorn and have Tonis feet trimmed. (Dollys feet looked perfect and werent in need of a trim. That must have been since Danni and I did such a good job on them the weekend prior.) Since we got a late season shear, we decided to go with what is called a barrel cut. This cut shears only their midsection, which happens to be the warmest part of their body. This allows them to be cooler in the summer heat because of what we removed, but it leaves on the rest of their coat allowing them to remain warmer in the winter as well. Which is a great thing because the fear of a late season shear is that they wont have enough time to regrow enough fleece before the cold sets in. Thats what makes the barrel cut such a great compromise.

This is what was left behind in the stall.

And now the girls are all set on shearing for at least another year. And I can rest a little more easily knowing that they wont be getting too warm while basking in the sun. (or shade :-) )