Friday, April 4, 2014
Doug with his buddy, Stormy Crawford.
Shearing alpacas is a big deal Windy Hill.
It’s that defining moment when we finally see the fruits of our labor in a tangible way:
What is the fleece really like?
Is there enough luster?
Did that breeding create an improvement in the fleece?
What does it feel like if you close your eyes?
How much does the bag weigh?
There’s a lot of preparation and planning that goes into an alpaca shearing day:
make arrangements with the shearing crew (this can happen as early as November read more...
AWH Silvano's Gunpowder & Lead gets his "glamour shot".
High luster meets a sure and steady hand.
John demonstrates how he makes his first cut of the blanket, not overlapping passes with the blades
Miracle gives me an unsure look as the shearers stretch her out on the mat.
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Saturday, March 1, 2014
People ask us all the time: “What do you do with the alpacas in the rain?”
“Not much”, I tell them. “The alpacas have their own ideas about what to do in the rain.”
They hum, so sometimes I just hum along with them. It’s the friendly thing to do.
Some of them stand under their shelters and eat.
Some of them go out to graze because staying under cover is boring.
Some of them sleep in the rain. Those are usually the ones who grew up in Oregon.
Some of them stand in the damp under the read more...
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Wednesday, February 19, 2014
AWH Torbio's Endless Summer
CHAMPION! It has such a nice ring to it! I was grinning from ear to ear this weekend when Endless Summer won his championship in Arizona. Not only is he beautiful and sweet, but he is one of our last Torbio boys. He's built just like his famous daddy--square and blocky with heavy, shiny fleece. A real joy!
There was a time, though, when I worried about him. When he was about 6 months old we discovered one morning that he had broken his leg just above the hock of his right hind. How he read more...
Shearing table in use.
Sire: Pperuvian Torbio
Dam: Accoyo America Encantadora
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Monday, February 10, 2014
Some of you may remember Miracle's story…
…the cria we thought was dead who was really alive who had muconium spill and whose mother died the next day leaving her an orphan with legs all crooked and a kink in her neck who we thought wouldn't live but who has thrived in spite of our fears and dire predictions…
Well, Miracle has graduated. She has become a full-fledged alpaca. She's completely sold out to the idea. Unlike some crias who are bottle-fed, Miracle never rea read more...
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Monday, February 10, 2014
Some of you may remember Miracle's story…
…the cria we thought was dead who was really alive who had muconium spill and whose mother died the next day leaving her an orphan with legs all crooked and a kink in her neck who we thought wouldn't live but who has thrived in spite of our fears and dire predictions…
Well, Miracle has graduated. She has become a full-fledged alpaca. She's completely sold out to the idea. Unlike some crias who are bottle-fed, Miracle never really wanted to be a read more...
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Friday, January 24, 2014
Alpaca Dreams
Make new friends, but keep the old;
One is silver and the other's gold.
-Girl Scout Camp Song
2013 marked the joyful beginning of a dream come true. And like all good dreams, it took a fair amount of planning, sweating, figuring, conjuring, and just plain hard work. But that's what you do when you have a dream worth following.
Lee's dream started during the presidential election of 2012. I hadn't talked to Lee for years, but found him one day on--what else?--Facebook. We had been fri read more...
Lee & Katie hitting the road
Illinois pastures!
California suris brave snowy paddock!
Lee & guardian Lucy
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Friday, October 11, 2013
Life is a story that leads to redemption, and miracles happen all around us on the most common of days. Maria's little Miracle is such a story.
Without her mother, she could have been lost. The bewilderment of finding herself alone in the world could have led to depression and despair. But she wanted to live.
You could tell that she wanted to live. After all, this was the baby we thought was already dead at her birth-- yellow from muconium staining, not breathing, limp. Dr. Jana was s read more...
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Friday, October 4, 2013
September 26, 4:30 AM
I found them this morning, keeping each other warm in the predawn. Maria lay on her side, the coil set from the IV fluids stretched across the pen, still securely attached to her neck wrap. The cria lay across her body at the base of her neck, sound asleep, like a tableau from a Greek tragedy. The slight rise and fall of her tiny chest told me she was sleeping deeply. The absolute stillness of her mother told me that Maria slept a different kind of sleep.
It would read more...
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Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Miracles come in many sizes, shapes, and circumstances. I often feel that we live in the realm of the miraculous here on the ranch. Just waking up every morning in this setting feels downright miraculous. It's where I've always wanted to be.
But some days are just a little more miraculous than others. Today was definitely one of those days.
We had finished our usual Tuesday "Vet Day" with Dr. Jana--ultrasound, blood draws, checking up on previous procedures on some crias--and retreated read more...
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