Dere's a 'Paca in da Pool!

Keeping cool in summer is a challenge. I come indoors at day's end with clothing that can literally be wrung out. It must be far worse for the heavily-fleeced alpacas, animals bred and raised high in the cool reaches of the Andes mountains. Sure, we took them for shearing in April, but still they droop in the hot, humid air.

The kiddie pools have been in the alpaca pastures for a couple of weeks now and only Goldie Rose (shown) and Hamilton have taken to lying in them. Van, our other adult female, will step into the pool to be hosed down but won't snuggle into the cool wetness pooling about her feet. (For those who wonder, all that muddy water visible in the pool came directly from Goldie's knees and legs. Her light coat not only shows the dirt better, it seems to hold an inordinate amount of the stuff when compared to the other alpacas.)

Of the males, usually Gregs or Shaun like to lie in the mud when the hose is on, but neither has taken to the pool. So far only Hamilton, the black unintact male, has become eager to clamber into the pool when he sees the hose coming, then to cush (that's the word for the way camelids settle themselves down atop their folded legs). He looks quite pleased when he gets the pool to himself without any competition.

Although LaLa, the female goose who has been staying in the pastures with the camelids, will eye the water (as she's doing in the photo with Goldie), so far she has not tried chasing an alpaca out of the pool. Later on the floating feathers will speak of her having had playtime, but I'm glad such time is not at the alpacas' expense.

Worthy of note: LaLa has abandoned the three eggs in her nest. I've not seen her setting atop them for many days; however, she has also made no attempt to hop the fence to join JoJo--the gander who's lording it over the fowl down by the house. The pair drifts to one another along the fence, but seem quite content to remain separated by the sagging woven wire of the old home-pasture fence.

Hay Again

Haying season has arrived again. When I spoke with our neighbor across the way to tell him how gratifying it is to look out over his pastures each day and to watch him laboring with the harvest, he was glad that someone got pleasure out of his labors. I had actually gone over to share a few of the farm note cards and postcards we've been creating here, since some include views of his land and labors.

Now that his cows are off the hayfield for the season, we watch them moving about in the fields beyond the hayfield. Although more distant, they still feel very much the close neighbors.

Some of the wild weather we've had in May and now in June has been just as entertaining. One evening driving home from enumerating for the 2010 Census in Rutherford County, I felt like I spent more time watching the sky than the road because low-hanging clouds were beginning to churn into a funnel and I had every hope of outrunning any chance of landing in Kansas before reaching home. I do love the winds, clouds, and driving rains. And the portraits drawn across the sky give me great pleasure to watch.

The sky is so big here. She's an ocean unto herself with a colorful pallet of paints at hand to portray her moods. I feel blessed to have such a prime seat for her many shows.

My Beak, Your Muzzle

JoJo the gander makes it his business to snap at as many animals as he can catch in any given day. Young puppies or kids submit in fear under his attacks. Older ones are less fearful, although JoJo has been known to "ride" adult goats or dogs as he chases them.

Oddly enough Ms. Kathleen, who is just shy of a year old, seems to have taken a shine to JoJo's attentions. Rather than seeing the attacks as malicious, she seems to view them as acceptable attention of a sort. Perhaps she even accepts his nips as a form of scratching.

Whatever she's thinking, I'm amused to watch them meet across a fence. Kathleen comes smiling to the barrier on her side. JoJo stalks up, neck outstretched, to the panel through which he can walk when he so chooses. The dog lies down and places her head within the gander's easy reach. When he reaches in to nibble, she seems pleased to receive the attention.

I still have not quite figured out this strange relationship; however, the two animals seem quite content with their odd arrangement. Stranger things have happened, I am sure.

In Honor of Sweet Pea

 Although felines get little attention in these blog posts, their presence around the farm gives us pleasure nonetheless. One of the cats to grace our yard was a visitor from next door, a fluffy, one-eyed cat named Sweet Pea. On occasion I might encounter him somewhere around the front or side of the house, heading busily for some definite destination, lurking in the grass, or just lazing in the sun. 

 After Annabelle and Barney arrived to become our official barn cats, and once they got settled in, we believe that Barney as Sweet Pea tangled a time or two. Barney certainly came home with his sleek, black coat thinned in places. When our neighbor Theresa reported that Sweet Pea had been fighting, we figured out that Sweet Pea was most likely Barney's adversary in the yard.

Sadly, this morning Theresa found Sweet Pea dead beside her driveway. He appeared to have been poised for attack; he did not go down without a fight. We're hoping that Barney is not to blame, but Theresa did say that Sweet Pea has been unwell, and that he even had an odor of death clinging to him when she last saw him.

So long Sweet Pea. You will be missed. Happy Hunting in Kitty Heaven!

Waiting on Water

June has rolled in wearing a full-length cloak of humidity, buttoned up tight to her chin. Breathing deeply is a challenge. Staying hydrated is a full time job as the sheen of perspiration coats one immediately after stepping outdoors.

Today the mares enjoyed a few bites of green in the enclosure down front, eagerly awaiting the day when the first automatic waterers will be installed and a pasture with an endless water supply is provided for them. Right now they have half of a 55-gallon plastic drum serving as a pasture watering hole, but in this weather it's known to get sucked dry in short order. Then the gals paw at their bucket so that it flips on its side and rolls down the hill...ensuring that they'll have to wait for me to fetch it back to where the hose can reach it before they get more.

The closest automatic watering trough will be installed just a few feet from where the gals were grazing today. This project was begun about a year ago when we had a well drilled to provide fresh water for the farm. Days with heavy equipment driving over the pastures and through the woods resulted in a myriad of ditches until the water lines could be installed and the ditches filled in again. Between time and weather, getting the job done has not been easy. One good rain results in ground boggy enough to trap any of the heavy equipment needed for the job and days must pass before the ground becomes dry enough to work again. Since last summer we've had a mountain of ten Ritchie sheep-and-goat watering troughs awaiting installation. Very soon we hope to have the first three up and running.

The plastic troughs themselves are quite affordable, but the rock (at least six inches thick, if my recollection is right) and the four-inch-thick cement pad required beneath each trough gets costly--especially when the trough will be located on a slope, as most of ours must be. Plus, most of the materials cannot be delivered directly to the sites. The rock, gravel, even cement must get carted to each site by the bucket load. We're lucky to have conscientious, experienced help for this job who not only aim to get the job done with an eye on the long-range cost, but who also are responsible working around the various animals on this farm.

When all is done and even after the bills are all paid, we'll be indebted to Ash Drilling and Bowen Backhoe & Dozer Service for years to come.