Donkey Protects Alpacas

The alpaca girls and  donkey Taco Belle have been with me three weeks.  They have been sharing a barn with the retired cows, but they are separated from the cows by gates and walls, and they have had a little quarter acre paddock all to themselves to graze.  Unlike goats, the alpaca girls prefer to graze choice grasses and ignore the broad leaf weeds, so their little pasture is getting sparse.

Tabitha, who spits at me and Hollywick

The pasture next to the barn has the barn at the south end and the chicken house at the north end. It's about an acre and a half.  It is the last pasture the three retired cows visit each evening on their rotation through their seven acres of pasture and woods.  I decided to let the alpacas have the pasture for the morning while I was home and could keep an eye on them. I can shut a gate on the north end of the pasture and the cows can't get in to harm the little guys.  I was, however, concerned that a coyote might spot them and try to kill one.  Even though Taco Belle is supposed to protect them from predators, I wasn't sure that the little donkey would be up to the task, so I stayed close by working in the yard.

Taco Belle, Pixel and on the far right, Eclair

All the alpacas and the donkey were thrilled with the pasture.  They began immediately to graze around the barn area.  I decided to let the chickens out onto the pasture as well, since the donkey was on duty. While the animals grazed, I worked in the yard where I could see them.  All of a sudden I saw Taco Belle run across the pasture toward the chicken house, stop dead in the middle of the field and then wheel and run back to the alpacas herding them into the cow's side of the barn as she went. 

Poor Hollywick never takes a good picture!

The chickens were not saying a word and I looked carefully to see what had spooked Taco Belle.  I saw no coyote or raccoon or any other predator type animal -- except my big 20 pound yellow neutered male cat, Tigger. Tigger was sunning himself on top of a manure pile just west of the chicken house.  Taco Belle obviously thought Tigger was a threat.

Ginger, the adult alpaca, enjoying lush grasses.

Once Taco Belle had all the alpaca girls in the cow's loafing part of the barn, she suddenly realized there was only one way in an out of the barn from the pasture side and they were trapped.  Immediately she herded all the girls out and through the gate and into their side of the barn where they have a backdoor and a front door. I was trilled to wittness Taco Belle in action. She is very serious about her guard duties and I feel much better about the safety of the little herd.  Tigger didn't stay on the manure pile much longer and pretty soon he was playing tag in the front yard with Pippi and Little Joe.  Cautiously Taco Belle allowed the alpacas back on the pasture.

Taco Belle on the job

I continued working in the yard only I'd moved to the other side of the house and did not have a view of the pasture.  All of a sudden I heard the chickens sound the alarm.  I rounded the side of the house expecting to see a coyote coming through the woods with a chicken in its mouth from all the screaming that was going on, but all I saw around the chicken house were the alpacas and Taco Belle.  The chickens were all in their house screaming bloody murder.  I decided there must be a raccoon in the house and headed that way on the run.  Inside the  chicken house, the hens were all running around from room to room cackling and hollering but no raccoon or any other predator was evident.  I had to conclude they were afraid of the alpacas who probably look like big, long necked dogs to them.  Just about then, something spooked Taco Belle and she herded everyone back to the barn.  The chickens immediately stopped their hollering. Never a dull moment!

Princess Tea and Charm School Boot Camp

We took a chance that, with the popularity of the fairy tale princesses, girls would want to come to a tea where they learned how to act like real princesses.  And it seems we were right, because this event is filling up fast. It is next Saturday from 1:30 to 3:30.  Each princess in training is asked to bring a book that is approximately 6 inches by 9 inches or there abouts.  Can you guess how the book will be used?

Just $20.00 for an afternoon of crafts, food and etiquette, girls 6 -12 only!

Cats Keeping Cool

Pippi sleeping on a large, potted Boston fern on the back porch.

This is Pippi Longstockings, the Pipster for short. He's the head cat.  When he was less than a year old he started sleeping in this fern during the winter while it was housed in the mud room.  The poor fern would spend the winter trampled flat.  He has left it along the last two years,  and it recovered nicely.
With the heat and humidity already in June, Pipster is back using the fern as a bed.

Ezekiel waiting his turn

I snapped this picture of Zeke at the same time.  He was flirting with me from one of the wicker chairs on the porch. When I came home from work, Pippi had gone hunting ( or maybe fishing as the cats love to bring me frogs)  and Zeke was asleep on the fern. I guess the fern will have to endure the summer as a cat bed.

Catalpas in Bloom

I always enjoy my Monday mornings. It's the one day of the week that I keep just for myself - to work on the farm and enjoy just being home for the day.  This morning I had my morning cafe au lait on the back porch and enjoyed the sweet scent of the catalpa trees in bloom.

Three weeks ago or more there were catalpas blooming all over the area. There used to be an old farm house back a  long lane on Cook Road and the lane was lined with catalpa trees. The road frontage for the farm was also lines with catalpa trees. The farm sold to a developer and now its called Catalpa Ridge (or some such thing) and the property is full of nice, upscale houses. All of those trees bloomed profusely this year, but I don't remember a scent coming from them.

Iron's Fruit Farm, a next door neighbor, also has some venerable catalpas that bloomed in late May.  So did Glendower historic mansion in Lebanon.But the catalpas on our property bloom always about three weeks after the Irons and Cook Road trees.

Catalpas are easy to grow.  They are almost weed like. We are forever pulling seedlings out of the flower beds at Glendower. I've often though I ought to pot them up and sell them at the garden club's plant sale in early May,  but some how I never get around to it. Besides, most trees transplant best in the fall.  The old timers revered them for fence posts.  Apparently they are rot resistant.

This catalpa displays clusters of big white flowers  that smell softly sweet.

Hosta Crisis

Hostas, hydrangea and a hellebore hiding behind the hostas

Most of my landscape plants seemed to really like the cold, snowy winter we just went through. A couple of things died, but many plants did better than ever. My iris and peonies bloomed the best they have in years.

And the hostas are taking over.  Pictured is a bed along the back porch on the north wet corner.  These hostas having been living here for sometime along with a really nice hellebore and a couple of hydrangeas.  This year the hostas have taken over.

Last year I divided these guys and planted the division along the other end of the porch.  They made nice neat plants last year, but this year they are monsters.

Taco Arrives!

Taco Bell

Taco arrived last evening to take up residence as the official defender of the alpaca girls.  Taco is a she, so I'm going to extend her name and call her Taco Bell.  She is a very sweet little Franciscan donkey (also known as a burro). Taco Bell seems to be feeling right at home. So far her favorite munchy is ragweed!

The alpaca girls have settled in as well and are enjoying green pastures. Just to keep everybody safe I've been locking them all in the barn at night.  Even with Taco Bell on duty, I'd rather not risk the little alpacas becoming coyote dinner.

Taco Bell loves to much on ragweed!!

Alpacas Join the Farm

Eclair, Ginger, Pixel, Tabitha and Hollywick joined the farm.

I've made some changes on the farm this spring.  When the herd of Black Angus cattle  that had boarded with me for three years, finally got a farm of their own, I was left with only 16 head of cattle a a dozen chickens. Three of the cows are too old to breed again and three of them are yearling or older bulls.

Unfortunately all my bees died (but honestly bees were not my thing), so I sold the hive to a friend who really loves bees.

Then a colleague from work, Mallory,  contacted me to say her farm was seriously downsizing its alpaca herd.  She made me a very good deal on five little girls and a donkey named Taco.  The alpacas arrived last evening and as you can see have settled in pretty well.  They are having their evening ration of sweet feed. Taco is meant to be the protector and is arriving late this evening. Coyotes have killed two chickens this month and caused a riot with the cattle resulting in broken gates, broken little trees and lilac bushes. Hopefully Taco is up to the task of fending them off.

That's Hollywick looking at us.  They have all just been sheared.

Several of my family members hand spin and many of us knit. My angora goats died a couple of years ago (mohair) and the last of the sheep died last winter of old age. We suddenly found ourselves with nothing to spin or knit!  Alpaca fleece makes very soft warm yarn. I'd purchased a little winter hat for baby Natalie made from Mallory last summer and the more I thought about that lovely soft yarn the more I thought it might be time to get some alpacas.  I did not purchase a male. My interest at this point in time in strictly fleece. Besides, three of the girls are less than a year old. And Mallory's family even sheared them for me and gave me the fleece in the deal. So a new adventure begins. The cows don't know what to think!