I am relieved to say there will be no Canada Post strike, and all mail will be accepted and delivered. That is good news for those who rely on the postal service to ship products nationally and internationally.
We spent the weekend camping in the rain. The first downpour hit just as we unhooked the trailer from the truck, and it got leveled between showers. Over the course of the weekend, we had 3 1/2", which is a lot for such a short time. There were other areas that had that much in a matter of hours, not days.
Our trailer was built in the seventies, and is little and sans-bathroom. Plans for one a little bigger are in the works, so trips will be a little more enjoyable - especially when it's pouring rain and one has to pee. As it is just the two of us, we aren't looking for one that is huge, nor do we need it to sleep a lot of people. A separate bedroom and a bit more room inside is all we need. Plus, and outdoor kitchen would be a nice touch.
I took my knitting with me, as well as my Camp NaNo Project. Sadly I did not get a single word written, but I did figure out how to increase and decrease stitches in my knitting. Knitting and I have had an ongoing battle for years; we agree to disagree. I can crochet almost anything, but put needles in my hands and I am stuck in the garter stitch. I am trying, because I would love to knit some socks from alpaca yarn. I see so many neat pairs being knit when I log into my Instagram account. It would be wonderful to have my own socks to share one day.
On the farm side of things, I made a sad discovery on Sunday when I went to do my chores. I found one of my male alpacas dead in the pen. I'm not sure what happened to him, as there were no visible marks on him. My thinking is either he ended up with a bound intestine or the loud thunder caused him to have a heart attack. He was perfectly fine Saturday evening, and being his usual try-to-get-past-the-lady self. It's always sad to lose an animal. As my daughter's 4-H leader said several years ago - if you have livestock, you have dead-stock. That is so true.
To help with the cost of hay and feed this winter, I am working on a Sponsor-an-Alpaca package. This is the first year we will have to buy hay, and the cost is going to set us back at least several hundred dollars. If the rain stops and the hay fields dry out, we should be able to get a truckload locally for a decent price. If not, then the cost will be substantially higher. I am hoping for the former.
Speaking of alpacas, it is time for me to go feed and water them. Feeding right now involves moving panels to a new patch of green grass, which usually takes me a half hour. I have a short shift at the library today, so I can do the larger move this afternoon.
If you are interested in sponsoring an alpaca, please comment below. I will work out the details and provide a link on the sidebar.
Have a great day!
Showing posts with label alpacas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label alpacas. Show all posts
Wednesday, 13 July 2016
Tuesday, 5 July 2016
Camp NaNo, Alpacas and Canada Post
Here it is, already July 5th! It seemed like only yesterday the year had just begun.
I haven't done any real camping this month yet, but I have been placed in a cabin with others from around the world in Camp NaNoWriMo. So far I have written just over one thousand words. My cabin-mates are also at different stages of their projects; some have several thousand words written, while others have not updated their counts as of yet.
My alpacas are enjoying their green grass, and I am enjoying the fact they are cleaning up an area that has been overgrown for several years. Each day I move the panels to give them a new area to graze, and by month end I should be able to have them back in their original pens. That is, if I decide to keep them there. I do like the area they are grazing in better, as it is more sheltered and shaded. The rows of trees and shrubs make for a natural windbreak, which is ideal during the winter. And, I must start thinking about winter soon, as it will be here before we know it. The summers are always too short.
As many of you have heard, Canada Post is trying to come up with a solution to an ongoing wage battle. It is frustrating that they cannot resolve the issue, but on the same note there is no reason to lash out and be downright rude. I read a handful of comments on a photo of a Canada Post Outlet this morning, and not one of them was anywhere being close to courteous.
What many people fail to realize is it is not necessarily the workers themselves demanding more, but rather the people further up the food chain, so to speak. Sadly, the employees in the outlets get the most abuse as they are the ones in the public eye. I rely on Canada Post to get my packages to my customers, as do most small businesses. It is not limited to just businesses either; there are people who still depend on mail delivery for cheques, bills, bank statements and letters from family and friends. Not everyone has switched over to going completely paperless, and in all honesty I don't think that will ever happen.
Now, why don't we cut the average worker some slack and not be jerks about it all. These are people who have mouths to feed and bills to pay just like anyone else. I do agree that some changes could be made in respect to high-volume times, but for the most part it is a service we depend on. I wish people would think about the weather conditions and verbal abuse postal workers all over the world have to deal with before voicing such negativity.
On a more positive note, let's all enjoy the summer and be kind to one another. Life is meant to be enjoyed; not to go through being bitter and resenting everything and everyone that doesn't share your opinion. And speaking of opinions, now that I have voiced mine it is time to get on with my day and do something that will improve my life; not destroy someone else's.
Have a great day!
I haven't done any real camping this month yet, but I have been placed in a cabin with others from around the world in Camp NaNoWriMo. So far I have written just over one thousand words. My cabin-mates are also at different stages of their projects; some have several thousand words written, while others have not updated their counts as of yet.
My alpacas are enjoying their green grass, and I am enjoying the fact they are cleaning up an area that has been overgrown for several years. Each day I move the panels to give them a new area to graze, and by month end I should be able to have them back in their original pens. That is, if I decide to keep them there. I do like the area they are grazing in better, as it is more sheltered and shaded. The rows of trees and shrubs make for a natural windbreak, which is ideal during the winter. And, I must start thinking about winter soon, as it will be here before we know it. The summers are always too short.
As many of you have heard, Canada Post is trying to come up with a solution to an ongoing wage battle. It is frustrating that they cannot resolve the issue, but on the same note there is no reason to lash out and be downright rude. I read a handful of comments on a photo of a Canada Post Outlet this morning, and not one of them was anywhere being close to courteous.
What many people fail to realize is it is not necessarily the workers themselves demanding more, but rather the people further up the food chain, so to speak. Sadly, the employees in the outlets get the most abuse as they are the ones in the public eye. I rely on Canada Post to get my packages to my customers, as do most small businesses. It is not limited to just businesses either; there are people who still depend on mail delivery for cheques, bills, bank statements and letters from family and friends. Not everyone has switched over to going completely paperless, and in all honesty I don't think that will ever happen.
Now, why don't we cut the average worker some slack and not be jerks about it all. These are people who have mouths to feed and bills to pay just like anyone else. I do agree that some changes could be made in respect to high-volume times, but for the most part it is a service we depend on. I wish people would think about the weather conditions and verbal abuse postal workers all over the world have to deal with before voicing such negativity.
On a more positive note, let's all enjoy the summer and be kind to one another. Life is meant to be enjoyed; not to go through being bitter and resenting everything and everyone that doesn't share your opinion. And speaking of opinions, now that I have voiced mine it is time to get on with my day and do something that will improve my life; not destroy someone else's.
Have a great day!
Monday, 20 June 2016
Our Alpacas
Hello all,
It's hard to believe we have had our little alpaca herd for five years already. Our number is still at seven, but that is counting births, deaths and sales. It has been an interesting adventure, to say the least.
I grew up on a farm, but we raised cattle - not fiber animals. It wasn't until I was in my early 40's that I wanted to invest in livestock that didn't have to be sold regularly to make money. Being the crafty person that I am, I was more interested in animals I could keep for years and just harvest the fiber. As I started doing some research, I fell in love with alpacas. They were more my size, easy to care for and quite entertaining at times.
I learned about the fencing they need, the food they eat and how much space was needed for a small herd. To my surprise they needed a lot less space than I initially thought, which made them perfect for an acreage. We already had a fenced area in place which had initially been for the horses, so all we did was replace the barbed wire with page wire.
One thing I quickly learned was that they were escape artists. We had put them in a temporary area before we had the big pen ready, and they quickly figured out how to get out. Imagine my horror when they ran straight to the highway, which is a busy one. Acres and acres of grass in the yard, and they ran to the road!
Each has their own personality; some are a little crankier than others but still fairly easy to get along with. It is quite simple to see who is the boss when observing, and if the boss escapes the others will definitely follow. Last week I made two long walks to retrieve the herd because they found a hole to get through. No matter which one I thought I could entice to follow me with a little food, it was the boss who determined which way they went.
I learned alpacas cannot be chased, because that does not go over well with them. The easiest way to get them back where they belong is to be patient. Having a little grain in a bucket helps too. I felt like the Pied Piper, leading the herd. I can only imagine how comical it must have looked from a distance.
Alpacas are quite easy to care for, in my experience. I have read several horror stories on various Facebook groups, but overall we have not had any major issues. As someone once said to me "when you have livestock, you have deadstock", and that is so true. It is a fact of life, and although it can be heartbreaking one must move onward. I do not mean to sound heartless, because I cry every time we lose an animal (cat, dog, alpaca), but it is a fact of raising animals.
I am a self-taught spinner and have known how to crochet for 40 years. The opportunities are endless when it comes to raising alpacas, because they have given me so much inspiration. As a writer, they have even made their way into my novels.
The photo is one of our newest addition. She was born May 7, 2016 and is such a little sweetheart.
As you can see in the photo, her mother is in need of a haircut. If all goes according to plan that will take place this week. Have a great day all!
It's hard to believe we have had our little alpaca herd for five years already. Our number is still at seven, but that is counting births, deaths and sales. It has been an interesting adventure, to say the least.
I grew up on a farm, but we raised cattle - not fiber animals. It wasn't until I was in my early 40's that I wanted to invest in livestock that didn't have to be sold regularly to make money. Being the crafty person that I am, I was more interested in animals I could keep for years and just harvest the fiber. As I started doing some research, I fell in love with alpacas. They were more my size, easy to care for and quite entertaining at times.
I learned about the fencing they need, the food they eat and how much space was needed for a small herd. To my surprise they needed a lot less space than I initially thought, which made them perfect for an acreage. We already had a fenced area in place which had initially been for the horses, so all we did was replace the barbed wire with page wire.
One thing I quickly learned was that they were escape artists. We had put them in a temporary area before we had the big pen ready, and they quickly figured out how to get out. Imagine my horror when they ran straight to the highway, which is a busy one. Acres and acres of grass in the yard, and they ran to the road!
Each has their own personality; some are a little crankier than others but still fairly easy to get along with. It is quite simple to see who is the boss when observing, and if the boss escapes the others will definitely follow. Last week I made two long walks to retrieve the herd because they found a hole to get through. No matter which one I thought I could entice to follow me with a little food, it was the boss who determined which way they went.
I learned alpacas cannot be chased, because that does not go over well with them. The easiest way to get them back where they belong is to be patient. Having a little grain in a bucket helps too. I felt like the Pied Piper, leading the herd. I can only imagine how comical it must have looked from a distance.
Alpacas are quite easy to care for, in my experience. I have read several horror stories on various Facebook groups, but overall we have not had any major issues. As someone once said to me "when you have livestock, you have deadstock", and that is so true. It is a fact of life, and although it can be heartbreaking one must move onward. I do not mean to sound heartless, because I cry every time we lose an animal (cat, dog, alpaca), but it is a fact of raising animals.
I am a self-taught spinner and have known how to crochet for 40 years. The opportunities are endless when it comes to raising alpacas, because they have given me so much inspiration. As a writer, they have even made their way into my novels.
The photo is one of our newest addition. She was born May 7, 2016 and is such a little sweetheart.
As you can see in the photo, her mother is in need of a haircut. If all goes according to plan that will take place this week. Have a great day all!
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