And the Snow Keeps Coming (And Happy Belated Valentines Day)

So we've had a lot of snow the last couple of weeks and getting to work has been interesting - more so than usual. The kids have been out of school the last two days and two days last week so it's looking like the school year will be getting longer.
We've got so much snow that we were able to go snowmobiling yesterday (for a very short time - because my new career as a snowmobiler came to a crashing end).
Here the boy and I are getting ready to take off - we didn't come back the way we left. While we were trying to turn around, I got caught in a snow bank and slid and ended up tipping us over into the guide lines of the power pole. Nice! The boy was screaming - I thought he was really hurt - he wasn't, but he milked it for all it was worth. We had a miraculous healing this morning I'm told. Anyway, needless to say we were done with the fun for the day ;-(

The daughter and I did come back (all before the unfortunate end to my new career). We had a lot of fun while it lasted.

It reminded me of my childhood in Iowa and our neighbors had snowmobiles and they used to take us out on them.

Last Friday between the snow storms, we had a Llama Club meeting. We cleaned up the barn a bit and then took some of the Girls out for a walk. Three of the four we took are pregnant and I think are due at the end of April through about June.

We have the girl and boy child in front walking Alexis and Melody.

At right we have the boy child and Melody. We think that one of ours (Sid) is with cria as well but I don't know for sure as she isn't showing the "normal" signs (spitting at the males) but she has become very affectionate which I'm told she does when she is pregnanat. She has also put on some weight so it's either she is pregnant or just fat. I'm hoping for pregnant because I really want a baby and if she is my best guess is she will be due in some time this summer. We are also planning to breed Peach this spring as well for next spring so one way or another I'll get my crias. We may test Sid with Paso this spring as well just to be sure.

Before I go for today, Happy Belated Valentines Day! I worked for a little bit on Sunday - the pizza business doesn't stop and we had a V-day promo going and then the kids went skating with the church. My boss gave me a small box of chocolates because he said I didn't have a valentine this year because of my "situation" (that's what he is calling the divorce - a situation). I didn't tell him that even though I had been married for over 9 years I only got something for valentiene's day one time in 2006. I got Jack my alpaca and a dozen roses. I just accepted his candy and sat in my office and cried. Then I went rollar skating with the kids.

Happy Belated New Year!

If I've told you once, I'll tell you a million times, I can't be trusted to update here on a regular basis.
When last we were together, I was telling you about the sad little house...well, it turned out to be worse than we thought. I had my friend Greg (he and his wife Vicki are boarding my animals while we look for a house) come up to take a look and give me the straight scoop. Greg does house restoration for a living so I figured who better to ask.
Not only did the house need a new roof and gutters, new plumbing and electric, but it is termite infested inside and out. There is no septic system in place other than a hose run out from the corner of the basement. The day we went back, there was water puddled in the basement and upon further investigation, we found that three of the four walls were bowing with deep cracks. So, along with everything else, the basement walls would need to be rebuilt too at which point the decision for me was made that if we went further, we would build a new house. The land is perfect for what we need but the house definitely is not. We stood around and joked about the bank who has the property when they said the house could be made livable for $20,000. It would take that much just to make the basement sound and then three to four times that to do all the other work that needs to be done before moving in.
The boy child and I went tonight to look at another house which was much better but the land is a little wonky. We could make it work but we are going to watch the property and keep looking.
The next hurdle is being able to get a loan to even buy a house but I am working on that and will do whatever it takes to make it happen for my kids.
So last year my new year's resolution was to learn to blog which I did (I don't do it well but it's a start). My other resolution was to finish the socks I started the year before. I still need to finish those socks ;-0) I'm finding that knitting in the round on double pointed needles isn't as easy as some make it look.
My resolution this year is to get my kids secure in a house and move on from the crap that has been our life the last year. Fingers crossed, it will be over the first of March.
If I have time tomorrow, I will try my very best to be back here with some photos of cute animals and finished projects.
y

A Sad Little House

So the kids and I are needing a place to move to. Jack (my hay guy) told me about a farm house just up the road from him that the family had lost. I didn't think to much about it and asked a realator friend to check it out not really thinking I could afford "a farm" but what would it hurt to at least check it out?
Well, we went yesterday to check it out and it was sad. The price is right (more than right), but the house "needs work". As in it needs all new wiring, plumbing, a roof, gutters, sheetrock, doors and windows. The foundation is sound and the flooring is in good shape it's just everything else.
We really want to keep our animals and we could if we got this property 7+ acres, with a partial barn.
Luckily I have friends who can help guide me and give me the straight scoop as to whether we gut the house and fix it up (which I can see the potential in my head - but sometimes my head is a very scary place), or if we tear it down and move something else in.
It would be so very cool if I could get my kids a house for Christmas.
Gotta go and get my plants watered and everything else gathered up to get ready for the big eve party. I also should probably finish the couple of gifts too.
Later
y

BUSY (and then some)

It seems I can't be trusted to update here on a regular basis. Sorry...been really busy!
Halloween came and went, Thanksgiving came and went and here in just four days we have Christmas! My, where does the time go?
Normally this time of year between the middle of October to the middle of December I am knee deep in making ornaments for various organizations (my girl scout troop started 8 years ago makeing ornaments for the BC TRIAD and it grew from there). Last year we made over 1,000 ornaments that were divided up between a few organizations with the majority going over seas to Afghanistan and Iraq with Hoosiers Helping Our Troops. This year because of the BIG D and the organizer of HHOT in Hospice and the working of two jobs and raisng two kids and trying to stay sane in the midst of it all I just flat out didn't have the time to devote to the full out ornament project this year. Maybe next year. I really enjoy the project and the kids (the girl scouts, boy scouts and 4-H) that I work with really like the project to (however by the time it is over they are all sick of it). It is really great when we get a thank you note and the kids (my son especially) love the notes that come from the soldiers and I think the notes help them understand a little bit more what the project and thier time mean to other people. The cub scouts did manage to make about 100 ornaments this year and they went to the TRIAD who put them in the gift boxes to needy families in the county.
I've also been busy with all the shopping and making for Christmas. I have a few co-workers left for tomorrow and then all the work folks are done. The package going to my family is leaving today. We can't go to Iowa for Christmas this year because of the BIG D and what I had to do to keep my son safe and hopefully that will be over soon and we can make the trip.
Lots of other stuff going on and I will try to get here to update. I have lots of pictures to share and other news.
Gota run and get to the post office.
y

It's Been A While (69 Days To Be Exact)

So sorry it has been so long, been really busy!

When last we met, I mentioned that we had the county and state fair coming up. They both came and went in a blur.

The Daughter and Peach did very well in the county fair and came out of the State Fair with an 8th place finish in PR. All in all, they had a very good year considering this was their first year working together and this was the first year that Peach had EVER been worked with. We have a parade this weekend and then we are done until next spring when we start back up and get ready for the Kentuckiana show in April.

This is Wyatt Erp (my God Llama)...he is an awesome Llama that a friend rescued from the humane society last November. Since my friend didn't have a way to transport him, I went and got him for her and delivered him to her place. He had some issues. When we got him, he was under weight, had knarly nails (which he still has, but we are working on them), and really rough fleece. But, he had an awesome personality! Once we got him in the trailer (one of us pulling and one of us pushing - he isn't a big fan of the trailer) and "home", we started giving him lots of TLC and he has put on weight, we are getting his nails straightend out and after we got him sheared and cleaned up, we found he had some nice fleece start to come back in. Well, since last November Wyatt has lost his new home, but found a new one. Again, I had the duty of taking him to his new (and I hope forever) home.

It's time for a nap! The day I was out taking these images he kept yawning. He finally went and laid down to take a nap.

Here are my babies Pactrick (laying down) and Jack (standing). They are down with Wyatt for the time being until we can find a new place to live. They love it where they are at...lots of grass to roll around in and eat!
And, on a sad note, Virgina got out of her house outside and is missing. If you see a sloth possum out sauntering around who likes chocolate icecream and cookies, let us know! We miss her a LOT!

At the end of June, our 4-H Llama club participated in a show up in Noblesville for three days. Here are the kids from our club that attended. There are two that are missing who couldn't stay for the third day. Overall our 8 kids (of over the 100 kids that participated) did VERY well in the competitions. My two llamas are the two in the Middle Xancoo and Peach (they are brother and sister). Xanny took first in showman ship, second in PR, second in obstacles and fourth in pack. Very good showing for this being his second show. He has a very good handler this year. Peach got first in fleece.

We are now getting ready for our county fair and then after that will be the state fair and then we are done showing until next spring.

Here we have Peach and the daughter with the judge during Intermediate showmanship. There were over 30 kids in this division that they split it in two. I have a feeling the state fair will be huge as well this year. Peach is a good girl and this is her first year being shown and she is we think about three years old. She is very inquisitive and is so funny sometimes. She is self loading when it comes to the trailer meaning we don't have to halter and lead her to get her to go in. Not a lot of llamas will do that.

All three llamas and the three alpacas all have different personalities which is very fun sometimes and others not so much. Everyone asks the first time they meet one of them "they spit right?" or "I'm not getting near it cause I don't want to get spit on". As far as the spitting is concerned, they mostly spit at each other and it's mostly over food. However if you irritate one they will usually give you a warning before they give you a good spit. And, look out if you do get spit on because it is going to stink!

If you have a chance to visit your county or state fair check to see if they are having a llama show and go check it out. You will learn a lot and see some amazing animals.

Random Animalness

This week I have been helping the children work on their 4-H projects for the upcoming fairs that we are participating in. We have been going thorough all of the photos for the scrapbook and analysing images for the Photography poster and the boy has been taking pictures for his Llama project.

So while we were looking at all of the stuff we have crammed on the computer, I thought I would share some of our zoo with you....would any of you like to come and help scoop poop this weekend?

This is Ted the alpaca before we sheared him a few weeks ago. He just had a birthday on Sunday July 5. He's a good boy once you catch him and get a halter on him and he sings...a lot! Of all of our Lamas he is the talker of the bunch. *Lamas with one L is to include both the Llama and Alpaca family.

This is Snickers.

We got her last year when

she looked like the photo on the left (which is her at about 3 weeks old). She came from a farm where her mama had her in someones attic. The owners decided to evict mama and then found out she had babies. There were two of them and her sibling decided he would rather live in a tree and we couldn't get him down.

I picked snickers up and brought her home and we bottle fed her and she grew up and moved to the big house outside and accidentally met up with Scooter and this year Snickers became a mama herself.

She has four little ones that she is done with (meaning they are weaned). She is a really good mom and is still just as friendly as ever and will let you pick her up and carry her around still. She is also a thief so if you come for a visit leave your shiny stuff in the car because she will take it.

Here are part of the Lama gang and Marley. They were all very curious about each other. Our two femals were very concerned and tried to "mother" him over the fence. They all sniffed and inspected him but none of them ever tried to spit at him or scare him off in any way.

Here we have a reappearance of Virginia. This is a baby picture with Bo. She was such a cute little thing. She went through many "looks" as she grew from the mouse/rat

looking thing when we first found her to the

little hedgehog looking thing here to the possum look she has today.

The only thing that never really

changed was her tail and it seems to be

the one thing most people comment on when they meet her for the first time. That and all of her teeth when she yawns.

Bo was such a good "daddy" to all of the baby critters. Virgina used to climb all over him and he never minded a bit . Above we have her making the rounds through the house.

Well, that's it for today. Next up some Lama Love and maybe some cats and dogs.

later