Alpacas in the Dark

A funny thing happens to the herd when the sun goes down.  Even when we are still working and the floodlights are on in the barn, the mothers and their babies definitely know that night is nigh.  The babies, often ranging around in their own groups away from their mothers, go back to their mothers’ side and hang close from then on.  The constant grunting and jockeying for the best spots at the trough die down and the low hum of contented alpacas soon takes over.  Slowly, imperceptibly almost, everything slows down and we’re left with the soft rustle of feet on straw and a few contented hums from nursing babies.

I was lucky enough to both be present at this time but also to have my camera with me.  The shot you see above gives some of the feeling of that time of day.

Once we had our own young safely belted in the truck and were ready to leave, I called out “Goodnight, Alpacas.”  I was rewarded with a short chorus of hums, followed quickly by silence. 

Here’s to moms with babies and happy humming.

Winter Sleeps

The terms sleep and winter seem to go together in the modern ethos.  We talk of the quiet of winter with words like blanket, cover, hibernation, slumber – heck, I’ve done that myself (see prior posts).  However, the weather this week has given me a new meaning of “winter sleeps.”  We’ve had an unseasonably warm week, with temperatures in the high 30’s and rain for the last two days.  Much of the snow has melted into sticky slush yet again and the drip drop from the rapidly shrinking icicles is a constant accompaniment.

However, spring has definitely not sprung.  Winter merely sleeps and will soon return in all its normal force. 

We’re supposed to see snow tomorrow, rapidly decreasing temperatures, and the return of heavy snow by Wednesday.  For my part, I wish it comes back stronger than before.  Having grown up in Southern California, I feel cheated whenever the snow on the ground doesn’t hold through the entire season.  Of course, no longer having to negotiate that snow with a small commuter car does help my outlook in heavy winter weather, but that’s beside the point.

Time for Candlemaking

Although we ordered our supplies from three different places at three different times, all three boxes arrived together yesterday.  The jars are beautiful, the wicks look large enough, and the scents . . . oh the scents.  My wife and I gave ourselves headaches smelling all of them last night.  They're a little potent in raw form but they will be wonderful once they're encased in beeswax.

Now begins the easy part, pouring the samples for the farms to which we plan to market the candles.  Whether they sell or not, one thing is for sure - our house is going to smell wonderful for the next few days while we mix and pour the candles.  The last time I poured the pumpkin souffle candles we all gained a few pounds - the sugary scent caused us all to overeat for a few days.

A New Year

Things are clearly changing on the farm, for the better we hope.  Our weekends, while still filled with our own chores as well as what we do up at SuperSuris to help them out, are less hectic and more varied – especially so as the store at SuperSuris will now be ‘by appointment.’  There just aren’t enough shoppers to keep the store open through the whole year.  Not yet, anyway.

Most of the other farms in Green Bluff are doing something similar – most having shut down until next fall.  Now is the time for recovery before the inevitable rush of prepping the fields and sowing the next crop.  The wheat fields are all covered in a blanket of snow, a condition that will likely continue through April at least, probably later.  The orchards are bare, the canes free of both berries and leaves, and everything sleeps under its frozen coverlet, waiting for the sun to be warm again and for the wind to stop blowing.

And yet, life for the alpacas continues.  Babies must be halter trained (as comedic as that can be on snow and ice), health needs must be seen to, and the endless shoveling in of hay and out of droppings must continue.  In one thing the care of the animals is a bit easier.  Because the ground is well covered by snow, and because alpacas are notably shy about slippery surfaces, they largely stay in the barns, limiting the piles of droppings from the widely spread piles of fall to only a few spots in the barn.  This makes cleaning easier but simultaneously smellier, as the stench is concentrated.  Still, it takes less time to clean up and feed as it did during the fall.

Only two babies still have blankets tied securely to their backs.  The rest are fleeced out and happily munching hay alongside their compatriots.  The weanlings are starting to get used to the idea that they no long have access to “mom” and her seemingly endless supply of milk.  Things are definitely settling down into a routine.

Days Off on the Farm

Okay, arguably there are no days off on a farm.  Regardless of the day, the chickens must be fed, the fire must be chopped, the various waterers freed of their icy prisons, and so on.  But when you're a small urban concern with two "regular" jobs that pay for your farming, days off can be key.  Today is New Years Eve and, thankfully, both my and my wife's employers have given us today off in lieu of the First, which is a Saturday. 

So, what to do?  Do we run to the movies?  Enjoy time in a park?  Go on a drive?  Nah.  Today is groceries, and feeding animals, and stoking the fire, organizing the kitchen for the coming candle making rush, and making appetizers for our neighbor's party tonight.  And yet, the pressure to go to our 9-5's is not there, making these common tasks more enjoyable.

Wherever you are and however you will spend the holiday, we at Odd Ducks Farm wish you a Happy New Year.  For us, it's more work but we love it.

Hibernating Or Simply Somnambulant?

Is it possible that people hibernate?  Or am I just lazy?  It's exceedingly difficult to tell whenever winter really damps down our activity as it has this week.  Snow has been falling for the last two days and even though we're snug and warm inside (with a good fire going, I assure you) I still find it hard to get up and do anything around the house.

It could simply be the lull between Christmas and New Years, leading us to rest and recuperate before everything starts up again (we have at least two parties to go to this weekend) or it could be the lack of sunlight.  Either way, I want to get up off my butt and do something, but the moment I stand up I can feel my will ebbing slowly away. 

Tomorrow is water/food day for the chickens.  The thought of roving bands of renegade chickens should motivate me to get off my but for at least that much work.  Nobody wants to face a hungry chicken in 18 degree weather, least of all me.

Searching, Always Searching

It's been a long time since we've made candles in any quantity and for any purpose other than home use.  We forgot the intense amount of trial and error, between the selection of the right containers, the right colors, the right fragrances, and - most daunting of all - the correct choice of wick.  There are just so darn many variables!

That being said, we have decided on our first ten scents we will offer.  They are:

Winter Spruce
Blueberry Cheesecake
Cedarwood Vanilla
Fresh Cotton
Cranberry Marmalade
Garden Rose
Spiced Pomegranate
Pumpkin Cream Souffle
Sugar Cookie
Wildberries and Cream

A Confluence of Potential Motion

I woke this morning, groggy after the holiday, and let the dogs out to pee as usual.  As I was about to bring them back in, I heard a terrific crash outside and much barking from our little Queensland heeler.  I rushed outside to find that she had wedged herself behind the woodpile and succeeded, with all 30 of her pounds, to push the pile over into the snow.

And I had just finished stacking all that wood a few days earlier.

Needless to say, she spent the morning cowering in the corner, sure of her impending doom, while I went about my day.  It wasn’t until just now that I was able to go out and survey the damage.

As it turns out, I’m glad I didn’t come down too hard on her.  The frozen ground, suitably strong to hold up the wood for the weekend, had thawed to the point that the rack broke through the frozen crust, causing the whole pile to pitch over into the yard.  Our poor dog was merely the straw that broke the camel’s back on this one.

I am back inside now, having just spent the last hour paying for my own mistakes.  I placed thin boards under each narrow foot, hoping that the frozen ground would hold better with the weight spread out a bit.  With the coming sub-freezing temperatures and up to a foot of snow, I think we’ll be okay for a while.

Why is so much of homesteading a two steps forward one step back proposition?

Warm Fires and Warm Hearts

I hope all of you had as good a Christmas as we did.  The kids' appetite for new playthings is well sated, our larders are more full than they were prior, and we're all nestled before the fire enjoying the warmth from the hearth inside and the blowing winds outside.  Light a fire, pour a good mug of 'nog, and enjoy the last few hours of the Christmas weekend.  Cheers!

Warmth in Wood

We have, in our current home, a wonderful brick fireplace that can keep the main floor of the house toasty for hours, even after the fire is out.  However, being an urban farm means that wood can be expensive or downright hard to come by.  Not so anymore.  Our friends put us on to a wonderful farm in Idaho, Blacksmith Farms, that sells firewood and home logs for good prices (including delivery). 

We had to wait a few weeks, this being winter and all, but two days ago a beautiful load of wood was dumped unceremoniously in our driveway.  It took me both afternoons since then to stack it all neatly in the backyard, but boy was the work worth it. 

I’m tired, I’m sore, but for those two afternoons I was definitely warm – all without having to burn the wood.  As it stands now, we have more than a winter’s worth stored up in the backyard along the fences.  Now that we have plenty, I plan to have a warm fire going any day I’m working at home – either on farm business or my “day job.”

Here's to a long day of fireside warmth and gift giving . . . only two more days to go.