Yeeoowwwww!

He's baccckkkkkkkk....

And he was on the hunt this afternoon when I got home from work.

I had no sooner taken this picture and turned around to start giving the chicks fresh water when....

He had silently come clear across the henhouse along the wall, and suddenly appeared almost at my feet... near the trough with the chicks.  The top shield is held down by two boards, the one on the other side is larger and heavier.

I finshed inside chores and went outside to get started, and about 20 minutes later came back in to get something... and literally almost stepped on Mr. Snake in the doorway... he ducked back under the storage cabinet.  Heavens knows there are so many mice in the henhouse, he shouldn't need young chick.

Meanwhile, out in the pasture pen... there's a hen party going on.

That's right, four little hens think they are all incubating the eggs NOW under the mille fleur on the right.  As she is my favorite of the mille fleurs in this pen, I'm cool with this.  In fact, I'm going to ask Keith to please finish the brooder box, because Mama and babies will need to go into it, so that the babies are not hurt after birth by the adults.  Remember, last year we had 21 of 22 chicks killed by other hens.

I'm not sure which of the mamas will get the honors to set the eggs.  They are about two weeks in at this point. 

Here's Aztec, at a year and a half.

Next Wednesday is Llama Rodeo Day, and the matted wool you see on Azzie's back is going to be removed.  She had only a partial shave for her first time last year.

70 Degrees on March 1st!  Unheard of!  I had to take my sweatshirt off while doing chores.

I thought you would enjoy seeing this picture of Tony.

I show this to you because I want everyone to see that THIS is the business end of Tony.  One blow from those powerful hips and rear legs, and Keith and I would be down.  I have been hit with a glancing blow three times now, that landed on the feed bucket.  Tony doesn't do it to hurt... he gets excited and does the Happy Llama Dance when he sees the feed bucket coming... however, I am discouraging this. His ears are back here because he's keeping an eye on Aztec to his left, and Ranger, who is running up and down the fence barking as if he had never seen a llama before.  (Daily).

I broke down today and saw my health-care provider, who gave me a Zpack and some cough syrup with codeine to try to combat what's left of this virus I have had for two weeks.  I hoping by the end of the weekend to be totally on the mend!

It has been a good two weeks since this picture was taken:

I'm hoping that's the last snow we see this winter, though some of our neighbors north of 435 are seeing snow tonight.

We have had temps as high as the 60's this month, since that picture was snapped.  Today's issue of USA Today had a story about the early emergence of bugs this year, and said that it is possible that mosquitos could make an appearance as early as next month!

It's time to start making real spring plans, to clean up the winter's messes... to get the garden ready... to order some seeds, though we buy many here.  It's time to put the hoop house together, and to take an hour or two to go to the Western Farm Show tomorrow at Kemper Arena... I'll try to take as many pictures as I can there.

Dancing with the .... Pugs

I admit it... I just spent two hours on the couch watching the DWTS finale.... and it went to JR Martinez, which I think was a done deal.  I really, really liked Rob Kardashian, (did that just come out of my mouth????) but I noticed in the final congratulations over the closing credits, Rob had not come over to congratulate JR on camera.  I hope that was not for real. Hasn't everyone wanted just for once in their lives to be able to dance across the floor and have everyone look at them???  I am the world's worst.... so I really enjoy watching them, and watching some get better week after week. I also admired JR very, very much, for going out there and going for it and representing people who are burn victims or war survivors and keeping such a great attitude!

Lilly was NOT enjoying it.... she was sleeping.

Here is why she is so tired:

Yes, that's right.  She's currently excavating to China in hopes of catching what's denned under the Dierksen building. 

I suspect it's going out the back while she's digging on the side.

Keith is actually at the point where we are going to have to fence off the space between the buildings, as we don't want Gertie to get under there. 

Meanwhile, in the big henhouse, the coffee klatsch is still going on with the usual lineup:

These girls (except for Boots on the right) need to shake a leg and lay some EGGS!  They've been slacking off this week.

No, that's not Baldy from the previous picture, but Bitsy, one of the two Naughty Girls that lives in the little henhouse.  It was bleak and grey out today, and we got a little more rain last night, which is a good thing.  Tomorrow is supposed to be fair and in the sixties, so I will get started on Thanksgiving prep.  I think it's just going to be Keith and me this year, as son Jim will go to his in-laws, and Keith's kids to their in-laws.  We may or may not have Nathan, we won't know until tomorrow.  I love the Thanksgiving holiday, and am sorry it's one of the "forgotten" holidays... it's so important to sit down and thank God for the blessings that we get every year, though we do that daily, too.

On Friday, I'm making my trek to the Bingham Waggoner and Vaile mansions in Independence, Missouri, and to see son Jeff at work and drop off some treats for him.  I'm planning on taking at least as many pictures as I did last year.... 300 or so!!!  (search for either of those two grand old Victorians to see them dressed in their best for Christmas).

Stop staring at me, I'm trying to EAT!

A Balmy Saturday

I got up very early this morning, because I had volunteered to help at the Pancake Breakfast for the Leavenworth County Humane Society.  Pancakes, coffee, and juice were all donated by Applebees, and the Applebees in Leavenworth was the scene of the breakfast.  I rushed through chores, showered, and showed up in time to put an apron on and work tables!  We had a huge turnout (thanks to everyone) and literally ran the restaurant out of syrup.  At ten we were released and the Applebee's folks took over their kitchen again, and I commenced my Saturday chores.  Now I am home, and resting for a bit (I admit they ran me hard) and then going to meet Sherie with Nathan's school supplies and some new clothes to start out the school year.

Tonight we have the TBones, in our last regular game of the season, but I have tickets for a game in 9 days, bought this week. 

Dawn on the "lower forty" with the Spehar's pond just picking up the light. There was mist everywhere.

Tony was waiting at the gate for breakfast.

Butch, Reddy, and Eagle were waiting to get out... they greet me every morning. They are the "pasture" flock, the way Rambo and his flock used to be.  I can't run Rambo with Butch, since Butch only has one eye. For the time being, Butch is king of the pasture. I haven't found EGG ONE from these two girls in ten days. I have NO idea where they are hiding them.

When the new laying house is finished, they'll be captives with the other girls.

Two weeks ago, I started my Christmas shopping.  Each year, I give some little gifts to several people I work with, as a courtesy and because we're friends.  I try to bake up a storm of cookies as well.

I got these from Michaele at Sprout 'N' Wings Farm and they are very, very nice.  I was so glad to get them.

These are scented body butters, and very creamy and good.

I chose Orange Blossom for myself, I love it!

It think if we can, it's good (and fun) to patronize blogger's products... it's helping backyard farmers and crafters and I like supporting them.

The Farm Aid concert is tonight at the new soccer park.  It is the first time they have used it for a concert.  We talked about getting tickets for it, though I have seen Willy Nelson several times in the past  (and Dave Mathews).  I heard some disturbing figures about it this week however, about the abysmal donations to farm organizations made over their 24 years of existence, so decided they were talking the talk, but not walking the walk.  We'll use our TBones tickets instead, but go early, to beat the parking crowd.

A Very, Very Close Call

When I dropped Nathan off with his mom and came home this afternoon, I found Tony in terrible distress.  He is shaved more than the other two llamas, who were hot, but not unduly so.  It was about 104 Degrees out at the time, and very humid.  Inca, as you know, lays down in the swimming pool and gets herself very wet. 

I found Tony drooling and foaming at the mouth, and called Keith over.  Five minutes after Keith went back to the henhouse work, Tony went down.

Here he is just before he went down:

That is Inca's swimming pool he is standing over, filling with very cold well water, about 4 PM.  He was NOT drinking... he was panting so hard, drooling and foaming, that he could not drink.  He staggered around me for about 5 minutes, as if begging me to do something, and then kushed against the rubbermaid trough to my right rear (where the ground is very cool and damp) and then literally fell over, his head flinging back.  I ran to get Keith to come, I thought he was dying right then. 

Right here, I need to tell you that the llamas do NOT like to be sprayed, and I had tried to spray him a few minutes earlier and it only increased his agitation.  Keith came to see what was happening, and told me to go in the house.  (I was going down in the heat, too).  I went in, thinking we were losing Tony then and there.

Five minutes later, I looked out.  I could see Keith doing something.  I saw Inca and Aztec walk away from him, then I saw Tony standing, and then saw Tony walk around in a circle, still staggering, but coming towards Keith.  I finally realized Keith was spraying him! 

What he did saved Tony's life.  I am convinced.

He took the hose and made the spray only medium hard, and sprayed Tony's neck and chest.  Tony was able to get up, and instead of bolting away, he actually stood and let Keith run the light spray on him, almost mist, but getting him very, very wet.  He turned his haunches towards Keith, and Keith got him chilled.  After about ten minutes, Keith put the hose down and came in to have me look outside.  Tony was up, and the staggering was gone, and he was actually drinking some cool water! 

Here he is about 5 minutes later.

He is wet and was feeling better, and had his eyes closed because I was spraying him with a fine mist of water.  You see his knees are very dirty where he went down, and you can't see the dirt across his neck on the other side.

I can't tell you how grateful I was that he was up.

Here you can just see the dirt on his neck... he was feeling MUCH better and was eating some llama feed from the fortex.  Later he went over and had some hay from the hay buffet. 

Like humans, now that he has had such a bad episode, we will need to watch him closely.  I soaked the ground around the trough and the pool, so that they can lean against them to cool themselves.  Even in the heat of the last two summers, Tony was never affected so badly.  The llamas dissipate heat through their "underarms" and their upper legs and under their flanks.  (The reason Inca lays in the pool).... but Tony has never learned to lay in it.  He crashed into it today and I thought was literally falling into it as he staggered. 

We are going to call Tractor Supply tomorrow and see about getting a big fan to blow down into the pasture in that corner, to try to keep them cooler in this heat.  The herd from which Inca came is kept cool in summer with very large barn fans, positioned to blow on those llamas in the shade.

So far, I have not lost any chickens to the heat, though they are suffering greatly.  For tonight, the big henhouse popholes are open, because it is so hot in there.  In past summers, I have left them open for weeks, but when I did so one night in May, I lost a fine black cochin.  We will have to risk it tonight, as it is just too hot still at 11 PM to shut them.  The smaller birds seem to be getting along okay, and today I let the little juveniles out of their pen for the first time.  Pictures of that, tomorrow. 

As Keith had to remind me, I am not any good to anyone or anything if I go down from the heat, and he's right.

Llama Lovers Please Note

Here is Inca, tonight.  I think I wrote that we found odd skin problems under her "arms" when we sheared... I did not realize until last night that the skin problems also are on her legs, and now, I believe, on her muzzle as well.

You can just see the two large patches on the inside of either leg.  I am thinking now that it is some kind of mange, unfortunately.  I did a little reading up today and both common manges are treatable, but there are also two other kinds of mange.  I noticed when we sheared on Sunday that her wool had lots of little flecks of "dandruff" in it... but I don't think they were mites (which this could also be). 

If there are any long time llama owners reading this, I wish you would either message me at the blog, or at ksredhead1950@gmail.com. 

Here is her back:

Yes, they got her pretty closely with the shears.  I am worried that the patch near her tail is the mange, though (or whatever it is).  I am going to try to get a scrape of it sometime this week, and have the parasitologist at work look at it (or the vet).  Joani bought a llama at the sale one time that turned out to have it, and she treated the llama orally with ivermectin and the infection went away, so maybe we will try that.  I would like to identify it first, though. 

Inca likes to eat laying down!

A Sunny Day

It didn't start out very sunny... we did end up having to put the rooster down.  Keith told me afterward (stop reading, this might be TMI for some) that his neck did not "feel" right... it took him several tries, where he normally does it in one swift move.  So we do not know if it was genetic, or something else.  We are watching the other bantams very closely at this point, we would hate to lose our little flock, they are the products of our own birds from the last four years.

Jenny is holding her own right now, but still very weak.  This is six months of constant trips to see the vet, and being pilled constantly.  She does not seem to have much control over her hindquarters, and they appear to be wasting.  She was able to get out to the living room tonight, but after a short while, went back to the bedroom, where I think she feels safest.  Keith will take her to see Dr. Tom at 9:45 AM, and then, based on what our good vet advises, will try to decide what to do.  I have to say that Dr. Tom NEVER proposes putting an animal down, except for Nicky, who was almost gone when we got there.  He has always, always left the decision to me, for twenty years, and now to Keith and me.  I have her carrier out, and I trust Keith to do the right thing for her.  He did tell me that whenever she passes over the bridge, she will come home here to be buried in the circle with Addie Mae, with Nicky, with Gwen, and near Beau's tree.  Oscar rests under his own tree in the yard. 

I feel like I have been a downer all week, so will try to load a short video of Inca and Aztec eating tonight in the golden evening.

Tony at the Hay Buffet

A cold, windy start to the new year... hope everyone had a safe and happy New Year's Eve!

Surprise! Surprise!

Another reason to be thankful, but one we did not anticipate.  This morning it was very dark when I did chores.  I sped through them, because I wanted to vote on my way into the office.  When I put the llama feed in their bowls, I did not see Inca, only Tony.  He was nosing something in the horseyard (now llama yard) but I searched for Inca for a minute, called her, and then went back in to get my good clothes on and leave. 

At 8:30 or so, the phone rang at work.  It was Keith.  As he had just been getting up when I left, I wondered what he was calling for.  He told me to prepare myself.

"We have a new baby!"  I said "Whattttt?????"

"We have a new little cria!" Keith replied.   I could hardly talk... I was so stunned.  Inca, who was only 15 months old when we got her last spring, was a mother!  As llama gestation is 350 days, we knew it could not have been Tony, who did breed her when we brought her home.  The baby is black, blacker than she.  It appears to be healthy, and is nursing and moving around fine despite a quarter-sized wound on it's left rear haunch.  We can't tell if Mama's hoof caught it or what happened, but we will watch it closely and call Dr. Jeannie if we need to. 

We did not plan on breeding llamas, and that is why Tony and the late beautiful Yankee were sent to be gelded, but this is a blessing that God has sent us to enjoy.  It is supposed to dip down in temps the next few nights, so the little shed is deeply bedded with clean straw, plenty of hay and good water is out, and we will feed lots of good grain for the new mother.  We will keep everyone updated on the progress of our new little member of the Calamity Acres family. 

I'll try to get better closeups in the next few days.  We can't tell if boy or girl yet, it may be days before we are able to.  Inca will let us near them... but she prefers to keep him/her where she can protect it better. She's going to be a good mama!

Uncle Beau

Gentle Uncle Beau, our old Gentleman, is fading. Each week sees him thinner and more forlorn, and this week our good vet Dr. Jeannie came to check him again. She asked our intentions for him, and we said we will not put him through another winter in the condition he is in. We have increased his feed, because the grazing he does all day long is not bringing him any benefits. It hurts us to see him like this, but we know we are giving him all the Purina Senior he will eat, along with his medicine and sweet feed. He seems to be comfortable, and rambles between yard and pasture, where Mama Llama lets him know who is boss when he tries to steal her feed.

HEY! That's MY corral! What's he doingggggggg

HEY, what the heck is he DOING in there!!!!!