Goodbye, but not past tense...

Well, by this time tomorrow, I will have no llamas. 

I really love the girls, but have found, I can't care for them well enough.  More accurately, I can't do the maintenance, toes, and shearing, they need on a regular basis.  Husband has pitched in, but doesn't like to. 

I had a gentleman that was just perfect for the job, and was going to call him.

Then he had an accident, and can't shear anymore.

I have been trying to find someone to shear my 2 girls.  Most of the responses are on the order of, ONLY TWO?  With a look that is similar to finding dog excrement on your shoe.  When I do get someone that will, the price is... Well, a lot more than what the gentleman had been asking. A lot more.

And we have to pay insurance, because they are considered livestock.

Then there is the fiber.  I have been unable to get the fiber made into roving.  I have several bags worth (waaaay more than 3 bags full, sir) and when I call, most of the processors say up front, no, we aren't taking any.  Or, if they do, they want to do something other than I want. 

I have one that is so close by, but was told llama fiber is only good for rug yarn, and that's all that company will make out of it.  But, I didn't want yarn, wanted to spin the fiber myself, (sort of the point as a spinner...)  They also said the guard hairs can't be removed.  I am not sure if they meant that company couldn't, or if they meant just generally.  But you can remove them, and the resulting fiber is wonderful, not "scratchy rug yarn" at all.

So, after a great deal of thought, some conversation with Husband, and staring at my heavily in need of shearing girls, I started looking.  I wanted them to go to a home with sheep, or other llamas.  Considering I have been seeing ads where people wanted them for meat, I was a bit picky.* 

I have had people tell me they want a llama to guard their chickens, or ducks.  I try to explain that llamas need other animals like another llama, or a cow or sheep, they don't see birds as fellow "herd animals". 

Zing!  As it goes through one ear and flies supersonic out the other...

So, I found a gent, and he, as it turns out, owns a llama ranch in Washington.  I really don't want to give the girls up, but this guy has raised llamas for years, and they will be with a big herd.  They will be able to be cared for the way they need to be, and have more llamas to interact with...  (I hope that's a good thing, in Dolly's case, she is an Alpha, and does NOT like to be second when there is food around.  Toni, on the other hand is mostly, Yeah, whatever...  So I guess it works out.) 

So, even though I know it's the right thing, (right now we are going into 80 and 90 degree weather, and they are very fuzzy, think of a heavy parka in Phoenix midday), I am feeling... downhearted.  I guess I am trying to look at it, they need someone who can do a good job, and I tried to find that someone.  I guess that is the important thing. 

But I will still miss them. 





*Yes, llamas can be used as a meat product.  I just don't want them to be used as food. 

Returning from hiatus...

Why was I on hiatus?  Because I didn't write.  I actually had time, off and on.  Just puttered about, doing things that weren't blogging.

I finished The Grapes of Wrath (The ones about the Oklahomans, not the World War 1 book...).  I thought it was a riveting book, and I am going to look up some more of Steinbeck at a later point.

Because it was a good book, but not exactly a laugh riot, I picked up Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett.  I enjoy his work, and knew that he had written quite a few of the Disk World series, I decided to look up how many in total he'd written.  40, which is great!  More to read!

And also, he died.  Er... Oh.  Guess I missed that one. Crap.

Had my birthday, which had people giving me flower seeds. (I had requested this.  I thought it wouldn't be too much of a problem.  However, turns out, I didn't request early enough, and most places have quit selling seeds by the tail of July... Meh, still have a great variety...)

I finally was able to get someone out to shear my llamas.  These poor girls have been unshorn for nearly 2 years.  I was getting to the point, I was concerned someone might turn me in for neglect.  I had checked with shearers all across the state.  I had responses from "We don't DO anything less than ten animals", to "sure, I will be there Monday", and they never showed.  I called my local extension agency, who, very, very disappointingly, never got back to me.  So, I saw a neighbor that had a llama.  It was ONE llama, shorn.  So, I went and asked.

He told me he didn't do shearing, but he'd look up the number of the gent who did.  L, L. L, L, L, hmmm.  No, it's not under L.

Oh, wait, I didn't put it under L for llama, I put it... Yep, under S for Shearing!  (Organized like me... Hee hee.) So, he gave me the number, and I called.  And couldn't figure out if I had managed to leave a message or not.  I am still working the bugs out of my brain phone...  So I called the next day, and the gent was happy to come out.  You... will?  Great, when?

Is Saturday too soon?

I groaned inwardly, as I had another appointment, but decided that I was going to take a chance on this guy.  I told him where I lived, and he said, oh, blah, blah...  Turns out, it was 8 minutes from my house!

Saturday came, I was up at a little before 5.  Husband had put the chute out, I was out cleaning the area. (We use the chicken yard, and I raked up the little land mines, so it would be less of a mess, especially if the guy had to kneel.)  Fed, watered, haltered up the girls, and the phone rang about 6:15.

Do you mind if I run into to town for coffee?

No, we have it all ready for you, so when ever you're ready...

Oh, do you want me over there now?

I tried not to bray laughter, I assured him that a cup of coffee was fine, and we were just a bit ahead of the game, not to worry.

He arrived, a big gent, with a grey t-shirt and camo shorts.  Huh.  Well, he'll get his gear on when he starts, I guess...  Husband set up orange cones over the extension cord, as one of our neighbors has a bad habit of driving in and running it over, because he's busy watching what we are doing.

I get Dolly into the chute, and see he's oiling the clippers.  Huh.  I watch, as he comes up, lets Dolly take a sniff of him, pats her on the back, then starts in.  Starts in while wearing his t and shorts.  Most people I know have coveralls, and wear heavy boots.  I even wear a jean jacket to keep the biggest majority of fiber, spit, and dirt off of me.  Not this guy, and other than dust, he seemed to do fine.

Again, huh.  Husband was tired, and his back wasn't doing so great, but I'd forgotten to ask the gent about doing the llama's toes, which needed trimmed.  The gent looked up when Husband said to keep Dolly in so he could do that, and the gent pipes up, I have snips, would you like me to?

I kept looking to see where this guy was hiding his camo colored angel wings.  He was gentle to my animals, enjoyed what he was doing, and certainly took the burden off the two of us for the 'grunt' work involved with this part of livestock ownership!

I gave him some extra for the effort, he looked so surprised.  He then asked if I would like him to call next season, BEFORE the hot season, to shear and trim them.  I nearly dropped my teeth.  Yes, oh, thank you, yes!  So now we have two very defluffed llamas (I told him to basically cut off all the hair, the llama equivalent of a buzz cut).  He did, and the darker one, Dolly, actually looks like a deer with a long neck at the moment. A mutant deer?  But they are doing much better, and it's supposed to get hot by week's end, again, so they will not be so overwhelmed with fur...

Husband did a job, and was paid with some of the company's product, which means that I now have 2 really beautiful, as well as excellent quality kitchen knives.  We had made a trip just shy of 2 hours away for him to do this job, and I went, just for the day out.

I knew it was taking a bit, when Husband came out, he had me come in to choose said knives.  I picked a bread knife, and Husband chose a chef's knife.  Meanwhile, he and the maintenance man were having an intense discussion about machines, tools, and such.  I was half listening, while watching two of the employees work on the knives.  Next thing I know, the guy is offering Husband a job...

I really think that if they ever get this cloning thing figured out, I am going to have to hide my husband, or there will be several dozen of him about.  At least if all the people who want help from him are any indication! (And no, he didn't take the job.  2 hour commutes are NOT his cup of milk. He doesn't care for tea...)

I picked a lot of black berries, and made jam.  I did this over two days, so I picked, crushed, then put the juice in the fridge.  Normally, I do all this one day, and so I never thought about it, just do.  Well, I had this 'stuff' on the top, and I skimmed it before I made jelly.  It was mostly fruit solids and such, but when I made the jelly this time, it was so much prettier than what I've made in the past.  I might just have to do that again!  So I have around 8 pints of jelly.  Yay!  Now I will have to bake up some bread...

(The chickens enjoy the seeds and leavings from the berry picking, but let's just say that the landmines around of late have a definite violet tinge...)

I also have been drawing up the t-shirt for the Ren Faire.  I gave them several ideas, they narrowed it to two.  I worked on both, just knowing they would love the one.

Nope, the other.

Oh.

So, I worked on the other.  They then wanted a change to that one, too.  Hmm.

So, I did the changes, (fortunately, some of it I had on computer, so I didn't need to start from square one, thankfully).  Finally, I was able to send a completed logo she liked, so I will get it out tomorrow, if all goes well, and we will have a new t-shirt for faire.  I laugh a little about this, I draw well enough, but I know there are some that are astounding in the arts.

But when I ask around, would any others like to draw the shirts, we even had a competition, I was the only one that turned in anything.  So, I have been the 'shirt artist', for something like 5 or so years.  Hey, I get a free shirt out of the deal, so it works out.

Oh, and I have been knitting a pillow for a friend, I don't think she reads this blog, so I can get away with telling.  She is a big Doctor Who fan, so the pillow is dark grey with speckles, like space, and the TARDIS will be centered on the front.  She, and her husband, have helped me quite a lot, and I wanted to give her something nice.  She is going through a rough patch at the moment, and I thought something nice and cushy would be good...

And a pillow will last a lot longer than a jar of jelly. 

From Cousin It to Don King.

(Long, picture heavy post.)

Well, we made it through the shearing. Sheer willpower on my part, as I woke with a splitting sinus headache. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to do much, but it went alright, if you don't count me feeling like I was going to throw up whenever the clippers were on. But I digress...

Rama did well, she was the last to be shorn. She was pretty good, she wanted to leave, as soon as the trimming was finished, but she didn't fight, she was obstinate about going in and made it so we had to push her butt until she begrudgingly moved into the crush. I call her "the diva" for a reason, folks. Her hair is much, much thicker than the others, it should spin up into a nice warm yarn. Pretty color of chocolate, too.





Lama was scared the whole time. She kept chattering, and trying to nibble on the rope. Planning the great escape, I guess. But she did stand quietly otherwise, and seemed quite happy once the hot, heavy hair was off. Her hair is thinner, still nice, almost all white, except for 2 or three little tan spots, and one dime sized black as black can be spot on her chest. Looks like she has an oil spot on her...





Ding Dong was the one we were worried about, and she didn't disappoint. We tried to get her out of the corral. She jumped the fence, and ran straight for the road. (No traffic, thank you, Lord). The guys are making a human fence, walking her back AWAY from the road, and I am calling and shaking her feed bowl. Ding Dong finally decided that feed was ok, and came in the pen again. She already had a halter on, so the shearer guy was able to snap on a lead and start her to the crush. The fight was on. She stopped. She grunted, snorted, pulled, and when Husband tried to get behind her, she tried pushing against him... No kicking at that point, however. (Thankfully!)

She was then forced into the crush, and then pulled as hard as she could against the lead, in fact, she was actually choking herself. The shearer, not sure if she was going to be able to tolerate it, buzzed the clippers over her back to see if she could even handle the noise. She could. Barely.

Let's just say she was done quickly, and with little pomp. He took the halter off, and she flat bolted to the other end of the field, and glared at us for most of the afternoon. BUT, she is halter free, (it had been on so long the skin was bare and starting to get sores), and she is fur-lessened, so less problems in the summer. Her hair was pretty matted, and the ONE TIME it decided to rain, was when she was there, so I will have to see how usable her fiber is. Fortunately, llama doesn't stink, as does dog, when wet.






Lorenzo actually went first. We have found that he won't be a 'gentleman' when he is in close quarters with the girls, so we had him in where the crush was right off. He was also the 'guinea pig' when the shearer explained to me how to put on a halter.

Shearer: "So, you want to hold the llama so they don't wiggle much, see how I am holding him down here on the neck and he is squirming?"

Lorenzo: Hmm. If I wiggle just a bit more, this guy will let go, and I can go back to my weeds... Just a biiiit more, little more to the right...

Shearer: "Now if you hold them right under the jaw here, they know who's boss and they have to stand still."

Lorenzo: Gack. Uh. Help? Uncle? Ok, ok, I will stand still. Could you sorta loosen the half nelson, here, I am not going anywhere! Um, help? Please? Sigh...

He was a bit nervous, but did fine, and his hair is almost the chocolate color Rama's is, but a bit thinner. Under all the fluff he had, it was hard to tell!




I wish the shearer had trimmed the hair on their necks, but otherwise, it went really well, and best of all, I don't have to do this again until next year! The shearer said they were thin, so I have been letting them have a bit extra. I think they are enjoying the stuff, and I get satified burps from everyone, so, we go on.