Yesterday, Mirian stayed home feeling funky and my one farm employee called in sick (which meant that chores were up to me). As I told Paul and Robert goodbye and put Mirian on the bus this morning, I was envisioning my day... lots of knitting, an extra cup of coffee and a little bit of news, laundry catch-up and then a bit of rearranging in my studio as well as making more felted soaps, since Truly Bluegrass is nearly sold out. I downloaded some new podcasts, happy to have some quiet down time to myself to pamper my muscles which are still sore from a weekend of hard riding. My reverie was quickly interrupted when my helper called and said he'd need to be off yet again today.... bummer, that means barn cleaning and the full works this time.
I set to work, feeding and checking the "due" alpaca girls (nothing happening with Eyecatcher or Trinity- a watched pot never boils!), scooping poop (at least the alpacas go in one spot in the barn), then feeding the chickens. I think this is a super handsome rooster, don't ask me what kind he is. 
I then got started on "teasing", which is when we check to see which females may be ready to breed. Maisy got lucky with Maverick today!
Then I went through the cabin to see what needs to be done to ready it for it's next resident, since our employee recently moved out in order to be closer to his children. I always have so many happy memories of the first 3 and 1/2 years of our marriage when I go in there, and it makes me appreciate the home we live in now that much more!
Then I cleaned out the trailer from our trip, and went to feed the 4 guard dogs and alpacas and do more breedings at the top barn. I had a fleeting thought that I needed to check the due date on a girl that I'd never marked on the main chart I keep, a sort of "B Team" girl for which I'd been a bit casual. I started looking for her to see how big her belly had gotten, and noticed several in the field that hadn't come in to the barn to eat. A few were apart from the others, with one of our guard dogs at their feet, and I suddenly thought I saw something else... could it be?
Yes! It's a new cria.... please oh please oh please be a girl! Bummer, boy #6 in a row. I scooped up the cria and put them in the trailer to go to the new barn's warm stall with a camera for monitoring and all that jazz. Oh well, he's cute and healthy!
I walked back to the house, hoping to sneak up on some deer for a good shot, as they are so plentiful along our driveway. Instead, I was met by this:
I actually have a name for this handsome possum, "Albert" who hangs out around our compost pile waiting for scraps, usually only visible at night. I have been asked by the kids how I know his name- he told me, of course! For some reason I just have a soft spot for possums, perhaps because they are marsupials.
Well, off to the bus to meet Mirian. So much for my quiet day, but I wouldn't trade my loco life for anything! Knitting will still be waiting tomorrow.
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