Llamas and Hummingbirds and SNOW Oh My

Well....
Here it is April 19 and the SNOW has been falling since 4am. This is disturbing on all sorts of levels.
First of course this is Olympia Washington where we can often go ENTIRE winters without it ever getting to freezing much less snow, but boy NOT THIS YEAR.
We had the flood of all floods here in Western Washington in December, snow pack levels in the mountains that has been unheard of for decades, cold weather down in the low-lands for weeks on end, and just a mess all the way around.
And this latest snow is the most disturbing of all.
Yeah it throws us off our paces a bit, but even more this weather is starting to bump right up into baby birthing and all the worries that brings.
The first of our babies is due in 3 weeks and the weather just keeps getting more and more unpredictable. LAST SATURDAY it was 83 degrees, last SUNDAY it was 45 degrees, and now its snowing.

They say GLOBAL WARMING is all a part of this and well the reality is not much we can do but hope they are wrong. The tiny things we do in our daily lives to mitigate this whole warming stuff is miniscule, but necessary. Now if there was just a way to convince everyone to try and make the "Big Boys" in the world to understand just how fragile things have become, we might have a fighting chance at planetary survival.

But life marches on [well Aprils on] and we will do what we do.... survive.

The Special People Connections We Often Forget

There is a special person in our lives who though she lives far away and our interactions are somewhat limited, is still special to us. YES, of course she is a llama owner, but there is something more about her.
She has a depth of faith and religion that I envy. She remembers us in her thoughts and her prayers and always seems to know when certain special things should be shared.

I don't have the same depth and passion and faith that she does, but nonetheless she includes me often in special things she finds and shares them with us.

What is the most intense thing about this, is the fact that her timing is impeccable and the things she shares with us always seem to be perfect for that moment in life.

And so......
Dear Lord, I thank You for this day, I thank You for my being able to see and to hear this morning. I'm blessed because You are a forgiving God and an understanding God. You have done so much for me and You keep on blessing me. Forgive me this day for everything I have done, said or thought that was not pleasing to you. I ask now for Your forgiveness. Please keep me safe from all danger and harm. Help me to start this day wit h a new attitude and plenty of gratitude. Let me make the best of each and every day to clear my mind so that I can hear from You. Please broaden my mind that I can accept all things. Let me not whine and whimper over things I have no control over. And give the best response when I'm pushed beyond my limits. I know that when I can't pray, You listen to my heart. Continue to use me to do Your will. Continue to bless me that I may be a blessing to others. Keep me strong that I may help the weak... Keep me uplifted that I may have words of encouragement for others. I pray for those that are lost and can't find their way. I pray for those that are misjudged and misunderstood. I pray for those who don't know You intimately. I pray for those that will delete this without sharing it with others I pray for those that don't believe. But I thank you that I believe that God changes people and God changes things. I pray for all my sisters and brothers. For each and every family member in their households. I pray for peace , love and joy in their homes that they are out of debt and all their needs are met. I pray that every eye that reads this knows there is no problem, circumstance, or situation greater than God. Every battle is in Your hands for You to fight. I pray that these words be received into the hearts of every eye that sees it . Amen

Llamas and Coffee Coffee everywhere but apparently not a drop worth drinking

Starbucks, one of the great landmarks of Seattle history in the making has been working on 're-inventing' itself.
I'm just a plain coffee addict, as long as it has caffeine and is somewhat simple, I'll drink it. I'm not a great fu-fu coffee drinker, but when I'm out in the pastures, you can be SURE I will be getting odd looks from the llamas when I'm not walking around with a coffee cup in my hand.
In fact, you could almost have the equivalent of an easter egg hunt wandering around the property hunting for coffee cups left hanging around on a fence post or two, or three or ten!

My daughter even works part time as a Starbucks barrista while she is attending college, so no offense to her intended but if this 'less than favorable review' is even close to accurate, I think I'll just stick with my gut rot folgers thank you very much.

Llamas and Spring and Spring Cria Worries

Spring is trying to join us here in the Pacific Northwest. Our annual hummingbird migration has started and even though its early we have around a dozen visiting so far, the pears trees are trying despite the radical weather to bloom, the cherry and apple trees are trying, and my thoughts are turning towards the baby cria we are expecting this year.

The first of our girls due this year is our sweet and beloved Luvy. She has gotten big with still a month left to go and I always worry, no matter who the llama is about all the things that can go bump in the night. Will we be home when she goes into labor, will the baby deliver normally, will it be healthy, will it latch on start nursing? These are tough animals with millenia of giving birth under their belts without our help, but still all the thoughts go racing through your head. Her first baby, Katee went flawlessly. In fact so fast that between the time I got the call to come home and the time I actually got home, she was out, and up and blowing and going.

Then we have the newest member of our herd Chilean Countess [TESS] who came to us last summer with baby on side and bred for a summer baby. We don't know much about her birthing ease, but were told by her prior owner that there were no problems.

And then there is the first female we ever owned, Cayan. This will be Cayan's fourth baby and they have all been amazing and wonderfully cherished cria. She has never had any problems with delivery and we don't expect in reality that there will be a problem now, but reality and the all the kinds of things that go through your head are very, very different creatures.

We bred two other girls and all indications that they did not take, which in all honesty is probably a good thing. 5 babies in one year is just too many. And while I would have LOVED to have seen the babies these two girls would have produced out of the boys we chose, it will be easier to wait for next year and consider trying again.

And so as I watch the weather go from sun to rain, to hail, to sun and back again I stare wistfully at our three girls, wishing somehow the clock would tick faster and they would all be done.

DAWN a New Day

Llama Tails. Life with Llamas and Other Ruminations: Dawn is rising in Ohio

Just anoth way to catch Dawn and her life...

Dawn is rising in Ohio

Nothing fancy this morning since I plan on sitting down and doing our federal income taxes for the year.

A bit of a delay from prior years, since I usually jump all over it and am long done sometime in February.

Just been putting it off this year.

BUT if you want to take a peek at a fun blog I just found, check out
Dawn Lusk in Ohio, http://dawnanewday.blogspot.com/