The Farm

I love to watch the animals waking in the morning. As I sit here Honeydew, the llama, has just arisen for her morning stretch. Alpacas and llamas arise like a Camel... they lift their hind quarters first and then lift their front quarters. Honeydew has stretched her neck and then lifted her hind leg and given her front one a gentle scratch using her two toe nails. The rest of the animals in that pen seem to take that as a wake up call. The Oscar the Ram nudges Tubby the retarded sheep to get up and Greig has gotten up for a stretch too. Mishka is the last one to arise. They all head for the area where Hubby last laid grain out for them and they proceed to lick the area to get the last remaining taste from the snow. Tubby has opted to go back to sleep as he has put his head back down.

The male alpacas in the farthest pen are watching the movements of the animals that I have just spoken of. They are not quite ready to get up and move around. It is cold this morning or at least colder than it has been for the last few weeks. Dexter, one of the alpacas, has gotten up now and is patrolling the fence line. The other alpacas are still lying down in the hay by the feeder chewing their cuds and watching Dexter move around. The sun has just come up and the sky is pink and blue with hints of yellow and orange on the bottoms of the clouds and daylight is getting brighter all the time.

The ewes in their pen are just starting to move too. Most of them sleep outside where they can see what is all around them. But some of the youngers ewes like to hang out in the barn at night. They too seem to want more grain as they are checking out the place where the grain is poured onto the soft white snow.

Greig is pawing through the hay in an effort to upturn some clover seeds and get to the yummy stuff. Oscar (the ram) is poking about for the same thing. They are friends but they also butt heads from time to time. Both take care of Tubby the retarded lamb.... I don't know what they will do when he gets taken to the butcher block. Honeydew has decided to lie down again and Mishka the female alpaca has decided to lie with her. They are friends too.

It is such a placid scene and it is very calm to watch.

Later in the day things will get livelier and I will tell you about the manuevers of the animals to get what they want. See ya later...