animal farms

Today I had a rather animal-filled day, so this is going to be a rather animal-filled post.
To begin with, each and every day, are the chickens. They are becoming an ongoing source of my amusement. I love how they come running every time they see me coming because they know me as a general food-bringer. I’m often also bringing them tasty insect treats I find in the soil. They have a really funny way of running too, it looks as if they were about to take off any second. Sometimes they do too, I guess when running just isn’t fast enough. Today I was also laughing at the poor rooster in the moveable chicken coop. He rushes out after the hens each morning, trying to pull the rapist-style copulation so particular to roosters. This one just isn’t fast enough though. I think his brain is actually sort of slower than it ought to be. I like it though, he seems gentler than Strawberry (the rooster pictured above) who aggressively pins the hens down on the head and jumps them. Oh chickens…
There’s also a pair of Canada geese that seem to have taken up residence in the farm’s pond. We’re hoping that they have babies there, that would be fun. They are also quite humorous, and I spent quite a while down at the pond this morning just watching them.
Later on I rode down to Kemp Lake for the first time. Beautiful lake, it’s going to be so nice for swimming in the summer. I almost went in today! It was so nice to have a sunny day, just not quite warm enough yet. While I was taking pictures a small furry animal came walking along on a log under me, and I was able to snap some photos of it before it realized that it should get moving, quick. A mink, maybe? I went for a long walk along the lake and down a logging road that paralleled a lovely creek. I was completely alone and heard nothing but water and bird sounds.

Cows!
In the afternoon, I decided to swing by the alpaca farm down the road from ALM. I first visited Barrie’s place (Forest Green Llamas and Alpacas) two weeks ago, and she was really welcoming. She walked around with me, introduced me to all the animals, had me help her out a bit with one of the crias (baby) and then gave me 2 pounds of raw alpaca fiber! Yeah!! She also said that I could come by any time I want, just to hang out or whatever. I think that the animals remembered me as they weren’t quite as skittish as before. They’re very curious, but normally don’t like to be touched. You’ll turn around and a group of them will be following you and looooking. Today they were coming up to me to check me out. One of them followed me around for a while and was snuffling me and having me scratch her. Her name’s Jewel and she’s my new alpaca buddy. Barrie sadly lost one of her donkeys since I last visited, so now there are only two and they seemed a bit out of sorts. I guess wondering where their friend is.
Other than my animal escapades, yesterday Mary held her tomato growing workshop here. I was given the task of teaching transplanting. I feel pretty damn qualified to teach it too, after having done several hundred. It was fun, the participants seemed to get a lot out of it, and I think I did too.
On Friday, we finally decided who would be responsible for which fields. I spent half an hour or so after work playing my guitar down by one of my fields, getting to know it. It’s exciting to imagine all the amazing food that will grow there.
Well that’s it for now, and enough I think. Hope these posts aren’t too long, I tend to ramble I think.
Take care, love, Sasha