We have had such a wonderful time with our first several guests, even as we've had to wade through the sea of boxes! Won't you visit our on-line guestbook? Maybe you will want to visit too -- we'd love to have you!

A tornado ripping through Chicagoland and nearly missing the van was our going away present as we headed west only a couple weeks ago. Our journey took us through the Badlands, the Black Hills, Yellowstone, the Idaho Panhandle, and finally the Cascade Range. It was absolutely beautiful in spite of some unexpected snow in the Rockies! When we finally arrived, the look on the boys' faces was precious!

It was bound to happen -- and here it is -- my first guest post as the "Farmer-at-Heart" husband.

Earlier this month our capable herd manager, Janet Franklin, made plans for the annual shearing with Jason Black from San Juan Island. It was unseasonably cold and wet this year, and many farms apparently put off their shearing, but we were fortunate to have a clear, beautiful day for the job.

Jason is a super person to work with, knows his animals well, and was incredibly patient with me: the novice. He is a skilled pro and I was glad it was him holding the shears and not me!

My job was to hold the animals as upright and steady as possible. Generally this was accomplished by wrapping one arm around a neck and twisting an ear to release calming endorphins with the opposite palm above the front shoulders, all along "speaking" to them softly. However, I often found myself resting an animal that wanted to go down on my knee, shoved against the run-in wall, or otherwise in all manner of contortion.

Some shearers/farms prefer to work with animals on their side and tied down. This takes quite a bit longer, but can be safer for jittery animals, and we resorted to this method at least twice. The third person's job is to gather, sort and mark the fleece. Janet and I occasionally traded this job.

Shearing is hard work lasting about twenty minutes per animal including corralling and haltering the next-up, the actual shearing, gathering samples, firsts and seconds, and sweeping up the thirds. In spite of the foul smelling spit and bodily bruises I tended to later in the day, it was undoubtedly one of the more satisfying span of six hours I have spent in a long time. In fact, Jen wanted me to entitle this post "Shear Delight" -- well there you have it, Dear.

Thank you also to my brother and aunt for coming up to help out and take these terrific pictures. Here is their photographic vignette:

On Orcas Moon's show day I spent most of the morning attending a series of educational seminars on marketing, disease control, neonatal care and the like. Then -- finally -- it was time to show Manhattan!

Manhattan was registered in the Full-Fleece-Huacaya-Yearling-Female-White division. There were ten other animals in her class. In the adjacent ring, the show was having an agility contest featuring balloons and streamers among other distractions -- from the get-go Manhattan was not calm.

We ended up doing the "walk of shame" from the ring after the first go ‘round. Not the blue ribbon I was hoping for, but the experience was outstanding. I learned about how to calm her down a little too late, but it was a pulse raising experience all the same -- a real thrill I won't soon forget. I was a little upset because she is a really pretty girl with nice fleece and conformation; maybe we'll do better next year when I have bit more experience under my belt.

Brooklyn wouldn't show until Sunday on the final day of the show when I would already be back on the plane to Chicago so Albert kindly offered to show her. Up early to feed and water the girls and break-down the stall set-up; I said a temporary goodbye to my new friends and left for the airport. Sitting in the airport waiting for my flight I received a call from Albert. He was beyond excited for Brooklyn had won a ribbon!!!

Brooky placed fourth in the Full-Fleece-Huacaya-Yearling-Female-Fawn division, where the judge apparently loved her. The only reason she didn't place higher was because of slight crimp variation from shoulder, blanket to hip. Not something we can fix in her per se, but something we can shoot for in her cria.

On the trip home I am not sure who was flying higher -- me or the plane! What a great trip: I learned alot, made new friends, and won a ribbon! And I'll be back for good in only a few short months.

After a hearty breakfast at the hotel we were off to the barns to check on our animals. Brooklyn and Manhattan had fared nicely overnight, but their new fan wasn't working at all. I contacted the facilities department and they had it fixed in a jiffy.

According to the day's schedule, it looked like I might get a chance to show Manhattan, but more than likely she would have to wait until Saturday. However, Kris and Albert were kind enought to let me get my feet wet by showing their Black Pearl. We took a fifth place ribbon my first time in the ring -- I was so excited!


First Timers Q&A

Before this show, as with most shows, the judges held a question and answer session for new participants. ATTEND THIS! There you will learn:

• The flow of the show -- How you will be asked to walk into the ring, when to do so, and what to do if your animal doesn't want to!


• What the judge will be looking for during each inspection period -- Gate, posture, size of reproductive organs, teeth, fleece consistency, and crimp consistency.


• What to do if your animal doesn't behave -- And there are always those! Believe it or not, this may not be marked against you as long as the judge can view all of the characteristics listed above. If your animal is stressed to such a degree that they pose a danger, however, you may be asked to leave no matter how high the animal's quality.


• What to do if your animal wins -- It would seem self explanatory, but it is not. If your animal wins first or second in its division, for instance, it will then compete for best in class. This means instead of going to celebrate your win, you must wait to be judged again against others in the class.

The Q&A sessions are also a great time to ask questions of the judges and other participants. What is the best way to steady an animal who doesn't want someone feeling around under their tail? What is the best way to show teeth? Etc....

Practice Makes Perfect

Having now been through the experience, one more bit of advice I can offer is to practice. Practice with yourself, practice with your animal. Halter train. Get them used to being followed by other animals, and leading other animals. Get them used to, or at least tolerant of, being touched in sensitive areas with "pat" exercises.

Friday night was the big dinner in downtown Puyallup. During dinner there was an auction to support the education of a university student specializing in camelids. After dinner we went for a quick check on the animals and exhausted, went to bed.

Pulling into Krystal Acres farm on San Juan Island, one cannot help but feel relaxed. I was thankful for that as I set off to meet Kris and Albert Olson, who had kindly offered to guide me through the excitement and nerves of my first show weekend.

As I parked the van, the first thing I saw was a larger than life picture of blue-ribbon winning “Houdini” (currently bred to one of our girls) on the side of what had to have been the largest livestock trailer I had ever seen. The look on my face must have been priceless. There I was standing in dirty farm clothes parked within a pristine white storybook barn staring at a picture of a giant white alpaca.

“So what do you think of the circus wagon?” came a disembodied voice behind me, “It’s a little over the top huh? We came back from our trip and there it was larger than we expected. You must be Jennifer, I’m Kris; Albert and I are so glad you are here.”

At that moment I knew the weekend was off to a good start.

Janet and I were invited for lunch at the Olson’s home, after which Janet left to return to our Orcas farm. I went to check in at the nearby bed and breakfast and agreed to return for a family dinner that evening.

6:30 am Thursday morning and it was time to load the trailer. We got everyone and every animal in and off to Puyallup with Kris and Albert in their truck pulling the trailer with eleven animals followed by me in the rent a car.

Upon arriving in Puyallup, we were required to wait for veterinary clearance in order to enter the show grounds. The next two or so hours were spent with Kris and Albert introducing me to many people in the alpaca world of the northwestern United States. I have never met a more diverse set of people in all of my days. Rich, poor, young, old, mainstream and less mainstream -- you name it -- they have a love for the breed.

We finally had our health inspection and micro-chip check. It was time to set up our stalls, eat dinner and get some well needed rest for show day.

I am not sure what this says about me as a parent, but I have never been away from my children for more than a few days at a time. Sure -- they have gone to camp one at a time for various periods -- but that was them going away, not me!

My flight to the show left O’Hare early Saturday to Seattle. No problems. Got my car and hit the road to the ferry and farm. Everything looked different than it did last time I was here. This time I was going home and not just visiting. I stopped to visit another farm to investigate breeding possibilities on the way up. It was an eye opening experience and the owner was generous with her time.

I caught the ferry and called Janet to let her know I was on my way. The ferry ride seemed to take forever and fly by all at the same time. I drove to our home with a keen eye toward trying to become familiar with every twist and turn of the road. It was dark.

Spring Days, Teaching Ways

I woke up to a cloudy, cold day. There was much to be learned by me and the alpacas, Manhattan and Brooklyn, before our weekend excursion to Puyallup and Alpacapalooza 2008! We got everyone fed, Janet and I, the chickens and the alpacas, and then set to work.

Janet was my patient guide about how much to feed, when and how. She shared her unique insights into the personalities of each animal, and they all have personalities. We worked with the show girls -- me included -- on haltering, walking, showing teeth etc…

The weather was relentless the first couple of days -- snow one moment, rain and sun the next. Welcome to spring in the islands; I have never drunk so much hot tea! In between all of this I visited schools, hardware stores and banks getting ready for the big move.

Plan to Succeed

For three days Janet and I puzzled about how to load the girls into the van for transport to San Juan Island and Krystal Acres, the farm of Kris and Albert Olson. The van has no ramp and the girls were not going to just jump in of their own free will.

Up until a couple of days prior they weren’t going to go in and out of the barn without a fight. Alpacas, being prey animals, don’t take well to change or the unusual.

We devised a plan where we would back the van up to the wall behind the house to create a ramp of sorts, cover the rough areas, and lead the girls in, forcefully if necessary. We needed to catch the ferry early Wednesday morning. Thursday night we got everything all set with the van and double checked the ferry schedule. Fail to plan, plan to fail. We had a plan.

And They're Off!

For all my worries, the girls went in fairly easily and it was my turn to drive with them to the ferry with Ms. Janet driving the rental car.

All alone in the van, my feelings reminded me a little of taking my children home from the hospital for the first time: it’s a strange feeling and you just can’t believe they just let you take them! The whole way to the ferry I drove like a little old lady and spoke to the girls in the back -- who were honestly a little upset about the whole thing.

We landed on San Juan without a hitch and Janet prepared to hand me off to the Olson’s, who were to kindly shepherd me though my first Alpacapalooza.

* * * *
“Peace, Love and Livestock”… “Snow, Rain and Sun”
Alpacapalooza 2008!

You can now have updates to my blog automatically emailed to you! Just click HERE and enter your forwarding information. Easy as pie.

Congratulations to our beautiful crimpy girl Brooklyn, our fourth place ribbon winner at this year's Alpacapalooza. Three days of "peace, love and livestock" -- indeed!

Thank you so much to Albert & Kris for making me feel welcome while showing me the ropes, and to Janet for all her prep work and this terrific picture of little Brooky too! A full show report in four parts to come next!

The last couple of weeks have been filled with cleaning house and packing to move. Through it all, in the back of my mind has been a constant concern about and delight for the prospect of selecting potential breedings for the upcoming season.

I have been reading and asking questions from experienced breeders, soaking in everything I can find about genetic selection methods. Keep your eyes peeled - over the next couple of posts I will fill you in on what I have learned. Today, however, I will discuss what is known as “line breeding/in-breeding” versus “out-breeding”.

Line-Breeding vs. In-breeding

“It’s line-breeding if it works… it’s in-breeding if it doesn’t.”

Strictly speaking, line-breeding is any mating in which the mated animals have a common ancestor. When first-degree (mother/son, sister/brother, etc...) pairings occur, it is often called in-breeding. Line-breeding implies more distant relationships between the pair.

The reason for line-breeding is to produce offspring that are more genetically uniform with the goal of accentuating superior traits. With line-breeding, good traits hopefully become more consistent, although it can also magnify less desirable traits by making them more consistently prevalent as well.

In-breeding, on the other hand, tends to bring recessive genes to the surface by forcing them to pair with one another. With either in-breeding or line-breeding, the genetic pool becomes drastically smaller and the general health and fitness level of the off spring may suffer. To sum it up one can use line-breeding to achieve greater predictability in their breeding program but not without risks.

Out-breeding

Out-breeding is breeding of animals that don’t have common ancestors. The predictability of outcome of this method of breeding is decreased. Out-breeding can hide recessive genes in a way that they can’t be expressed. Inferior genes or traits can therefore be more widespread than the outward appearance would have you think in advance.

So What Is One to Do?

I see the merits of both and will seek to appropriately combine both line- and out-breeding. Much of our herd has great genes that I would hate to not ignore. The fear of the consequences of a breeding gone wrong seems to be a gamble. Therefore, in order to make the gamble pay off, I will try to ensure the positive traits that I seek to compliment from our Dams are ones that I can be reasonably assured will be passed down.

To increase the odds of achieving this goal, I will also research the off spring on the ground from the selected sires. Have the traits I want to pass on and see in my cria been passed down previously? Coupling this ‘seeing-is-believing’ approach with a healthy dose of caution about line-breeding should ensure an improvement on our herd over time.

This quotation comes to us from Page 43 of the San Juan Island's 2007 Telephone Directory, of all places.

It's chalk full of such witticisms; talk about a page turner!

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

--Mark Twain (1835-1910)

"We have so much time and so little to do. Strike that, reverse it." -- Roald Dahl, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory



Oh my, our little dog "Bing" the Border Terrier has just eaten a pound of Toblorone chocolate while I was out on a run. The children don't seem alarmed; although they did pick up the wrappers... Thanks guys! And now my husband has gone off screaming like a g--l about the dog dying and it being all my fault on account of my weakness for chocolate.

"Jen, Call Animal 9-1-1 and tell them we are on our way!"
screaches my husband.

"Whoah Nelly," I think to myself, "I am going to have to handle animal emergencies much worse than this soon enough, and let's face it, I don't want to have to foot the vet bill every time. I can do this -- at least I can try! Heck, I'd better be able to -- in less than a year I'll be birthing cria with a catcher's mitt. Right?"

"Mam, Was it milk chocolate or dark?" says the bland
voice on the other end of the phone.

Why the type of chocolate should matter, to this moment I haven't a clue. I do know, however, from reading a recent New Scientist article, that cacao beans are deadly to dogs. They apparently don't have the genes to process the stuff -- poor dears!

"Milk with almonds and nougat, you know Swiss-Toblorone,
the good stuff, " I quip with my best "strong" voice.

The receptionist kindly instructs me to "induce vomiting" by making Bing "ingest" 2-3 Tablespoons of Hydrogen Peroxide. Thankfully, we have some on hand but no, funny how she didn't manage to outline how one forces their pup to "ingest" peroxide! Now here is how I envision the proceedure: 1) catch dog, 2) hold dog, 3) make dog drink what dog doesn't want to drink, 4) rock dog midly for good measure, 5) get dog outside, and finally 6) watch dog vomit. Piece of cake, right? Is it ever?

So I ask my dear husband and partner in life to help me catch Bing, "I don't want a kidney, Dear, I just want you to hold the d-mn dog while I force this peroxide down his throat!" Needless to say, I am on my own...

Catch, dose and release -- ahh, here is where I manage to miss a critical step as previously envisioned, and I release Bing not outside -- but into the house -- and now we have chocolate-smelling dog vomit all over the joint. Talk about lessons learned! Well, at least Bing is safe.

Here is to greater, more pleasant (if less sweet smelling) adventures in the New Year!

A Helpful Link ~ What to do if your Dog Eats Chocolate

Normal day,
let me be aware
of the treasure you are.

Let me learn from you,
love you, bless you
before you depart.

Let me not pass you by
in quest of some rare and
perfect tomorrow.

Let me hold you
while I may, for
it may not always be so.

--Mary Jean Iron

December 2007

Dear Friends & Family,

Our little news has apparently flown the coup. We had really wanted to tell you each in person, but now that it's out there -- the rumor is true: the Pietsch's have "bought the farm" -or- "gone 'round the bend" -- choose your favorite fun idiom! As of last spring, favorable real estate conditions and Jeff's location independent job have allowed us to pursue a long-held dream of moving our family to a "small island in the Pacific" (Northwest, that is).

The decision was both very difficult, and very easy. The hard part, of course, being the thought of leaving our home of ten years and all the close friends and memories it now holds for both us and our children. In particular, we will miss our dear neighbors and long-standing friends from our faith community at St. Athanasius. The easy part -- where we are going is a place of tremendous natural beauty and presents what we believe will be an exceptional childhood experience for Garett, Kahana and Luke.

It is difficult for us to believe that Garett will soon be entering high school! Time moves too quickly and it won't be long before Kahana and Luke are there as well. By the same token, we are quite cognizant that this may be either the best or worst decision we will ever make together as a family. Here are the facts:

• Where: Orcas Island, Washington -- An island about twice the size of Manhattan in the center of the Salish Sea/ Puget Sound, featuring dramatically varied terrain and a small, tight-knit community of about 5,000. It is about two hours north of Seattle, but with about half as much rain!


• What: A working, twenty-acre alpaca farm and forest lands -- "Orcas Moon Alpacas." Yes, you read that correctly. Are you surprised, really?


• When: Sometime next June after school lets out.

Jennifer is already seeking a new teaching position, and Jeff will continue to operate his business in collaboration with Mr. John Wiley. And, the schools are excellent thanks to strong support among the islanders. Gary Larson, for those of you old enough to recall the cartoonist's name, is apparently one of our neighbors!

We are so very blessed and excited to share this news with you, and look forward to filling you in soon with more detail face to face. We have so appreciated all of your support and friendship through the years. On that note, our boys will need all the support you've got as they face this exciting, but significant change in their lives. We hope you will come visit us!

Again, we wish you all a very Merry Christmas and wonderful New Year. Please feel free to share this as you wish, and our apologies if we've missed you on the first pass.

Me ke aloha palena 'ole,
The Pietsch's

Winkin, Blinkin and Nod one night
sailed off in a wooden shoe.
Sailed on a river of crystal light into a sea of dew.
"Where are you going and what do you wish?"
The Old Moon asked the three.
"We've come to fish for the herring fish
That live in this beautiful sea

Nets of silver and gold have we,"
Said Winkin, Blinkin and Nod.

The Old Moon laughed and sang a song,
as they rocked in the wooden shoe.
And the wind that sped them all night long, ruffled the waves of dew.
"Cast your nets wherever you wish, never a-feared are we,"
So cried the stars to the fishermen three
Winkin, Blinkin and Nod.

So all night long their nets they threw to the stars on the twinkling foam.
Then down from the sky came the wooden shoe,
bringing the fishermen home.
'Twas all so pretty a sight it seamed, as if it could not be,
And some folks thought 'twas a dream they dreamed,
of sailing that beautiful sea.
But I shall name you the fishermen three:
Winkin, Blinkin and Nod....

--Eugene Field

Dear Reader:

"Honey," said my husband, "you've just gotta pick a name for that blog and start writing. Here, I've reserved ten for you. Now please just pick one, sit down and write -- you have fifteen alpacas to market!" It's that sitting down part I hate!

Now over the years, I have been asked to name many things, but the frequency of this request has really gone full tilt since we decided last Fall to acquire a new home, farm, business, lifestyle and future in the middle of the Puget Sound! All this in one fell swoop. Who knew one "simple" decision would require so much naming? Did I mention I can't sit still for such things? Ah, the "farmer's life" for me. But first, that incessant naming...

• "Jen - Can you name the farm?" - Be careful, Jen, you will have to live with this name and it will become your brand. My MBA marketing classes somehow left me quite unprepared to for this one! We selected "Orcas Moon Alpacas." Yes, you read that correctly, it's an alpaca farm. (More on that later!)


• "Jen - Can you name the baby cria?" - Be careful here, Jen, you want to select a name that you can use to market them: strong, but gentle... not silly. My children thought "Fluffy" was a suitable name; I chose "Channel" in keeping with this season's designer theme. Oh, by the way, a cria is a baby alpaca!


• "Mama - Can you name the guinea pig babies?" - Are you kidding me guys; that's what I have you, my children, for!

Well, you get the idea, lots of naming to be done. And these are the relatively easy decisions! The bare-bones of it: we have a 20-acre farm complete with 15 alpacas and eight chickens, and are now planning to move our entire family of three children, three dogs, a guinea pig, a gerbil and half-a-dozen or so Lady Gould finches some 3,000 miles westward from the northern suburbs of Chicago, Illinois to a remote island in the middle of the Pacific Northwest, Washington -- all to live the farming life. After all, I've always been a farmer at heart.. hey! How is that for a blog name? Isn't life grand?

Welcome to our Adventure,
Your "Farmer at Heart"
Jennifer Pietsch