I woke up this morning and well look what I saw swimming in my pasture- yes- I did say swimming!

Look closely. It's Ducks! Don't worry they were just passing through. The sun shone all afternoon and spring is on its way!!!!---I think?

I just love Make Way For Ducklings!

Still keeping you posted on training. We are doing better each day. I decided to use my 'phone a friend' and find out how to get my team to keep their heads held high. Kathy, who has amazing animals, and a special relationship with each one suggested that I just hold the lead at their eye level. She said that the animal will just follow the hand and look up.

Who knew? how simple was that? Okay so we are not one-hundred percent but a huge improvement over only a couple of days. I think the animals are happier seeing where they are going anyway.

Oh, back to the title of the post.
Here are a few pictures of the cria and their ears.

Well love must be in the air.

We are lucky enough to have at least one nesting pair of bald eagles not far from our property. This time of year it is exciting to watch them. Our pair, that I can only assume are very much in love (they mate for life you know?) scream and soar while diving head first toward the earth. I can't help but hold my breath. It is like playing 'chicken' for an eagle.

I am not sure why they do it but having researched it, a little bit, diving and screaming is not uncommon. What is also not uncommon is the belief that the eagles are mating on the death defying dives they make as they plummet toward the earth. This according to all sorts of authorities this is not the case.

Oh you are wondering about the salty chicken part? With all of the prey birds gone a courtin' the chickens have to be locked up for their safety. This is making them ever so salty.

There are two bunnies that live in our backyard. (hard to see in this picture) I know you are thinking two? You know what happens when you have two don't you? Well these bunnies have been here since late last summer and aside from them being absent for a week or two occasionally, there are always only two. We get worried when we don't see them for a week or so fearing the worse, we have a lot of eagles but they have always reappeared .

We can't decide if they are bachelors or old maids either way they are fun to watch.

When Badger, our resident bun-of-fun is up at his summer hutch by the house I know the other rabbits come to visit. They leave their little round calling cards right near his cage.

-sorry about the picture quality, I don't know what is up with the camera.

For some reason training season always seems to bring the rain and wind. As an added bonus today it was cold. The cria are really getting the hang of the whole walking on a lead thing. It is a slow, individually paced process. Some days they are more interested than others. This is my preliminary evaluation.

Clackama- he is just like his father Phoebus- aka the Ninja, he is a close walker. The challenge with him is to get him to walk a little away from me. Given his choice he would tuck himself up under my arm and walk that way. I love this but it will be hard to show him if he is hiding.

Ranger- Ranger is a slow and steady kinda guy. I am trying to speed up his pace to show off his lovely stride. What Ranger has head and shoulders above the others- aside from actually being head and shoulders taller than the others- is presence. He stands like he is the king of the world. Head held high legs straight - although sometimes splayed- which we are working on. He is a picture perfect stander.

Holly- Holly comes from a nervous family and I am so proud that she is learning to accept being handled without going into a panic. She like her half-brother Ranger is a picture of standing perfection. Head up, chest out and proud. Her only challenge at this point is physical contact. She doesn't mind having me close but when it comes to examining her she is uncomfortable. We are working together, at her pace to solve this, what I can only imagine to be a genetic trust problem.

Pippi- Itty bitty Pippi. She is a doll. She is the best walker of the bunch but stands like a shrinking violet. I have been finding that unlike Holly she is more comfortable the closer you stand to her. You can see her physically relax. I wish there was a way to teach her to keep her ears up. Kahana, my son who has been helping with training has decided that her ears are just proportionately too small. I see it as her top knot, the fleece on her head, is just so long and luxuriant that they appear small. Big or small I wish she would let the world see them.

Wow can you say windy?

Even though it cools things off our alpaca love to pronk when it is windy. Pronk you say? Yup it is this really cool run, hop, spring type thing they do. Imagine being able to spring off the tips of your toes and not have to bend your legs while you go way up in the air. The girls usually start the whole herd a pronking.

I have tried to capture this on video but it is just too mesmerizing to watch I don't seem to be able to stop watching long enough to film it. I instead have decided to share a couple of pictures of my team with their windswept locks.



The donkey girls don't pronk but the wind has brought down a brand new madrona tree branch so they are happy as...well...donkey girls.

Today I received an anonymous letter from someone who was upset about my cat, "Pretty Kitty"

This brave person, who didn't sign their name, is obviously not a frequent reader of my blog, nor are they are familiar with my sense humor, nor the high level of love, attention and care I provide all of my animals adopted or otherwise. My self deprecating sense humor about how I feel about a specific species of animals in this case, cats, has no relation to my affection for and how I treat, Pretty Kitty.

I would never deny any creature the love, attention and care they deserve.

Believe it or not, I do not blog on every occurrence here on the farm. The day after Pretty Kitty arrived she was whisked away directly to our local vet for a check up, worming and to be checked that she was spayed ---which she is.

She has since been moved comfortably into the barn with access to a warm, safe, indoor place to sleep with fresh food and water.

My most heartfelt apologies to the Orcas Island Animal Protection Society who does great work. I feel confident that if I had any doubts about Pretty Kitty, and thus had chosen to take her to them they would have found her a great home.

She has chosen to live here with us and we are glad she is here.