Look it’s Me!
I think I am a little like the swallows that I saw when I looked out on the pasture the other day.  All of a sudden they were back.  I always wonder what makes them all come back at the same time, but sure enough  they have arrived in force.  Well out of the blue here I am too. 

(Yes I know Dickens spelled it tale.)

I have never been a huge Dickens fan so I will tell of you my chickens.
We have been having such unrest in the coop. Let me back up.

Scrawny Greta- the Hester Prynne of the the flock. (No not Dickens- Hawthorne) No she is not an adulterer. She is just a general outcast. She had been fine just happy enough foraging alone since her buddy Polly Pullet was taken by a hawk. For some reason this spring all of the other hens and Frank turned against her. This took the form of bullying her into not leaving the coop on the best days and not leaving the protection of the nest box on the worst.

I, the chicken expert, deduced that it was because her vague rooster like appearance and the urges of Frank in the spring. He didn't want competition. She, as I have discussed before is a Lakenvelder, an old breed in which both sexes have cockscombs and spurs. Could our up until now kind hearted rooster be turning to the dark side? (Star Wars) Had he started this whole unrest? Maybe but it really doesn't matter. I can't have Greta getting beat up. (All of you who are talking about pecking order and the like back off. My chickens are pets. Yes they give eggs so you may want to call them pets with perks.)

She needed to be put into the hen protection plan.

Our coop has two parts. A covered and secure outside run and an indoor coop we call the coop proper. There is a ramp connecting the two which can be closed making two separate secure areas. I know you can see where I am going with this. I put Scrawny Greta in the outside coop with Zig and Zag the ole' girls, and let everyone else stay in the coop proper.

During the day the chickens free range, unless you are locked in the covered coop and then you watch others free range. I have worked out a system where the groups switch off sometimes in the covered run sometimes out ranging. The idea was that the hens could see each other and then would somehow magically get along. I am not sure this is working.

I have begun to integrate more and more hens into the Greta group and it is going well sort of. Now I just have two big groups of hens who don't get along. I will keep you posted.

Today is Summer Thyme's birthday! She is two today- it is the nicest day we have had here on the farm all year. Bring on the summer.

I never thought one could be so busy and still not get it all done. Everyday is an adventure and if I don't write it all down right then and there by the time the next day comes with all its cool happenings it seems like a distant memory replaced by the next big day.

All in all it is you that are missing out on all the news. Here are a few of the tidbits you missed. I couldn't possibly remember all the cool stuff but...

• We went to another show in Pasco, Washington. I got to drive the trailer over a mountain pass with snow! A real nail biter!
• We did great at said show!
• All of the herd is clipped and ready for summer.
• I sheared a few of the animals myself this year- harder than it looks- but doable.
• Brave Heart the hen is broody and with my luck will hatch out all roosters.
• The haying is done.
• We got a new lawn tractor (okay it is really a mower but is called a tractor for some reason) I am loving it.
• The kids are out of school for the summer
• The farm stand is open for the year and we have had lots of visitors

As I said if I don't write it down right away it is lost. I am sorry you have missed all of the fun but stay tuned anyway.

Here are a few pictures that Luke took at the Alpaca Showcase when I asked him to get ready for shearing by taking pictures of animals that had neatly trimmed heads. I wanted the photos to use for models to give us something to shoot for.

This is what he came up with- I should have been more clear.

So I always have the best of intentions with regard to giving you the blow by blow of the show as it happens. I even bring my computer, camera and my witty thinking cap. Honestly by the end of a busy day driving, setting up, scooping up, and showing I am, and I don't say this often, done in.

The drive down to Alpacapalooza was tough. I have gotten accustomed to driving with the trailer- turn wide- slow down way ahead of time...etc. What made this drive challenging was the weather. Imagine, it was still raining (okay not funny) There was tons of water on the road and big semis trying to blow us over. On the up side there was no rain on the other side of Olympia and none at all while we were unloading.

Luke was a champ. He was also for the most part the team photographer. Here are a few pictures taken through a nine-year-olds eyes all except the ones I took of him.

We leave for Alpacapalooza on the 6:45 am ferry Friday. (Yes, that does mean I need to load those darlings in the dark. They are not too hot on what they know of the trailer but we will work it out.) Let me clarify we means, Luke and I are taking the crew, Buddy, Summer, Ranger, Klackama, Holly and don't forget Pippi!

I am confident that farmer Jeff will hold down the fort- he may need an anchor-yes it is STILL raining.

Last week at this time I went out to air out the trailer and make sure it was going to be all comfy. I opened the ramp in the back and the ramp/door hinge busted. The weld broke. I immediately called our neighborhood fix it person- Captain Barb- queen of all fix it knowledge- and she confirmed what I already knew- It was really broken- my new- used oh so few times- alpaca wagon was busted.

Captain Barb pointed me in the direction of a local welder and I got on the phone with the trailer folks- who were very apologetic and very helpful. Avery, the king of customer service at Carry-On Trailers in Atlanta second day aired me new hinges and Jorgen local welding champion, slapped them on (carefully) I am now sleeping more soundly- you notice I didn't say soundly just more soundly. Huge thanks to one and all.

We, I am big with we- which usually means me- handled vet check this week too. My regular island vet is out of town for a well deserved vacation but left the island in the able hands of Doctor Michelle Loftus from San Juan Island. This is usually not even an event, just a milestone of excitement...for me.

Michelle has a llama so it was easy breezy to get the check done and she brought along regular vet tech Rachel. The only hitch came when we went to confirm the micro-chips on the babies from this year. They didn't read.

It isn't unheard of and almost common that a chip may 'drift' and a new one would need to be inserted. Ackkkkk. But all four? We decided it must be the reader not the chip. Which once I stopped and thought, (imagine that stopping and thinking) it made sense. I checked all of the chips once they were inserted but used my own reader. (My reader is out on loan/trade to another farm in exchange for a 'pregnatone' ultrasound thingy) Rachel made a quick trip back the next day and we are now ready to go!

Wish us luck!

FYI- the animals pictured above are not mine-

I don't have much to say about these photos. I just wish that I could do the donkey girls justice! Aren't they just the best? They have been spending their days with the little boys and Penny. (They do get separated at night, no funny stuff here) It is kinda a cross-species stimulation experience for them all. They don't seem to know it is going on but I am enjoying it.