Buffalo grass lawn

Closeup of buffalo grass

Many of my days this spring and summer have been spent working on our lawn. Last fall we seeded buffalo grass and covered it with huge rolls of erosion control blankets. Those plastic netting and straw blankets helped the dirt and seeds stay put. But they weren't perfectly successful and they didn't control the weeds.

There is one big challenge with starting buffalo grass: it's a warm season grass. That means it sprouts late allowing the weeds to get a head start. So pulling weeds has been my job. And I pulled A LOT.

This rainy summer has been both a blessing and a curse for our new lawn. Buffalo grass is drought tolerant, giving it a resilience that helps in it's competition with weeds. This summer the rain gave the weeds all the water they needed :-( ...that's the curse. The blessing was in the ease with which I could pull the weeds :-) But, still, I have developed arthritis in my hands. So it's a good thing I don't have to pull as many weeds now.

Once the buffalo grass was freed of the weed competition it took over quickly. It spreads like crabgrass sending runners all over the place. And it holds tight to the soil so that most weeds pull out of the soil without pulling up the buffalo grass.

I haven't mowed our new lawn, so it doesn't look manicured like most lawns yet. The grass is 5 or 6 inches tall right now and in the thickest places totally smothers any weeds that try to grow. It has a very fine texture and is incredibly soft to walk through. Jeremy says it looks so soft that it makes him want to lay down on it. (He doesn't do that, though, because it's pretty buggy!)

We are looking forward to enjoying the benefits of this special grass next season. Hopefully, its naturally short stature and drought tolerance will mean very little mowing and no watering. And all those hours pulling weeds this year will not be repeated!

More chickens...and eggs!

So we've added a few new characters to our little menagerie - 7 more hens.

Some of the new hens on their first day at our farm.

We discovered, for sure, that two of our seven little chicks are roosters. We knew that Donny (formerly Dott) was a rooster. He's been crowing for a month already. But Thistle, even though he looked like a rooster to me, had never crowed. Never, that is, until August 2nd.

Unfortunately, two roosters will need more than five hens. That means we either needed to get rid of one of our roosters, which would break my heart, or find more hens. And, if we got more hens, we needed more coop - and fast!

Lucky for me, I got an email from a nearby farmer needing to sell some of his older, less productive laying hens. Perfect! So I started building onto the coop, adding 10 more square feet of floor space and another next box. And by August 6th we had 7 more hens. All of that was a lot harder than you might think. I generally do not move that fast ;-)

And this was our first egg the next morning.

 Our new, mature hens are too old to lay an egg a day. We're happy with that, though, because we couldn't eat a dozen eggs every day! They are doing just fine and have added a lot of fun and goofy chicken stories to our days as they have gradually found their place with our younger chickens. Finding an egg or 3 everyday when I open the next boxes is nothing short of delightful. I absolutely love having chickens - and I am so glad we could keep both roosters.

Aren't these pretty?! Those bluish eggs are from
the two new (mature) Americauna hens: Heidi and Snow

Greenhouse progress

Remember "Backhoe Brent"? Well, he has been working hard to build a sturdy greenhouse for the farm. The project has come a long way since the last post about it! And, thankfully, Brent had some help to move things along.

Blaine and all the boys helped build the foundation.

Brent and all the boys helped move those cinder blocks Brent salvaged from the old house. It took a lot of those to build the foundation walls. They also dug an additional trench that serves to drain water from around that foundation. Gravel has been added to the bottom to support and level the cinder blocks.

Brent's brother Bryan helped install the post brackets
and bolts that will hold the framing.

Brent used mortar to hold the cinder blocks together. Then, with help from his brother Bryan, he installed brackets and bolts set with concrete that will hold the posts and framing. In addition, rebar was passed down through the blocks to the ground and held in place with cement. This will insure the walls resist bowing (unlike the walls of the old garage which are bowed terribly).

Here's a photo of the "finished" foundation.

Outside of the foundation walls Brent added perforated pipe and covered that with gravel. He also filled inside the walls with gravel, making sure there was a good amount in the corner near that drainage trench. He left a couple of small gaps in the cinder blocks in that corner so that, should a significant amount of water get inside the structure, it will have a place to drain.

Next, the dirt inside the greenhouse needed to be leveled out to see if we would need more fill. But, as you can see in the photo below, it looks like we already have the perfect amount inside the structure.

My handsome husband surveying the greenhouse "floor"

The next step is framing the walls. It will start to take shape quickly now!

What a big project! And this is what he does to relax on the weekends.

Improved terraces for the blueberries

Ok, so I know it's been quite a while since I wrote the post about the torrential rain. But shortly after the rainstorm just about washed away the blueberry bushes, I improved the terracing.

I've added rock to the original terrace and built a
second terrace above the plants to stop water washing onto the plants.

The new terrace is finished with mulch and gravel.

The second terrace is intended to allow water to seep, rather than flow. The line of gravel that you see in the lower photo will help the water flow across the upper terrace. That should help distribute the water more evenly to all six plants.

Yesterday, which is several weeks after those photos were taken, I decided to create a gravel lined drain. I noticed that dirt was still washing onto the mulch surrounding the two plants closest to the house. So I've dug a "ditch" to extend the gravel in front of those two plants. Then the ditch switches back to travel up the hill ending just below the lip of the rain garden.

We'll need to check things out tomorrow morning to see how well that new feature held up to the 2.5" of rain we got today. Of course, it's not very pretty since it's just dirt and gravel. But, if that held, we will know we've solved the issue. I'll make sure to take a picture :-)

Bad storm - tested our erosion control

It was a relative success, but the small terraces I built were not adequate.

Early last week we had tornado sirens, high winds and 5 inches of rain - all in a few hours! Jeremy and I watched literal waterfalls pour over the retaining wall near the front porch. And the "dry" creek bed was a fast-running, full creek.

All of that water ran right into the rain garden in the front yard. I had recognized a need to shore up the edge of the rain garden and had purchased and placed new rock on the lower perimeter. This excessive amount of water exposed the low spots in my effort. In two spots there were rivers of water cutting through to run down the hill.

I had also created a terrace below the blueberry bushes with the new rock. This torrent of rain succeeded in tumbling one of the rocks down the hill. And I felt lucky that none of the actual bushes were washed out.

Below the blueberry hedge the water washed dirt all the way across our gravel drive.

The force of the water was amazing to watch and the damage to the gravel road that we live on was significant. There were several deep gullies cut along and into the edges of the road, including this wash out in front of our South entrance.

The good news is that this gully exposed a couple of nice compass plants! They have a tremendous taproot. So this made digging them out of the gravel pretty easy. Now these plants, rather than being destroyed by the truck that came to grade the road, are struggling to adapt to their new home in our garden :-)

We had more rain through the week. So, after purchasing more rocks, I made some emergency repairs to the rain garden edge, the blueberry bush terrace, and one area on the East part of the driveway. But it was too wet to get a gravel truck onto our property.

Next week - more gravel and Dingo work! And, this time, I will focus on repairing the washed areas of the driveway and the dirt that's washed away from the barn.

This storm was a good test of our swales and terraces. It was an extreme amount of water and, although we had some washout, the damage was relatively minor.

I'm beginning to think a gravel quarry might be a good investment :-P

More alpaca mowing and one lesson learned

So far, we haven't mowed anything with our mower. Okay, maybe we did mow over a path that I'd cut with my scythe. But that was just to test the mower.

We are still trying to figure out how to create an easy to move temporary fence for the alpacas. They are pretty good at mowing and it seems a shame to waste all this food - alpaca food, that is.

Our latest attempt uses fiberglass, step-in posts and plastic snow fence.

The boys enjoying a morning munch of fresh grass.

As you can see in the photo it's a little floppy. For the most part, it worked. Until Loki discovered clover on the other side of the fence. He must have found a low spot and then reached over. And, before we knew it, his neck had pushed the fence low enough that he just hopped over. I'm still hopeful that we can use this to divide the larger pasture and rotate them onto new grass. It's pretty light and easier to move. But for areas where they could be loose, like the front yard, this won't be secure enough. :-(

So the real lesson that we learned was in regard to the chickens - and it has nothing to do with fences, really. Remember how I mentioned that Doogle (our beagle) might not be safe around chickens?

A mouthful of feathers - Doogle's mouth.

Our free-ranging chickens came up close to the house one morning. And Sunny, being a little slower than the rest, was relieved of a few beautiful tail feathers by our sweet dog.

Whew! That was close and, for me, relatively painless. Not sure how Sunny feels about it.

So, really, we learned two lessons and, luckily, neither one cost us much.

Neighbor goats - an update

Well, it turns out that I mis-identified the breeds of the neighbors goats. Katie and David are new to all of this stuff - just like me.

So, after looking at photos, Katie has determined that the black doe with the baby is a Nigerian dwarf. That little baby is pretty darn adorable and seems to love coming over to our pasture. I think it's small enough to fit through the fence. What's puzzling is that the momma made it through, too, the first time. We have no idea how that happened.

The other pregnant doe, rather than being a Nubian, is an Alpine - we think. And, rather than being giving birth in September as was expected, she bore a baby girl the week after she was purchased.

Newborn baby with her mom.

I am amazed at how functional these little babies are as soon as they're born. She stumbled around some that first day, but the next time I saw her she was jumping and running! I watch constantly out my window because the two babies play like puppies. This little brown one is much more energetic, though. I think everything she does starts with a hop into the air.

She moves pretty fast, so this was about all I could catch of her from my vantage point across the fence. It's a little blurry, but you might be able to see her jump over to her mom and then try to jump up the tree a couple of times - and she's only a week old!

Still love the new neighbors.

New neighbors

Last weekend the alpacas were fascinated by the happenings in the pasture next door.

The boys getting a close look into the neighboring pasture.

They saw five little goats! Our new neighbors had their goats delivered on Sunday. There is one pregnant Nubian doe, one black pygmy doe with her one-week-old baby, and two white pygmy wethers.

The objects of their curiosity.

I had to get a closeup of the little baby. She's so tiny it's hard to see her in the grass.

The little baby girl. She doesn't have a name yet.

That little one might be tiny but you know she's around. Her sweet little voice is easy to pick out among the other goat voices in the tall grass. And that little herd had the attention of our relatively big herd every time they made a peep (or bleat).

I like these new neighbors :-)

Update on the bee hives

I've been very happy that I started with 2 hives as everyone suggested. Being a new beekeeper, there is really no other way to understand what a strong hive and a weak hive look like.

I have one of each. And the difference between them is huge.

The hive that I call the West Hive (because it was on the west stand) is doing really well. Okay, that might be an understatement. It's going crazy. Meanwhile the East Hive is hardly doing anything. And Until recently, I learned all of that just by watching the entrances and checking the bottom box by holding a mirror under.

When I started noticing the East Hive falling so far behind, my friend Pam Kelley suggested I switch the positions of the hives. That will sometimes help even out the populations by tricking the stronger hive's bees into calling the weaker hive their home.

Jeremy helped me make the switch one sunny day a few weeks ago. And it did help the population of the original East Hive. But eventually it dwindled again.

So, after reading and talking with my bee friend more, I was certain there was no queen or even, perhaps, a laying worker bee (which is a real problem). So I called Wolf Creek Bees to order a new queen.

But John at Wolf Creek convinced me that something else might be happening. I needed to investigate a little more closely before I introduced a new queen. That was not a pleasant prospect for me. But I did it - with help from my wonderful and brave husband/co-farmer Brent. We opened up the hive and pulled out the combs.

Here I am looking really closely at the cells.

It was fascinating. John explained what I should look for to determine whether there was a laying worker - the eggs would be on the sides of the cells and there may be more than one egg in the cells. So, as you can see, I looked really closely. And, strangely, there were no eggs to be found.

John also mentioned that they might be growing a new queen. I'm still puzzled about that. How could they if the queen wasn't laying? But, guess what, that's exactly what they are doing!

Comb with queen cells - those peanut shaped things sticking out.

We found queen cells on a comb near the center of the box. And one of the cells was capped (closed up). That was all I needed to see. So we carefully put things back together. Then I quickly went inside to start reading. And I learned that a queen would hatch about a week after the cell was capped and then go on a mating flight a week later. So, maybe, this little hive will pull through.

It's already been 2 weeks since we opened that hive. I'm watching carefully for signs that the workers are bringing in pollen for brood. But I'm not seeing anything yet. 

The West Hive is obviously thriving. When I took off the feeders near the end of May, I could see with my mirror that comb was already built in the bottom box. So Brent quickly constructed new boxes with windows for me and we added one to the bottom. That was box 3. A week later we could see comb in the new box with the window. It's amazing. Since then, we added another box making that hive 4 boxes tall!

It's growing crazy-fast. The bees coming and going get so crowded at the entrance that they knock each other off the landing board. The number of bees living in there must be incredible. If you listen carefully near the screened bottom, you can actually hear the whoosh of air moving in the hive. It's a very healthy and happy sound.

We might get to harvest a little honey from that hive this year :-)

Chickens are in the coop and acting very grown up

Well, we found out, for sure, today that Dot is Nottadot (or Donny, we haven't landed on a good name that isn't female). He crowed for me this morning!

Here's Donny!

I had a great time building that chicken coop out of the salvaged lumber and the construction waste we have accumulated. With all the rain, it was helpful to get the corrugated roof on so things could stay dry. And it must have been comfortable also, because it very quickly attracted a pretty kitty, Patches. She started sleeping in the nest boxes. And now we have adopted her :-)

Patches, our new barn cat checking out the pop door on the coop.

So, after I finished all of the doors, Patches started staying in the Summer Kitchens and the chickens started living in their coop. It's been about 2 weeks and they have adjusted very well. It only took them 2 days to start going back in at night on their own, which is A LOT easier than chasing them around the run (good thing Brent didn't think fast enough to get a video; it would've gone viral). I still give them a night light when I close their door, but I didn't end up camping out like I thought I would.

Their first trip out the pop door and down the ramp to the run.

Today, I actually let them out of the run. Well, only 5 of them - Basil and Rae couldn't find the door. We've noticed how much they love to eat grass, so I risked giving them a few minutes of freedom to find out how easy it will be to get them back to the run. And, after they pecked around a little off the edge of the concrete (and Thistle made a trip around the side of the run), I shooed them back in very easily.

Donny and three girls checking out the real ground
(Thistle is in the background with his tail in the air)

I think tomorrow they will get a good taste of the real outdoors. And I'll take Doogle over to see them on a leash. He may be the most dangerous predator around! Luckily, his wireless fence keeps him away from the coop. Now we just need to teach the chickens to run the right direction if they cross into his space. 

Okay, so maybe there is no teaching a chicken, but I'm trying it anyway!

Rain, rain, rain...

It has been a very wet Spring here in eastern Kansas. Luckily, Brent and I aren't trying to get crops harvested and/or planted like all the farmers we know. It's been a real struggle for them.

Our biggest struggle with this weather has been staying cheerful while the weeds take over the new lawn and the chickens grow like weeds!

We have managed to take advantage of the occasional sunny day to work on things around here. But the ground is soaked and water is standing everywhere - so progress is slow. As always, there are things to smile about - like this vision of beauty out our window:

The rain drenched deck

In spite of the rain, the guy that is helping us finish out the barn has also been able to make a little progress for the alpacas. He's finished the roof and the west side. And since it's dry in there now, we took a little time to move things around. The boys have a lot more space inside to get in out of the rain these days.

Walt standing by the feeder in the middle of the "spacious" barn

We also expanded their pasture. I posted a fun picture on Instagram of Brent and me splattered with mud. You can see it there if you search for either Patti Ragsdale or gardenrambler. Brent figured out how to set the telephone pole posts even though the holes we had drilled were full-to-the-top with water. And putting up one of the posts created a muddy rain shower that was pretty amazing - and very picture-worthy.

Getting up 4 of the 14 posts for the fence along the draw created enough fence line to move the pasture space out another 100 feet to the east. Brent, Logan and Jeremy strung some new wire fence last week and herded the boys into the newly available tall grass. The alpacas love to nose through all that grass to find the clover and eat it first.

Loki checking out the clover in the newly expanded pasture.

My most pressing project is the chicken coop. Even though it's only 4 foot by 5 foot, it's a big project for me and is taking way too long (as always). But, between rains over the last 3 weeks, I've made quite a bit of progress. And it's a good thing because the chicks are pretty much chickens now. They are pretty crowded in their "expanded" brooder.

The very beginning of the coop.

A view of the nest boxes and egg door at the end of the day yesterday.

So we are making progress - just slow because we are literally walking through mud. We should start moving a little faster in the weeks to come because, as of last week, I'm "retired" from my corporate job. I'm a full-time, focused farmer - or something like that these days :-)

In spite of all the rain that's slowing been things down, Brent and I have taken time to enjoy the fruits of our farm. Last weekend we walked out to the east-most border of our property to see if the mulberry tree had ripe berries. And it had a ton! Of course, we only picked what we could reach...and then we made a cobbler. It was really good - tasted like figs!

Mulberries

There just isn't any end to the things to do. And that's a really good thing because most of those tasks are outside in this beautiful place. And, even though I already miss the constant interaction with the wonderful people I worked with at Hallmark, this new farm-focused job will give me a lot of things to smile about - and, hopefully, the space and freedom to share with friends.

The new prairie garden is in - and a chicken update

Well, I finally finished getting the plants in the ground. And I've pulled all the invading grass and added the first layer of mulch. Of course, I'm not really finished. There are always loose ends - like the un-mulched rain garden. But it's nearly there!

Here's a photo of the garden along the path that I've finished:

Looking toward the house from the parking area

Looking from the front porch

It's pretty exciting to have almost all the plants in the ground. Some of them are already sprouting new growth. We've had many rainy days thats helped a lot to keep everything well hydrated while the little transplants waited for mulch. I just finished yesterday - a good 3 weeks after I purchased the plants.

In addition, there are a lot of seedlings making their appearance in the areas where we spread the super-expensive native wildflower and grass seed. I don't think they are losing the battle against "weeds." But, given that everything is coming up at once, it's pretty hard to tell - except where we spread buffalos grass seed. In those "lawn" areas it's very easy to see the weeds. So far, the little grass seedlings seem to be pretty darn tough. And, with any luck, I can pull the weeds and fill-in with plugs from other areas as soon as the ground has a few days to dry out.

Meanwhile, our little chicks are looking more like fully-feathered chickens everyday. We moved them into their new temporary home a week ago and they love it. They are much more active with room to run. And it's been very fun watching them on their new roost. They are also getting a few greens now and then which adds a new form of entertainment to our evenings: watching chicken rugby.

Here's a picture I posted on Instagram of the ladies as they first explored their new space:

The ladies in their modified dog kennel/chicken run.

I'm still trying to find time to build their coop. Balancing the urgency of the different things needing attention has been tough because I'm wrapping up the last few days of my corporate job. I think this is the weekend for building their new home, though. It kind of has to be. They are nearly covered with feathers!

It'll be hard to leave the little ladies out in their official big-girl house/coop - especially the first night. I'm going to have to fortify their run to make it a little Fort Knox, I think. And maybe I sleep in a tent next door or something. Yes, a camp out, that should help, right? :-S

Chickens and lots of plants

So it's been several weeks since I've written a post and I think it's time to catch up!

Brent and I have been super-busy trying to establish gardens between rainstorms before the luscious and tough prairie grasses take over. There is just never enough time or it rains every weekend. So I've been using up vacation time during the work week to get our native and edible perennials in the ground.

All of this busy-ness is really my own fault. I've been ordering online and buying at various sales in attempts to establish a sensible garden that utilizes the different micro-climates and habitats available around the house. It's mind boggling thinking through each plant's needs as well as bloom time, leaf texture and height as it relates to the plants around it. I'm sure I've messed it up. But, if my last native garden is any indication, it won't matter. It will be beautiful no matter what I do. As soon as I have everything in the ground (hopefully this week), I will post a "before" picture.

Here is what I posted on Instagram after attending the Powell Gardens Members-only Preview Plant Sale:

Plants purchased at Powell Gardens Spring Plant Sale

I didn't count the plants, but I know it was more than 30. I am probably most excited about the big leaved plants in the photo. They are the 3 hardy figs. I am planting those in front of the big rock retaining walls. In those spots they should get a lot of winter protection as well as good moisture. I'll add a border to "raise" the soil level for create good drainage. I'm pretty excited at the potential for growing those sweet fruits here in Kansas.

Asparagus update: many of the plants have spears up and some of those are already starting to leaf out. They are growing at different rates. Of the 4 beds we planted, the bed on the East end is sprouting the slowest. I'm speculating that it gets less sun than the other beds.

The other big news is our little chicks: 2 Buff Orpingtons, 2 Barred Plymouth Rock, 2 Ameraucana, and one Black Sex Link.

Our baby chickens on their first day at home

They fit easily in a 40 Gallon water tub when we brought them home. But now, 2 weeks later, they've grown considerably. I'm working today to finish a "cage" that is about twice the size of their current space. And it will be taller, allowing them to have a roost and space to run around. The only one we know for certain is a hen is the Black Sex Link (Basil). I'm hopeful they are all hens. I guess one rooster might be fun, too. We shall see :-)

Here are a couple of recent pictures:

Basil strutting her adolescent stuff.

Just about the entire crew. Blondie is the big Ameraucana on the left
with the puffy cheeks. She may be a he.

Meanwhile, as a Mother's Day gift for me, Brent, his dad and Jeremy worked to cut down the tall grass around the old dog run that will become our little ladies' run. The also used the rough sketch of a coop I gave them to create the frame for the floor of the coop. That is my next big project!

The "girls" will be almost entirely feathered before I know it. So I better work fast (not like me)!

New trees, new pasture, rain and a 4-wheel drive lesson

Last weekend I was excited to bring home 3 native trees/shrubs from the Missouri Prairie Foundation annual sale at the City Market in Kansas City. The sale is continuing this coming weekend, too. But I am doing everything I can to control the urge to buy more until I've planted what I already have.

Lucky for me, I was able to pre-order my plants from Eric Lovelace at the Forrest Keeling Nursery. He had everything I was looking for. And pre-ordering meant there was very little time to shop and bring home more - at least not many more (I only bought 9 little ones). The three trees I bought were a White Fringe Tree, an American Smoke Tree and an Ozark Witch Hazel. And I got them into the truck and headed home just before the first downpour of the weekend started.

Ozark Witch Hazel waiting to be planted.

We had also made some plans to take our non-functioning riding lawn mower to a guy across town the same day. He had a working rider that could use our leaf bagger AND would give us some trade-in for our old mower. So I was anxious to get the mower in the trailer, hooked up to the truck and out of the tall grass that was rapidly enveloping it.

Unfortunately, I needed a lesson in patience (and the limits of 4-wheel drive in mud).

I got Old Blue good and stuck in the mud :-(

Needless to say, the mower didn't go anywhere. Until today, that is. The downpours ended overnight and Brent was able to get the truck unstuck on Sunday. Today (Tuesday) he was able to take the riding mower to a local small engine repair shop. With any luck, they will have the old mower working by May 1st. Meanwhile, we have a push mower, two scythes…and alpacas!

The boys got the opportunity to munch on some really luscious new pasture as the weather cleared on Sunday. Brent had the great idea to create a little temporary pasture for them (we needed to buy more wire, anyway) and use them as mowers. So we created a walk gate in the fence between the water hydrant and the west barn door for them to walk through. Just outside the gate is a dog run and also a lot of old junk (like an entire waterbed, and fence panels and car parts) left by the previous owners. I'm hoping to use the area for a chicken yard but all that junk makes it nearly impossible to mow. So we placed t-posts and attached 100' of new wire fence around the grass-covered junk. And we let the boys have the run of it!

Our alpacas checking out the fresh grass - notice Ace in the upper right getting ready to roll.

I've never seen our alpacas so obviously excited. Nor was I aware until then how much they enjoy destroying small trees. The baby elm and Bradford pear trees in their new area were no match for their antics. The boys attacked them with delight. They walked over them, chewed and chest butted them until they broke. Then they ate the leaves. The boys were also swinging their heads on their long, skinny necks through the grass, apparently, to make sure there were no animals in there. Then they would cush and roll around on their backs. Like I said, they were very animated, obviously enjoying their new spot.

Loki (the white one) pretty much engulfed in grass.
He had already rolled and is now burying his nose in the goodness of the fresh food.

By Tuesday, the junk that had been overgrown by grass was mostly exposed. By this weekend, we should be able to clean the junk out of the area and mow. Pretty impressive work by our not-so-fuzzy boys!

Shearing Day

Yesterday our fluffy tough-boys got their annual haircuts. It was shearing day.

7:30 a.m. started with careful, cautious haltering in our half-finished barn

Things progressed rapidly for our boys. They were first on the schedule at Manna Meadows, the alpaca ranch near us that hosted the event. Brent and I started early to get the boys haltered and loaded in the trailer that our friends at the host farm loaned us for the journey. We arrived at Manna Meadows by 8:30.

Shearers are NOT cautious in getting the boys onto the mats so they can do their work.

Next thing the alpacas know, they are being pulled out of the trailer, picked up and plopped down on their side to be stretched with pulleys and ropes tied to their feet. It all happens very quickly.

Me working with Brian Heimes of Manna Meadows to bag Loki's blanket
as Brian of Shear Relief does the shearing.

Two teams worked to bag the fiber. We used 3 different bags to keep the blanket, neck and "3rds" separate. It was a pretty smooth system and the shearers worked very well together, shifting seamlessly between two stations. Each alpaca was sheared in less than 10 minutes.

Here's Loki looking slim and trim after the shearing.

It's an awfully scary process for the animals (and for this alpaca "mom" who moves a lot more slowly and carefully). Similar to a semi-annual teeth-cleaning at the dentist, the quicker the better, I say, for something like this that can't be skipped. And I'm certainly glad it's done only once a year.

Here's a before and after of "Walt" that shows pretty clearly how much fiber these guys grow for protection from the elements over the season.

Walt before shearing.

Walt after shearing (with Ace looking on)

Sharon and Brian at Manna Meadows are simply awesome to host this in their facility near us and to guide us through this somewhat stressful process. At least one other alpaca owner was there with her small group. There was a lot of camaraderie and fun in the day - and pizza for lunch (my favorite food). It was hard to convince these hard-working shearers to stop. But after shearing nearly 50 alpacas and with the arrival of food, they took a break.

Taking a little lunch break before shearing the 20+ remaining alpacas.

In the end, we all made it back home safe and sound and a lot wiser to the shearing process. Some of us came home a lot thinner - and some of us full of pizza and knowledge. All of us were very tired by the end of the day.

These guy missed out on the pizza - obviously.

And now we have seven 30-gallon bags of fiber. Our next step: learn how to skirt the fiber for shipping out to the processing facility.

Bees, bees, bees…and asparagus

A close-up of the bees in their "package"

Well, I'm a beekeeper now. The bees finally arrived on Saturday after a freezing Friday night. The post office called me at 6:18 a.m. and I showed up to get them at 7:15. I had no idea what to expect - except what I had seen on the numerous videos I had watched to learn what the heck I was supposed to do to get them into the hives.

I had taken the day off on Friday because the USPS tracking said my 4 packages (2 for each hive) were expected to arrive that day. So I spent the day making sugar syrups for the new bees to live on until the flowers start blooming. Then I "prepped" the hives by putting beeswax on the top bars and set them up on their benches in the apiary. The post office called Friday at around 3:45 to say they wouldn't be coming until Saturday. And I was a little relieved.

They arrived early in the morning and it was still cold. So I waited until 4:00 p.m. to install them (because the videos said they would be ready to settle down in the late afternoon). But, having watched them for a few days now, I think I should have waited until even later - or installed them in the morning when it was cold.

I didn't do a very good job getting the first batch of bees into their hive. But it helped me learn a lot that was helpful for the second batch. For instance, that can of food, it's hard to get out. You should do that first - to both boxes.

Getting the food can out of the box was incredibly hard.

After the can finally came out, I pulled out the queen cage and saw that she was alive. Her little cage has 2 corks - one in each end. After removing one of those, I placed her cage into the hive. Then it was time to dump in the bees. First, I hit the box on the ground to make bees fall onto the floor of the package. Next, I began shaking them out of the opening, pouring them over the queen cage. And I repeated that a couple of times.

Dumping the bees into their home - and banging the sides to get them to fall.

At that point bees are starting to come out of the box and fly around. It was hard to be focused with all that buzzing. But it seemed like I was about done and I replaced the bars in the top box and started to put the sugar syrup feeder on top. Then I turned and noticed the second box. Darn. So I kinda botched the first install. With all those bees flying out of the hive now, I had to try to get that stubborn can out of the second box. Needless to say, a lot of the first group had to find their own way back into the hive because I didn't get things closed up quickly - at all.

Like I said, I learned a lot. The second hive got a lot more bees into it and I was a lot less nervous. But I did get one bee sting when I installed that second hive. And I learned that with a lot of disoriented bees around, it's smart to stay on your feet. I got stung on my knee when I knelt down and crushed one of the little ladies accidentally.

It's been 3 days now. And, upon checking this evening, it looks like all the bees that were hanging onto the outside of the hive have found their way in. And bees are busily coming and going at the hive entrance - like they work there or something :-)

Whew! that was a big job. My next task is to retrieve that queen cage - maybe on Thursday or Friday.

Asparagus in their cinderblock raised beds.

Meanwhile, Brent spent the day building some super-cool raised beds for the asparagus crowns I bought a couple of weeks ago. He also made 2 trips back to Shawnee to pick up the pulverized topsoil that fills the beds - and shoveled it into the beds. It's really no wonder we are sore and achy on Monday.

The asparagus beds span the entire south side of the house. We planted 50 crowns in over 50 feet of raised beds. It will take a year, but we should have plenty. And the fronds from the spears we don't harvest will make a pretty screen for the ground level windows.

It's all slowly (and sometimes suddenly) coming together…

…and we have BEES!