No Babies!

I arrived around 9AM, hoping to see a new baby in the nursery. Nope. Summer is being very uncooperative :(

It was great to see Pati and Rick and hear all about the Nationals. They said the weather in Utah was similar to the crummy weather we had here last weekend. Today was beautiful. Sunny, but not too hot, with a nice breeze. It was pretty much a relaxing day. We didn't do any breeding or spit testing. Sumatra got her teeth trimmed and was a good girl during the whole process. She didn't want to go in the chute, so she cushed right outside of it. It's not easy to get a full grown Alpaca to stand up, especially when they've been shorn and there is no fiber to hold on to. So, she got her teeth trimmed while cushed. She looks beautiful now, and is ready to go to her new home. We also microchipped her daughter, Mora, as she and Oda Mae look so much alike. With them in the same field, it's real hard to tell them apart.

Rick has a cross country transport, leaving Tuesday, from California to New York. He is picking up a herd in New York, and has some pick ups and drop offs on the way. I don't envy him, especially when he stops for gas! At $5 a gallon for diesel, it will be an expensive trip.

My little girl, Pati Cake, was weaned from mom, Princess, last week. Princess had no problem with it. Pati Cake was moved from the main field to the center field with the other maidens. She is spending alot of time walking the fence and looking for mom. I'm sure in a few days she'll get over it. It's sad to watch, but she's 7 months old and time for her to be a big girl.

Patron has really latched on to Felix. He follows Felix everywhere. He's the littlest guy in the little boys field and must think he needs a big brother. Felix is a great companion. I wanted to walk Felix last weekend, but didn't want to take him out without Patron. Patron has never been on a halter, so I didn't want to try to do it alone. So, today, Rick and I took Felix and Patron for a walk. Patron did great for his first time. After the walk, they spent some time in the show pen with treats. I've posted a photo of them. Patron looks so tiny next to Felix! We weighed them while they were out: Felix 121.1 pounds, Patron 67.3 pounds. We, then, took Alpha and DJ for a walk. Every week, it appears Alpha has more little silver spots. He's starting to look moldy! I have no idea what is going to happen with his coloring. Time will tell. They got weighed, too: Alpha 109.9 pounds, DJ 83.4 pounds. Alpha is really starting to grow. He's gained 2.9 pounds in a little over 2 weeks.

Pati returned from shopping and I headed for Boy's Town to hang out with the little boys. I picked a bunch of yellow flowers for them. The highlight of my day is all the little boys eating out of my hand. The big boys prefer I put theirs on the ground. When I got back up to the patio, Rick and Pati were sitting there. There was a framed certificate and a card on the table by my seat. The certificate says "All American Alpacas, Certificate of Appreciation, & A Free Breeding is hereby granted to Susan Derrow, for outstanding performance in keeping the alpacas safe". WOW! I offered to Pacasit because I love them and enjoy doing it. I never expected anything in return. Rick & Pati are so good to me, and take such good care of my animals, that I am happy whenever I can do something to help them. WOW! Anyone that has Alpacas knows what a valuable gift this is. A GREAT BIG THANK YOU, Rick & Pati! And, another big thank you to Rose, the Llama, who wrote a card to me from the herd, "Dear Aunt Susan, the entire herd wanted to learn to write so they could sign this card, but I told them no, I, Rose, would do it for them. Thank you, Aunt Susan, we like it when you take care of us". How cute, huh?

What a great day at the ranch....even if there were no babies.