There in the field was a little treasure. Adorning the green, green grass of spring, was this beautiful bright blue birds’ nest. It had fallen from its lofty throne, sometime during the winter months when the last of the winds blew the last leaf off the bare branches, leaving only silhouettes of trees. I thought about that little nest as I picked it up. It was so beautiful. It had been carefully and thoughtfully constructed by a master at the art of recycling! The main part of this blue nest was an old tarp that had been covering some wood.  This little bird had used the blue tarp as her main weaving material. And then there was a fishing string found from a nearby brook. And then I saw the ribbon; it was the ribbon from a child’s balloon. I imagined that perhaps it was a child who’d had a special day. The balloon had floated away as the child watched, soothed by loved ones with gentle words, and a hug that the balloon would find a happy home.

Little did they know that the ribbon would weave a home, safe from winds and storms and give a family a chance to soar.  As I held this tiny little nest in my hands, I then looked into the nest, and there inside the nest was a thickly felted layer of alpaca fleece! Soft, and felted to perfection! I imagined how the nest was at first lined with fluffy fiber which swaddled the tiny eggs, and kept the little bird warm while she warmed her eggs. Then as the eggs hatched and the tiny little bird feet started to pitter and patter when mama brought them their food, they felted the nest! Teeny, tiny baby bird feet felting away!!  This little nest had been a wonderful home, protected them from harm and kept them warm and safe till they were ready to fly.

This nest is a lot like our lives; we weave it together. Our relationships, some like the old tarp, some the fishing string, some the ribbons, and our families, they are like the felt. We keep them close to us. Sometimes things change, sometimes our lives take turns, but the stuff we are made of, and what we choose to weave into our lives, gives us all the chance to “soar.”

This post was contributed by Val Newell of Crown Point at The Green Alpaca and Co-Founder of CIABA.org.

May 25th, 2010 | Tags: alpaca, birds nest, CIABA, Crown Point, felt, fiber, nest, recycling, The Green Alpaca, treasure, Val Newell | Category: Alpacas, Nature | Comments (6)

Participating in Wordless Wednesday.

November 11th, 2009 | Tags: Fall leaves, Wordless Wednesdays | Category: Nature | Comments (8)

image from NOAA

It was disappointing to hear there was a tropical storm last week. By November we are usually past storm season. Guess nobody told Ida ’cause here she is. Heading right at us. (Our farm is in Fairhope, AL between Mobile, AL and Pensacola, FL about 25 miles off the gulf  coast.)

Preparing for a category 1 storm is much easier than preparing for stronger storms. Our property is high enough that we don’t have to worry about flooding. We are far enough off the water that storm surge isn’t an issue either. The main thing we will prepare for is loss of power and some gusty winds.

Losing power this time of year, when the temperatures are mild (70-75 degrees during the day, 55-65 at night), losing power is not nearly as rough as losing it during the summer is when it is so hot. We will fill up our gas cans and stock up on batteries, canned food, and water.

Really, it should just be some seriously rainy weather. But whenever a hurricane is heading for you – it’s good to take it seriously.

November 8th, 2009 | Tags: Fairhope Alpacas, Hurricane Ida, Ida, NOAA, our farm | Category: Nature | Comments (4)

Fall is a wonderful time of year for alpacas on our farm.

Participating in Wordless Wednesdays.

November 4th, 2009 | Tags: alpaca, alpaca farm, Alpacas, Fairhope Alpacas, pasture | Category: Alpacas, Lifestyle, Nature, The Alpaca Lifestyle, Wordless Wednesdays | Comments (4)

Farming is a metaphor for life. Everything that happens on a farm – birth, growth, harvest, successes, failures, and eventually death – happens in real life as well.

In most jobs, we expect to have things go well. And when they don’t – we have a bad day. We’re disappointed and hope the next day goes better. The same thing happens on a farm, but in more of a Man vs. Nature format. When things go bad on the farm – let’s face it – they can go really bad.

Mother Nature is the friend and the enemy of the Farmer. She’s like the little Girl with the Curl. When she is good, she is very, very good (Think adorable baby alpacas who come up to you for butterfly kisses). And when she is bad she is horrid (Think Hurricane Katrina).

I am the kind of girl who would rather be at a spa than a camp ground. I actually wish farming weren’t dirty. Yet I am inexorably drawn to the constant in-your-face struggle with nature. We usually win. Life on the farm is peaceful, beautiful, and serene. The joys and rewards that come with farming have no equal in my eyes. Yet there is the darker side. It’s a rollercoaster we must ride. In order to have the highs, we must endure the lows. Do you remember in the Ron Howard movie, Parenthood, when Granny tells them that she likes the rollercoaster?

Me too, Granny. Me too.

This morning, after a 2 hour nap rather than a full nights sleep, I sat, bleary-eyed, feeding our new premature cria, Pippi. Exhausted to the core, I looked outside the barn to see the alpaca herd grazing. Occasionally a cria would jump or run. A light fog was lifting. The grass was so green it jarred my sleep-filled eyes. The sounds of alpacas gently munching on the grass was a song in my heart.

I looked down at the tiny being in my arms, depending on me for everything – her very life. The thought she might not make it brought a tear to my eye. But that is okay. It is who I am. Farmer. Nurturer.

Walt Disney once said that for every laugh there should be a tear.

He would have been a good farmer.

September 2nd, 2009 | Tags: alpaca, Alpacas, baby alpaca, Farmer, hurricane Katrina, man vs nature, Mother Nature, Nurturer, Walt Disney | Category: Alpacas, Lifestyle, Nature, The Alpaca Lifestyle | Comments (14)

Watch CBS Videos Online

In the alpaca world we often see unique and special friendships develop. When I came across this story of the elephant and the dog and their unique bond, I had to share it with you. Leave a comment and tell us what special relationships that you have observed among animals.

July 8th, 2009 | Tags: alpaca world, animal behavior, animal friendships, animals, CBS News, dog and elephant, elephant, friendships, relationships, Tara and Bella | Category: Nature, Weekly Web Finds | Comments (2)

For the 4th of July we took a mini vacation and went to the beach. My son and daughter played on the dunes as the sun went down. These two are thick as thieves. Inseparable.

We love the gulf coast beaches because the sand is like sugar. It doesn’t burn your feet when you walk like the sand we had in Fort Lauderdale. This is Gulf Shores Beach in Alabama (sometimes referred to as “the Redneck Riviera”) Redneck or not, we love playing on these gorgeous sandy dunes!

Life on the farm is fun, but it’s great to take a break and spend the weekend somewhere different. It helps recharge our batteries and prevent “burnout”. Days like these are priceless.

Hope you all had a Happy 4th of July!

This post was shared in Beautiful Life Moments on The Inspired Room Blog.

July 6th, 2009 | Tags: Alpacas, beach, farm, Gulf Shores, vacation, vacation from the farm | Category: Nature, Tending the Hearth, The Alpaca Lifestyle | Comments (2)

Photographs from a mobile breeding trip to Wolf River Alpacas in Mississippi. I always love going over there. Cindy and Terry Labbie are the nicest, most wonderful people!

Participating in Wordless Wednesday.

May 6th, 2009 | Tags: alpaca breeder, alpaca farm, Alpacas, birdhouse, Mississippi, roses, Wolf River Alpacas, Wordless Wednesdays | Category: Alpacas, Nature, Wordless Wednesdays | Comments (9)

Participating in Wordless Wednesdays.

April 22nd, 2009 | Tags: Alpacas, farm, flowers, foliage, nature, Spring, Wordless Wednesdays | Category: Nature, Wordless Wednesdays | Comments (4)