A couple of weeks ago I went out to the barn to see Rusty.  Rusty was our old Great Pyrenees livestock guard dog who has been with us for over ten years. He was one of the most incredible dogs I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing.

But that day Rusty didn’t know me. because he was dying.

I was filled with regret. I wished I had been there one more time with him. Why couldn’t I have just one more time to love on him, when he knew me? Why does death cheat us of our loved ones? – take them from us before we are ready? I wanted to know, anger burning, tears not stinging yet.

I took the kids out to see him. They looked at him and didn’t understand why he didn’t raise his head in greeting, why he didn’t look at them. My oldest explained that his muscles were in the process of trying to relax. His breathing was beginning to cease. His eyes had already stopped focusing. He was really gone already, his spirit seemed to have already flown away.

Rusty last November

The alpacas that he had guarded kept coming in and milling around. They didn’t seem to notice that their big protector was gone, but I did. It sliced through my heart like a hot knife cuts through butter. I swiftly hustled the kids out of the barn, swiping at tears with the back of my hand, forgetting the box of tissues I carried.

“How in the world am I going to dig a hole big enough to put him in?” I fretted to myself as I hugged my babies one by one as they walked by me on their way back to the house in the sweltering heat.

On my small farm we don’t have a backhoe, though it is at the top of the my wish list for my next farm. Let’s face it. Digging a huge grave in South Alabama in the summer is just not fun. Nothing about it is fun.

Usually when animals die on our farm, the children gather flowers and place them on the grave, especially if it was a beloved animal like Rusty. Usually they make designs like crosses and things. There was something special about how this time they just threw flowers all over with abandon for Rusty! He and his partner Joy, were our first livestock guard dogs. They have been with us since the the beginning of our alpaca farm. This was a sad day for us all.

We will really miss you old boy…..

Read more about Rusty here.

What am I getting myself into?

This cute story was shared with me by my friend Valerie Newell from Crown Point Alpacas in New Hampshire.

Spring shows are coming up. Time to start thinking about halter training. If you have kids, letting them come up with ways to make it more fun can make the whole process more enjoyable.

It was a beautiful winter day, and early in the morning with the sun shining…I heard my little girl having quite the talk with Curious George. “George, would you like to come and meet the alpacas and help us train them for the show? You are always up for a challenge and something fun and exciting? So what do you say?”Apparently George agreed because I saw them both bouncing happily as they headed out to meet the alpacas.

They each got their turn with the halter and the leads. “George thought it was so much fun.” It was truly a great day, it was very apparent that  George and Annie felt proud and happy at the end of the day as they walked the newly trained “Snowman” together!

And as a mom, when all is said and done there is nothing like a happy kid, a happy monkey, and a trained alpaca!!

P.S. Thanks so much to Valerie for sharing this cute story with us. If anyone else has interesting/cute/helpful alpaca things they would like to share, feel free to email me with them. I am always looking for great items to publish.

Our Great Pyrenees Livestock Guard Dogs are good with kids

I don’t know who was happier to have the kids at the barn this weekend – me or the dogs!

Aza loves a belly scratch!

One guilty secret that I have is that I don’t have my kids help me with the farm every day. They do help, and they know how to do many chores, but during the summer – I let them sleep many weekend mornings rather than roust them out of bed to do farm chores.

When we home schooled there was more time for the kids to be involved with the alpacas. All of my children have helped halter train alpacas, and have showed them in Performance Obstacle Classes. My oldest has even shown in Championship Halter Classes. But now that they go to regular school they barely have time for homework and enrichment activities during the week.

Recently a Twitter friend suggested that I put the kids to work digging ditches and putting up fencing. Now he may not have realized how old my children were (6-12), but when I read that I thought, “Man, my kids have it good.” Too good?

This weekend I had two eager helpers and we had a great time doing alpaca chores. Our livestock guard dogs, Joy and Aza, were happy to have the kids around to play with. My son filled up lots of water buckets while his sister enjoyed playing in front of the fans. (She also filled up the feed buckets.)

The kids never miss a chance to play in Mom’s office at the barn. They love the little finger puppets made from alpaca fiber. Those puppets, paper and pencils can keep them entertained for hours. My barn refrigerator door is filled with sticky-note artwork.

The verdict? "It has gnats," to quote the scientist.

As a parent I struggle with the questions – How much work is too much for a child to remain a child?  How much work is not enough for a child to develop a good work ethic?

I guess every family has to determine how much they should make their kids do with regards to work/chores.  All my kids do chores, but I have to admit…sometimes I like to go to the barn to do the chores myself to get away from the chaos in our busy home with four children and numerous pets. The alpacas and the barn are so peaceful…sometimes that is just what I am craving. A few minutes away. Where it’s quiet.

But this evening when my son said to me, “Mom, I want to help at the barn every time! It’s fun!” -  it was music to my ears! What a joy, sharing the alpacas with my children.

I’d love to hear your thoughts. What do you think about children and chores?

Participating in Wordless Wednesday.

As the economy sputters, our investments peacefully eat grass in the fields carrying next year’s cria crop and growing our fleece harvest. After being told by countless teachers that I talk too much, I have finally found my voice on my blog Alpaca Farmgirl.

I am grateful for my farm and for each new life created here. I am happy that my children can learn about the circle of life and the value of a hard day’s work in our backyard. I am grateful that I still have a good connection with my tween, and that her brother and sisters have outgrown sippy cups but still need me to cut their meat.

This Thansgiving, I am thankful that I have found my bliss. Every day I get to do what I love: Raise my babies, raise my alpacas, and write about it.

Happy Thanksgiving! Dear Readers, YOU are among the blessings I am counting this year! Leave me a comment and let me know what you are thankful for.