Good Night Chiva

Having a farm is mostly rewarding.  But some days are harder than others.

I had been wondering how much longer Chiva would be with us.  The last couple of winters had been tough on him.

He was older, but not "old."

He had a famous father, but poor conformation and skin issues that we could not get ahead of.

He was gelded early on and never a sire, but he was protective of the smaller alpacas.  So we would bring him into the Mom and Cria Corral a few weeks before we would separate the young boys from their mommas.

Chiva made weaning easier.  The little boys always had a friend who would stick up for them when the bigger boys would start to bully them.

I found him in the pasture Sunday afternoon within an hour of his passing.

His herdmates and protectors had already said their good-byes.

We're sad, even though we knew it was coming.

Chiva in younger days

Crescent Moon's Chivalry, we've enjoyed knowing you.  Thank you for being part of our herd.

Saturday Morning Visitors

These two young bachelor Mule Deer spent the morning in our front yard enjoying the shade of our Blue Spruce.

This is the first time I've seen deer on our property.  With so many close neighbors the deer are typically a couple of miles west of us.

A nice distraction from Saturday morning chores.  ;-)

Fiber Arts Friday on Saturday: Spindling Cashmere

I've been having a hard time being away from the farm during the day.  Especially now that winter is over and there is still daylight when I get home.

So last week I decided to start bringing my drop spindle to the office.

I hadn't been taking time for lunch at the Day Job.... just eating while I'm working so I can get home sooner to help with chores and puppies.  But I figured that spending 10-15 minutes with wood and fiber in the middle of the day might be good for my soul.

I had started spindling this cashmere at the end of last summer's Tour de Fleece.  It was a gift from one of my shearing clients.  I shear her llama and alpacas.  She also has horses, chickens, peacocks and a few goats.

She had mentioned that she didn't know what to do with the black goat's undercoat.  I believe I stopped in the middle of what I was doing and started salivating.  ;-)  So she said she would try to save some of it for the next year.  But surprised me by sending a 1/4 ounce in the mail a few weeks later.

I love working with cashmere, so bringing it to the office has been a nice respite.

I suspect I'll be finished with the single in a couple of days.  I'm not fast with the drop spindle, but using it nearly every day means I'm getting better and spinning this fine fiber from a cloud means I've broken the yarn a couple of times when I start to get too confident.  ;-/

Linking up with Fiber Arts Friday on Saturday.  Be sure to check everyone out over there.

Have a great one!

Introducing: Colorado's Big Bowl o' Ramen and Colorado's Leap of Faith

Please say hello to Nobu and Ramen.

We decided to keep two puppies from the Noodle + Gunnar Litter... a female and a male.

Nobu (Colorado's Leap of Faith) is affectionately called Gunnar Junior... though I should probably start calling her Junior-ette.  She is the spitting image of her father.

Ramen (Colorado's Big Bowl o' Ramen) was a surprise for us.  He's easy-going and very much a momma's boy and we're so happy that we decided he should stay with us.

These two are great friends and learning the ropes around the farm.... which includes wrestling with Papa. ;-)

Puppies Gone Home

My how time flies.

The last of our puppies went to their homes three weeks ago.

These pictures are from about a month ago.

Do Your Homework!

With rare and storied breeds like the Tibetan Mastiff, you have to be aware of shysters.

This person (people?) recently started a Facebook page using photos of dogs and children that do not belong to them.

I have seen a couple of the photos listed on the page before and am fairly certain they belong to different people.  Sadly it's common for these non-breeders to use photos of other people's dogs.

What is truly upsetting is that I personally know the children in the cover photo.  They are the grandchildren of a close friend of mine.

This person does not have permission to use this photo to represent their "breeding program."

Now, if you are new to your Tibetan Mastiff search, you may not realize that these photos are stolen.  So spend a few minutes looking at the other information.

This person says s/he is a "C-40a crew chief for the American Kennel Club in Montreal."

1. The American Kennel Club does not have jurisdiction in Canada.
2. The C-40a is a US Navy aircraft
3. The American Kennel Club does not operate military aircraft.

Do your research!  Protect yourself!

There are many honest and responsible breeders out there with real dogs and puppies that are raised in loving homes from health-tested parents.

Fortunately this page has since been taken down.

Fun in the Snow

The puppies will be 12 weeks old on Tuesday.

They had their second round of shots on Saturday and had a wonderful time at the vet office.

They are really coming into their own, have started spending some time with the alpacas and ready for their new homes.

We have four girls available.

Miss Pink:

Miss Blue:

Miss Green:

Miss Purple:

Send me a message here.  :-)