Here we are, the last day of 2008. A time to sit and reflect back on the year, which honestly was a year of challenges. Some we met head on a came out the stronger and wiser for. Some laid us down in defeat, but never for long. I never much thought of myself as much of an optimist, but I so strongly believe in what we have here and I see such a bright future, that how can I not be? Setbacks? We all have them from time to time, but the good so far outweighs the bad, that it’s easy to brush the negative off and keep on going.
I looked back through my old post and had to laugh at the reoccurring theme “I feel like I’ve been going non-stop”. Well, I haven’t had a single chance to say I’m board this year!
At this moment everyone is well, people and animals alike. Jacko has had ups and downs over the past month, but we keep working with him and he is responding by growing bigger every day. Only four more months (or so) of bottle feeding, then he gets to feed himself!
As a result of Daisy’s reoccurring back issues, she was put on a diet and is down to a svelte 12.3 pounds. We’re excited, she’s just hungry. Poor thing is wasting away to nothing. I hate to be the one to break it to her that she has another pound or so to lose to be back to “normal” for a miniature dachshund.
I started breeding some of the girls earlier this month, and discovered that some of my supposedly pregnant girls weren’t. Oh well, we’ll just try it again. The boys don’t mind.
So tonight, I’ll try my best to stay up to midnight (remember, I get my butt out of bed at 3:30 in the morning, 7:00 is late for me) to ring in the new year, but chances are, I’ll claim East Coast rights, and when the ball drops in Time Square, the New Year begins. That means I get to go to bed a 10:00…if I make it that long.
So here’s hoping the New Year finds everyone happy and healthy and may only good things come your way!

Year end rush

Whew! It feels like we’ve been going non-stop since October. Hmm, probably because we have.
Things started to get really crazy right after Jacko was born. Unfortunately, he got very ill and we nearly lost him. Our vet diagnosed septicemia, a very dangerous blood infection. The poor little guy must have felt like a pin cushion as we threw an army of medication at him.
He was diagnosed on a Wednesday and I had to leave Friday for Alpacafest west. I truly feared that he would not be here when I got home and wanted to cancel the trip and stay with him. My mother-in-law, Dot, really came through, she took over Jacko’s care and up-dated me every day on his progress while I was gone. He responded so well, that I actually got to relax and enjoy myself in L.A.
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A shawl that I entered in their fiber arts contest won first place, and Aries came home with a third place ribbon in his class

Not only did Jacko survive the weekend, he looked 1000 times improved on Monday.
Then Tuesday came. I found Jacko in the morning limp and unresponsive. We ran him back to the vets where he was transfused. He had developed acute diarrhea and it was taking its toll on him. Again Dot came through. While I went off to work, she was over every hour and a half making sure Jacko got fed and received additional fluids, meds, anything we could think of. Then I took over for early morning and late night feedings. It was touch and go for a good week, then he slowly began to make progress.
Now he’s a bouncing happy cria, a bit small for his age, but making up ground quickly. We still have to bottle feed him, and I think it may be a permanent situation (well for the next four and a half months or so, anyway), but we have no doubts that he will grow into a big stapping male.

Dot took over feeding every time I left town, which seemed to happen often these past two months. One trip was up to Singletree Alpacas for their annual Christmas Boutique. It’s always great to see all my friends up there
and I look forward to this trip every year as a “girls” weekend. We work our butts off, but its well worth the effort.


Then we had our second annual open house down at our place. It was huge success, with easily twice as many people coming out as last year. Some driving way cool rods (Lloyd, you show-off!)
Hopefully it will only keep growing. Many thanks to all me “peeps” that came out to help make it the success it was.
Now maybe I can take a deep breath, relax and get back to my loom!

JMS Alpacas Open House

Hey gang!
Want something fun to do next weekend? JMS Alpacas is having an open house Nov 15th. To get the details, drop them a line.
17001 W. Hopi Dr.
Casa Grande, AZ 85222-9362
(520) 836-0637
(321) 223-6895
jmsalpacafarm@q.com

Introducing Jacko

Another busy week is behind us. Most of this week we were distracted, taking care of our ill dog, who is doing much better now. Imagine my surprise when I got home Friday to find Momo with a cria. The little guy couldn’t have been there long, he was still damp. I find that the births I don’t witness tend to be the easiest on me. Of course, I’m pretty much a big weenie.
Since the cria was born on October 31, we’ve been trying to come up with good Halloween names. For the time being, we’re calling him Jacko, short for Jack O’ Lantern. Though sometimes we just call him Pumpkin.
I went to my second Desert Weavers guild meeting, and made out like a bandit. I won two of the raffle lots that they do each month. I’m already plotting on what I can do with it. I see a whole lot of scarves in my future!

Tucson Wool Festival

We were at the Tucson Wool Festival this past weekend. I had a great time. I met so many wonderful people and managed to get a little Christmas shopping done. Pat came with me and helped get set up and man the booth. I don’t think I would have managed without her. And now I possess her secret knowledge of how to put up and easy up tent with only two people.
We stayed pretty busy most of the day and at one point and such a crowd at our booth that one woman asked if she could walk around with her yarn and come back and pay later after the crowd had dispersed a little. It’s nice to feel wanted
The yarn seemed to be the big seller at this event which seems natural enough. I’m almost completely out of my hand painted alpaca and silk blend. Unfortunately, it’s commercially spun and the company I was getting it from had since stopped carrying it, so I’ll have to find a new source. Once I do, I’ll have to plan on spending the winter months with the crock pots going, getting my stash built back up.
Next big event for me will be Alpacafest West next month. I’ll be there with three of the boys. Mean while, Pat will be hosting her open house the same weekend and she has asked for a “care package” of products to offer for sale. I’m not quite to the point of cloning myself, but I’m getting there.
Next year’s Wool Festival will be held October 17, same place (Kathy Wither’s farm, www.uniquedesignsbykathy.com), so mark your calendars!

a new camera

Momo and gang
Heilo and Adama
Satchmo
Storm


Well, the old camera insist on not being found, so Brian bought me a new one. I have been happily messing around with it all weekend, trying out various settings. What I like best about this camera is that it has a "you're an idiot, let us take care of everything" setting that is just perfect for my level of camera knowledge (ie: none).

Pinetop Fall Festival and other stuff!

Where is the time going! I need 48 hour days just to keep up!
The Pinetop-Lakeside Fall festival is behind us. It was so much fun, and soooo much work. The event got off to a shaky start when a micro burst hit the soccer field Friday night. We faired ok, but about a dozen exhibitors had their tents picked up and tossed around by the wind. We stuck around to help pick up the carnage and by Saturday morning, replacement tents had been found and the affected vendors where back in business.
The socks where a HUGE success. We’ll certainly be sending fleece out again to have more made after the New Year. We also sold a ton of scarves, yarn, roving, and purses. It seemed at least a little of everything went. I’m going to have to get the web store updated, since some of those items have now found new homes. I’m busy at the loom making more!
The only bummer of the weekend was that I seem to have miss placed my camera. It was sitting there while we were packing up, and I suspect it got tossed into a box, but I haven’t figured out which one yet. Oh well, you’ll just have to imagine how AWSOME our booth looked.
Last weekend I went to my very first Arizona Desert Spinners and Weavers Guild meeting. I have to say, I found very insightful and inspirational. I came home with an idea on how to make some felt ear rings. My mother-in-law has been helping me with some of the experimental felting. I think I’ll have to bring some fleece along on our trip next weekend and get the kids involved. Then I’ll just sit back and watch all the work being done. How very Tom Sawyer.