Alpacas!

Meet Freckles (the little polka-dotted one) and her mom Semi. They live next door at Owl Ridge Alpacas. This family-run farm offers tours and alpaca education to our guests who wander on over for a visit. Baby Freckles has been sold, but I just learned that their most recent acquisition is a 4 week old alpaca. I can't wait to see it!

If you visit, you will also see bunnies, horses, the coolest bantam and other varieties of chickens, a rooster of course, and turkeys. They also have luxurious knitting wool from the herd and other alpaca-related items for sale. For more information, visit: www.owlridgealpacas.com

Pumpkins!

Went out for a couple of hours and returned to find these pumpkins artfully placed in the flower bed. The Great Pumpkin lives!

Moonflowers!

After waiting all summer, we finally have moonflowers! These delicate, nocturnal beauties emit a lovely fragrance all night long and last until the morning sun burns them to a shriveled stump.

Last evening five flowers were open, but there are plenty of buds waiting for their moment to burst. These were worth the effort of fighting off drought, aphids, and other unknown pests we had this summmer.
  

Jump, kids!

The barn swallows and tree swallows are beginning to gather in large groups on the telephone wires, meaning very soon they will begin their long, long journey south.  

Just a few days ago, however, I noticed a new pile of bird poop on the floor of our barn. Sure enough, when I looked up there was a barn swallow nest with three little heads peeking out. 

It's a little late for a new brood, since the swallows usually leave around this week or next, so I wonder what will happen to these little guys.  Perhaps the parents instinctively know that this year's flight will be later? 

In any case, I stood under them this morning, and called "Jump, kids! Its time to go!"

New cat--meet Dorian Gray

 Meet Dorian Gray (a.k.a.Purry)

This guy's been hanging around for a few months, but you know the rule: if you feed them, they belong to you. So, after few nips and a shot from the vet, he's now legal and ours. Turns out... there's a very good chance that's he is Purry, one of my neighbor's barn cats. I told Elam he owed me $110, but he replied "looks like you've got yourself a new cat!"