Tag Archives: ranch life

The little tractor that could

Posted on October 5, 2012 by cliffhousealpacas

Remember that post about the new, bigger manure spreader? Well, one of the fall chores around the ranch is to spread our compost over the fields. It used to be a very tedious, long three or four days. Now, we … Continue reading →

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Labor day on the ranch

Posted on September 4, 2012 by cliffhousealpacas

What did the fam do over the labor day holiday at the ranch? Well, I’ll give you three guesses, and the first two don’t count. We worked, of course! Dad was feeling charitable, so he let me do some of … Continue reading →

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That dreaded word: shots

Posted on July 26, 2012 by cliffhousealpacas

Duhn duhn duhn! Guess who needed a checkup? Well, everyone needed a checkup; it’s Farm Check! time. But Vanny really needed to get his teeth and nails trimmed. Cici also got the full spa treatment. Bravado and Merlin got their … Continue reading →

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Vanny joins the herd, permanently

Posted on July 24, 2012 by cliffhousealpacas

Yesterday, as usual, Dad and Mom let the boys into the “exercise paddock”, and then let Vannny out to join them. Bravado and Vanny had a spitting match or two, also par for the course, then everyone settled down to … Continue reading →

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Hay, lots of it

Posted on July 23, 2012 by cliffhousealpacas

It was a BUSY weekend down at the ranch. The family picked up, drove home, and then unloaded 200 bales of hay. That’s 5 tons of hay that had to be moved by hand from the truck into storage in … Continue reading →

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Like lambs to the…shearing

Posted on May 17, 2012 by cliffhousealpacas

I love shearing day. It’s full of promise for a new year, an event that signals we’ve survived another winter, and frankly, it’s hilarious. Alpacas, who are never really dignified, look absolutely ridiculous after they’ve been sheared. And they’re quite silly … Continue reading →

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Cat rebellion part 2

Posted on May 10, 2012 by cliffhousealpacas

I guess Jare’s misadventures didn’t end with him chasing them all into the barn after all. He called to tell me the story before the day was over, but Tiki had one more surprise for him that evening. When he went into … Continue reading →

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Waste management

Posted on April 17, 2012 by cliffhousealpacas

Ever wonder where all that…er…”poo”…goes? No? Well, clearly you’ve never spent much time in a barn. Moving poo from pile to pile is like 90% of what we do everyday. We compost all the ‘paca and horse droppings, along with … Continue reading →

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A few of the alpacas’ least favorite things

Posted on February 17, 2012 by cliffhousealpacas

The alpacas are slowly coming to terms with the newest and loudest resident of the barn, Whisper the attack cat. As the bravest of the kitties, he is the only one who has jumped out into the paddock to investigate … Continue reading →

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Whisper gets into everything

Posted on February 13, 2012 by cliffhousealpacas

The ironically named Whisper is apparently quite the explorer. He’s gotten into nearly everything there is to get into, and even been chased by Heidi. His friend Squeaky, the last of the rescue kitties, may be bigger but Whisper’s got … Continue reading →

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