Tag Archives: ranch life

Alpaca bio: Bravado

Posted on January 25, 2012 by cliffhousealpacas

Bravado may be my favorite of our alpacas, and it has nothing to do with his fiber (which I haven’t even spun yet). He’s a suri alpaca, unlike the rest of our herd, who are huacayas. Instead of being fluffy his … Continue reading →

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Food fight!

Posted on January 9, 2012 by cliffhousealpacas

As a general rule, the alpacas are mild-mannered, sweet-tempered animals. The only exception is feeding time. Can you guess which alpaca is the pushiest? Yup! It’s Brittany! And though getting caught in the crossfire between the girls is “all part … Continue reading →

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The Great Escape

Posted on January 4, 2012 by cliffhousealpacas

When you have animals of any species, you seem to develop some odd sixth sense that instantly recognizes when something is out-of-place or out of the ordinary. I imagine it’s much like the eyes in the back of Mom’s head, invisible, … Continue reading →

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Housekeeping (blogkeeping?) and tax assessor

Posted on December 21, 2011 by cliffhousealpacas

I hate to disrupt your regularly scheduled alpaca antics, but I have a few housekeeping notes. I’m headed down to the ranch tomorrow and I’ll be there through January 2nd. During this time, posts may be somewhat erratic. It’s not … Continue reading →

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On feed, and shortages thereof

Posted on November 18, 2011 by cliffhousealpacas

A month ago, our hay supplier’s storage barn burned down. Around 100 tons of hay were lost in the fiery conflagration, including everything he had set aside for us for the winter. Now we’re scrambling for feed, and not just … Continue reading →

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Alpacas don’t like the wind

Posted on November 17, 2011 by cliffhousealpacas

As I wrote the title of this blog, I couldn’t help but giggle. The list of things alpacas DON’T like is quite long: snow, rain, rodents, shots (well, no one likes getting shots), people, being looked at, tax assessors, noisy power … Continue reading →

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Mom’s new barn cat

Posted on November 15, 2011 by cliffhousealpacas

Isn’t it precious? Mom looked up the driveway the other day to see an animal rolling around in the dust. It was clearly a cat, and just as clearly, not a house cat. Which left only one possibility: bobcat. Mom … Continue reading →

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Random alpaca word of the day: “spit”

Posted on November 14, 2011 by cliffhousealpacas

Not long after we got the alpacas, Dad had a uniquely alpaca ranch experience. It was early morning and he was on his way to the office, where he had a class to teach. Like a good (somewhat naive) alpaca … Continue reading →

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Snow babies

Posted on November 9, 2011 by cliffhousealpacas

What do alpacas look like in the snow? They look pretty much the same as usual, adorable. Marsy isn’t really a big fan of the snow. I am so lusting after Tripoli’s fleece. I wants it, my precious.

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Bravado goes on walkabout

Posted on November 7, 2011 by cliffhousealpacas

Bravado had a bit of an adventure last week while Mom was cleaning. She had just taken a manure bucket full of snow out of the boys’ paddock, and dumped it in the manure wagon. She decided the wagon was pretty full, so … Continue reading →

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