Sunday, December 26, 2010

Adventures in housing: rented room

Well, now. After the past two years, I must say I had lost hope that I would be able to afford my own housing ever again. Luckily, though, my new part time online Librarian job coincided with my need to move out of my friend's apartment.  A steady income?? Really? That helps with finding a place to live!

I had some odd criteria on this search:

1. Stay within a two-three block radius of where I HAD been living.
2. Find a short term lease.
3. Partially furnished would be great. (all my stuff is in Colorado)

Serendipity stepped in, and handed me exactly THAT!! I found a room right next to the Bakery/Cafe/TamaleLand, it was partially furnished, AND the landlord was willing to do a short term lease!

And yes, this is a COMPLETELY different atmosphere from my previous places. Landlord is a 25 year old law 2nd year law student with a puppy.

The view from the door.  Worrisome? Animal House? 



















The land of couches!! There is one behind me, that is pretty much the dog's couch....















Kitchen: useful, with light.



The Big Backyard! 


 Construction begins around 7:00 a.m. right outside my window...

See those green apartments? That's where I lived for a month.
I can walk 1/2 a block and watch movies with my friend! Cool.

Monday, November 22, 2010

Adopt a Librarian: Garland turns me over to another friend...

As July came to a close, I still had no actual income. Temp jobs were few and far between, and my online librarian position hadn't started yet. Garland was ending his stay in Bloomington, and I was really stuck for what to do. In 2008 I couldn't get out of Bloomington quickly enough. NOW I didn't want to leave.

 Part of that is because I have a few friends here and can volunteer at the library. After a year in Colorado I never HAD been able to volunteer at either of two major library systems!! Having a small social network is a good thing. I've started over in new towns a few times, and it's hard. I had a few places I could stay, with family and friends across the country, but something told me I needed to stay here. (even though I miss my sister in Colorado)

Luckily, my friend decided I should stay with him for a month or two, while his roommate was out of town. I figured this would buy me another month or two to figure out my next step. Good plan!

I was only in the apartment for a month, though, since his roommate came back a month early. It's the newest, swankiest place I've lived. However, we spent most of the month fighting to get the internet connected. WHY oh WHY would you build a brand new property, advertise the cable/internet and then NOT LAY THE CABLE???  Why??  I am less than impressed, Choice Properties. Less than impressed.

His roommate returned a month early, so no sooner had I gotten a little settled then I had to find another place to live. LUCKILY, my hours at the online Librarian job had gone from 10 to 30, so I was expecting to have an actual livable income. I was only here for August 2010.

I've embedded a slideshow, but if you want to see bigger pictures, click on the title "Adopt a Librarian" and it will take you to the album.


Friday, November 12, 2010

GADD (Geographic Attention Deficit Disorder), 5 residences in 12 months

Well, this past year has given me many different experiences with housing. I never expected to be this 'ungrounded' and nomadic. My sister created a name for it: GADD (Geographic Attention Deficit Disorder)! I am truly grateful to people who have let me stay with them through this unemployment phase, and have learned so much about myself by living with different people. I thought I would share the different styles of housing, because they seem vastly different to me!

I am skipping my friend Doug's place, where I stayed for 11 months, because I don't think I have pictures. The same goes for someone's house where I stayed for 25 days, here in Bloomington.

1. Garland's Fabulous Apartment!

Garland took me in when my other friend said I couldn't stay. Everything for a reason, yes? We seem like unlikely housemates, but ended up having a wonderful time. If I ever have to go through unemployment, bankruptcy and food stamps again, I want my Garland there with me!! We spent a lot of time pulling each other up and looking forward. We also joked about his 'adopt a homeless librarian' program. Luckily, I was the only one he adopted. The apartment wasn't big enough for more of us!


The Wonderful Bed 
















This made me feel like I was in a fancy hotel.
I felt like a queen, and it was also a good safe place to nurture my wounded ego from job hunting.    
I still can't believe Garland put me in his room and slept on the couch for a year. A year....wow.


The Fabulous Dresser















Style, baby, style. Well, maybe not with all those boxes..
There usually wasn't this much stuff on it. This was taken during packing up/moving time.
Usually it was just those fantastically happy red poppies!!!


Lynn Boxes in the Corner....















Nobody puts Baby in a corner....but my stuff goes there....

I did actually have the hall closet, but these were in the room.

I made Garland watch George Carlin's routine on 'STUFF'. Every time I looked at my boxes, I could hear George Carlin talking about smaller versions of your STUFF. I have stuff in storage in Colorado. I took the most important STUFF with me to Bloomington. Then I left Garland for 3 months to go to the alpaca farm, taking only the MOST important STUFF.

It's all just stuff. Too much stuff. Yes, Mike, I know..."garage sale"


The Famous Red Flowers



















This was on the counter the entire time I was in Garland's apartment. Every person who came in commented on it. Very striking. Very bold. Very Garland. :) It makes me smile to see them again.

So Garland took me in for a little bit, as a temporary measure. A year later, he left Bloomington and returned to New Orleans. I did not really have a good backup plan, and no steady work. But that's the next chapter.....

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Life after Garland...a Lesson in Trust

Hi. This is about my hair.

Garland is gone to New Orleans.  He was my friend who let me live with him for a year, but he was also my stylist. The joy of living with your stylist is that every so often he looks at you with raised eyebrow and says "girl, get in that chair".  Usually this is accompanied by a sad shaking of his head, at what a mess is on my head.

Now, even though he did a final farewell cut/style on my hair in July, it was getting a little crazy on one side. That's the joy of curly hair. Just when you think it's all fine and looking good, one side (or piece) decides to do its OWN THING. It gets poofy, or it sticks flat to your head. Sometimes it grows out in a completely different direction, just because it can.

Very independent, this curly hair.

So. The right side of my hair was trying to stick close to my head. The left side has somehow gotten LONGER than the right. Garland suggested this is perhaps because I'm always tilting my head questioningly. Nah.....

I have a friend with curly hair who tried a new stylist. Her hair was cute and she liked the stylist, so I made an appointment. Let me tell you, I LOVE LOVE LOVE this salon!! It's very urban, like a man cave. The owner stylist is a straight guy (is that still what we call them?), and the salon has got some funky style. It feels like a garage, as he's using Craftsman tool carts at each station. There's 50's wood paneling, but with lots of funky art and a fun couch. It's all KINDS of retro chic, with a manly flair.

Anyhow. I really liked the stylist, and we had a great time laughing and talking. What I FAILED to remember, though, was that I had wanted him to just TRIM the cut that was in place. I liked talking with him and felt comfortable that I said the dreaded words:

I TRUST YOU

I forgot he had never worked with my hair. I told him I wanted it a little shorter and we agreed upon an amount, but I forgot he doesn't know how much my hair 'springs' back up. The only person (with scissors) to touch my hair for 5 years has been Garland.

Now, where there was one length, there are now layers. This makes it lighter, and hence curlier. This is not always good, especially when it is this short and independent.

For some reason, the left side still seems longer than the right, and the right side is still sticking close to my head. WHY?? Why, hair? What's going ON on the right side of my skull? Is there a party??  And YOU, random bit of hair on the LEFT side of my head....why are you still LONGER?? You were longer before the cut, and you are longer now. Are there growth hormones in that set of follicles? What gives?  Why still longer even after the haircut? AARRRGH.

The layers make it CURLIER, but not really in a controlled way.

And for the first time in years, I just want to cry when I look in the mirror.

I don't want to blame the stylist, because, really, I did not communicate what I wanted. I trusted too soon, and too much. Not a good idea in any relationship.

The funny part? I wanted it trimmed so it looked 'neater and cleaner' for a wedding I'm attending next week, as the guest of a friend. It's the first fancy thing I've done in a few years and wanted to look nice.

I may just take scissors to hand and try to even it up. Yeah. I'm sure that will go well. That's a whole different post....

Where, you ask, are the photos of this hair silliness? Not here. Not now. Too much sadness. Maybe after it grows out a bit I'll share.

Off to find those scissors....

Oh, and yes, I DID wake up at 6 a.m. so upset about my hair that I could not go back to sleep and had to write about it.  So there.

Monday, October 11, 2010

OH, and THANK YOU

I forgot to post a big THANK YOU to all my friends who loaned me money this summer. I am truly truly grateful, and it allowed me to cover expenses for that month. I have been (not very patiently) waiting for my new salary to kick in so I can repay everyone.

Without our friends we are nothing. Thank you.

Life after alpacas

Well, as many of you know, I completed my alpaca internship on July 14th. A lot has happened since then, but I never really wrote a conclusion to that adventure. I was trying to keep it all in some sort of chronological order, but that went by the wayside with the extraordinary heat of the summer. I really lost my ability to put two thoughts together by the end of the day. I am going to try and add my ponderings here as I can.

The most important thing, though, is that I will never regret my decision to go learn about and care for alpacas. I very much needed to not be sitting at my computer, feeling the continued rejection of the job hunt. I also very much needed to be outside, doing something physical. I learned a lot about myself, and a lot about daily farm life while caring for alpacas. I did not become an alpaca fanatic, but I am not really fanatical about anything anyhow. I enjoyed working with them, and have a better understanding of how and why they are so popular. Do I need to own some? No, probably not. I have no land, and they need land. I'd forgotten how animals need daily care; especially exotic animals. That's a lot of commitment. I seem to be a nomad of sorts. I keep thinking I want to settle down in one place, but never seem to.  I don't think I'm 'running' from anything; I just haven't found a place to settle yet.

Here's the overview of what's happened since July 14:

August:
Garland (my roommate who took me in for a year), moved back to New Orleans to regroup.
Another friend let me stay with him, in his new place, while his roommate was out of town. The roommate came back a month earlier than planned and I had a panic to find a room to rent. I got a part time job in a kitchen (minimum wage!) making tamales for the gourmet tamale catering place that sells at the Farmer's Market. Even though I had re-registered with all temp agencies when I returned to Bloomington, I never got any calls. That means that this tamale job is the most reliable, steady work I've had in a while. Scary!!

I also finally got on at an online university's library and got started in August. I was supposed to only be 10 hours a week, but within two weeks turned into 30 hours a week. However, the paperwork has not caught up to the right people, so they've been paying me for 10/week. It should all be worked out this week, though. That will be a relief. It doesn't feel real until you see the money...

I found a room to rent in a house RIGHT behind the restaurant where I'm working. Talk about Serendipity! He also let me sign a short term lease, since I don't know how long I will be here. I may move with my friend to Ft. Wayne in January. It's all up in the air.

So my world has now shrunk down to two buildings. It's very odd. I've always been bad about leaving the house without a purpose. Now I really really need to find reasons to leave the house. I'm sure having a regular ('real') paycheck will help with that too.

Since I got sick the week after I moved in, that has made adjusting more difficult. I was working 70 hours a week between both jobs, with a sinus infection, ear infection and ruptured ear drum. Sheesh! But  HEY, at least I combined it all into one big stupid illness, therefore making it only ONE uninsured trip to the PromptCare place!  Only $110 instead of $310!  YEAH!!! Much better now, by the way. Yeah for antibiotics!!  Go SCIENCE!  :)

My new landlord is a 2nd year law student, with a fiancee in Ohio and a 7 month old Golden Retriever puppy named Bailey. Since I am home the most with Bailey right now, I have decided to try training him. We are working on walking on the leash, and going to the 'mat' (a carpet square). He's doing really good for only a few 'lessons'. He IS still a puppy, though, and distracted by things like....LEAVES!!! OMG, what IS IT?? Right now his owner has been gone for 4 days, and he keeps looking at the door and whining. I am no substitute for the Doggy Daddy,  Pack Leader. I do not play with the rope right, and I don't play rough enough. The Landlord will be home today, though, so Bailey should be happy.

Well I guess that takes care of September too. How did it get to be October?? I really feel like I am just in limbo, waiting for my paychecks and whatever is next. I am very glad to be working in my field.

So now I can write about making tamales, in what we call "TamaleLand"! This is also something I never  had in the plans (like AlpacaLand), and yet am enjoying it quite a lot.

Will try to post pictures too.

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Alpacas and caulking guns

What, you may wonder, does one do when an alpaca needs medicine? Is it EASY to give them medicine? Well, I guess that depends on your definition of 'easy'.

This past month there were two pens of animals that needed medicine, so out came the caulking gun!

That's right, they use a caulking gun to shoot the meds down the animal's throat. As you can imagine, the alpacas aren't all jumping into line for this experience. It worked out well with four people, though. You get all the animals into the pen, with the false promise of grain, and then catch and 'caulk'.

One or two hold the animal
One holds caulking gun
One has the paper with list of animals and number of 'clicks' it should get of medicine

Sadly I have no photos because there really was no practical way to take pictures as a participant.

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

A cria is born at White Violet Farm Alpacas


This was added a few weeks ago to the YouTube channel. This little guy is one of the ones we moved to the "Little Boys" pen in late May. I won't be here for any births, but they have two crias (baby alpacas) due in the fall. :)

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Day 65. 14 days left: I work in the garden and forget I'm a redhead

One of the garden volunteers wanted to work with the alpacas today, so I switched with her and got to work in the Garden!! So while I did NOT rake poo today, I DID get to do the following:

1. Help make 9 rows of 11 mounds of dirt, in which to plant pumpkins.
2. Weed the onions
3. Weed the onions some more.
4. Harvest things for the Farmer's Market (some squash, tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplant and peppers)
5. Weed the onions again
6. Help pick up compost from the bins around the property

In the course of the day, I had many gnats fly into my ears/nose/mouth. Almost as many as during alpaca duty! Ack! I also got compost juice on my shirt, which is ultra-sexy. And smelly.

AND I got to see the worms rotated from the 'old' compost bin, to their new digs, in a new bin. I was very happy. I love worms.

However, somewhere in there it seems I FORGOT I am fair-skinned. I wiped my face off with a wet towel before lunch, in order to get the anti-bug stuff off me. It really wasn't working on the gnats, since I had so many in my ears and up my nose.  After lunch I merrily went out to pick and weed things, completely forgetting to REAPPLY the sunscreen.

Why? Why does this happen at least once a year? You would think that by now I would remember. I dutifully slather every area of exposed skin every morning before leaving the house.

Here's the thing: I think there is still some inner core of my being that refuses to recognize that I am a redhead and burn. That same core insists I should be able to work outside in the sun for 8 hours, and not get sunsick. Perhaps that core is the 1/36th (or whatever) amount of Native American blood in me, insisting the fair-skinned redhead can DO THAT.

Now, since I was wearing a hat, and a long sleeved shirt, I now have a weird sunburn on 1/2 of my face and some of my collarbone/chest area. Oy. Seriously, I have to just roll my eyes at myself. I should know better by now. Oh well. Aloe is a good friend of mine. You should buy stock in that aloe company.

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Dueling alpacas

I happened to have my camera one day when the 'boys' were at it. It's been hot. Everyone's a little testy, and getting in each other's space. This really only leads to face freeze and drool.
Kinda glad I'm not an alpaca.


Note the laid back ears, narrowed eyes, and frozen jaw

The advesary: similar stance, but more drool


Even after the fireworks have passed, there is a stand-off. 
Best not to be in the line of fire, they're usually still trying to spit on each other!

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Alpaca breeding

One of the male alpacas has gone away for a month to another farm, for breeding. It's like a mini vacation from the normal routine, but with the lady alpacas.

I have deemed this a 'conjugal sabbatical'.

Day 57 of alpaca adventure

Well here's something I never thought I'd hear myself say: "We moved cattle fencing today, and it was about 90 degrees outside". Tasks need to be done, regardless of the weather.

I am, oddly, not completely wiped out. It wasn't as humid as it was yesterday, which I think has a lot to do with it. Yesterday I was a mess. I had a huge knot in my shoulder yesterday, which led to a headache. That, combined with the 80 degree temps and all the humidity made me really not happy. I basically came back to the room and sat in front of the fan until the sun set and I deemed it acceptable to go to bed. I tried to talk to a friend on the phone, but really had no coherent thoughts.

Today, we hauled fencing all over AFTER the morning chores, and I'm still fairly lucid. Who knows? Maybe I'm getting used to this lifestyle. Only took me 2 months!

Monday, June 21, 2010

When the boy parts meet the hose

Alpacas aren't from this climate, and they can get overheated, with all this heat and humidity. Since the breeding males need to keep cool to stay fertile, it's extra important to hose down those boy parts. When it's HOT like it has been, and will be all this week, all the alpacas get some water time, also known as 'tummy baths'. Sometimes they just get a sprinkler to stand in (or sit on, as they often do), but sometimes it's easier to hose them down directly.

Gotta keep those boy parts cool and functioning. An infertile male can't be sent out for breeding....

When we check the pastures after lunch, if it's hot outside, the alpacas know it's 'tummy bath time' and usually come running. They fight like little kids to get to the hose first, and it's quite a display of dominance (both males and females). They spit and huff at each other, and are very vocal. It's quite amusing. Oh, and ALL genders of alpacas get 'tummy baths', it's just the males that get their parts hosed down. The females we just turn on the sprinklers and let them argue about who goes first.

Typically 'tummy baths' are done by the full time staff, but one day I got to do the hose down.

Thankfully, another volunteer had a camera, so I can share with you!

Everyone comes running from the pasture to get their 'cool down' time.















They all stand with their butts to the hose, tails lifted in anticipation.















There's some snippiness when one alpaca feels another is invading his space....















But in the end, all the boy parts get a cool down. 

Why did they not eat the vegetables???

As a reminder why I do not like shared kitchens in group situations: someone ate my pint of ice cream. It was there the other day, it is not there now. I am very sad, because it is very hot. Just another reminder to never have anything somebody else wants. And if you do, do not put it in the shared area, even if your name is on it.  They did NOT eat the frozen vegetables. Huh. I wonder why.....?? They are cold. What's the deal?

Well, I guess I don't need any ice cream anyhow. I'm still trying to get my pants to fall on the ground (due to weight loss, people....weight loss).  And I certainly won't buy any more while I'm here. Bummer, because there's only about 6 people on this floor. ::sigh::  It's the same everywhere.

23 days left. 88 degrees at 8:00 p.m., and just as hot in my room. Alpaca poo at 8:00 a.m.

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Not alpaca related, but freaking me out...my article's download stats..

The article I had published in Indiana Libraries has been downloaded 967 times!!!
And I think it's been cited. F-R-E-A-K-Y because there's no way I downloaded it that many times.

It's really more of a resource guide and comparison of World of Warcraft with Information Literacy standards. I did not set out to get published, but there ya go.

https://scholarworks.iupui.edu/handle/1805/1502

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Hound of the Baskervilles?

Ever since I moved in here, there has been a nightly noise that I cannot identify. It is very eerie, and sounds like it's coming from outside the building as well as inside. It sounds like a dog barking, but very hollow, like a ghost dog, or the Hound of the Baskervilles. Of course, I've watched enough horror movies that it can ONLY be the Hound. The Hound, hanging out in the Woods, waiting to pounce.

Then the other morning, in the bathroom, something white slammed against the window screen. A-HA!!! (I thought) Instead of the Hound of the Baskervilles, it is MUCH more likely that sound is a dove. If they are in the inner courtyard, that would account for the eerie hollow echoing sound. Much more logical, but a lot less dramatic. I'll let you all know if it turns out I was wrong....

Green Festival: Project Onward (artists)

The only thing I purchased at the Green Festival were some notecards. One, I will send to my mother. The other two are mine for keeping. 

I was very impressed by this artist: Blake Lenoir. He is with Project Onward, which "supports the creative growth of visual artists with mental and developmental disabilities. Project Onward provides studio space, art supplies, and professional guidance to emerging artists in a communal workshop environment."

His beautiful flower picture was on the cover of the program. I wish I could cut/paste it here, but will have to be satisfied with the link. I like this group, they make me happy. What a bunch of good people.

Alpaca hay dive


We all know the best hay is at the BOTTOM 



 It's very disconcerting to come up from a hay dive to find someone with a camera....



And someone who is trying to eat your hair decor


She obviously was not interested in this photoshoot!


Day ??: Friday's activities

Every morning we follow the same routine: clean the barns and pastures, feed the alpacas and check water.  There are other things that need to be done, though, like cleaning the old hay off the barn floor. We did this when I first got here, because it was the winter hay. PB says the hay makes it hotter on the ground so she cleans it up whenever it's needed during the summer months. I say we need to train those alpacas to not spill their hay all over the floor!! Silly creatures.

Friday we cleaned two pens of 'old hay' on the ground. There were many trips to the compost pile.

We also have a group of 'little girls' that graze in grassy areas outside of their pen. We have to move the moveable fences every few days so they don't overgraze an area. On the days they graze in the 'fenced' areas we have to harness them all and lead them out to the fenced area. Then after lunch we harness them and lead them back in.

Also, when it's really hot outside the alpacas get hose time, or 'tummy baths'. We usually do this after lunch, to help keep them cool.

So Friday was:
normal chores, clean old hay from two pens, many compost runs, hose time for all 5 groups.
It was in the mid-80's, but then we got a sudden intense storm around 2 to end the day on a wet note. I spent another hour inside, working on the card catalog. :)

Day 40ish: spit

Well, no, I have not been spit on. However, I have started spitting. EEEEWWWW!!!!!

Yes, indeedy, there have been a few times where I've actually cleared my throat and spit on the ground. This is usually to get the bits of hay out of my throat after we've been raking or moving the hay.

I am frightening myself with this. I do not like the act of spitting, I think it's gross.

::sigh:: I am no longer a delicate flower.

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Alpacas: Pere Michel, skirting

I thought it overdue to give you some cuteness, so here you go:


This is Pere Michel before shearing. He is the youngest of the alpacas, and very soft and fuzzy. This, of course, means he has NO interest whatsoever in being touched. Nonono.  Not gonna have it.
Please note all of the grassy bits on his back. Alpacas love to roll in the dirt/grass/whatever, and the young ones especially love that activity.


THIS is Pere Michel AFTER his first shearing.
C'est tres fantastique, n'est pas? He looks a little dazed because those creatures who usually just feed him have swept him up on a table, cut his toenails and taken all his fleece. What's a boy to do? You can see his equally confused friend looking in. ( I believe that's Jubilee)





Here is his close up. Check out that weird little tilde mark on his neck. That was a surprise, if I recall correctly. It was all grey on the outside.

Now. Remember all that grassy stuff? Before he was sheared, people tried to pick out a lot of it. He tolerated that for about 2 minutes. (well, maybe a little longer, but not much)

Yesterday and today we got to skirt his fleece, to prep it for the fiber processor. OH MAN, what a mess.  His coat is very very fine. It was pretty much infused with little grassy bits, dirt, poo, seeds....whatever was on the ground. I find this a challenge, but only for a limited amount of time.





Sunday, June 6, 2010

Day 37-40: honey, strawberries and sour cherries



Did I mention they have a bee hive here? They just got a new queen. It seems that made the bees very happy and productive.

This past week, our garden lady came in with a bowl full of warm honeycomb she had just pulled from the beehive! Oh MAN, that was the best ever. I love honeycomb, but I've never had it that fresh. It was really warm, and so flavorful. Yum.

Also this week I got to help pick strawberries on Friday, for them to sell at the Farmer's Market. I really do miss having a garden. It's been so wet here, many berries were getting moldy. The col part is that the berries that weren't quite good enough to sell, we got to take home! I came home with two little green baskets, which I cleaned, sliced and ate for dinner. It's been so hot here, it was absolutely refreshing to have chilled berries for dinner! 

And there is a sour cherry tree on my walk home that is filled with fruit!!  JOY!!

We had a sour cherry tree in our yard when I was a kid, and I spent many hours picking and pitting cherries.  Somewhere along the way I developed a taste for those sour cherries, and I have been very very happy to stop at this here tree to and from work every day. Since I'm in a group kitchen I don't have the means to freeze a whole lot of cherries. I did, however, fill up my travel much on the walk back today. I guess I should rinse them off, I don't think sour cherries with a coffee coating will taste good. 

Friday, June 4, 2010

Day 38 of alpaca: the reality of living in a 100+ year old building

Alternately Titled: Grumpy, overheated Lynn

I apologize in advance for the lack of funny story here. :) Perhaps someone will spit on me tomorrow....

Well folks, the reality of this grand adventure is that it is hot out here now. It's been in the high 80's during the day, with some ridiculous amount of humidity. I have had a number of days where sweat is just pouring off me at 10:00 a.m. One day it was pouring off me at 8:10. That was a hard day.

Reality: there is no air conditioning on floors 3 & 4 of Guerin Hall.

Some of the rooms seem to have window a/c units, but mine does not. There was some vague discussion of possibly being able to get a/c units for the interns, but that is not to be. According to the person in charge of these rooms at the college "students don't get those window units". Huh.

Well I'm not a student, but I guess I'm not faculty, so I don't count. (neither does the other intern here).

She then told me something about the window units overloading the electric system and how she would send a maintenance man to investigate if this room could even handle it.

That was three days ago (or four) and I have not heard anything. I will not hear anything, I figure.

I find this all very fascinating, and yet really annoying.  And hot. (and not the sexy kind of 'hot')

Am contemplating sleeping in the lounge area, where there IS a window unit. Or maybe testing all the doors to find one that is open, with a window unit. I do not think I'm ready to sleep in the alpaca barn yet, although it is much cooler there than here. Each barn has at least two fans.

However,  it is WAY WAY stinkier. A lot stinkier.

I truly hope I am not permanently smelling of alpaca poo. This is why I cannot sleep in the barn.

I have 40 days left. I have technically been here more than 40 days. I have only put numbers on the days I've worked.

So. I am trying to view this as 'advanced' camping, or prep for international living. I have become so spoiled by air conditioning. We are a spoiled nation; weak and soft.

One could also view this as prep for when the power grids fail and/or that giant oil slick in the Gulf lights on fire. I seriously hope that never happens. If the grids go, I won't even have the electric fans the housekeepers gave me! Egads!

Why can't I have prep time for when I am rich, and a nice sexy man is bringing me dinner on the patio?

Oh well. Gonna go find some more ice. Poo patrol at 8:00 a.m.

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Day 37 alpacas and poo: Left Hand Triumph (sort of)

haHAAA!!!! Today I realized, moments after I did it, that I had actually carried the poo shovel with my left hand, LIFTED it to the Kubota and TURNED it to dump out shovel contents. YEAH!!!!

I cannot do a FULL shovel of WET poo, only a 1/2 full shovel. But I am still happy.

Maybe I am getting stronger....

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

There is only one fork

In the shared kitchen at Guerin Hall, when I moved in, there was only ONE fork in the fork section. My guess is that people have taken the other forks to their rooms, forgotten about them and moved them away. Over time this had led to having only one lonely solitary fork.

LUCKILY, I brought some very un-environmental plastic ware with me. For the first month I used that, and the one fork available. I would immediately wash it and put it back in the drawer, in case someone else needed it.

When I heard a new intern was arriving I decided to get crazy, and 'borrowed' a metal fork from the White Violet Center (of course informing all the proper authorities!!). They had a whole bunch of forks!! We had only one. I was worried that with two interns here, there would be some kind of fork war, or territory battle. Best to avoid that from the beginning!

Now I have my 'borrowed' metal fork, which I carry to the kitchen, use, wash, and carry back. This freed up that one fork for the new intern. I warned him of the 'one fork' scenario, but I don't think he understood the full meaning of this situation.

One night, I went into the kitchen for some dinner. There was my new friend, trying to eat his spaghetti with a spoon. He asked if I had seen the fork, because he could not find it. I told him I had not, and reminded him to get one from White Violet. Then I loaned him my plastic fork, since he looked so unhappy trying to eat spaghetti with a spoon. (in a fit of selfish survivalist hoarding I made him wash it and give it back.....I should have donated it to him, I should do that tonight)

So my question: if he does not have the fork, and I do not have the fork.....who has the FORK???!!!!
I know I should have put a tracking device on that thing.

Green Festival: presentations I attended

I got to see a few speakers at the Green Festival. Each one was inspirational and reminded me that there ARE people out in the world striving to change how we, as a country, consume goods and power.


The general feel of the conference was that we are on the edge of revolution which will change the focus of our economy to be more sustainable and less toxic for all.


Folks I saw:


Reverend Lennox Yearwood, Jr.
http://www.greenfestivals.org/speaker-directory/reverend-lennox-yearwood-jr/
Opening speaker. He's a former Office in the Air Force reserves, peace activist, Katrina survivor. He is also the founder of the Hip Hop Caucus, which strives to get inner city kids involved in clean energy and greening their cities. Strong speaker, and pretty darn inspirational.  An excellent way to start the day!


I wonder if I'm too old and pale to join the Hip Hop Caucus? Hmmm. I suspect I am simply not hip enough.


DJ Spooky
http://www.greenfestivals.org/speaker-directory/chicago-2010/2140-spooky/view-details/


You may think he's just a good DJ with some excellent mixing, but he's also concerned with the environment. (WHAT, you mean you don't know of him? oh dear! Luckily I have a link below! Check him out.)


He travelled to Antarctica with a mobile studio to "capture the acoustic qualities of Antarctic ice forms, reflect a changing and even vanishing environment under duress."  He wrote a multi-media symphony. (yes, folks a SYMPHONY) Pretty deep stuff, combining politics, policy and art. Cool.
http://www.djspooky.com/art/terra_nova.php


My favorite part of his talk was at the end, when Sister Maureen (Moe) came in for the next presentation and sat down next to me. DJ Spooky was still talking, and when he finished Moe said to me "Oh, well he's not what I expected at all! I wish I'd seen the rest of that". 
You GO DJ Spooky, bust down those stereotypes! 


Dr. Kevin Danaher


Author, educator, and one of the founders of the Green Festivals. This talk was focused on finding employment in the new Green Economy. It was more inspirational and useful than I thought it would be. 


My favorite quotes:
"To save the ECO-system we need to transcend the EGO-system"
" Life values need to rule over money values"


Day ??: June 2. Ow.

I thought I would toughen up after a month and half of almost daily labor. Really, am I THAT out of shape?  Yes, it seems I am.

At the end of every day I have to stretch and massage my left hand to prevent it from freezing in the shape of 'holding a shovel'. Same with my right hand, to prevent the 'holding a rake' look.

And when we sit down for lunch, I get frozen in the sitting position. Hmmm. Well, I have a month and a half left, let's hope I toughen up soon!! Gosh, I'm such a wimp.

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Days 28-30: Green Festival in Chicago (no alpaca spit there....)

Last weekend I got to go with 3 other people to staff the White Violet Center booth at the Green Festival in Chicago. I was fairly excited, because I've not been to Chicago in a number of years. Even though I had no money, just being in a big city excites me.  I love the energy of a city; all those people doing all those different things!

The drive up to Chicago is about 4-5 hours, but we lost an hour (sort of) since we switched time zones from Eastern to Central.  The most exciting thing about the drive up was passing through a wind farm in one of the towns. Which town? I have no idea. Crawfordsville? Danville? Not sure, but it was really cool, especially since we were headed to the GREEN FESTIVAL, with all those alternative energy people trying to save the world from ourselves.

We all stayed at Jenny's fiance's condo, which made a huge difference in the bill, and was very lovely. Since the Center covered my meals while I was there, I spent less than $20. Luckily, I've really killed the 'shopping bug' in me the past several years. I feel no real need to acquire more junk. It's just more stuff I would be responsible for housing and keeping clean. I already have stuff scattered across the country.....no need for more. :)

The festival was Saturday and Sunday, and we worked in two hour shifts so nobody got worn out and we all got to see some speakers or presentations or films.

Against my better judgement, I share with you here the first time I wore a PURPLE shirt, and a fanny pack. For real. Firsts on both. My sister will be so happy about the purple. It's the White Violet Center shirt. I look official, or something.

 
I look at this and can only see how much weight I need to lose....but there ya go. Purple & fanny pack. The world's coming to an end, this is a sure sign of the apocalypse.

These are two of my companions, Jenny and Cheryl. Jenny (sweater) is in the Provident Volunteer Ministry, and Cheryl is the Marketing guru. I did not get a picture of the Director, Sister Maureen. Oops. I am a bad photojournalist.

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Fleece and skirting: it's not WOOL



First thing to remember: it's not WOOL

Alpaca fiber people get really annoyed when you call it 'wool'. I am sure I annoyed a few people my first week here, as I kept slipping up.

They refer to it as 'alpaca fiber' (or fleece). THIS however, caused much confusion when I was explaining things to a lady at the booth at the Green Festival. She seemed very very confused and kept asking odd questions. Turns out she was a dietician, and fiber for HER is something entirely different. I can only imagine what was going on in her head as she tried to figure out what fiber had to do with yarn. 


Here is a 'blanket' spread out on the skirting table. The table has rods covered in plastic pipe so the dirt can fall out to the floor. They have a table top they put on when it needs to be used as an actual table.



Another blanket. You can see the scale used for weighing to the right, and one of the looms behind the table.


Yep, it's another blanket. The spray bottle is water for your hands, in case there's too much static. You spray your hands, but they can't be too wet or the fiber sticks together.














Some of the fleeces are marked as 'show fleece'. The animals are examined before shearing time, and they decide who has potential for show fleece. The fleece has to stay intact, so it takes longer to clean. With the regular fleeces you take chunks of the fleece, pick through it for grass, straw, and icky coarse 'guard hairs'.

Day ??: Skirting a fleece (my Americorps 'Reflection)

Part of being an Americorps Member is that I have to write a 'Reflection' every two weeks. I'm sharing it here. It's not as fun as my other posts, but I've been too tired to write lately. 

Americorps Reflection #1

My main reasons for choosing to spend three months learning about alpacas and sustainable farming was to be a part of something positive, do some physical labor, and have a PURPOSE for getting up every day.  Part of my goal was to NOT think too deeply, so I have found writing this ‘reflection’ difficult. I feel like I am supposed to have some great insight, but I really don’t want to think and analyze anymore. Instead, I’ll share what I’ve learned about ‘skirting’ and how I helped streamline the ‘skirting’ room.

Shearing time was just at the beginning of May. It seems like the shearing is the biggest task, but after the alpacas are sheared the fiber must be sorted, cleaned, and sent off to processing. Each animal sheared has two bags of fiber: a ‘firsts’ bag and a ‘seconds’ bag. While the animal is being sheared, the fleece gatherer puts the best fiber (the ‘firsts’) into one bag, and the ‘seconds’ (shorter/coarser) into another. They are all in clear trash bags with papers that have the animal’s name and whether it’s ‘firsts’ or ‘seconds’.  Before the blanket is ‘skirted’ (sorted through and cleaned), it must be weighed, and the ‘seconds’ bag must be found in order to add fiber from the blanket that does not qualify as a ‘first’.

There were about 60 animals sheared, so that meant there were 120 bags. All the blankets must be weighted before and after skirting, to get an idea of how much prime fiber they really get off an animal.  I took it upon myself to weigh them as they came in, so they didn’t get overlooked.

The main room had been set up to separate the ‘skirted’ and ‘not skirted’ blankets, but all of the ‘seconds’ bags were tossed into a side room. As a librarian, and super-organize-y person this did not seem efficient to me. One rainy day my boss said he had no more chores for me and I could do ‘whatever my little heart desired’. Well, my little heart desired to organize the ‘seconds’ room.

I moved all of the  ‘seconds’ whose blankets have already been skirted to one side, and labeled them. This way, you don’t need to search through 60 clear trash bags of fiber to find the one you need. All the ‘seconds’ whose blankets had NOT been skirted, I put on the other side of the room, labeled, and organized by color. Since the blankets are organized by color, this makes it easier to find its partner ‘seconds’ bag when you start a new blanket.

Everyone seemed very pleased with this setup, and said it made it easier to locate the bags. I think it’s funny that even on a farm, my organizing skills are useful. After two years of unemployment it’s good to be in a place where I feel my skills contribute to the overall operation, and help them meet their goals.

It seems my patience and detail oriented nature is a BIG positive in skirting. I have spent almost every afternoon in the skirting room, and the full timers are VERY happy with that. My work will help get the fiber out to the processor sooner, which means they will get spun yarn back sooner. They sell the yarn to help finance the center. Also, with just a few hours of solitary skirting under my belt, I got to train the new volunteer, Julia, on how to skirt a fleece. Since having to teach someone reinforces your own learning, I found this quite useful. I still fetch the ‘fiber’ lady when I have questions on sorting, but she usually reinforces what I would have decided.

I think I am making steady progress towards both my learning objectives and hours. I’m out in the barns every morning at 8:00, feeding animals and cleaning pastures. The afternoons I spend either skirting fleece or auditing/fixing their library card catalog. I feel I am making a positive contribution to the running of the farm and the Center.


Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Day 25, alpacas: now where did THAT bruise come from??

Today I accidentally got slammed backwards into a shelf. Oops. I was holding the head of an adult female while someone clipped toenails (missed during shearing). All was fine until the alpaca decided to do a jump/twist move that shoved me backwards into the ONLY piece of shelving in the room. Seriously. Only me, huh?

I wasn't really hurt, but it knocked the wind out of me, and I am quite certain I will be feeling that in the morning. The thing is, when I checked my back in the mirror, expecting to see a red mark, or the beginnings of a bruise line, instead I found a BIG nasty bruise on my right shoulder blade. What the....??? Now where did THAT come from?? Maybe I ran into something? Sheesh, I don't know. I am such a graceful ballerina I could not possibly have run INTO something!

Maybe it's a follow up companion bruise from the ones I found on my left arm a few days ago, on either side of the wrist. At least that one can be explained by possibly getting myself caught between fencing when moving them. Really, though, it's anyone's guess.

Perhaps we should start a pool on where I will find the next nasty bruise? All winnings should be funneled my way, though, to pay for ice packs.

Monday, May 17, 2010

Day 24 (Monday): spit aimed at me, unsuccessful in reaching target

Well, it has happened. This morning the assertive/nosy/bossy/alpha female Brittany decided my presence while checking hay troughs OUTSIDE was annoying her from inside the barn. She stood in the doorway, locked eyes with me and hurled a little spit my way.

Luckily, it was just what she was chewing (not digesting), and I was over an arm's length away so she failed to reach her target. HaHAAA you tawny haired alpha female!!

Oh wait.....that sounds like me.  Well, takes one to know one, I gues.

It's just a matter of time before I get a face full of bile. Ah, the inevitability of life.

Day 22, alpacas: clean 3 pastures and almost run over in alpaca brawl

Friday there were just two of us working, and there was a school field trip. Ideally there are four people working; two head to the girls' pens and two head to the boys' pens. With just two of us, we had to hurry to get the girls' pens cleaned before the field trip arrived, so PB could give the alpaca talks. This left me alone to start on the boys' pens. I was fine with this, because I feel like I go slower than everyone else and am always trying to keep up. Plus it was a good test to make sure I've got the routine down.

It took about 45 minutes for me to take care of the first group: poop clean up inside barn and in pasture, lime and pellets in barn (kills smell and absorbs moisture), grain in bins, straw in containers, check water buckets.  Hard work, but I was pleased with myself. By the time I finished the second group I was wondering how people had managed to do this on the weekends alone. I guess you get used to it, but I'm still weak and soft. :(

When I got to the third pasture I was pretty tired, and just ready to get it finished. I had done the barn chores and was raking poo in the pasture when I heard this angry angry SCREAMING from inside the barn. Screaming and 'chuffing'(which can only mean spit). Oh dear.

Three alpacas were in the pasture with me, all gazing nervously at the barn. As we all watched, out came a screeching, writhing mass of two angry alpacas, necks intertwined, trying to wrestle each other to the ground. Now, I'd read about this in the 'behavior' section of the alpaca book, and it's perfectly normal for males to fight for dominance (just like people...). But reading it in a book and being in the pasture when two screeching, biting ANGRY alpacas come exploding out of the barn at full throttle is an entirely different thing.

I figured I would just step back and let them do their thing, since I certainly don't have the tools or skills to jump in and break up an alpaca fight. Seriously. Not on the resume. That seemed like a FINE decision. It was what the other alpacas were doing--stepping back and staying out of the way.

But then...(oh, yes, there is a BUT THEN), the younger alpaca (and most certainly the instigator of this argument) broke free and charged out into the pasture. I thought he would run to the back, but at the last minute he veered and headed almost STRAIGHT for me. Holy crap!!!

So there I was, standing in the muddy pasture with a rake and shovel full of poo, with two angry alpacas headed straight my way. THAT certainly got my heart rate up! I think I raised my arms up, like we're supposed to do to herd them, to get them to go around me. It happened so quickly I don't exactly recall. As they were headed my way, though, at the last second, the first one veered away from me. Thank goodness!! Needless to say I hightailed it to the other side of the fence to get the heck out of their way.

Considering it was almost noon, and I had not had any coffee yet, I think I did a good job at coherent decision making. :)

They fought for a little longer and then calmed down. It probably really only lasted a few minutes, but it sure felt longer! The funny thing is, when I told PB about it she just sighed and shook her head.  The 'instigator' is gelded (castrated), so THEORETICALLY, should not be concerned with alpha male issues. It's just his personality to harass others. Perhaps he should not harass the alpha male so much. And he's done it before, so he knows where it's going. He's like Dennis the Menace of the alpacas.

I likened the whole thing to witnessing an alpaca bar fight, the way the younger one goaded the older one on until the older one let him HAVE it, and took it to the 'street' when they exploded out of the barn.  When you look at it that way, it's pretty funny.

That moment of having angry alpacas charging your way was a little scary. I was a little shaken, but I didn't have a locked jaw with green grassy drool coming out. Thank goodness, because I wouldn't have been able to drink my 'morning' coffee.

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Day 20: Holding down the rear legs!! And still no spit...

This day (someday this past week, it's all blurred together now), PB asked if I wanted to go help someone shear their alpacas. Since I didn't get to really do much at 'our' shearing, I figured this would give me some hands on experience. (What for, I'm not certain....I'm sure something will come to me)

So I GOT TO HOLD THE REAR LEGS for three animals!!!

Who ever would have thought I would be that excited about that, huh? Oh wait, you guys mostly know me....I'm always excited about new things.

Some general things:

1. This was hard work, even though I didn't think it would be. You have to stand and keep medium pressure on the legs, even though they are tethered to the board. If the alpaca feels you loosen up it tries to make a break for it.  Standing in one position for three hours holding legs with various pressure from me really gave my arms a work out. I can't imagine how I could have handled 20 animals a day. Turns out I AM a delicate flower.

2. Still not a lot of spit. I sort of got some on my shoulder, but it wasn't really the nasty spit, it was sort of snorted out hay.

3. The first animal struggled a lot and I lost control of her hind legs when we tilted the board down to stand her up. I was nervous, she was wriggly. Nobody got hurt, but I felt bad. They said it was fine for my fist time. :)

4. The second alpaca was a baby (less than a year) and cried through the whole thing. He was not being hurt, but boy did he sound pitiful and worried. Not a lot of thrashing.

5. The third animal was also a baby, but really calm, and had been handled a lot by his owner. Still, he did NOT want his neck sheared. That was a task for the poor shearer.

6. All people holding the animal have to pay CLOSE attention to the shearer and the animal, to anticipate sudden thrashing, or the direction the shearer is headed. No looking away to observe other animals, or kittens, birds, butterflies, etc. This was very hard for me (oh, look a chipmunk...!!!), but I did it.

7. Try not to be downwind of the shears when a breeze is blowing. If you are, be sure to close your mouth. Luckily I kept my mouth closed, but was covered in tiny white tufts of fleece in the end. There was much sneezing.

I am happy I got to participate. At least I know I can do it. (sort of)

Again, not sure what I will DO with this skill and knowledge, but at least I felt useful.

No pictures, because my hands were busy for 3 hours. Not much different from the ones I already posted.

Day 17: Alpacas on the prowl (alpacas are like construction workers...)

This was the last day of shearing. The female alpacas were all sheared, and blissfully grazing in the pasture.

The male alpacas were walked down in groups (by age/pen), and held inside the barn before and after their shearing. Naturally, the ladies were curious...and looking all fine with their new hairdos and freshly clipped toenails.

These ladies were checking out the boys...just stopping by to say hello.



Some seemed to strut more than others...



Catching their attention















Just like a bunch of construction workers... "How YOU doin'?"

Saturday, May 15, 2010

Arvada West connection to Saint Mary of the Woods

For all of you Colorado people:

I met one of the IT guys here, when he set me up on the computer. When he found out I was from Colorado, he informed me that he was in the first graduating class from Arvada West.  He grew up in that area, and we had a fun talk about how much it's changed. Since I got to live with Doug in Wheatridge for almost a year, I actually knew the streets this guy was mentioning.

Imagine that. Weird.

Alpacas are like people: ostracizing those who are 'different'

When one of them gets sheared, all the other alpacas freak out a little because they don't recognize the shorn alpaca. Seriously. They run up to the shorn alpaca and sniff and sniff, OR they skirt around the shorn one, trying to figure out who the heck it is.

I was sad when Simone got shorn my first week here, at the Earth Day demonstration. Sine she was the ONLY one with a new hairdo, all the other lady alpacas shunned her. There were a few mornings where we found Simone sitting in a pen at one end of the enclosure, all alone, while all the other alpacas were up at the other end. This is VERY unusual, since they have such a strong herd bond. It really was quite pathetic, and we were all happy when the other ladies in the group finally accepted her back.

She was just a trendsetter, that's all. Now they all have their summer look, so nobody is ostracized.
The whole thing just reminded me that we (people) are mammals, and social/herd creatures. So much behavior in common....

Simone, sporting the new summer look

Day 19, alpacas: still no spit, and I get to go to Chicago!!!

The White Violet Center has a booth at the Green Festival in Chicago, May 22 & 23. They needed an extra person, so of course my hand was in the air right away. You mean I get to go to a convention and TALK to people for two days?? Sign me up, baby. I will spend my evenings reading the materials, making certain I know enough to not sound like an idiot.

If you're in the area, you should come check it out!!

http://www.greenfestivals.org/

Friday, May 14, 2010

Alpacas and compost: poop is good

Every morning, one of the first things we do is clean out the barns. That means much raking of poo. This is all fine when it's dry outside, but it's a bit more difficult in the rain. There's nothing like a shovel full of wet muddy alpaca poo to help me build my arm strength!

Here is some of the morning 'help'. These ladies  seem to be in charge of the Kubota, yes?
(I think two are ladies, one is a younger one, could be a male, I can't keep them all straight yet)

They look very official, as good supervisors should.




The funny thing is, we do this EVERY morning. And EVERY morning they have to come check out the Kubota, and the back, in case there's something new in there. Or food. Maybe there will be food....

Sometimes they eat the old hay we've put down to line the bed for poo procurement. They get annoyed when you shoo them away from the Kubota, unless they are already bored and wander away on their own.

They are very helpful, like a room full 3 year olds.




After much raking and carrying of full shovels, we have a full load!!



This is taken to the Compost Pile. It is very big. And smelly. It's compost.
When the compost is ready, it will be used on the fields, to grow the food, which we eat. 

I like food, so Yeah compost!!  Oh, and YEAH WORMS!! (I like worms, too)



Here is someplace to learn more about alpaca compost. It does not 'burn' like other animals' manure, but it's so dense it has to be mixed with other things (like all that hay). There is a lovely picture of alpaca poo, in case you're interested. This means I don't have to take close up pictures of the alpaca poo for you all, right? 

http://www.o2compost.com/content/Alpaca_Facts.htm