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.

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.

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. :)

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.

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.

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....

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.

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.

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'?"

Days 15-17: shearing pictures

Howdy All! Sorry I vanished for a bit, there. I'm not used to working outside 12-13 hours a day, and shearing took more out of me than I imagined. And I wasn't even a part of the actual shearing! I can't imagine how tired everyone else was.

Here are some images I took from the hayloft on Day 1. This was the first animal sheared, and all the new people got to go up and watch. 

1. As you can see, the alpaca is on a table. This is a special table that tilts vertically. The alpaca is led to the table, and it takes 4-6 people to line it up, hold rear legs, hold front legs, hold head/neck, wrap a tummy harness (like when they lift horses) around it, and then TILT it into horizontal position. Lots of coordination required there.

2. This is after the first side is done, and the animal is FLIPPED (literally) to do side 2. You can see the leg ropes. One tie goes around each leg, and is secured to the table. There is still a person at each set of legs, in the middle, and at the head. 

3. Vacuum the Alpaca!! Yes indeedy, that thar alpaca gets shop-vacced. (new verb)

This gets out a lot of dust/grass/random bits of stuff. A lot, but not ALL. Very dusty process.

4. Closer shot of ShopVac! 

5. Actual shearing. This is certainly a skill. This shearer did 20 animals a day. You should see her forearms! She has a full time 'real' job, and has to work out her arms all year to stay strong. I was impressed. That was some hard work. 

Each animal takes about 20-30 minutes to shear. There is a designated 'fleece gatherer' who removes the 'blanket' fleece and keeps the table/animal clean so the shearer can work. You can see how the blanket is folded back as the shearer makes each row cut.

6. AHHHH!!! Poor naked alpaca! The legs are trimmed down mostly to keep flies from biting the animal. They do not use the fiber, it's usually too coarse and dirty, and too short. 

You can see how everyone still has hands on the animal. They are not really gripping tightly, but if you let up, the animal tries to get free. If there is a really wriggly animal, everyone sort of stretches across it until it calms down. Kinda like wrestling, but with a wriggling, sometimes screaming, sometimes spitting alpaca. Doesn't happen that much, though.

7. This is the only time in the calendar year the animal is restrained, so whatever else needs to be done gets done. They all got their toenails trimmed, they all got weighed. At least one that I saw got his teeth flossed. THAT was a procedure, requiring quite a few people, and he was NOT at all happy. 

8. A spitter, this one. Most animals don't actually spit, though. Some were quite calm. But they all have personalities, and this one was expressing herself, and her displeasure at being harnessed, tied to a table and sheared. I'd probably spit too. They use towels to protect all the workers from her ire. 

All towels are THROWN out. There's just no cleaning that nastiness. And it does stink. 

Day 16 of alpacas: more shearing and skirting, still not spit on

Really, Wednesday was a repeat of Tuesday, except it was 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Thank goodness that person did not decide to laundry at 5:15 a.m.  Sadly, though, that is the time my brain chose to wake me up. ::sigh::

Day two of alpaca shearing time:
Lots of walking alpacas back and forth from the pastures to the barn. Lots of worried, 'humming' alpacas. Lots of dirt, hay and flying alpaca fiber. Lots of standing around waiting for alpacas to be ready to attach to lead and move. Very tired.

In case you ever need to know: alpacas are VERY group oriented. They get very distressed when they are separated from the herd, and freak out. Lots of anguished humming, and crying, and frantic looking about. Always try to move them in groups to avoid alpaca freak outs.

I did sit for a while with one of the Sisters up in the hay loft and explain to her what they were doing. I've learned enough to explain it and answer basic question. I seriously have no clue what I will do with this new skill but it still beats surfing job boards and temping, in terms of my happiness/depression level.

Explaining alpaca husbandry to onlookers: yet another step in my global domination plan is complete!!
Best to finish here first, though.

Day 15 with alpacas: a bit of spit, a lot of skirting

May 4th, 2010 The 1st day of SHEARING:
I will have to add photos later, batteries in camera are dead.

5:15 a.m. : someone on the floor decided to roll a cart of laundry down the hall and do laundry. The laundry room is conveniently located two doors from mine. Really??? 5:15 a.m.??? So instead of 5:45 with the alarm, I was awake at 5:15 with some fool doing laundry.

7:00 a.m. : report to the office for pre-shearing poop raking/food/water of all critters. Then on to the main barn. It DID rain a bit last night, but the 'big girls' were in the barn mostly. Still, the smell of wet alpaca combined with unventilated excrement.....pungent.

Coffee! Square donuts! yum!

8:00 a.m.: all new people (like me) climb to the hayloft to view the first shearing. (will add pictures)

The first one: SO much spit they cover the head with a towel, which is THROWN OUT. She is not at ALL happy about being strapped to a table, having her coat sheared and toenails cut. Not happy at ALL, and very expressive.

There are about two animals sheared in an hour.

9:00 a.m.: the big boss calls the newbies out of the loft to take the two blankets (just sheared) to the skirting room. As we are walking away from the barn, there is a SCREAMING, like an animal is being killed or tortured. THAT, says the boss, is why the shearer wears earplugs, and why we were leaving just then. This particular animal always always responds that way to the shearing table and the shearing. Seems she screams like that the whole time. Wow. That's about 20 minutes of listening to that for the 6+ people in the barn. It was seriously freaky. Anyone just walking outside would have thought there was major torture going on. Really, there was not. Some alpacas don't make a sound the entire time. This one is vocalizing for the entire group.

9:00-noon: skirting. Damp alpaca fleece is similar to wet dog smell, but stronger. Except the alpacas have been rolling in hay, dirt, etc. Very ripe, some of it.

noon-1:00 p.m.: lunch!!  pulled pork, greens from the garden, homemade guacamole, homemade cupcakes! Yum.

1:00 - 4:30: It seems I am to be in the skirting room. Is it due to my Delicate Flower status??  Or is it that I do not mind sorting through all the fiber and picking out gunk? I am getting faster, and more confident in my decisions to throw out fleece. Still, I feel like I am shirking my 'intern' duties and should be out in the stinky barn holding down an animal and getting covered in spit. It was not destined to happen today.
(Lisa, I think you were the only one in that pool....)

4:30: head to barn, help with random chores while they finish an animal

5:00-6:00: dinner at the cafeteria with the crew (and all the Sisters)

6:00-7:30: barn. helped move fences to expand 'holding area'. Filled water buckets. Held leash on youngest one while we tried to pick out a ton of gunk from his fleece. Seems the young ones like to play in the dirt the most. Go figure. Tried, with a few people, to get shorn alpacas in from the field with lovely yummy green grass. They were NOT having that. Not at all interested in going in, thank you very much. That shearer is still in there, and the grass is not. They look at you like you are clearly insane for even asking.

Help take 'trash' fiber to compost, and nasty green spit rags to dumpster, help lock up Kubota and put in feed for a.m.

8:00 p.m. : Home. Shower.  Joint ache creme...

9:30 Sit in recliner. Attempt to get pictures off camera. Batteries dead. No replacements!! ARRRGH.

10:30 Bed

Please do not let the person decide to do laundry at 5:15 a.m.....must be on poo patrol at 7:00 tomorrow.

Day 14 with alpacas: no spit, accepted into Americorp, Skirting a fleece

Yes indeedy, the day before shearing and I have not been spit upon. Tomorrow will come quickly, though. 7:00 a.m. start time. They are doing the 'big girls' first, which is about 30 'breeding age' females (and crias, the babies). I'm guessing when we enclose them in the barn and whip out that shearing table the spit will be flying.

Got an email that I've been accepted into Americorps. That is a good thing, but sadly it is only as the 300 hour volunteer, which means I keep track of my hours and at the end of the internship I get $1000 applied to whichever loan I choose. There is no stipend. (alas) I am glad to at least get the $1000 toward student loans, though. Perhaps being 'accepted' here and 'accepted' into Americorps is the start of a trend. Yes? Yes.

Learned how to 'skirt' a fleece last week, and got to practice today. Basically you take the main part of the fleece (the blanket), and separate it into 'firsts' and 'seconds'. Good fleece and not so good fleece. Then you pick out all the icky tough 'guard hairs' and shake out/pick out any grass seeds, twigs, etc. I am good at picking out small things and making it clean. :)  It's like sorting seed beads, very Zen! YEAH!!

I told them I want to learn how to shop-vac an alpaca tomorrow. That needs to be on my resume: shop-vac-ing an alpaca. I'm not sure what I will do with that skill, but it needs to be on there. Perhaps in a library storytime?

And yes, they literally take a shop-vac to the alpaca before shearing. It cleans off a lot of dirt/seeds/straw.

I do not think the alpacas will like this. Perhaps this will be the spitting point, the shop-vac.

Day 9 alpacas: No Spit, Kubota Queen

HaHAAA!!  I got to drive the Kubota today TO the compost pile! AND I learned how to use the dump truck feature. I will integrate this into my plan for global domination. Somehow....

Today we moved a lot of fences, to allow the animals to graze on pasture that had been allowed to recover, and grassy areas that had grown. Then there was raking more old 'winter' hay up off the enclosure area. PB (Sister Paul Bernadette) said I'm getting stronger already, able to lift that wet hay into the truck bed. :)

I feel like Heidi's friend Clara, gaining strength with the fresh air and herd animals.... very picturesque, eh?

They were checking fleece depth/quality on the alpacas today, to prepare for shearing time.
May 4, 5, 6.  12 hours days at least. I'm excited, aren't you?? I predict that is when the 'no spit' trend will be broken.

Day 8 with alpacas: not spit on!

Have made it through 5 days in a row of alpaca 'chores'. Raking poop, filling water, raking old hay, etc. Friday it was rainy and grey. I actually like that better than scorching sun and humidity! Forgot, though, that rain makes MUD and mud/wet poo is MUCH heavier than dry earth/poo.

My goal of using my non-dominant left arm to carry a full shovel was thwarted. Perhaps at the end of three months, and with less weight from moisture.

Odd things I've learned this week:

1. There are crayfish in the fields!

I have not seen one yet, but they burrow in the mud. There are many mounds of mud where they live. I had no idea!!! Will try to catch one with the camera.

Here's a land crayfish from wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Burrowing_Crayfish_in_his_burrow.jpg

2. Worms move poop.

Now, I should know this, but I forget things at 8:00 a.m. while raking alpaca poo. Alpacas tend to make a dung pile, and all go in the same areas. In gender integrated herds this allows the male to tell which of his ladies is open to breeding.

I wondered why certain piles were spread out all over. "The worms do that" was the answer. So all night, these worms work and work to get the alpaca poo closer to their holes. Every morning we come by and rake it all up. Sometimes the worm reaches up to try and keep its prize and get whacked with a rake. Oops. But all alpacas do is eat and poop, so there will be more for the worms soon.

3. Alpaca 'spit' is nasty

Alpacas communicate their displeasure with their herdmates by squealing and spitting. If one alpaca is crowding another, the offended one bares its teeth, arches its neck back and scold it. Then it does a 'fake' spitting, which is really just blowing air and sounding pissy. If the offender still does not go away, there is spitting. Basically the alpaca pulls up a little grass and digestive juices and spits it on the other. N-A-S-T-Y!!! You can tell who has been fighting because they have globs of partially digested grass on them, and smell like vomit. I really hope to NOT get caught in the crossfire, but I hear it's only a matter of time.

4. Your face will freeze like that!!

When alpacas get angry with each other and/or spit, their facial muscles freeze up for 5-10 minutes. This is the other way you can tell who has been fighting: their jaw is locked, lips pulled back, sometimes drooling, can't open their jaw to eat. Just how it is. Our mothers warned us about this!! Their faces really do freeze like that.

I think that's enough for now.

My room in Guerin Hall

This should take you to an album of photos. There is a map, too. Hope it works!

Guerin Hall, Saint Mary's Women's College

Why am I doing this? How I decided to learn about alpacas

Everyone wants to know the how and why of my decision to become an 'alpaca intern'. I did not just wake up one morning and decide to run down this road. Those who know me, know I do not just blindly run down a path. I always have a pros and cons list, and think through outcomes. If anything, I take TOO long to decide on a course of action.

So how did I get here? Well, in August 2008 I completed my Master's of Library Science at Indiana University. I had decided it was time to head back to Colorado to help out my Mom and sister, and just generally be closer geographically. I had also been gone from Colorado for 10 years, and missed it quite a lot. My friend Doug was gracious enough to open his home to me, and gave me a room in the basement and run of the kitchen. OH, and space in the office so I could job hunt all day. My plan was to put most of my belongings in storage, find a job, pay off bills with the paycheck from that job, and then get my own place and a car.

Little did I know that in September of 2008 the economy would implode, making this whole 'job hunt' thing very very difficult. I always register with temp agencies when I am between jobs, and always have success with that strategy. This time, however, was different. There were no temp jobs. The whole game had shifted, it all seemed to just grind to a halt. Luckily, I had pulled money out of my IRA before the crash, and had planned on being unemployed for 6 months. Since I couldn't get temp work, though, I went through the IRA money quicker than planned.

Around May 2009 I got a part time job in an independently owned candle store. While it was good to get out of the house, it only paid a little above minimum wage. I was so happy to be learning new things, like how to shrink wrap a candle without melting it, and happy to interact with customers, but it wasn't a good long term solution.

Also around that time, a friend in Bloomington suggested I move back to town and stay with her. I had been thinking along the same lines, because I was getting very very depressed in Denver, and thought I could shake it up and regroup. Also, it's a lot easier to get around without a car in Bloomington, since it's so small. I waited until I got word I was not selected for a job I had REALLY wanted, as a paraprofessional 'Mobile Training Unit driver' at a major library system before I decided to leave. My whole theory had (and still is) that I will take the first job offered. So far, none have been offered.

Back in Bloomington, that housing situation lasted 25 days before my friend decided it would not work. LUCKILY for me, my friend/hairstylist Garland was there to scoop me up and move me in to his apartment. He gave me his room, and moved to the living room. He gave me a closet and a shelf in the bathroom. I think he's an angel in disguise. :)

OH, part of the reason I moved in with Garland is that I had just gotten a temp job in his apartment complex! (for $8.50/hour) I ended up working there for 3 months, and audited all of their lease files more than once. I calculated close to 1500 files total. Ouch. My brain hurt.

They finally ran out of things for me to do. That's the life of a temp. :)

After that, I was unemployed for a month. I had one temp job, cleaning bathrooms in a sorority house for three days. Wow. THEN I got a job as a part time Abstractor at a Title company. Even though it was only part time, and only $10/hour, it was a wonderful wonderful job. I got to look things up in the Recorder's Office and the Courthouse....moving from building to building, walking around downtown Bloomington. Lovely. Got to be detail oriented, and social, and outside a bit.

But then, in January 2010, the owner announced the business was closing. So in January 2010 I was left with no job again. I had, in the meantime filed for bankruptcy and had to stick around Indiana through March for the hearing.

It really hit me hard to get laid of from the abstractor job. I had truly enjoyed it, and the people I worked with. Of course, I immediately called all the temp agencies I had registered with to let them know I was available again. But something had shifted in me. I realized I could not keep crashing with friends indefinitely. I know I have family and friends who are willing to let me stay with them, but I feel so guilty for having to do that. I also have no money to move myself across the country. I have no car. The problems will be the same everywhere: finding temp jobs, finding a full time career job, and transportation.

And I am still stuck on the idea that I want a job I like, doing something related to this MLS I spent time and money to get. I've worked the entry level jobs I hated to 'make it through' for years. I just can't bring myself to apply for a job I know I won't like. Since I am 'rootless' right now, there is no point in staying somewhere just for the sake of a job if it's not in my chosen field. I can't lie in an interview, it's just not how I'm programmed. I also am tired of moving alone, and tired of working merely to survive. I want to be a part of a community, and something positive.

I started thinking about the Great Depression, and other work/housing options. My biggest problems are housing and transportation. I know I am a hard worker, and put my all into any task at hand. This approach of temping and job hunting was exhausting me.

I made a list of things I like: books/information, kids, animals, nature. I thought maybe if I could find a place that would give me housing in exchange for work I can figure out the rest. That's when I thought about farms. I did a search on 'alpacas and Indiana' and found the White Violet Center. I picked alpacas, because I've knit with their fiber, and I'd seen a PBS segment about them and found them fascinating.

This place seemed like a dream come true!! They offered an internship with room and some board in exchange for labor. While I am out of shape, I REALLY miss being active and doing outside work. I emailed them, applied officially, had to ask people to write references (again), Garland drove me up for an interview and tour, and here I am.

I don't know where this will take me. I honestly don't know what I will do with what I am learning about alpacas and composting. But I have a safe place to sleep and eat, my work is valued and necessary, and I feel like I am making a positive contribution to something sustainable. I have no income for the foreseeable future, which is a choice I have never made before. I am trying to figure something out, and not freak out. I view the daily farm chores as mentally and spiritually cleansing. I need work to do, they need a worker. This situation will work for a while.

OH, and the Center has a small library/resource center with a CARD CATALOG. I am working to file a three year backlog of all their cards. Next I will get them converted to an open source system which can easily be maintained after I leave. I cannot escape my inner librarian. :)

Long story, but there you go.

Day 6 with alpacas: not spit on!

April 21, 2010

Highlights of today:

1. Led smallest/youngest cria (baby alpaca) on a walk to visit the older 'boys'. There are 4 young male alpacas which will be transitioning out of the pen with the mothers, and into the pen with the other male alpacas. The one I led, Pere, was very worried about this walk, and 'hummed' the whole way. It sounds like a sort of worried moaning, this 'humming'. He was quite happy to be back in the pen with his mother.

2. Learned how to drive the Kubota! Look out, farm, here I come!

3. Put my first harness/muzzle on an alpaca! Wahoo!

I have also had the reassurances of many here that being physically exhausted at 3:00 is common, regardless of age. Shifting from a sedentary life to physical labor is rough, but it is exactly what I needed!