A New Year- 2016
by Jane Levene on 01/16/16I've been busy enough that I have totally neglected the website. Plus re-reading my last post about my dad sent me down the spiral again. But life continues and we have managed to have a productive and busy summer and fall. The shows we have attended (product sales, not animal shows) have been successful and fun for us. Everyone continues to be impressed with the PVs and their fiber. It was still a pretty rainy summer, even after all the spring rains, so it felt like we were just going from puddle to puddle. The FarmStay apartment in Salida has been booked consistently and getting rave reviews from our guests. Dito has done a great job welcoming everyone and I think he is a big reason why everyone has been so happy! Dito is the ideal farm manager-and friend- and I literally cannot do enough to thank him. It has been project after project, from perfecting the farm apartment, remodeling the breakroom to create a loft for storage and making the space so much more useful and comfortable. The main house has been fully remodeled as well, giving Dito some much deserved improvements and his "man-cave"! Our crias have been spectacular, and yes, I am 6 months behind in posting pictures and prices for them. We've sold quite a few animals, and their new owners have already become valued members of the association, contributing great skills and talents to the group effort. I will get those photos!! But every time I have a minute to go out to the barn for photos, it is muddy/snowing/raining etc. and I am put off track by wanting a better backdrop than mud for my portraits. My mistake, yet still I wait. My grief is with me everyday, and I feel our loss everyday but we all enjoy our favorite Tommy moments and memories. Our biggest news is the we have absorbed the remainder of the Switzer-Land Paco-Vicunas into our herd. This group came with some spectacular genetics, our most exciting one is a 13 micron white PV male; Echeon. So he has been put on some of our white females, and we continue to develop greater numbers for our white and mahogany PVs. The suri-PV project is enjoying great results as well. Microns are very low, in the 13-16 range, with good luster and beautiful color. I do have a few photos of that group! Now we are in a new year, so that means the National Western Stock Show from the 9-24th of January. I run the Natural Fibers Display, where we teach all the school groups basic spinning and the process of fleece to final product. We are sponsoring a fantastic "Fiber to Final Product" competition Sunday January 17th. Three teams have been given 4 different fleece types (sheeps wool, alpaca, paco-vicuna, llama) and they have 6 hours to card/spin/weave a shawl, which will be judged for skills with fiber prep, and design. The prize is 500.00 for the winning team! The shawls will then be donated and auctioned off to the National Western Scholarship fund. So a Win/Win for everyone and a fantastic demonstration for the crowds that attend the stock show. I love working the NWSS, even though it is a long haul. The people I meet are wonderful and a few are very entertaining, ha. So with the new year comes taxes, paperwork (ugh) and plans for spring that include gardens and crias. Never a dull moment here and never a moment that I don't feel the weight of the list of things to do. But that is how I want it! To my mind, if you go to bed having accomplished everything you wanted to for that day, maybe the goals weren't big enough or the list long enough. At least that is what I tell myself! Stay warm this winter, I hope your weather is kind to you all, and enjoy planning for spring!