A quick observation from the farm front...

My 6 months old Pixie is an Australian Shepherd dog. For those who know, this breed generally needs lots of energy consuming activities. 14 Days ago she fractured her tibia, so due to human intervention she finds herself in a full right leg cast. When the veterinarian told me she had to stay at full time rest... Ouff... I thought impossible!

Well to my immense surprise, my puppy instinctively knows that she needs to rest for her to heal.

She's been amazingly quiet for the past 14 days. Another observation is that she eats only half (or even a little less than that) of what she was eating before! Only increasing, by a little, her daily food intake.

She otherwise seems very happy, and doesn't seem to be in any pain anymore. I've been mixing her food with a herbal mixed infusion (horsetail, oats and nettle). I tried to skip a day, and she didn't want her food at all. So by night time, I poured some tea in and...yes, she gobbled it right up!

The observation here, is that the dog knows what she needs to get better. (Like crying to get up the stairs, waiting for her tea, not jumping and running everywhere, staying nicely quiet, even keeping her leg up! ...)All is well, Pixie will be back to herself before you know it...

This brought me to thinking another “human animal intervention”: Last summer, with a 6 year old female alpaca, about to give birth.

Most alpaca breeders will tell you, stay around, but stay out of the pen. Keep an eye out, however generally alpacas give birth all by themselves. Some will even wait until you leave during that 5 minutes, to pick up your kid at school!

This time was different. From the very first sight of the sun, Autumn (the female alpaca) was in all my view points (windows from which I can see them from the house). I went out to “inspect”. I felt today might be the day. However still early, all seemed normal. I fed everyone and went back into the house. A little later, I notice her again, staring straight into the dining room window, to where she can see me, in my kitchen. She stared me right in the eyes; one of those stares that you just have to turn to look at! Then when she was sure I was looking, she turned around...

Ouff!!! The baby's head and neck were out, with only the front part of the legs out...I ran out, and she was boobing up and down, hitting the baby's head on the ground. I was alone at home, and of course a Sunday! Phone in my pocket, the animal clinic receptionist was looking for an available veterinarian.

This is only the 3^rd birth here, I was still quite new at this whole thing! The 2 previous births went great...

I ended up gently pulling her out, inch by inch, and caught her before she hit the ground.

What I noticed about this moment, was that the alpaca let me approach her, she practically came and got me, she knew what she needed. To this day she is our wildest and most unapproachable girl. She still bronks when we halter her up! However at that moment in her life she knew she needed help...

Now when I observe many around me, I start to wonder... Have we really lost that notion of listening to our bodies? Or shall I say instinct?

And we claim that humans are superior to animals...

Hum...Are we sure about that?

Apple puree...Saturday project

Here's my apple tree.
The trees on our property can keep us quite busy and well nourished too!
I don't know what kind it is, because it was here when we moved in. However it was already a few years old and had never given apples yet! Now, 5 years later, and nicely fed with alpaca and rabbit "fertilizers" it is fully flourishing to our hearts content! And we have 3 more like this on the way for next year.





During the season, lots of apples fall off the tree during different storms, and every so often we pick them all up, to fill a 5 gallon bucket.



These are perfect apples for none other than Apple Puree.
I make huge batches at once, and freeze up to 3/4 of it for winter months.
Apple puree happens to be the first and most important ingredient to my all time favorite "Homemade fruit gelee" !
That's my all natural (no refined or artificial sugars added) soft candy, made in collaboration with none other than Mother Nature herself ;)

Stay tuned for "how to make Homemade, All Natural, Fruit Gelee" ...

A Sneak Peak to Some Awesome Fall Fashion Scarves

I bought this wooden pin for my scarves from a passionate wood worker out in Texas USA.

OutNumberedNovelties on etsy.com

And I just love it!

It adds a stylish twist to any of my scarves whether they are slender and light or large cobwebbed!




And my favorite of all!!! he he

It could even be the closure of a very unique waist wrap !!!
Ya know ...like a belt...
:)

To see the shop where the wooden pin comes from
click here

This post was also part of...

Raspberry Frenzy!

Three years ago, my mother and I planted 6 raspberry bushes. Last year, barely making a full basket at any given time, I thought to myself "next year should be good".
I then proceeded in fertilizing with our alpaca compost...

I never expected this!

Yesterday we picked enough to fill 2 x 1 litre baskets!

Today I picked enough to fill this little basket, but I only used 1/2 a plant! I have another 11 baskets like this to fill , just today !!!

I can already see the next little green blossoms on their way! Supposedly I should be expecting a second flourishing season in the fall !!!

I love raspberries! They are my favorite fruit, now I've got to get to work, and transform this into yummy treats!

And I thought I could take it easy today ! Ha!

Raspberry jam, raspberry soft candy, and of course frozen berries for winter months... Here I come!

Then of course there are the amazing properties of raspberry leaves...

Raspberry Leaf Tea can be made by the infusion of 1 ounce of the dried leaves in a pint of boiling water. Often taken cold, the tea can give immediate relief to mouth and stomach problems.

Also an astringent and very rich in VitaminC.

A tip from Nature

Alright, I've been a little absent here.
A little too much in manual production and craft show preparations.

So to liven this blog up a little I will be adding a weekly "Nature tip".

This will be about something and anything (cooking, organic gardening, animal care, beauty...)

Here's my "Natural beauty tip" of the moment:

Living without Shampoo!

What? You say? You like all those chemicals going through your scalp pores! Right into your blood stream!
Oh than, please ... don't even read on!
lol
;)

First take about a half tablespoon of baking soda and mix in your hand with water, until it makes a thick paste.
Wet your hair, and work it into your scalp. Let stand 1 minute than rinse.

Next you can either squeeze lemon juice over your head and work into the tips of your hair or apple cider vinegar. Lemon smells better , however the smell of apple cider vinegar will vanish once your hair has fully dried. Let stand 1 minute, then rinse! You don't need more than a table spoon here either

Voila! You will save bundles of cash! And your hair and scalp will thank you.

It will take you a few washes to start seeing the difference, your body chemistry and oil glands will adjust to these non invasive products. After 1 or 2 weeks, your hair will for ever be soft and RADIANT !

And a little bonus...
It will bring out those natural highlights... YOU NEVER KNEW YOU HAD!!!

Felting...

Hum!?! My path to being a fiber artist.
I fall asleep now, thinking of my next project.

Laying the fibers out flat,
debating colors,
moving them around.

Playing with fabrics and fibers, considering choices...



It reminds me of painting, sculpting or even photography.
All art forms that I've amused myself with, since a very young age.

Framing, meshing, mixing media...
I thought the textile art world was new to me, and as I grow into it, I realize it's been a part of me for a long time...


The greatest surprise is after it dries... I can never truly predict what my scarf will look like!


Full info about this scarf can be viewed here

Our angora rabbits

When I first bought our 2 angora bunnies, I thought no way will they live in tiny 2'x2' cages!
So we added onto the barn! Nothing to complicated... Just cut a door through the wall, closed off a small interior part of the barn, added a fence outside, and we used the old siding of our above ground pool as the roof!
Everything I read about raising bunnies mentioned cages, so I went with my instincts on this one...

Yes bunnies are territorial, if they have a tiny territory!

At first my 2 bunnies, having always lived in cages, growled at each other.

Yet having a 9 x 8 foot exterior playing ground, and another 4x 12 foot interior "living quarters", seemed to give them enough space not to care about the others territory.
Within a few days, they seemed at peace with each other and their new home.

The only real important factor is to keep the males separate from the females.

Now with a total of 11 bunnies, we've separated the space in half and the boys are to the left and the girls to the right!

My bunnies are for angora fibers, so I will not be breeding anymore. I have enough for what I need!

In the meantime, they get to live a happy, comfortable life, within a social group and room to roam.

Not a lonely rabbit's lifestyle...

Here's a little video, of our doe feeding her kits.

They only feed for about 2 minutes every 24 hours!
In this video you see the last 52 seconds...