Highway to the Danger Zone

“What kinds of sounds do they make?” This question usually follows upon the heels of Coffee Bean humming a few bars of “Don’t Fence Me In”. Kidding aside, almost always, after we and our guests have spent the last half hour haltering, saddling, and placing the panniers on the llamas, Coffee Bean will start to hum, the most common sound that llamas make. This humming can mean many things, and needs to be taken in context. In this case, Coffee Bean realizes that it’s time for a hike, and he’s saying, “By golly, let’s get this show on the road”. They love to hike, you know.
The other sound that we frequently hear, is a sound that is impossible to imitate, and virtually impossible to describe, and that is the alarm call. This is a warning cry, usually started by our alpha male llama, Santiago that is an alert to the others in the herd, that there is potential danger afoot. Around our farm, that is usually translated as B-E-A-R!!!!! (Although two weeks ago, he was startled by a mom raccoon and 2 kits crossing the creek and scared his handler out of his shoes when he blasted the alarm call in his ear).
It’s neat when our guests get to experience the alarm, because it is such a unique sound. I’m sure all of you reading this are thinking to yourselves right now, “well, what the heck does it sound like?”  Well here it is. Santiago and Coffee Bean startled everyone in our Saturday group when they both sounded the alarm. They were looking across the creek and up the hill, but the vegetation is so dense, that we were never able to see what they were warning us about.
So, here are Santiago and Coffee Bean in their rendition of “Danger Zone”

How to Recognize Poison Ivy Three Times out of Three

This is poison ivy.

This is a public service announcement from someone who has years of experience with this vine…namely me!!

In short, stay away. Don’t touch. Don’t eat the berries. And in my case, don’t even look at it. The penalty is an insanely itchy rash that will last for weeks and drive you crazy.

I took these photos on our property this afternoon, so this noxious weed is growing now….and lurking….and waiting for the unsuspecting.

Poison Ivy is easily recognizable once you know what to look for. Nothing else looks like it. It can grow in clusters on the ground, or it can climb a tree. We have seen years old vines that have a trunk about 4-5 inches in diameter and have reached the top branches of a 50 foot tree. All parts and phases of the plant are poisonous: the leaves, the stem, and even dead and brittle pieces that you may inadvertently pick up years later can harbor the poison which is an oil called urushiol.

The plant produces black berries in the summer which are very nutritious and harmless to birds, (but highly irritating to humans). The plant is propagated when the birds eat the berries and deposit the seeds in their droppings. Don’t be lulled into thinking that if you stay out of the woods, you will never come into contact with poison ivy. My first run in with the itchy weed was in my backyard in a suburban golf course community. I contracted it while sitting in my flower bed in shorts, pulling weeds. I’ll let your imagination run wild here. It was not a pretty sight.

So what do you need to look for???  Leaves of 3. Not everything with 3 leaves is poison ivy, though. Look at the shape of the leaves. They are irregularly lobed. Some leaves have lobes on both edges, and some leaves will have a smooth edge on one side and have lobes on the other side.

When the vines get mature, they will have a characteristic hairiness. “Danger, Danger, Will Robinson”. Whoops, I just gave away my age.

Now on the other hand, this is Virginia Creeper.

Many people mistakenly think this is poison ivy because it is a vine that grows high in trees. This is a harmless plant, and should be admired. In the fall, the leaves turn a brilliant red, and virtually light up their host tree.

Note the obvious difference here. How many leaves? FIVE.

Now here is a photo of a Virginia creeper growing side by side with a poison ivy vine.

The Virginia Creeper is on the left. Note the regularity and uniformity of the leaves. The edge of each leaf is serrated and is a mirror image from side to side.

So if you need a catchy phrase to help you remember how to tell the two apart, trust the age old axiom:

“Leaves of three, let it be.

Leaves of five, let it live ”

Ok. So it doesn’t rhyme. But I bet you remember it, just the same.

Oh, and what should you do if you should come into contact with poison ivy? Wash it off immediately. Dawn soap is great, because it is an oil fighter. And if you don’t know you have touched it until the rash appears? (Usually takes about 24 to 48 hours to manifest the tell tale itch). I swear by Zanfel. The price will take your breath away, but if you start using it as soon as you see the first bump, and scrub with it a couple times a day, it will help. It won’t go away immediately, but it will go away sooner. Think one week instead of three.

So, head on out into the beauty of nature. Just be careful, and enjoy.

When llamas go bad

 

Keep the llamas off the streets. Book a llama hike now!!

I’d be “lion” if I said I wasn’t proud.

Fame and Fortune!! Well, maybe not so much on the fortune. My Nephew, Kent, Kent Corley Photography, took these photos October 2014, for a Halloween Photo Contest that AKC was running at the time. We didn’t win the contest, but Kent was contacted by the “Daily Mail” in the UK last month and asked permission to publish the photos in an article. I just happened to hit upon this today as I was googling my name. (Yes, I will admit, I do this once and a while). I’m just bustin’ out with pride for my doggie, and for my nephew Kent Corley.

I’m living with an international celebrity. I’m trying to decide whether or not to tell her.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3428837/She-just-t-wait-king-Pet-owners-dress-guard-dog-LION-fun-photoshoot-pooch-pulls-perfectly.html

“This dog looks convincing as a lion in a Virginia pet costume contest.
A four-year-old Goldendoodle named Bayley, who lives on a Virginia llama farm, dressed up as a lion for a local costume contest….”

So…What do you do with a llama?

One of the questions we often get asked is, “Just what do you do with a llama?”
Llamas are wonderfully versatile animals and there are lots of things that people enjoy doing with them.

1. Packing. After all, this is what they were bred to do for thousands of years in South America. The greatest advantage of llamas as packers is their low impact on the environment. Their padded feet do less damage to the trail than people in hiking shoes. They are much smaller than horses or mules with the average pack llama weighing between 300 and 400 pounds. Llamas require much less to drink than most pack stock. Since they are members of the camel family, they are able to obtain much of their water from the foods they eat.

Llamas on the trail

2. Shows. There are llama shows all around the nation where llamas are judged on their fiber and conformation and they can compete in a variety of agility and obstacle courses.

Backing through hay bale maze

3. Parades. Who doesn’t love a parade, and everyone loves to see llamas in a parade. We have walked with ours in several Christmas Parades. We dress them up in reindeer antlers and tinsel and they are the hit of the day. They have been real troopers and haven’t been spooked by the High School Bands, fire engines, horses, or dogs. AND I have never had to clean up poop behind them.

Christmas Parade

4. Fiber. One of the most prized byproducts of llamas is their fiber. Their fiber can be used to make anything that you can make out of sheep wool. Plus llama hair does not have lanolin and comes in a variety of natural colors.

We shear our llamas once a year, usually in April or May, when the temperatures are above freezing and the highs are in the 70’s. By the time winter comes around again, their coats are grown out enough to keep them warm. Shearing the llamas is an absolute necessity. Heat stress is a major killer for llamas, especially with the heat and humidity in Virginia.

Before and After Shearing

5. Pets. Although we pack with our llamas as a business, they are first and foremost our pets and companions. The time we spend with them brushing and grooming, feeding them, and even cleaning up poop, is very relaxing and enjoyable. We talk with them and watch as they interact with each other. Llamas can be very entertaining and affectionate in their own way.

Oooo! The water tickles my tongue.

6. Therapy animals. Llamas are often taken to nursing homes and children’s hospitals to brighten the day and bring a smile. Llamas are intuitive and seem to sense the needs of others. They are very calm and gentle animals.

7. Guardians. Llamas make good livestock guards. They prefer to be with their own species, but they will adopt and bond with their new herdmates, be it sheep, alpacas, or cows. They are very protective against coyotes, wild dogs, and other predators.

8. Golfing. Believe it or not, there are golf courses that use llamas as caddies. I’m not much of a golfer myself, but I could get into the game if I could walk the course with a llama.

9. Carting. Llamas can also be trained to pull a cart. They can be used singly or as a team. I expect that it would take a good bit of time and patience to master this skill, but I can only imagine the attention that you would get driving your llama through the park.

10. Walking and jogging. Sometimes I want a change of pace from walking the dogs. I halter one of the llamas and take a relaxing walk around the neighborhood. The llamas are very curious and attentive, and it is entertaining just to watch them as they observe the interesting things along the way.

Taking a stroll with Domino

So you see, llamas can be much more than just a pasture ornament, though that is one of the greatest pleasures that they give to me. There is no better feeling than to gaze down on the fields, no matter the season, and watch the llamas as they bask in the sun, roll in the dust, munch grass, hike through the snow, or pronk around the fence in expression of the sheer joy of life. So, what do YOU do with a llama?

Taking a dust bath

Dreaming of spring

Chicken Coop Curtains

Now, I know you are going to say that I’m one egg short of a dozen, but I recently saw, in one of my farm publications, an article about nest box curtains. The photos were adorable, and I thought, if for nothing else, my young hens needed a home improvement project.

Before embarking on this undertaking, I decided to do a little research to hopefully find a design that didn’t involve sewing. I used to sew…..somewhat. I had a basic cabinet machine that my Mom had bought when I was just a kid. Granted it was ugly, it only did straight stitching, and it took up floor space, which we were always in short supply of. But it was always there…always up and ready to go. If I needed to repair a 1 inch seam…zoom, it was done.

About 20 years ago, my sweet road warrior surprised me for Christmas with a new portable machine that could be packed up and stored out of sight and could do zigzag stitches and button holes. We were living in Italy at the time, so when we were ready to pack out and return to the states, I gave the old cabinet machine to my Pilipino housemaid. The portable machine now sits in the back of a closet, behind rolls of Christmas wrap and boxes of shoes, and gathers dust bunnies. It’s too much trouble to dig out and set up, so it hasn’t been used in years. I have forgotten how to sew. So… back to the chicken curtains.

Who knew that the idea of curtains for the chickens nest boxes has been around for decades, maybe centuries? Old time farmers used to tack up old gunny sacks over the nest box openings to provide the hens with privacy. Chickens apparently prefer to lay their eggs in a dark and secluded space, hence, a good excuse to hang some jazzy curtains.

The coop BC (Before Curtains)

There are lots of gorgeous coop curtains out there. Just google it, if you are interested in seeing more ideas. Many talented ladies make curtains with tie backs. Personally, that would have been my preference, but definitely involved more sewing skills than I wanted to resurrect. Then I saw some that were just straight valances….nothing more involved than sewing a rod pocket and a hem. But, it did involve digging out the dreaded machine and spending more time setting it up than the time it would take to do the whole sewing thing.

So I opted to find a readymade valance. Just by chance, I found a wonderful lady on Etsy that makes custom curtains, and she made these cute valances for me. I love the comical chicken design, and the colors were just perfect to brighten up the place.

Ready to move beck in

I can’t say for sure whether the chickens approve, they haven’t started laying eggs yet, but it sure makes me smile while I’m scooping out chicken poop.

The Pullet Palace

How to Make a Wisteria Bloom

Wylie Wisteria

17 years ago, this month, we bought a wisteria vine and planted it next to a tree in front of the house. Year after year we waited for it to bloom. Year after year Tim vowed to trim it back.

“I’m going to build an archway between the trees and train the wisteria on it.”

“I’m going to stress it and cut it back hard to force it to bloom.”

“The vine is taking over the tree. It’s going to eventually kill it.”

Year after year, I defended the vine and told Tim to be patient.

This year, when the threats started again, I caved.

Just last week, Tim said he was tired of the vine and wanted to get rid of it. It was never going to bloom and it was all the way to the top of the tree. I said I was tired of his complaining, and he could do whatever he wanted. I only requested that he cut it before it fully leafed out so we didn’t end up with ugly, dead vine hanging on the tree all summer.

And Voila! The next day, the wisteria bloomed for the first time ever. Stay of execution.

EAT IT TO BEAT IT: or FROM PEST TO PESTO

If you live in the Northeastern U.S., you may be familiar with the number 1, most hated, invasive weed in the region, Garlic Mustard. It is a member of the mustard family, but has a distinctive garlic aroma when the leaves are crushed.

Garlic Mustard in the Wild

This weed is a non-native plant that was introduced from Europe back in the late 1800’s as a culinary herb. But it has gotten out of control and is taking over our woodlands, and strangling out our native plants. As a result, many communities are hosting Garlic Mustard Pulling Parties, where people are encouraged to gather for the day to yank out these pesky plants by the wagon load.

I didn’t know that you could eat Garlic Mustard until I recently saw a recipe for Garlic Mustard Pesto. Apparently all parts of the plant are edible, to include the sweet tasting flowers and the tap-root, which resembles the flavor of horseradish. Having lived for a few years in Italy, I am an aficionado of Italian Pesto; the traditional recipe using basil and garlic. And since we have patches of the Garlic Mustard growing exuberantly along the fringes of our woods, I decided I would reduce the infestation by eating some of it. You know the old expression, “If you can’t beat it, eat it.”

I checked out a few recipes online and picked bits and pieces of several recipes to come up with a recipe that suited my taste. I prepared it for the first time last night, and it was surprisingly delicious. I’m going to show you how I made it.

A mess of greens, as we say in the south, and my sous chef, Bayley

Ingredients (serves 4-6)

2 cups (packed) garlic mustard leaves. Pick greens from an unsprayed area and make sure you wash them well.

4 ounces pine nuts

3 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped (or 2 tablespoons wild spring onions)

4 ounces extra virgin olive oil

16 ounces penne pasta

3 ounces finely grated Parmesan cheese (Parmigiano Reggiano is preferred)

Salt to taste

Ingredients for Garlic Mustard Pesto

Directions

I started by picking off all the leaves and tossing them in a sink full of water. After swishing them around really well, I scooped them out by the handful, and squeezed all the water out of the leaves. I packed them really tight into a measuring cup.

You need two cups of firmly packed leaves.

It was about now, that I realized I didn’t have any chives. Well, I thought, this recipe is all about “the wild thing”, and we have plenty of wild spring onions sprouting everywhere, providing the llamas hadn’t eaten them all. (Our llamas love feasting on spring onions, as evidenced by the miasma of onion stink on their breath). So I grabbed my scissors and headed down the hill to harvest a clump. I had read a while back that the green tops of the wild onion were tasty in recipes, but to scale back on the amount, as they have a stronger flavor than the domestic variety.

Wild spring onions. Use only the green tops.

I had no idea what I was doing, but I decided that I’d go for 2 Tablespoons of the wild onions instead of the 3 tablespoons of chives. I minced them finely and tossed them in the food processor along with the 4 ounces of extra virgin olive oil and ran the food processor until the greens were finely chopped.

Next I added the pine nuts and processed the mix until it had the consistency of a paste.

Add 4 ounces of pine nuts.

At this point I transferred the mix to a mixing bowl and stirred in the parmesan cheese. I thought the pesto was a little too thick, so I added another tablespoon or two of olive oil until the consistency was right, and tasted it for salt.

Garlic Mustard Pesto.

WOW! Now, I must admit, I was prepared to hate this stuff. But, boy, was I surprised. It was delicious. It tasted a lot like traditional pesto, but it had a little zing. The garlic mustard leaves by themselves remind me of arugula, a little bit bitter and peppery. And this flavor came through very subtly in the pesto.

Now I couldn’t wait to boil up the penne and enjoy this taste of the wild.

Dinner is served.

I’m glad I don’t have to hate those pesky weeds nearly so much. Now I just need to find a way to love dandelions.

Feel free to give this a try, and let me know what you think.

Recipe

Ingredients (serves 4-6)

• 2 cups (packed) garlic mustard leaves. Pick greens from an unsprayed area and make sure you wash them well.
• 4 ounces pine nuts
• 3 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped (or 2 tablespoons wild spring onions)
• 4 ounces extra virgin olive oil
• 16 ounces penne pasta
• 3 ounces finely grated Parmesan cheese (Parmigiano Reggiano is preferred)

Directions

• Toss mustard greens, chives, and olive oil into food processor. Run processor until leaves are finely minced.
• Add pine nuts and process until it resembles a paste.
• Remove paste from processor and place in a mixing bowl.
• Add Parmesan cheese and salt to taste.
• Serve over cooked penne pasta.
• Sprinkle with additional parmesan if desired.

Wordless Wednesday

Bayley the Goldendoodle Lion

Photos courtesy of my nephew: Kent Corley Photography

Wordless Wednesday

Browntown Baptist Church