Hoar of Winter

Winter has come. Almost as soon as we changed our clocks we were visited by Arctic air. Our days are now getting shorter and shorter: dawn comes around 730 and it is dusk by 430.  Last night the dogs and I went for a walk at dusk to see how the boy llamas were doing in the northeast field, and we walked home by the light of the moon.  The temperature hovers around minus 17.

The girl llamas are all up in the front pastures and corrals with access to the barn. 

We had a baby born last week, when it was still 10 degrees in the day.  She's the cria of Haley and Dash, and is tiny but very lively.

She stays by her mom and cuddles into her mom's coat at night.  The girls spent a few days out in the woods as a herd, but when it got cold I worried about them and walked out and brought them back to the yard.  You can't round up llamas like cattle, they do not herd like cattle do, and they do not respond to chasing like cows do.  So you have to lead them, entice them and they will all follow you.  I used a pail of molasses and oats to convince them to come back.  It must have been a funny sight -- a woman with a black pail being followed by a line of 15 llamas, snaking through the hills and valleys.

Today it was sunny and minus 16 and the dogs and I walked the quarter mile out to see the boys.  They are all doing well out in the hay. They followed us back toward the barn too, but decided not to come all the way back.  I'm not worried about them, there is plenty of grass for them to eat below the snow and they have heavy coats and don't seem bothered by the chilly weather.  The temperatures are supposed to rise again next week -- if it were to get colder I would bring them up to the yard next to the girls.

We saw deer tracks just behind the house, and of course coyote tracks too.  We've had heavy ice fog for two days and the hoar frost is draped over the fences and branches.