A Harrowing Experience

Instead of my coffee this morning to help wake me up, I had a harrowing experience that really got my heart pumping.

My morning didn’t start out so well from the get go. My soon-to-be 11 year old stepdaughter has had a serious chip on her shoulder for a couple days and we butted heads first thing. She didn’t go to school with us on good terms.

I called my hubby to vent. He reminded me to get a bid done that was due first thing this morning so I hopped onto the computer and quickly got it done. Then I went out to feed the alpacas. My mind was on my stepdaughter, and how we didn’t part on good terms. I fed them grain and hay and then I went to the outside gate to get into their pen so I could open up the gate to their newly built pen with fresh green grass. I must not have latched the gate well enough. While I was busy working on getting the gate to the new pasture open and the chain latched to keep the gate open, the alpacas went over to the other gate I had just entered the pen from. They pushed their way through and out they went, out into the wide open spaces and to freedom and to my despair! When I turned around I could have just fainted from fright! I was all alone with only my two young girls and I had five alpacas on the loose with a busy, busy highway only yards away. I was out of my mind with fright. Alpacas are fast as deer when they want to run. And did they ever run!

I spent the next two hours chasing five alpacas around our 40 acres, across the road, back again, across the road, back again, across the road, back again, around and around our forty acres all the while screaming for help as people drove by. I soon found out how few good Samaritans are left in this world. How few people really care when someone is in distress and how they sure know how to rubber neck and look to see what all the commotions is about, but won’t bother to even stop and offer to call for help. At this point I was beyond exhaustions. I was praying for help, screaming for help. Screaming to God to make someone stop and help me herd these animals back into the pen. The alpacas were on the road several times and cars just flew by. Then things got a whole lot worse. My two year old daughter came out of the house and walked right onto the road while I was trying to hold the animals in position next to our bank of trees.

I was done. I was out of my mind with fright and was breathing very heavy from running and screaming. I had to rescue my daughter first. I watched as my alpacas up into the field again and over the hill as I ran to rescue my daughter. Then I saw a truck coming with flashing lights and orange on the back. It was a road crew truck. I started waving my hands and screaming to please help me. They pulled over.

Three men stepped out and asked me what the trouble was. I told them my animals were all out and I was by myself trying to herd them. I told them I had to rescue my daughter and the alpacas went running. The men told me to get my daughter and they would help. I thanked God and I thanked them. I was so grateful for the help. My three angels appeared in orange safety jackets!

It took the men some time to get them rounded up and close to the barn. I ran to get grain to try and lure them to the pen. When I came out of the barn with the grain I saw that the alpacas were at the farthest end of our land running like mad. I didn’t think there was any hope. The men were able to get them to come back toward the barn. We managed to get them funneled between our shed and the fence. I opened the gate and stood in the space between the shed and the gate to prevent them from getting around it. We were able to herd them into the gate. Praise the Lord, they were in!

I profusely thanked the men. I asked them what their names were. I told them I would buy them lunch or something. They shook their heads and said they didn’t need anything, they said they were just doing their job. They told me that the next time I drive by men working on the road, to go by slowly and don’t laugh when they are resting on a shovel because they are just tired from working so long and hard. Thank you Stearns County anonymous road crew, whoever you were! You were angels to me today!

Wordless Wednesday - My girls and I have been playing

More Wordless here and here. Also, don't forget about my photo caption contest. Hurry, the contest ends on June 4, 2008!

Boo Hoo Sniff Sniff

It's official, our cat Garfield is gone. We haven't seen him now for about a week. My beautiful orange cat, the cat I've wanted for years (ever since I was a child and we had some orange cats), and he is gone. Too much Tom Cat'in around. We still have Cutie, but with this busy, busy road we live on, it's only a matter of time before she gets smeared on it too :-(

Cutie

Goodbye Garfield.

I've been using my thumb as a pin cushion this weekend.

Ouch! My thumb has several pin sized holes in it. No, I didn't do it on purpose. It is just one of those things you can expect when you needle felt a 3D figure (oh, and I have poked myself a few times doing needle felting on a flat surface too).

You may remember on Mother's Day weekend Lisa Anderson and I met up at the Shepherd's Harvest Wool and Sheep Festival in Lake Elmo, MN. We both fell in love with the 3D needle felted figures at one of the booths (pictured in Lisa's post here). Being the adventurous and artistic person that I am, I of course had to try it out for myself.

It was my first time needle felting in 3D. Since I have an alpaca farm tour coming up this fall, I need to work on projects to sell anyway. I decided to start out making an alpaca. What do you think? Does it look like an alpaca? I think it just needs a little more fuzz (sorry for the poor quality photo, I took it with my camera phone).



I have also been busy loom knitting some afghan blocks for my friend's comfort-ghan. There are sparkly silver strands (not showing up in the pic) in the super soft yarn I used in this block and I didn't want to distract from these strands so I just used a simple e-wrap stitch.



I wanted to use some of my super soft alpaca but unfortunately, I think the color is too dark for the stitch pattern I came up with (yes, I'll write it up for those who would like to use the pattern in their own loom knit projects). It is still pretty and the texture is nice anyway. I think I'll use it for my shrug I was suppose to be loom knitting for the May LAL on Ravelry. I'll need to use my DA adult hat loom though. Hopefully it will be wide enough. It will be 24 inches if I use all of the pegs.



Until next time!

Friday Fill-Ins and Blog Contests!

1. There is absolutely NO way you can get me to give up my hairdryer and curling iron!
2. The trees budding out reminds me that summer spring is almost here! (I am not joking, our trees are just starting to bud out!)
3. I cannot live without my knitting looms or knitting needles.
4. Knitting a sweater and knitting a baseball hat are two things I'd like to try and design on my knitting looms.
5. When life hands you lemons get out the sugar and add some water and enjoy a delicious lemonade.
6. Playing games with my mother at the kitchen table before bedtime is my favorite childhood memory.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to having the house to just myself and my two youngest since my hubby and the four oldest kiddos are going camping, tomorrow my plans include finishing up planting the garden and Sunday, I want to get my hair cut, it is getting way too long and thick!

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Don't forget to leave a comment in my Photo Caption Contest post for a chance to win a custom blog banner design created just for you by me!

There is still time to win the Bordom Buster Giveaway I am featuring on my blog for the MommyFest Blog party! Hurry, contest ends today (May 16, 2008)!

What I've Learned Since Becoming a Mom...

When there are really, really bad days, days when you just want to curl up into a ball and cry because the kids are just so tough; days when you say "good morning" to your kids and they slam the door in your face; days when you find yourself counting over and over to ten so you don't blow your top; days when you do blow your top and you wish you hadn't; days when you clean the house and 10 second later it looks like a tornado blew through it again; days when the laundry is climbing out the door; days when you are sick and everyone else is well and bouncing off the walls; days when you haven't spoken to another adult in what seems like a year; days when you are exhausted from being up all night with a sick two year old who wouldn't go back to bed because she just wanted mommy to hold her; days when you are exhausted because the night before your seven year old woke up screaming from a nightmare; and days when you think to yourself "oh goodness, what have I done?"... I've learned those moments will only last briefly and moments like getting a note like this:



will last a lifetime! By George, all that I am trying to do is actually sinking in!

Don't forget about my MommyFest Giveaway! Also, I have a Photo Caption Contest going on too! The most clever or funny caption will snag you a free custom blog banner design created just for you by me!

Wordless Wednesday - Caption Contest: What is this alpaca saying?

More Wordless Wednesday here.

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Edited to add: Hint, alpacas will spit on you if you get between them and another alpaca when they are eating food.

Contest Rules: The funniest one wins a custom blog banner designed by yours truly! I will pick out my favorite so it is completely subjective! Leave a comment in this post with a link to your own blog! If you don't link to your own blog I can't find you! Keep the caption idea short, there isn't much room in the caption bubble. By entering, you agree to release the creative caption idea over to Cre8tive KJ's Corner The caption will be used on t-shirts, bags, mugs, and more! Caption contest ends Wednesday, June 4, 2008.