Shiloh Acres - RAIN!!!!!!! and maple syrup! ;)

[Shiloh Acres]

Well, what with the new year and the fact that I *finally* got to be able to post on my computer and not just by tapping it all out on my phone ... I might as well give this a go. I think my last year's farm calendar is pretty much spread out in all my posts, so I might as well gather them into one place. Here goes nothin' ...



01. Name? Let's just go with "Shiloh"
02. Gender? Female
03. Disneyworld or Disneyland? Disneyworld if I have to pick ... lots of cool "extras" there at Epcot and Animal Kingdom
04. What is your favorite color? I love colors in combos ... pink/purple/blue right now
05. What is your favorite kind of gum? I don't chew gum but I like the flavor of Juicy Fruit and Doublemint
06. How much do you weigh? LOL I'm not telling that one! More than I'd like though
07. How tall are you? Not very. At all.
08. Can you swim? Does dogpaddle count? Or made-up strokes?
09. Do you like to swim? yup
11. What's on your mouse pad? Don't have one ... laptop.
12. Favorite board game? Hmmm ..... searches memory ..... backgammon?
13. Favorite magazine? Searches again ... Birds and Blooms or Memory Makers?
14. Favorite Actor? Not that I care much ... ummm .... enjoyed a few Will Smith movies?
15. Favorite Actress? Again not that I care much but I have some of Sandra Bullock's
16. Do you have an accent? LOL not to the people in Texas.
17. Favorite smells? Coffee. Anything chocolate baking. Jasmine. Rose. Freshly mowed grass. Hehe, even my farm usually smells good to me in the summer, if ya know what I mean.
18. Least favorite smells? Sickness.
19. Favorite sound? My little girl laughing.
20. Do you prefer pools or oceans? Oceans for being beside. Swimming ... can I have a clean lake?
21. Do you watch Buffy The Vampire Slayer? Nope, nor not much else on TV
22. Pencil or pen? Pen usually, unless I'm doing puzzles or drawing
23. Who's better - boys or girls? At what? LOL, both are necessary.
24. Would you like to own a motorcycle? I used to ... seems dangerous now, but sure gets good mileage.
25. Do you sing in the shower? No, I sing while I'm cooking.
26. Who's the best looking Disney character? Ummm ... not sure but -- no wait, the guy that played the live action Tarzan when I went to the show at Disneyworld in 2004 ... HE was the best looking Disney character!
27. What is the first thing you think of when you wake up in the morning? Depends. Sometimes how great life is and how thankful I am. Sometimes my daughter. Sometimes what I have to do that day. Sometimes ... YIKES-what-time-is-it-I-gotta-GO!!! :O
28. How many rings before you answer the phone? My phone doesn't ring much, but if it does I answer it as quick as I can ... IF it's someone I recognize
29. How do you want to die? I don't intend to, LOL.
30. Have you ever called a 900 number? Nope
31. Gold or silver? Jewelry doesn't hold up well to what I do, LOL ... but I guess I like both
32. Would you ever go bungee-jumping? Probably not, but I've always wanted to hangglide. The older I get the less likely that is to happen, LOL
33. Do you like dressing up? Oh you meant as a grown up. Maybe once a year or so it's ok. Except I don't think I own dress up clothes, LOL.
34. Would you rather be short or tall? I used to want to be taller but I'm fine how I am now.
35. Do you enjoy reading? yes
36. What book are you reading now? The Bible, and skimming a half-dozen craft books from the library
37. Favorite books? The Bible and the Chronicles of Narnia
38. What was the last movie you saw? LOL ... got the Cat in the Hat from Netflix. I hate admitting that for some reason!
39. Favorite movies? Chronicles of Narnia are good in the movies too, there are LOTS I enjoy though
40. Do you sleep with a stuffed animal? No, just a big pillow
41. What is your sign? "Closed for repairs" ?
42. What are your personality traits? optimism, friendliness, helpfulness, usually quiet
43. What's your biggest fear? Losing the ones I love
44. Would you ever have cosmetic surgery? Only if needed after an accident or something maybe ... not just for vanity's sake
45. Future child's name? Joshua ... but probably not going to happen
46. Favorite foods? Chili, curry, pizza, bbq, turkey, chicken and rice
47. Chocolate or vanilla? Chocolate all the way!!! ... can I change my last answer to "chocolate" too?
48. Do you like to drive fast? Speed limit's pretty high as it is out here ... 65 on country roads is fast enough
49. Storms - cool or scary? Usually way cool. Depends on the kind of storm.
50. Do you like to dance? Love to.
51. Do you do drugs? Nope.
52. Do you smoke? Nope.
53. What do you think of people who smoke? Well, it's their choice to begin with ... I just don't wanna be breathing it.
5'4", which is entirely too short by my tastes. Huh? Didn't I copy the main one?
54. Do you drink? Water? Tea? Juice sometimes? LOL
55. Favorite drink? Sweet tea.
56. Do you think men and women could ever be just friends without wanting each other? Yes.
57. Do you eat the stems of broccoli? Ummm ... my little secret but I don't actually *like* broccoli. I do eat it sometimes though, yes.
58. If you could have any job you wanted, what would it be? A famous writer but under a psudeonym .... so nobody would actually know it was me.
59. What's your "type"? Good folks are my type.
60. Do you bite your nails? Yes, but not because I'm nervous. Because I can't usually be bothered to find a manicure set.
61. Any siblings? Lots of them.
62. What movies have you cried in? Lots of them. (Usually about children or sometimes animals or someone dying)
63. Do you believe in God? Absolutely.
64. Did you ever cry over a guy/girl? yes
65. Have you ever stolen anything? yes (and I still feel guilty to this day ... I stole a green peanut when I was three years old cuz my Mom wouldn't buy me any ... it was nasty when I ate it too!)
66. Do you procrastinate? How about I answer that one tomorrow ...
67. Do you believe in fate? Not fate, per se, no.
68. Who's your favorite Sesame Street character? Ummm .... Mr. Snuffleupagus.
69. Do you organize your CD's? yes
70. What is your favorite kind of music? Worship
71. What are your favorite bands/artists? Chris Tomlin, Kari Jobe, Hillsongs
72. What was the last CD you got? Kari Jobe for Christmas a year ago.
73. MTV or VH1? Neither
74. Who do you admire the most? Jesus, Abraham Lincoln, my great-grandma
75. Internet Boyfriends and Girlfriends? Nope.
76. Are you single? Not available.
77. Favorite TV show? The Cosby Show maybe? It's all I can get that's worth watching.
78. Blondes, Brunettes, or Redheads? It takes all kinds.
79. Glasses or contacts? Need reading glasses for really tiny stuff
80. What color are your eyes? Blue
81. What is your natural hair color? Brownish-reddish-blondish
82. But what color is it now? Brownish-reddish-blondish with some silvery gray, LOL
83. Have you ever been in love? yes
84. Any pets? Cats and a dog. Do goats, chickens, geese, guineas, rabbits, and a llama count?
85. Good, decent, or poor grades? Very good grades. Not that it matters as much as I thought it did.
86. Is the glass half empty or half full? Half full ... and probably of something delicious!
87. Do you type with your fingers on the right keys? Yes
88. What's under your bed? Right now nothing, since I pulled out the box with winter clothes finally to go through them ... in a few days my summer clothes will be under there.
89. What is your favorite number? 777
90. Favorite sport to watch? Basketball, but I never do.

Whew ... that WAS a monster list! I wonder if anyone actually READS all that stuff???

 

[Denim Deb]

Yep, I read them. It gives me a clue to what type of person you are.

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

yep! i read them too! its fun to find out little trivia like this

so....

now tell us what you are doing today.. whats going on.. hows that llama?

 

[BarredBuff]

I skimmed them. But welcome to the journaling crowd!!

 

[lorihadams]

cool....lots of chocoholics on this forum.....me included!

welcome to the journals!

 

[Wannabefree]

Hey Shiloh!!!! Yes I read the journals! I don't respond to many, but like to know the company I keep online Welcome!! Hope you enjoy the site! How could you not?! We're such a lovely group!!! Glad to have you over here

 

[Shiloh Acres]

DD said: Yep, I read them. It gives me a clue to what type of person you are. lol

Haha, now I feel like I am in trouble!!!

And thanks for the welcomes, everyone Wannabefree, of COURSE I enjoy y'all, and yes you ARE a lovely group!

OFG said: now tell us what you are doing today.. whats going on.. hows that llama?

And that's where y'all are gonna get disappointed. Not much exciting going on, LOL. Hoping to finish my soapmaking today ... not soap from scratch but laundry soap. My neighbor heard me say I was almost out, and she was so very kind to show up with all the supplies (including soap grater!) in an 18 gallon tote to stir it all up in. I love my neighbors and where I live. It's just like having y'all for neighbors. But I've been busy with the holidays so I NEED to finish it up and get it back to her before she comes looking for it!

And we've gotten tons of rain ... really needed it. Luckily the llama dried out today. She has wool to deal with the cold, but she refuses to come under shelter and I worried about her being wet for days. She's REALLY been enjoying the cool weather though ... pronking around (which I'd always wished to see and now finally have) ... amazing that such a huge animal can move so gracefully!

But the pasture was looking nice and green, so I went out to take a look. Dog came with me, and I'm getting more and more sure (ok, hopeful!?) that I ended up with 2 male geese and 5 females. I started with 3 males and 5 females, but lost one and I never was sure of the sex I lost. But ... two were at the fence, wings spread, hissing like a den of snakes, and trying to bite the dog through the fence. One is a male pilgrim, and the other a large Emden. The other five stayed back and honked a lot and hissed just a bit, but kept their necks pulled away, so I am HOPING they are all acting their gender and I've got five girls.

And my buckling was pulling the "head down threaten the dog" thing. I hope he's as tough as he seems when he grows up, and I hope I'll still be able to handle him!

That's about it for today. Still have the Christmas tree up (that's my birthday present ... I leave it up till after my birthday every year) and the cats haven't climbed it or torn it down yet, so I'm lucky there. I got reminded ... Facebook made some recent changes, and I was able to quickly glance and see what my status was a year ago and I read "One of my cats just ran upstairs and dropped a piece of the Christmas tree on the bed ... this can't be good!" and I remembered what a destructive force they were last year. They are behaving better now ... maybe growing up a bit. We'll see if the tree makes it intact until I take it down ... but I *do* have it wired to the wall and the delicate ornaments wired on tightly above kitty-reach.

 

[Dooley]

Oooh, you have a llama? Awesome! I totally want one when I get older! What's she like?

 

[Shiloh Acres]

Hi Dooley. Yes, I have a llama. Hopefully a pregnant one and will have two within a few months.

What are they like? Well ... I had two, and they were very different from each other. I think you can say llamas in general are very curious animals, and very vigilant. Maybe everything else just depends on the particular animal.

My big girl is ... hmmm. Well, she knows how things are supposed to be, and she insists that they be that way. She used to take no nonsense from the big goats. One of the does was an absolute pig, and would try to steal the llama's food. My llama was having none of it, and taught her real quick to leave the food alone (I'm not sure why being showered with crumbs of half-eaten food was actually a deterrent to the goat ... it doesn't bother my little buckling in the slightest). But she did but heads (figuratively) with my herd queen goat. Both thought they should be in charge.

But she's completely different with little ones. I had a bottle baby doeling that wanted to be with the other goats, even though she only weighed 5 pounds when I got her. By the time she was 7 or 8 pounds, she was out there with them during the day. The llama used to keep a close eye on her and wouldn't let the bigger goats pick on her. She would literally let the tiny kid jump all over her though.

They are smart. They learn very quickly. Food is a pretty good motivator. I tamed down a male cria that was very skittish within a very short time, and he was coming at a run anytime I called his name. He easily ate from my hand and allowed me to touch him over his back and legs. I miss that little guy. He died very suddenly in September ... suspected poisoning from tree leaves.

The female is smart too, but she's a little more "take charge". She doesn't USUALLY act silly, but is normally very calm and stately. However, with the colder weather she's been a lot more fun. She bounces around sometimes making long leaps, or runs with her head down and twisting about like a bronco. Tonight she literally ran in circles around me as I was taking her food to dump it in her bucket.

They are mostly hands-off kind of animals. They want to know what you are doing, and some of them are very companionable, wanting to be near you, but they generally don't enjoy being touched. It took some time to get mine to accept handling, but they never ENJOY it the way goats or dogs like to be rubbed and scratched. It's more a tolerate-until-the-food-is-gone kind of thing.

They can be easily spooked. Mine both alerted at everything until they learned what was normal around here, and what was safe. LOL it was hilarious when the little boy first saw a cow through the trees. He danced all over the place and gave the alarm call, which I can't even begin to describe. The older female looked up and checked out what he was alarming over, then went back to grazing. But they will let you know if anything is not normal anywhere they can see.

They also really like to be around other llamas. I know the goats don't really make a "herd" for her, which is why I had the little male too. She perked up so fast when she first saw him, even though she acted like she barely tolerated him and made sure he followed behind her. But ... she also lost some of her concern for the goats, and now that he is gone, she's much more vigilant over the goats. Especially since it's just the little ones now and the does are gone (coyotes broke into the barn one night). So it's kind of a catch-22. I originally was interested in llamas as guard animals, but to be honest, I like them for themselves now. I want to have a few someday, and will protect them from coyotes just as I do the goats. I think the llamas would be much happier in the company of other llamas. Just can't afford it just now.

That's all I can think of. They are great animals though.

 

[Denim Deb]

Proper socialization is important w/llamas. And if you have a male, unless he's going to be used for breeding-neuter him! I know someone who had a llama. It was pregnant when she got it. She had a son. At first, everything was fine. But then he got older and she could not find a vet to neuter him. He got extremely nasty and would attack people and other animals. She honestly didn't know what to do w/him. Then one day, she found him dead in the field. She thinks he attacked the wrong animal and got internal injuries.

I don't know how much genetics played a part in how he was. He and his mother weren't the only llamas on the farm, there were a total of 5, none of the others acted like this. Now she's down to just one, and isn't planning on getting any more.