What a day! After the crazy emotional rollercoaster yesterday, today has been incredible.
I stayed home from work today because I had a funny feeling about Maya, and she looked a little poofy and swollen in the rigt places. I kept checking throughtout the morning, and at 11:20 I looked out the window and saw her straining. By the time I got outside, the front feet and nose were out! I called my llama-rescue neighbor to come help (I haven't done one of these alone yet) and with my neighbor's guidance, I helped deliver the baby at 11:35am. She is gorgeous, solid black, fiesty, and full of life. No way this baby is going to have BVDV! She was standing within 20 minutes, and was nursing after 1 hour.
Since I was home all day, I spent a considerable amount of time being nostalgic and emailing back and forth with an old friend that found me in myspace land. Yay.
And my Paulie wanted to go shopping with me
And now Lisa and John are over and the oven is heating up for us to cook our pizza, and then we'll watch Xmen 1 and 2! And they're sleeping over! What a great day!
Thursday, May 25, 2006
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
roller coaster
crazy emotional roller coaster of a day and a half...
DOWN. I got a call last night that has put the Fear in me. One of our alpacas was at a ranch in the fall for breeding where it turns out another animal was being boarded that was just diagnosed as a PI (persistently infected) for BVDV (bovine viral diarrheal virus). These BVDV PI animals get infected in-utero when their mom is exposed to an animal with the virus. An animal that is determined to be PI must be "destroyed". So this means that we have a female who was breeding and became pregnant while she could have been exposed to this virus...which means there is a good chance she got the virus and so is pregnant with a PI baby...who will be tested the day it is born...and maybe will have to be "destroyed" within days of birth. To top it off, we have 2 other pregnant girls that we took to that ranch to "spit test" (pregnancy test)...so they've all had some exposure. I can't even begin to imagine having to lose 3 babies this year.
UP. have read 3 books in the last 24 hours...Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, & The Silver Chair (all by CS Lewis) Yay for escapism via Narnia.
DOWN. Got a call today from my Dad that my grandma is back in the hospital. And it hs been 8 weeks, so my brother is heading home for his next treatment.
UP. DOWN. UP. was contacted by someone I haven't been in touch with for 9+ years...I was really happy and excited about hearing from them...then spent nearly an hour trying to figure out how to respond to part of one of the email exchanges...had a bit of a freakout around that...and then decided that if I had done something horrible in the past that time has erased from my memory, they probably wouldn't have initiated contact (i think)
DOWN. realized mid-blog that I left the water on in the garden (so it was on for 5 hours!)
UP. Started seriously planning a fun sleepover at my house with a few friends tomorrow night (yay!) that will include watching X-men 1 and 2 and eating junk food and I now know for sure that John and Lisa are both coming, and maybe Jess?
DOWN. It is nearly midnight, and I haven't talked to Michael today...I don't sleep well when he's gone, and I'm being quite the insomniac right now, and I'll probably be hurting in the AM...maybe I'll start another book
3 eggs today.
DOWN. I got a call last night that has put the Fear in me. One of our alpacas was at a ranch in the fall for breeding where it turns out another animal was being boarded that was just diagnosed as a PI (persistently infected) for BVDV (bovine viral diarrheal virus). These BVDV PI animals get infected in-utero when their mom is exposed to an animal with the virus. An animal that is determined to be PI must be "destroyed". So this means that we have a female who was breeding and became pregnant while she could have been exposed to this virus...which means there is a good chance she got the virus and so is pregnant with a PI baby...who will be tested the day it is born...and maybe will have to be "destroyed" within days of birth. To top it off, we have 2 other pregnant girls that we took to that ranch to "spit test" (pregnancy test)...so they've all had some exposure. I can't even begin to imagine having to lose 3 babies this year.
UP. have read 3 books in the last 24 hours...Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, & The Silver Chair (all by CS Lewis) Yay for escapism via Narnia.
DOWN. Got a call today from my Dad that my grandma is back in the hospital. And it hs been 8 weeks, so my brother is heading home for his next treatment.
UP. DOWN. UP. was contacted by someone I haven't been in touch with for 9+ years...I was really happy and excited about hearing from them...then spent nearly an hour trying to figure out how to respond to part of one of the email exchanges...had a bit of a freakout around that...and then decided that if I had done something horrible in the past that time has erased from my memory, they probably wouldn't have initiated contact (i think)
DOWN. realized mid-blog that I left the water on in the garden (so it was on for 5 hours!)
UP. Started seriously planning a fun sleepover at my house with a few friends tomorrow night (yay!) that will include watching X-men 1 and 2 and eating junk food and I now know for sure that John and Lisa are both coming, and maybe Jess?
DOWN. It is nearly midnight, and I haven't talked to Michael today...I don't sleep well when he's gone, and I'm being quite the insomniac right now, and I'll probably be hurting in the AM...maybe I'll start another book
3 eggs today.
Saturday, May 20, 2006
Conference!
Quick update about the black hole of the jennieblog...I'm working all weekend helping to midwife the baby that I've been creating for over a year...a conference in celebration of 30+ years of the program that I work for. I probably won't have another opportunity to blog until Monday or Tues...we'll see.
It was amazing last night to see the approx 350 people at the opening keynote, and in particular to see so many people that I know (students, alumni, faculty, staff) and finally meet face to face with people that I've only previously communicated with by email or phone.
I expect that I'll crash when this whole thing is done b/c I'm working crazy hours (at work until 10 last night, back here at 7:30am, will be here tonight until 10, back again tomorrow at 7:30am...) and Monday is alpaca shearing day! I'm hopped up on adrenaline and WAY too much caffeine right now...babbeling...ok, must stop and just sit!
It was amazing last night to see the approx 350 people at the opening keynote, and in particular to see so many people that I know (students, alumni, faculty, staff) and finally meet face to face with people that I've only previously communicated with by email or phone.
I expect that I'll crash when this whole thing is done b/c I'm working crazy hours (at work until 10 last night, back here at 7:30am, will be here tonight until 10, back again tomorrow at 7:30am...) and Monday is alpaca shearing day! I'm hopped up on adrenaline and WAY too much caffeine right now...babbeling...ok, must stop and just sit!
Thursday, May 18, 2006
sprouting up a swimmin' hole
The okra and cucumbers and pumkins have sprouted in the indoor greenhouse. The greenbeans and soybeans have broken ground with their fat little heads outside! Hooray for veggie gardening!
I bought a kiddie pool for the alpaca girls. From the looks of the muddy water, they enjoyed a day at the swimmin' hole. It has been HOT here (in the 80s) and while most of the animals will be shorn on Monday, the girls who are close to their due dates won't be shorn until after they deliver...so we're trying to give them opportunities for cooling off.
12 eggs today. Yes, I know that seems crazy, but we didn't collect them the last 2 days, so I gathered 9 eggs this morning after setting up the swimmin hole, and 3 more eggs after feeding this evening!
I bought a kiddie pool for the alpaca girls. From the looks of the muddy water, they enjoyed a day at the swimmin' hole. It has been HOT here (in the 80s) and while most of the animals will be shorn on Monday, the girls who are close to their due dates won't be shorn until after they deliver...so we're trying to give them opportunities for cooling off.
12 eggs today. Yes, I know that seems crazy, but we didn't collect them the last 2 days, so I gathered 9 eggs this morning after setting up the swimmin hole, and 3 more eggs after feeding this evening!
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
the joy of llamas wrestling
I was blessed tonight in being able to witness our two female llamas playing. These two girls are Aquirus (10yrs old, 335 lbs) and Merle (7yrs old, 415 lbs).
Every once in a while as the sun is setting, all the llamas and alpacas will start to romp and run and bounce, known as pronking in the camelid world (think Pepe Le Pew....boing, boing, boing).
But I have never before seen the girls play quite like they were tonight! Merle and Aquirius started out by pronking around the north pasture, just the two of them. After a few laps, they started to wrestle! It was really incredible watching these two wrestling with each other, each trying to bring the other to her knees and pin her down. Merle won round after round after round. I was just giddy watching them maneuver their necks and legs...blocks, strikes, counter-strikes...an incredible dance between these two middle-aged ladies ;) I hope I have that much energy when I get to be their age!
Every once in a while as the sun is setting, all the llamas and alpacas will start to romp and run and bounce, known as pronking in the camelid world (think Pepe Le Pew....boing, boing, boing).
But I have never before seen the girls play quite like they were tonight! Merle and Aquirius started out by pronking around the north pasture, just the two of them. After a few laps, they started to wrestle! It was really incredible watching these two wrestling with each other, each trying to bring the other to her knees and pin her down. Merle won round after round after round. I was just giddy watching them maneuver their necks and legs...blocks, strikes, counter-strikes...an incredible dance between these two middle-aged ladies ;) I hope I have that much energy when I get to be their age!
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
home again, home again (jiggity jig)
I'm back from Nashville! I had a great time hanging out with my childhood BFF. And while I really enjoyed the lush green landscape in Nashville, and spending time with my friend who is now a MD and PhD, I got a lot of perspective on my life and where I'm at now vs. where I could have been.
At one point my friend's mom asked me if I had any regrets leaving my MD and/or PhD programs...and I can honestly say that I have no regrets. That wasn't my path. My BFF (who knows all the details about the ups and downs I've had over the years) asked me at one point a similar question, and asked if I was happiest in my current life...and the only thing I could come up with that would make me happier would be to live closer to Boulder and my friends...my recent travels have helped me realize that Boulder is really my home now. I just gotta figure out how to get a farm property closer in!
At one point my friend's mom asked me if I had any regrets leaving my MD and/or PhD programs...and I can honestly say that I have no regrets. That wasn't my path. My BFF (who knows all the details about the ups and downs I've had over the years) asked me at one point a similar question, and asked if I was happiest in my current life...and the only thing I could come up with that would make me happier would be to live closer to Boulder and my friends...my recent travels have helped me realize that Boulder is really my home now. I just gotta figure out how to get a farm property closer in!
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
go...to Nashville
My pre-travel freakout is nearly done. I am finally packed, and I have checked in online. I am traveling with one carry-on sized bag and a backpack with some snacks and travel documents and space for books.
I never did get to the mall to get new jeans or a new watch band or a new book. I am 50 pages from finishing my current book, so I won't bring it with...I am certain that I will purchase over-priced books at the airport bookstore, but c'est la vie.
I do not know if I will find time to blog from Nashville so farewell for now dear readers...see you on the flip side.
I never did get to the mall to get new jeans or a new watch band or a new book. I am 50 pages from finishing my current book, so I won't bring it with...I am certain that I will purchase over-priced books at the airport bookstore, but c'est la vie.
I do not know if I will find time to blog from Nashville so farewell for now dear readers...see you on the flip side.
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