Name that Alpaca contest!! MODIFICATIONS!!

Please see the new and improved (but are they really?) rules!!! as of August 4th!!

Yes you read that right! And it's all about me!! Here I am, cute as ever.... hmmm.... all except for my ears, I heard that 2-legger saying "She's got her daddy's ears *tsk-tsk*..." whatever that means. Then she said I'd grow into them, like he did. Whatever. I'm still the cutest one on the ranch.


But I don't have a name yet!! It's been over a week already, sheesh! Since that 2-legger seems to have forgotten, I thought I'd ask you guys to come up with one for me! Whadda ya think? Good idea? I think it's gonna be great!!! I can't wait to hear Bob. T. Bear's name, I'm sure I'm gonna love it. After all, being an ursine, he has impeccable taste.... just don't eat me, okay? I heard that bears sometimes eat alpacas, but I am sure it's only the ugly ones, so I don't have to worry.

I thought I'd tell you a little about me, and don't forget to read till the end and check out the rules!

Well, I'm cute (obviously) and a girl! I love to play, I never walk anywhere, I run! I love to 'bounce' my momma- here she is with me. Her name is Arwen Undomiel, pretty huh? Her's is the schnoz you see in our blog profile.

I get into trouble cuz I'm always wanting to bounce, and the other moms don't like it. I think they are all old and boring, but whatever. I put everything in my mouth, how else am I gonna know if I want to eat it or not? I like to lay in the shade under the fan. I am a very pretty fawn color, with shades of red.

At night, just before it gets dark, me and my friends pronk (thats kinda like a bounce, or lotsa bounces!) all over our pens. we run into the fence, and try and knock over our mommas, it's so fun!!

That 2-legger says I'm growing like a weed, but I don't know what a weed is, so what does that mean?? I played in the sprinklers last week for the first time, I got my nose wet and then ran away!! Who needs that?? But, it was kinda fun running around the other whacky pacas who were practically swimming in them.... really, some pacas are so weird. I heard them saying, "Water!!! Water!!!! We finally have water!!!!!" whatever.......

My daddy is named Luxor (I know, not a LOTR name, but that dorky name was already given to him before he got here so....) and he is a fawn appaloosa. He has another kid here who is really pretty, he is a rosegray and he gets to start working as a stud this year! My mom called him a 'stud muffin' hmmm..... wonder what that means..... Here's my daddy:

So, if you think you might have a name for me, write to me in the comment section! If you have any more questions for me, ask and I will answer them, okay? Now, that 2-legger is shoving me out of the way.... gotta go! See you soon!

Love, ?????

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Okay, Rachelle here! So, the rules are:

#1- the name must be from the Lord of the Rings books, or The Hobbit. No modifications!! LOTR has been our theme since 1999, I can't change it now!

#2- we already have: BMAR's Bilbo Baggins, BMAR's Light of Earendil, BMAR's Gil Galad, BMAR's Lady Galadriel, Elrond, BMAR's Rosie Cotton, BMAR's Heathertoes, Mithrandir- The Gray Pilgrim, Mithril, BMAR's Arwen Undomiel, Faramir, BMAR's Elanor, and BMAR's Tinuviel. Of course, some of those are boys' names...... which brings me to- Please read this! Some of the names offered we already have! It would be sad if someone didn't get a chance because they missed one of these names :(

#3- it must be a girls name :))

#4- we must have more than 15 names to choose from, and only one name per blogger- so get your friends over here!! Here's where I have to modify! I thought this would be easy, but it looks like I might not have 15 names, so we will just choose from what we have received by the close of the contest.

That means you'd better get busy!!! :) This isn't hard guys, and I had enough faith in you all to initiate this, just do it!! Yup.... hop- hop-hop. A good resource is: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elvish_languages

then follow the Tolkien links. You could also substitute "hobbits" for elves.

So, dig out your books!!! Search high and low!! As you can see, we don't go for the ordinary, easy names usually. The most creative, beautiful, and fitting will win.... drumroll please..... This:

A beautiful hand crocheted 100% alpaca scarf in natural cream and fawn colors. (and no, you won't receive the dust from the chair too :^/ Crikey!! Where'd that come from???)

Yes, I will send it to you, no matter where you live! And a full page, color photo of the little girl!

Contest starts now, and will end August 15th!! May the best LOTR name win!

Slainte~
Rachelle

Two days of Terror....

Well, it has certainly not been a boring summer.....

Here's the latest in my life. Saturday dawned like any other summer day, hot and clear. My son and I were going down to Bakersfield to see Harry Potter, and pick up the new book. Since I had already seen it with my daughter, she was going to stay home by herself.

Wyatt was in L.A. at the temple, and wasn't due back until about 4:30 pm. He was unreachable by phone. Codi's friend Olivia was here after spending the night, and we were going to take her home on the way to Bako.

It was 11:30 am, and we were about to leave. The house had been open to catch the morning coolness.... we never close all the windows in the summer, we have a deep fear of fire, and smelling smoke is always our first warning.

Until Saturday. I came out from the back of the house to get my purse, and smelled smoke. I went outside, and the entire canyon was billowing with smoke. I stood there in shock. Every time we have had a fire nearby, and there have been many over the years, I have smelled smoke long before it has gotten close. We start the fire chain here with our neighbors, and we have plenty of time to act. This time it was right below us before anyone in the canyon caught it. There was no wind....

The fire below our neighbor's place immediately below us, and the brave pilot.

Immediately I went into controlled panic mode. The first thing I thought of was watering around the house and the pens, like we always do..... but we have no water. Okay, a little more panic and less control here.....

Got the kids, told them to get the animal carriers and round up the animals. Told them to pack their emergency bags - quickly. Called my neighbor with the extra trailer she said we could use, she didn't answer. Called my friends in Frazier Park and asked them to locate a trailer for the animals. I was crying when I talked to Jackie, I was terrified. With only me and the kids home, it was all up to us to do everything, without strong dad- with my back...... Our trailer is big enough for five animals, and we can put four or five in the back of the truck in the camper- but only if the car is here to load up the kids, dogs, cats, and our emergency bags, and pictures.....

First and foremost, my family.

Having been through a few scares with fires, the kids are now pros at packing their emergency bags. Everyone knew this was different though, the fire was right here, not something seen in the distance. We got the female pacas up in the front of the 'safe pen' in preparation for the boys to take the lower half. The safe pen is the one in the middle, with no big oak trees nearby to burn.

Thank God our friends were able to get here in time. Right after they arrived, they closed the road to our canyon and didn't let anyone up. Jackie and her husband Brian, and their son Brady came with their big Yukon and a carrier trailer. No, it wouldn't hold my animals, it was a slat sided flatbed. I called the fire department while I was waiting for them, and the lady on the other end said, yes, they were evacuating Digier Canyon.... wait, no they weren't? Just a minute, she said..... no, they were not evacuating at this time, but to be ready, they were in fact fighting three fires in the area. If the Sheriff and CHP showed up, we would have to leave immediately.

So, I had to decide. Who would go with us?

The fire as it crept up the left side of the canyon and along the ridge, closer to our house.

It was a given, the four cats, the two dogs, but which alpacas? We have 22 right now. I had a two day old cria, and one pregnant female due this fall. The stress caused by transporting them was a serious concern. Taking a new baby to another ranch would expose her to all kinds of bacteria she would be weak against at her age. I started my ranch evacuation phone chain. But no one was home. There was no answer at any of the four ranches I called near me. In the mean time, the fire is creeping closer and closer.... and the wind was picking up. Blowing right up the canyon towards our home. Codi's friend was very scared.

The phone was ringing madly. I had my cell phone in one hand, and the walkabout in the other, talking on both at the same time. Calls from friends in the area who heard there was a fire, could we see it?? Boy, I had to laugh.... yup, I said. Then a call from a friend very close by, we could take the alpacas to her place and put them in the backyard if we had to. Relief.... not a perfect solution, but far better than having nowhere to take them.

Our neighbor above called us and offered her six horse trailer. She has wild mustangs, and said she would not be able to get them out, we had first dibs on the trailer if we wanted it.... my heart leapt and said yes! I could get everyone out then! But then, I had second thoughts, what if she really needed it?? I said I'd get back to her. She assured me she wouldn't need it, but I felt differently. Bless her heart.

Then the phone rang, it was my friend who lived up in Lockwood with alpacas. She said she had been sick and was sleeping when I called, of course I could bring the pacas to her place. Relief....

The smoke through the trees

It was decision time. I had to decide who I was going to take, and who would have to stay behind. At a time like this, you have two forces driving the decision making process. Your head, and your heart. My heart said I couldn't possibly leave my boys behind. My head said the girls were by far the most valuable and had to go first. If there was time, I would come back and get the boys. If there was time...

Brian was great, he said, "Rachelle, tell us what to do, and we'll do it." So, I did. We took all the cats in their carriers, and all the bags, guitars, and the computer modem out of my truck and out them in his and in their trailer, freeing up space for alpacas in my truck. I had to decide what to take out of the house. What do you take? I looked around my house with a feeling of complete exhaustion.... what did I want to take? It was only two hours later, but it felt like many, many hours had passed... The pictures on the walls came down and were loaded. The handful of loose pictures I had in my room were packed. Where were the rest of the pictures? The ones of my precious children when they were babies? They weren't in albums, that was something I had always said I'd do later, why didn't I???
The scaredy cat we couldn't find, she had to stay in the house. Tears.

Then we waited...... We watched the fire as it burned along the top of the ridge, then raced down the canyon wall towards our home. We watched the brave pilots maneuver throughout our narrow canyon. It was amazing. The boys went up by the water tank with shovels and caught the burning ashes, smothering them with dirt before they could spark a blaze. We could hear the crackling of the flames now.

Codi's friend was terrified. I shared with her that I had prayed, and in my heart I knew we would be okay, that after my prayer, a feeling of calm came over me, that I knew WE would be okay, safe.

Then the fire trucks arrived to protect the house. The fireman asked me what we planned to do. My heart sick, I asked him what he would do. He said if it were his home, he would leave, and leave now.
So, no more time. They started working around the house, planning their strategy for saving our home. We loaded up the girls, I kissed them and told them to be calm.

We moved all the boys into the safe pen, the firemen agreed it was the best place for them.
We moved my two llamas up to the pen connected to the house. We left the chickens. We left the scaredy cat. We left the water turtle in the house. We left 13 male alpacas, my nanny llama lady, my precious boys..... and our home. I knew we would be safe, but what about them?

Jackie asked me if there was anything else I wanted to take..... I remember looking around and saying, it's only stuff, right?

My daughter and I cried together, and..... we left.

The burn along the canyon wall to the left and below the boy's pens.

We drove out to Lockwood Valley to drop off the girls. After getting them all unloaded, I remember being unable to think. It was complete and utter stupor of thought. Brian asked me if we were going to come to their house. Several folks had graciously offered their places to us, and I had scatterbrainedly said yes to about three of them, while talking with 911 on the other phone, you know.

I just started crying, I said "I can't leave my new baby! What if something happens to her? Where will you put the cats? I think I'm going to take the cats and dogs and go home." I wasn't thinking very clearly, obviously. And I said so. From then on Brian took charge. He said, "You're coming to our house. We'll put the cats in the garage, the dogs in the yard, and you inside." And so we did.

The burn to the left of our house, as it ran up the draw and back over the ridge.

I spent about half an hour calming down our big fat cat Shadow (AKA- Fat Boy) who is about 12 years old, and never been away from home. He had ropey strands of saliva, had thrown up, and was breathing with his mouth open, totally stressed. He calmed down in my lap, we both did.

My neighbor had to use her trailer. I knew it.

Finally, Wyatt called. He was frantic. He got on the phone with our neighbors below, and called me back. He said, "I just talked with Bill and Shelly, the fire burnt half the house." !!?? What!! I screamed.

The burn as the fire got sneaky and came back over the ridge behind our house.

Wyatt said, "The fire burnt past the house!" Relief.

Long story, I know. The end is short. The house is fine. The boys are fine. We dodged a big bullet. When we returned we found that the fire had gone up the draw to the left of our house when it got to the "V". If it had gone up the right, we would have lost everything. Blessings.

We watch the skies for smoke, and sleep a little lighter. We don't leave the house alone.

My family is safe. The girls are home. My baby is fine, as is the pregnant female due in September. Here they are:

Lessons learned. Picture organization, now! Prayer works! Thank God for good friends!! We love our firemen!!

Thank God for you! I love you all!

Slainte~
Rachelle

Let me esplain............

No... there is too much, let me sum up.
Okay, you may have been wondering, as Shrink was, if the lovely horde of teenaged girls kidnapped me from camp, and I was never to be seen again. Far from it actually!
I was indeed at a remote camp in the beautiful pines.......... where the wind sighing through the towering redwoods sounded like a sweet melody.......

Oh yea, did I mention I was crammed into a tiny cabin with 13 teenaged girls, all aged 13-14 years old? With 5 'youth leaders' assigned to our cabin as well???? Seriously, those bunk beds were reminiscent of 1800's soldier's barracks......
Yup.... I lived through it, I have the tee-shirt to prove it!!

It is simply amazing to me that on Monday I was terrified that the girls would all hate me, and by Friday we all loved each other so very much, and I miss them terribly!
They were wonderful, and I had a different name every day. Sister White on Tuesday, then it was Sky Blue, then Lime Green, then Rainbow, and Pink! It was so much fun. Even if I was really in such terrible pain, I wouldn't have traded that week for anything in the world.

Here are all my girls practicing our hula to "Brown Haired Girl" The theme of camp this year was "The Spirit of Aloha" and it was all about love, service and compassion.
If you look closely you will see me, way in the back. That would be for two reasons, one, I suck at the hula..... seriously, I can get the lovely hula hands to work beautifully. I can also make my hips and feet move smoothly...... just not all at the same time.

The other reason? I hurt my back so seriously just before camp. Sleeping on an air mattress for a whole week, hiking and climbing, hula-ing and just standing were torture. So, I was not exactly moving, er, well at all. I went to the doctor and she gave me big horse pills to take. Seems I have a huge muscle spasm all down the left side of my back. The radiologist summed it up nicely when she told me I was, well.... crooked. Ouch!!

When I came home I was so happy to sleep in my bed!! And, if you remember I was expecting a new paca cria while I was gone. I was sure she would deliver without me! But, she waited until yesterday morning at 4:00 am. And this is what we got.
A beautiful little girl! So, as you can see, I have been pretty busy since last I visited with you. I promise to write more soon, and I will get some more pictures of the lovely woods ready when next we meet.

Thanks Cameron for posting for me while Iw as gone! *waving at my son*

Till then my friends!

Slainte~
Rachelle

I need a new memory chip...

This one I created last year as well, I'll be back from camp soon, love you all!

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Okay, so it is pretty much a given that as we age, we lose brain cells.
Several things can speed up or increase the number of cells killed on any given day:
drugs and alcohol
head injuries
husbands -- said with tongue firmly planted in cheek--
pregnancy
childbirth
stress
And children between the ages of zero to about 90...... I am so totally doomed!!

Considering I have had some form of all of the above in my lifetime, it is no surprise that I am cracking up early.

Consider this: I used to remember people's names, always. Heck, I even remembered my name with great regularity! Whatta ya know! Now, I am lucky if I remember to put on my pants in the morning before leaving the house.

This malady runs in the family to some extent for sure. I remember my father, he drove me crazy.... he could never remember my name! In my family there are in order from oldest to youngest: Dawna, Cindy, Jeff, Rachelle, and Jamey.

Dad used to have to go through the whole list before getting to me. Now granted, he stuck with the girls so I never had to deal with "the-being-called-a-boy-name-for-my-whole-life" issue, but still. It was:
Dawna, er, Cindy, er, dammit all!! Rachelle!!! For the longest time, I thought my name really was Dammit all Rachelle.
Talk about issues..... Then to top it all off, he married a woman with 6 daughters....yes you read that right... from then on it took my dad about 10 minutes to get to my name.

For the boys, they got off lucky, it was only Jeff, er, Jamey. I think they got off easy and I tortured my little brother his whole life as a result. Hay!! At least they both started with a J!

My mother? Well bless her heart she has a memory like a steel trap. Complete with gaping holes in the side for extra ventilation and that pretty scalloped look. Names are great for her, it's things that slip from her. Things like dates, where she put stuff, and how things really happened..... and that's not just a daughter who was a troublemaker talking here.
Yup, she is a great one for losing things. Every year I can expect to hear, "Well dear, I had a whole boat load of Christmas presents that I bought in March and wrapped with everyone's names on them.... but I can't find them!" So I had to buy new presents at the last minute and wrap them fast, here's your tea cosy in the shape of a rubber chicken."

Now, mom lives in a mobile home. Shouldn't be that difficult right? HA! You should see this place, it has more cubbies and secret compartments than the Vatican. You could lose a Chrysler in there if you had a mind to.

So here I am. I can't remember names, where I am supposed to be at any given time, where I put things, and I've developed a fondness for tea cosys in weird shapes.

This goes way beyond walking into a room and forgetting why I am there. It starts as I am walking TO the room. I can't remember why I am walking.... was it to go to the bathroom? To feed the chickens?? (none of whom look remotely like the cosy BTW) To eat? Okay, I never forget to eat tragically....
But you see where I am going. My friends wonder why I am so scattered and unorganized. I simply have to invite them to spend a day in my life and they soon see how it is, and from then on they just shake their heads and whisper as I walk by, "There goes poor Rachelle, she has a problem you know."

One time I thought all my troubles were a thing of the past. I found Ginko Biloba!! The miracle brain cell restorative that promised that all my memory woes would be a thing of the past.
I quickly flew to Costco to buy a case, asking every checker for their names, confident that the next time I returned, I would remember them. Ginko Biloba.... the two most beautiful words in the English language.

Bringing it home, I unwrapped the Manna and read the directions. "Take two caplets three times a day one hour before eating"
----thunk-crash---- that was me throwing the case of "MANNA" through the window.

Okay..... now I ask you, if you are the manufacturer of a memory enhancement supplement, is it really wise to formulate it to be taken three times a day? Because, here's what happened.... I couldn't remember to take it!!!!! Three times a day?!! I can't even remember to take my kids to school three times a week!!! I couldn't remember my 10th anniversary!!!! Three times a day!!!

I tried, really I did. But I just couldn't remember to take it, or if I already had taken it.

So, my dreams shattered, I gave up and retreated. Now I am often seen wandering the freeway looking for my car. Or mumbling while crawling around in a grocery store looking for my keys.
And all for the lack of Ginko Biloba. I should sue........................

what were we talking about?

Til next time loyal readers, and may your days be filled with memories, or at least be filled with remembering to take your Ginko Biloba while you can.
Slainte~
Rachelle

Once upon a deer...

Hey! This is Cameron here, posting for my mom, who's out of town.

This was originally posted in September 06. I added the picture of Lumpy & Liza Jane, how funny is that?? :)) He didn't know what to do, deer were what he chased off our lawn, not what belonged in the house!

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Okay,
We live in one of the most beautiful places in CA I think, majestic oak forests dot a spectacular green landscape, er.... okay, so it's only green for about 4 weeks but the rest of the year it gives justice to the old "amber waves" phrase. It is clean & clear and the sky is blue. Did you know the sky was blue? After living in LA for a few years, I was beginning to believe in the 'blue sky conspiracy theory'.

Living in the country we have a different lifestyle than most folks. We have to really plan shopping trips as we live about 45 miles from the "real" shopping centers that feature such staples as Costco and Wal-Mart. We have dust, no I mean real dust- the kind that coats your car in one trip down the 2 1/2 mile dirt road we live on. We get to wake up to the sound of a rooster (wait a minute, did I just list that in the bonus column??) and eat fresh, free range eggs. We have clean air to breathe, and loads of room for the kids to run. It took a while before I didn't duck and scream the kids in from outside whenever we heard a gunshot. Out here it means target practice or hunting, not gang insanity.

We have neighbors, not the kind where you can see into their living room when you look out your bathroom window, but we do have them. We don't know all our neighbors, we are just too far away to be really neighborly. We have our share of oddballs, after all we live in the country, but we haven't heard the strains of Dueling Banjos yet. We have wonderful neighbors, and the kind you just learn to stay away from- not much different from anyone else I guess. When there is a crisis, like a fire- the chain goes into effect and everyone pulls together until we all seem to be sharing one big backyard. Pretty cool.

We see a wide variety of wildlife; deer, bobcats, the occasional mountain lion and bear... One day I was on my deck and there were three kinds of Finches feeding on the sunflowers I plant for them every year, 8 Hummingbirds in the big feeder, a pair of Bluebirds, a Mountain Bluejay, one Mourning Dove, a Towhee and a Woodpecker.... all right there in front of me! Totally awesome.

One Sunday evening it was a full house at our place. My friend from San Diego and her 4 kids were here and it was a joyous cacophony of sounds at our humble abode. I got a frantic call from one of my wonderful neighbors, one of their dogs had been found guarding a newborn deer near their back deck- very newborn. The husband was looking for the momma, but could we help? They had no idea what to do with this little one, and knew we raised alpacas, so we might have a clue. He searched to no avail- mom couldn't be found anywhere. Loth to leave the babe out there in the hopes that mom would just come back and find her (we had an annoying bear in the neighborhood) they didn't know what to do.

So hubby ran up there and picked up the wee one while I made a few phone calls to figure out what we could do. Through a wildlife rehabilitation place up near Fresno we were able to determine what needed to be done for the newborn. What do you know? She needed colostrum and goats milk, and what did we just happen to have on hand at that time? Just what was needed. Lucky for the little one we had a rare situation occurring on the ranch just then, a cria who needed additional supplementation, and what do we feed them? Colostrum and goats milk. Coincidence? I think not.

She was new, so new her umbilical cord was still wet. She was so small, unbelievably small....she was only 13" at her shoulders!! And she wanted nothing to do with that colostrum. I am sure we made quite the picture.... yeah laugh, I'd like to see you try to bottlefeed an octopus masquerading as a fawn..... I finally settled on feeding her with a bulb syringe (you know, the kind you suck the bogeys out of your kids nose with? This one was for just such an occasion as this though- let not your heart be troubled).

Before long she was following me around- we have hard wood and Pergo floors... this was a problem! Deer feet and slippery floors- never the twain should meet. We had to block off a section of the living room and put blankets all over the floor. Using two couches, a rocking chair placed on it's side and a piano bench the enclosure was finished. I spent the whole time laying in there with her because when I would leave she would try to follow me and cry. You haven't heard anything till you hear a newborn deer bleat- what a hoot! It sounds like a cross between a Nubian goat and an alien. She was promptly dubbed "Lil' Liza Jane" after an old timey tune my kid's band plays. Sweet lil' Liza Jane.....

Mixing small amounts of colostrum, milk and a little whole fat yogurt I fed her every hour and a half all night long. The next day we were to take her up half way to meet with a volunteer from the rehab center. He was going to take her the rest of the way to her new home.

During the short time that she was here, she touched my life profoundly. I had been witness to all kinds of wonders, assisted in many alpaca births, had kittens and puppies born along the way, and kids of my own. Bottle fed an alpaca or two and even some kittens long ago- but nothing was like this. This was a wild animal, right there in my living room! A precious gift and rare opportunity given to me. She worked her way into everyone's heart in my family, my daughter kept saying, "I can't believe we have a deer in our living room!" She was so cute, and affectionate. I never knew deer were very affectionate with their young, but they must be because she kept touching me with her cold little nose to reassure herself I was still there. Ginormous ears!! And those eyes.... wow. Huge, brown and green and rimmed with blue and so very, very, wise. Like an old soul was housed in that wee, new body.

When the time came to say goodbye, I thought my heart would break. Who'da thunk you could get so attached in just 24 short hours? Would she be all right? Would she live? The man I talked to at the rehab center told me they have about a 31% survival rate when they are rescued... 31%?? Forget that, I'll just keep her here and graft her onto an alpaca!! Poca could adopt her, she's short enough.... I could just see it now, visions of Liza pronking with this year's crias.... after all, they both bounce the same- she'd fit right in!

Then he told me that most of the time people find these new ones, then keep them for a few days, doing all the wrong things, feeding them the wrong stuff, and by the time the center gets them they are already mostly dead. He said this one was lucky, she found someone who had all the right things for her first day on earth. We knew her best chance for survival from then on was with people who were qualified to raise her, and where she would be with other little ones like her. He said they would make every effort to release her right back here in our own canyon when she was old enough.

So, we did the right thing and handed here over, though not without some tears shed.
We have pictures, unforgettable memories, and I sometimes feel the little wet and cold touch of lil' Liza Jane's nose on the back of my hand....
Thanks for visitin Liza, we hope to see you again some day when you're all grown up. Stop by any time sweetheart.
Slainte~
Rachelle

Gone fishin.... gone fishin......

The best ever rendition of that song I have heard is the one I have with Satchmo and Bing Crosby.... love it!

Okay, so maybe not *really* gone fishin! I am going to be gone all next week until Saturday the 14th at our church's "Young Women's Camp".

I am in charge of the 13-14 year olds, and will be in their cabin- 16 of them and just lil old me!! :)) Ha-ha, I should be truly bald when I return...

But seriously, the spirit is so strong at camp, I always return rejuvenated. Just what I need right now~

The theme for this year is: "The Spirit of Aloha" and I have been designing the decorations for the bathrooms, I was all prepared for the 3 they told me about, when on Sunday they said there was actually 6!! So I have been busting my bum digging up more decorations, it will be fun!

I haven't been able to visit everyone lately, but I wanted you to know I am thinking about all of you, and will be missing you while I am gone! No electronics allowed! *gasp*

I thought I'd leave you with some pictures I was fooling around with today while I was supposed to be packing! Enjoy, and over the week posts I made a long time ago will surface magically! I hope you enjoy!

It has been hot, hot, hot here! Yesterday it was 106 here, really unheard of for us in the mountains. Still no cria yet, I just know she is going to have it while I am gone! Fingers crossed for a healthy, silver girl!! When it gets this hot, I can't even function. No air conditioning, no water right now at the house.... long story, but our pump is failing, and we are broke right now.... oh well. We have bottled water, and every morning we get enough water to keep the trees alive, barely. I was able to spray the pacas the last two days to help them stay cool, so prayers work!

See you when I get back!

Slainte~
Rachelle