Incspot Climbs the Fence?

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Yellow Wood Male Barn

Our male llamas have there own barn and are divided into a number of runs which are connected to their barn stalls.  Some of our males (Inspot, PPF Pablo Cruz  and Smokin’ Gun) have there own runs and stalls, so that we can keep them separated from each other and the younger boys.

The other day Laura went into the barn and didn’t see Inspot in his run.   When she started looking for him, she found him in the fenced in area that is between his run and a large fenced in area that houses several of our younger males.  He was enjoying the fresh grass that had grown up in this area during the nice spring weather we have had this past week.

Incspot’s run is surrounded by a 6 foot high chain link fence with a 2″ x 6″ wooden top rail.  At first,  Laura thought he might have jumped the fence but on closer inspection she discovered he had actually crawled under the fence!  He had pushed his nose under a 3 foot by 4 inch gap that had been eroded during the winter. After he had managed to get his head under the fence he must have realized that he could not pull it back out because the chain link fence was just like a Chinese handcuff (remember playing with these as  a kid?).  With only one option left, he managed to push his entire body under the fence.  When Laura found him, he was having a grand old time devouring all of the new grown grass and intimidating the younger males on the other side of this area.

Who would have thought a 375 lb llama could slip his entire body under a 4 inch gap in a chain link fence!  So Laura opened the gate and lead him back into his own run thinking it was just a fluke.  Well to make a long story short, the next day he was back in the forbidden area!   Since Incspot had learned a new trick I was forced to take action. So, I spent a couple of hours yesterday installing a second 4″ x 6″ wooden rail across the bottom of the fence.  While I was sawing, drilling and screwing the new bottom rail in place, Incspot spent the time watching me crawling around in the mud with a bit of a smirk on his face.  When it was done he made several passes up and down the fence before he realized I had blocked the path to his new found freedom.  Believe it or not you could see the smirk turn to an expression of disgust!  Then he laid down in his dust pile, put his ears back and had a good sulk.  Now what will be his next trick!

Daffodils and a Late Spring

Daffadils 2009

Daffadils at Yellow Wood

Spring seems to be struggling to reach us, with only a few really warm days and mostly cloudy, cold weather.  I know we can still have frost this time of year, and we did need the rain, but the gardeners are getting impatient!  Somehow I managed to get the flower beds at our house all mulched, so I am ready to plant more perenials and summer annuals any time!

We are currently enjoying the bountiful daffodils our hill is famous for.  Unfortunately, most of our tulips succumbed to the ravages of either the moles or the hungry deer, who ate the young plants before they could bloom. But I have been pleased with the display of daffodils, including Dutch Master, Chromocolor, Replete and Ice Follies that I planted last year.  It was also nice to see the tete-a-tete, Winston Churchill and Mount Hoods from years past.  But our display pales in comparison to that at the Goethe Link Observatory, about 1/2 mile from our house.  Since Mrs. Link passed away about three years ago, we were afraid the daffodils would not be cared for and eventually die out.  Much to our surprise and pleasure, we found her large cultivated field and wooded areas to have even more blooms that we remembered from before!  We were lucky to visit on Easter evening, when someone from the Indiana Daffodil Society was present, handing out leaflets on daffodil culture.  The Society has been tending the daffodils and dividing them, spreading their beautiful colors throughout the front of the property.  We were so glad that they are taking on this task.  The gates to the Observatory are open when someone from the Society is there, and the public is welcome to walk through the daffodils, although no picking is allowed.  Our only disappointment was that we could not longer walk back through the rest of Mrs. Link’s property, which has a pond and many specimen plantings.  Still it was a treat to visit and a nice destination for us on our daily walks.

We found out that the New York Times reprinted a 1981 article written about the Observatory and the daffodils, and this has brought more visitors to see them this year.  The grounds should be open throughout the daffodil season, but the gates may open on a hit or miss basis.  Most likely weekends during the day are your best bet if you want to visit.  Although our llama farm is are not staffed for public visits, a drive down Observatory and left turn on Goat Hollow Road will bring you past our llama pastures, on both sides of the road.  More daffodils and spring flowers can be viewed at our neighbor’s beautiful gardens from the road as well.

For more information on the Observatory, try these links:

http://www.nytimes.com/1981/03/01/travel/a-flowering-of-daffodils-in-indiana.html?sec=travel

http://scican3.scican.net/preservation/Most_Endangered.htm

laura