BACK TO MY ROOTS

So jumping in 6  months after we moved here didn't satisfy the fans. So I am going back to the beginning.

About 5 years ago, my husband Ed, who you will come to know intimately because he is the backbone of the farm, and I were looking for something to do together.

Note: we also need to do something to help our tax situation, which was definitely the reason we actually moved forward. To digress slightly, Section 179 which is an agriculture deduction, gives a significant tax break to anyone investing in farming. The deduction can be set against both W2 and 1099 income. Check out this website: http://www.section179.org/section_179_deduction.html

Section 179 for 2011 at a glance:

• 2011 Deduction Limit - $500,000 (up from $250k previously). Good on new and used equipment, including new software.
• 2011 Limit on equipment purchases - $2 Million Dollars (up from $800k previously).
• “Bonus” Depreciation - 100% (taken after the $500k deduction limit is reached). Note, bonus depreciation is only for new equipment. This can also be taken by businesses that exceed $2 million in capital equipment purchases.

The above is an overall, “simplified” view of the Section 179 Deduction for 2011. For more details on limits and qualifying equipment, as well as Section 179 Qualified Financing, please peruse this entire website.

Long story short, I spotted an article in the Ventura Country Star (probably the most significant newspaper in our lives as it previously led us to animal rescue) but more of that later.

I misplaced the article and decided to Google alpaca ranches in the Somis area. I came up with Alpacas At Windy Hills (not the farm in the article). Serendipity has always played a big part of my life and we were meant to meet Cindy and Doug, who ran the ranch.

I began volunteering there while Ed was working on a movie in Hawaii. I instantly fell  in love with a mischievous, lovable, and talkative cria named Triton.

JUST ANOTHER QUIET DAY ON THE FARM

The day started pretty quietly giving no indication of what was to come.  The 4H kids who were coming for a fecal class arrived at 9.00am although we were expecting them at 10.00am. No problem, lovely kids who came bearing gifts of scones made with home grown herbs, garlic, parmesan cheese and sun-dried tomatoes.

We began the day by ultra-sounding some of our pregnant females. Our vet, Melinda, showed the kids where they could find the beating heart of the cria. They were enthralled.  Tom Parrish, who helps us on the farm (we couldn't do it without him and Jessica), walked through the pasture and started waving his arms wildly. There was a baby on the ground.

The previous day, Tom and I had spent the day watching Shiny Boots whose back end was protruding in an alarming manner. We had not expected a good ending to the pregnancy, but here was a huge male cria already trying to get up. Class was interrupted to take care of Mom and baby.  Just as we crowded around, a truck and trailer pulled into the drive. Here were our new Llamas, Bella and Tattoo. We had bought them the previous week from Llama guru, Page McGraith, to help protect our crias from predators.

Ed and Teri, took care of Mom and her new son, while Paige and I led the girls out of the trailer. They stayed wide-eyed at their new home, but followed us willing into the pasture which thanks to the recent rains, were green and lush.