Haven’t been much updates of late. The crops are winding down. We are still getting a few cherry tomatoes, egg plant and hot peppers. Hopefully the broccoli will start coming in soon before a real killing frost. Now, to begin the clean-up and prepping for winter.

As to patience, well, that is due to those cute creatures pictured above. All the plans to move forward have been put on hold. That one trip to the Vineyard and introduction to alpacas has made us rethink our direction.

If you remember, in a previous blog, I stated that if you are going to get livestock, learn as much as you can before you even think about buying your first animal. Make sure you know how much they eat, sources of food, and what to avoid. Be sure your local vet can handle that kind of animal or find one that can. Check on the type of sheltering the animals need and if you have the space. You might also want to check with your local town offices about regulations regarding livestock. My wife’s aunt told us that in her area, you can only have one alpaca per acre. So that means you have to have at least two acres, since alpacas are social animals and you should have at least two. Do you live in a “Right to Farm” community? What about local zoning in our area? A whole lot to think about. The best advice we have gotten is to talk to other owners.

You can learn a lot of gotchas from other owners. That is important. They have walked the trail ahead. Why make the mistakes that others all ready made? You will probably make enough of your own. So Cindy is on a mission to learn as much as she can. We have visited two farms together, the on the Vineyard and one in Exeter, RI. Cindy also went out to the Big E and talked to owners out there. We have been offered the chance to go to Vermont and work a farm up there a couple of days. Hmmm, working vacation, but in Vermont.

In talking with the other owners, we were able to get a better feel about the needs of alpaca. Before long, our little 1.6 acre patch of heaven started to look a little confined. Cindy is looking at this investment in raising alpacas as our retirement “job”.  She sees it as a way to make some money after our careers come to an end. I am on board with all of this, don’t get me wrong. I just have difficulty with change. I get agitated. I have always been that way. I need routine. Since there is a lot of routing in farming, what a perfect way to bring peace. I know, my current job is one of constant change, but even in that, there is routine. I worked on a farm as a kid. I think that getting back to working with livestock will be great. So, for now, all future plans at PineCroft are on hold as we decide if we will stay and deal with the confining space, or move to a newer location with more space to grow.

So for now, we are just going to take care of what we have and not add anything new. Once we know for sure which direction, we may add chickens, alpacas, or who knows what else. Stay tuned as things start to unfold. If it is to be, it will be.

My heart to your heart, one heart, one spirit.