Alpaca House

I spent the last two days building the Alpaca house, it is an Army tent that would take four recruits to put up...But I was out there alone, what does a stubborn Irish, Russian, German Gemini do? She digs in and gets it done. The bitter cold was a help more than I can say. It kept the now ping pong ball knot on my head cold and made the motivation to get it all done as soon as possible. I had to keep a check on the water lines and pipe stands as well as the well and other lines on and to the house...Record cold is on our heels and the news is warning of all kinds of problems we are to expect. Anyway back to the Alpaca tent, this is not a small one 10x13 and the canopy is one solid piece...Liz was kind enough to help with it as the damn thing was huge and weighed past my strength. We manage to shove and pull, me on the wood ladder and Liz below shoving the end up and over the front. The frost on the ladder and my lack of any grace what so ever made a challenging time as well as the snickers that Liz was unable to restrain. We are two peas in a pod and we just bucked up and got it done. We put 4 bags of barn dry down and the 3 bags of fir shavings in the Alpaca house. We decided that the they would be now okay in the cold. All the trees are snapping branches off and I think that a hard hat would be a good idea....The photo yesterday is just off the driveway looking to the back of the ranch. Time to feed and check on the water and face the fridgid day....I have just come back from feeding and was thrilled to see all the Alpacas in their new digs.....They are all covered with frost but seem to be happy...And going in and out of the new house like little kids back and forth....Worth the last two days of none stop back breaking work...My body is wounded with battle scares that would make an Army proud. I am still afraid to to take a shower as the searing pain of water and soap hitting on the open cuts makes me cringe....But at last three cups of coffee and I shall brave the shower...