s e v e n i s a j o u r n e y

Today is the first day of spring. Yes, here they do the season changes on the 1st, not on the equinox/solstice. And what has the first day of spring brought (looks out window)… well, it looks a bit dreary at the moment. But even so, the daffodils starting blooming about 2 weeks ago, the plum trees are blooming, and the willows are starting to green in. The winter was also not one to complain about, unless you were a ski-field operator. (note- don’t invest in ski fields, their seasons have been getting worse and worse as the planet warms.)

Joy, our new alpaca, will be coming down when transport can be aranged– meaning when someone else has an animal moving south, as she should not be shipped alone (it will be stressful enough as it is). Our stud-selection has come down to two contenders, Perez and Gladiator. Next weekend we will go up and give Gladiator a look, can’t do that with Perez, as he is on the Souht Island. We are going to schedule shipping off the girls so they can be here when my parents arrive, as once they go to stud we won’t see them for 2 or 3 months (at least 60 days to confirm pregnancy and get them “settled enough to travel”).

In less cheerful news I have been reading big chunky articles on Bird Flu, the chances of pandemic, and what pandemics could mean (depending on infection level and lethality rate). What I had not known is that influenza pandemics prceed in two or three waves 6-8 months apart, giving a 2 year pandemic period. In 1918 it was the second wave that was the deadliest. So now I find myself thinking of some prudent measures I could take, without crossing over into “tin-foil-hat-wearing parnoid freak”. Oh, what cheerful thoughts!