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Serenity Animal Farm, Clanton, AL (2026)

05/29/2026

Hello Farm Friends! I had a strange encounter of my own yesterday. I was finishing up feeding and headed to the farm lake to feed the lake goats.

As I drove along the lake road I could see Penny Lane, one of our Muscovy lake ducks, jumping up and down at the other end of the lake. I could see what I thought was a stick or limb hanging off her. I thought she had got tangled up in some of the vines that grow along the bank and a limb was moving every time she flapped her wings and jumped.

As I got closer and stopped, I could see what had ahold of her. It was a big ole water moccasin that had ahold of her. It bit her on the wing and apparently got its fangs hung in her wings. Penny Lane was still flapping and jumping up and down trying to get free when I drove up.

Sure glad I didn’t run over and try to free her without looking what had her tangled up.
I don’t like to kill anything but jumped off the Polaris and quickly grabbed the shovel out of the bed. I had to catawhop that snake several times with the shovel to get it off Penny Lane. Unfortunately, the snake succumbed to its injuries.

When I did Penny, Lane took to the water and high balled it out of there like greased lightning. She flew across the lake and landed on a post on the dock above the water.

I don’t think the snake bite penetrated her body. I think it hit her wing when she tried to fly away. With her flapping and jumping up and down it couldn’t free itself.

I don’t think the snake was trying to kill and eat an adult duck. Penny Lane probably walked close to it while it was laying on the lake bank. It struck at her probably in self-defense when she got too close. The problem was either it couldn’t let loose or was hanging on trying to bite her. Since a bite from a venomous water moccasin would kill her, I had no choice but to strike it with my shovel.

Remember life gets easier when you stop fighting it. The rain will fall whether you complain or not. Traffic will exist whether you stress out or not. People will act how they want to whether you worry about them or not. Focus on what you can change. Let go of what you can’t.

05/28/2026

Hello Farm Friends! We recently received a 100 pound burlap toe sack of raw unshelled peanuts. These raw unshelled peanuts are called “cull” peanuts. This means they are unfit for human consumption but good for livestock.

Peanuts are a high-protein energy supplement suitable for cows, goats, sheep, and chickens, but only when used in moderation.

Why not feed them to our pigs you ask? It’s because raw peanuts carry risks of aflatoxin contamination in pigs, which can be fatal. Raw peanuts also cause digestive issues in pigs is another reason we don’t feed them raw peanuts. It’s not worth taking the chance.

When I was a kid, old-timers like my dad, called peanuts “groundnuts”. When I asked him why they were called that, he replied that the peanut is the only nut that grows in the ground. It’s been a long time since I’ve heard anyone call them that. He also told me that peanuts were not nuts at all but legumes. As I kid I didn’t care what they were because they were so good to eat.

He also used to tell me that diamonds could be made from peanut butter. As a kid I thought he was pulling my leg and always thought he was joking me. When I finally made it to high school, that was the first question I asked my science teacher, can you make diamonds from peanut butter? He looked at me and said, “Yes”. I was literally stunned. He went on to say, peanut butter can be turned into a diamond because it is rich in carbon. By using immense heat (thousands of degrees) and pressure (over a million times Earth's atmosphere) in a lab setting, the carbon atoms are forced to realign into a diamond. He went on to say it cannot be done at home only in a laboratory. I’m glad he told me you can’t make one at home or I would have spent my summers trying to figure out how to make a diamond out of a jar of Jiffy. I’m glad I didn’t try because I would have probably burned the barn down trying or blown up something .

I knew my dad was smart but never got the chance to ask him how he knew that tidbit of information. I’ve always wondered.

Now every time I see a diamond commercial on television, I wonder if they have a big secret factory somewhere and are making the diamonds out of peanut butter. Instead of saying diamonds are forever, it could be diamonds are made from nuts. Wouldn’t that be funny if a diamond could also be called a “goober”. I can see it now, someone saying did you see the size of that goober on her finger.

Remember, never let the things you want make you forget the things you already have.

05/27/2026

Hello Farm Friends! We have been shearing Llamas, Alpacas, and Sheep with the same company for thirteen years. This year was year fourteen with them. I was ready for their arrival. I had the generator gassed up. I had the extension cords ready. I had garbage bags and a rake ready.

Normally our farm is the first farm of the day they shear at. This year we were moved to the last farm of the day. A late afternoon arrival time appointment. I was not too happy about this because it’s sure enough hot in the late afternoon for the animals instead of cool as a 7:00 am appointment would have been. Since we missed the first rotation in April, I was just glad they were coming back to Alabama to shear our animals.

They finally arrived on the farm around 3:15 pm. Their truck stopped and two people got out. Yup, only two. I walked over to see if there was anyone else in the truck. I was shocked because we have always had a four-man crew to shear. Today they sent us a two-person crew and that’s not the half of it. Emphasis on the word “person”. It takes a four-man crew to help me catch the animas and get them to the shearing mat. Since I’m not fortunate enough to have stalls to pin them up in before they arrive, we have to chase them down and catch them one by one.

I froze and just stood there staring at the two shearers that just got out of the truck. My jaw dropped and I was having trouble making a complete sentence. They were just kids. Besides that, one was a woman. Yup, a woman. Now mind you I have no problem with a woman shearer, and I will give everyone a chance to prove themselves, but we have to catch, carry, and get 400 pound Llamas to the shearing mat. When I say it takes a man, I mean that from past experience. Usually, it’s me and four men in their 30’s and 40’s who are physically capable of the task at hand.

Once a few years ago a Llama whipped the tar out of our veterinarian and me. We were just trying to give him shot. He tore us up to the point we just sat there on the ground trying to figure out what happened licking our wounds as the Llama ran off. So, from experience I know it’s hard to do with two people.

My pea-brain couldn’t figure out how me and two young kids could get this done. I could see me having to go get the Coleman lantern because we are going to be shearing long into the night. I was thinking who can I call to come help us.

I had to ask their ages and if I need to call some reinforcements in to help us because normally it’s a four-man crew. The man said he was 26. The woman said she was 21. My left eye started twitching uncontrollably.

The man said, “no need to call anyone we got this”. I just stood there with a twitching eye staring at the two of them. Seriously? Here stood a girl that weighed 125 pounds at best and was pretty as a speckled pup with her long hair in braids. The man was about 120 pounds in tennis shoes. My heart started to murmur and skip every other beat.

The man quickly spoke up and asked where do you want to start because I’m ready. He figured we must get this show on the road before Mark faints and thumps the ground. I said follow me to the big Llamas first and off down the farm road we headed. Here we go, I thought.

I had the Llamas fenced off in a run waiting on them so there wasn’t a lot of chasing. They set up the mats while I set up the generator and electrical cords. They plugged in their clippers and tested everything out.

Now came the test. We all walked to the corner and grabbed the big white male Llama, Peruvian Snowball. He put up a little fight when we grabbed him but he walked to the shear mat. Normally he is like a bucking bronco with a tight cinch strap on. I think he was shocked, like me, to see the girl they sent to shear, and was more subdued than normal staring at her.

We worked him to the mat. This young girl grabbed him and easily flipped this 400 pound Llama over onto the mat. They each fastened the pull ropes, clipped their hooves, and she was off to the races shearing. She was an amazing shearer and in no time, we were done with the three of the big Llamas. She sheared all three of them and did an excellent job. I was really impressed by her shearing ability.

After each one was done, I wormed them with some Cydectin before we let them go. I worm them every six months but like to worm on shearing day since we have already caught them.

Then we went to the Alpaca field, and she helped us catch them and she sheared each one of them. Then I wormed them before they were turned loose.

This 125 pound girl could sure enough hold her own with the best of any shearer I’ve ever met. She knew her job, from catching them, flipping them onto the mat, and shearing them. She was sure enough a professional shearer. To say the least, I was truly impressed.

Then we moved on to the four-horned sheep. Kuno, the man, sheared the sheep. He buzzed through them like corn through a goose. He was a sure enough a professional sheep shearer.

When we got to the white four horned sheep Mr. Tony, she wanted to shear him because she said he is special. She was as good as Kuno with shearing sheep and Tony was sheared in no time.

They stated they had sheared thousands of sheep in their careers but had never ever seen a solid white four-horned sheep. He was rare, and special. I told them his name is Antonio, and we call him Tony.

Kuno told me he just got back from shearing sheep in Europe. He said he averaged shearing 200 sheep a day for three months while he was there. Now that’s a pile of sheep that’s sure enough work. I doubt when I was his age, I could have physically done that. Bending over shearing a sheep with one hand and holding it with your other hand is hard work and rough on anyone’s back.

This two-person shearing crew they sent this year is welcome to come back to the farm anytime. I think I will let the shearing company know how well they did.

I have several bags of Alpaca and Llama fleece available if anyone wants it. I also have several bags of sheep wool available too. All free to a good home.

Remember to be teachable. You learn nothing from life if you think you’re right all the time. As for me, I’m still learning something new every single day and have eaten my share of crow pie along the way.

The video is of them shearing the “blanket” off a Llama. In the world of shearing the "blanket" is the prime, most valuable section of fleece. It refers to the thick, fleece that is sheared specifically from the animal's back and belly. This high-quality fiber is what gets spun into yarn or woven into cozy household throw blankets.

05/22/2026

Hello Farm Friends! Ever have a spiritual uplifting? I sure enough did.

A car showed up at the farm gate the other day. I didn’t recognize it so I went to investigate. It was my good friends, Mr. and Mrs. B & B, stopping by to check on me after reading about Ms. Angel. They are good people.

We sat down and had a good conversation. Mr. B had just come back from chemotherapy and they stopped by to check on me. I hadn’t seen them in a while, and did not know he was going for treatment. They stopped by to check on me after his chemotherapy treatment. Really. Bless their hearts. Did I mention they are good people? They are.

If I had known what he had been going through I would have gone and checked on them. We all have friends in our life but never really know what’s going in their lives because we are so busy with our own lives. This is sad when you really think about it.

They needed to talk to me as much as I needed to talk to them. It was therapeutic and spiritually uplifting for all of us.

Then Mr. B dropped a bombshell and changed the conversation dynamic. He said I need to tell you what happened to me earlier this morning. “You won’t believe it”, he said. I hooked up my sixteen-foot trailer and loaded our John Deere zero turn lawnmower on it. I was going to take it to John Deere in Clanton for repairs. I waved goodbye to my wife and headed to John Deere with my trailer and lawnmower in tow.
He said, “and you will never guess what happened next”. When I got to John Deere there was no trailer hooked up to my vehicle. Nope, it was gone, disappeared. I had lost it somewhere between the house in Jemison and John Deere.

I said, “do what, you lost your trailer and lawnmower on the way to town,” as I tried not to laugh. He said, “I quickly turned around and followed the route back to my house and never found the trailer”. He drove it several times and never found it, not a trace.

Before I knew it our serious conversation about life suddenly was about humor and we all sat there chuckling about Mr. B losing his trailer and zero turn lawnmower on the way to town.

He said, “someone must have gotten it before I found it”. He said they have filed a police report.

It sure was good to visit with Mr. and Mrs. B & B today but I’m really sorry they lost their trailer and lawnmower to a thief. I’m also sorry Mr. B is having to go through treatment. My thoughts and prayers go out to him and his family.

So, farm friends, if you see anyone that suddenly has a sixteen-foot trailer or a zero-turn John Deere lawnmower sitting in their yard or posted for sale, please contact the Chilton County Sheriff’s Department. It might not belong to them.

It’s a shame that some people today would hook to it and drive off knowing it’s not theirs. It sums up the character of some people these days. I remember when people used to do the right thing. If they found something like a purse or wallet, they quickly returned it.

Remember, a reminder that every situation in life is temporary. So, when life is good, make sure you enjoy and receive it fully. When life is not as good, remember that it will not last forever and better days are on the way. I keep telling myself this each day.

Oh, the picture is Mr. Cedric snickering when I told him the story about Mr. B losing his trailer and lawnmower on the way to town.

05/18/2026

Hello Farm Friends! It's a sad, somber day here on the farm. My beloved Ms. Angel dog was hit by an off-road vehicle on the county road. At least that’s what I think happened.

This is by far the worst day I have ever had on the farm. I had just finished feeding all the dogs. I put the house dogs Angel, Scooter, and Star in the house and fed them. Then I put all the other dogs in the front fenced area and fed them. As I was walking up the front steps, I heard several off-road vehicles running up and down the hill across the county road. They are really loud. The dogs all bark when they run up and down the hill and spin donuts in the road.

I went in and was getting ready to go to meet a lady and look at a couple animals she is surrendering to the sanctuary. As I was changing clothes I got a text from my good neighbor that said, I believe that's one of your dog’s that's been hit up on the road. I panicked and quickly dressed. I ran outside and started counting dogs. They were all here. Whew.

Then I ran back inside to be positive that the three were still inside. Ms. Angel dog was missing. I screamed calling for her. That’s when my gut twisted in a knot. At that point I knew and my heart sank. I ran out and jumped on the Polaris and tore off down the road. She must have jumped up on the front door and opened the screen door to get out.

Sure enough, it was her lying in the county road. Huckleberry. Huckleberry. Huckleberry.

She had been hit so hard it broke her collar in two and it was lying next to her in the road. She was dead, there was no doubt about it. There was blood everywhere. I snatched her up and hugged her and cried like I have never cried before.

I carried her to the house while trying to figure out what I was going to do next. I couldn’t think. My mind was just a jumbled mess. My world just shattered.

I went and found a good spot to bury her overlooking the lake.

I dug the hole. I was so mad and angry digging I broke two picks and a shovel as I dug the hole. I was swinging the pick so hard digging the hole it broke in two. My mind couldn’t wrap my head around why she got out of the house and what possessed her to go to the county road. I’ve never seen her on the county road before. I don’t like not knowing what happened and why.

When the hole was dug I went and got her favorite blanket and toy. I wrapped her in it and held her tight. I sat down in the chair by the lake holding her tight while we watched the sun set one more time together. I would talk to her for awhile and cry awhile. I was just absolutely lost.

After the sun set, I finally buried her in the beautiful spot wrapped in her blanket with favorite toy.

People have heard me say several times, I wouldn't have taken ten thousand dollars for Ms. Angel. She was very special to me. A once in a lifetime kind of dog. She was truly family, and a part of me.

I love all the other animals and dogs, but she was by far my absolute favorite.

I've gotten over lots of animals dying in the past seventeen years, but I don't know if I can ever get over her. She was my world. We spent every single day together feeding and working together on the farm. Now I have a big hole in my heart that I don't know will ever heal. I'm just so devastated and lost.

It was so bad last night I couldn’t sleep a wink because I couldn’t quit thinking about her and missed her so much.

I ended up going outside spending the night sitting in a chair by the lake next to where she is buried. I’m hoarse this morning from staying up all night and just sitting there talking to her.

Anatole France said it best, “Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened”.

Ms. Angel dog was the one and only animal that truly awoke my soul.

05/15/2026

Hello Farm Friends! A short video of our daily experience feeding Oriel, our Greater Rhea and Zebras Marty and Matilda.

05/14/2026

Hello Farm Friends! I had a story already written about a recent farm adventure that I was going to post today. However, after last night I decided to post something different.

After I finished feeding, watering, and haying last night it was dusk as I stood on the front porch taking my boots off. The sounds of the Alabama countryside had suddenly mesmerized me as I stood there and just listened.

The big ole bullfrogs out on the farm lake were all croaking. I counted six different one’s croaking. They were long and deep croaks, not in unison but sporadic like they were taking turns talking to each other one by one. Their chorus could be heard over some 200 feet away sitting on the front porch. I had to just sit down in the rocking chair for a spell, to listen, and enjoy their croaking sounds. It was beautiful.

The bullfrogs come out at night when it’s cooler and darker, for their own safety. They don’t want some predator snatching them up for a tasty meal while they are trying to court a female. They croak trying to attract and find a mate to continue their cycle of life.

Did you know there is a spiritual meaning to hearing bull frogs croaking? Yup, there is, depending on whose culture you believe in. From the Chinese, the Ancient Egyptians, to the Native Americans, they all believed in the spiritual meaning of frogs croaking.

Hearing bull frogs croaking at night is widely considered a positive spiritual sign for emotional cleansing, good fortune, and prosperity. It is seen as a call to release emotional baggage, trust your intuition, and prepare for personal growth. Some people believe the noise may act as a wakeup call to focus on personal spiritual growth.

As I sat there thinking, I believe I’ll take door number one, the good fortune and prosperity. I’ll skip door two, the emotional cleansing for now. I don’t know what that entails but I believe that would take me down a road I am not interested in going down or even know how to.

After sitting there for a spell, just rocking back and forth, smiling while enjoying the sounds of the bullfrogs, the rest of the outdoor orchestra joined in. The night suddenly was alive with the sounds of the high-pitched chorus of katydids, tree crickets, and tree frogs. With an occasional croak of the bullfrogs joining in, it became an outdoor masterpiece of sound. I was really rocking back and forth now enjoying myself.

Then when the sound of a lone whip-poor-will kicked in close by the house, I almost swallowed my tongue. It was so absolutely beautiful and breathtaking. I could sit and listen to a whip-poor-will all night long.

What a way to spend an evening after feeding. I leaned out off the porch and looked up towards the sky. It was a clear night, and the night sky was full of stars, and lots of them, everywhere. It was beautiful.

I just sat back down in the rocking chair, closed my eyes, and just enjoyed the sounds while rocking back and forth. This is true country life, sure enough, and filled with beauty all around us.

So next time you want to feel rich, try counting the things you have that money can’t buy, like life itself, true love, genuine friendship, time, good health, character, respect, morals, manners, wisdom, inner peace, and the ability to undo past mistakes. Oh, and the ability to just sit back and listen to the magnificent sounds of mother nature. Did I leave anything out?

05/13/2026

Hello Farm Friends! This Friday is shearing day here on the farm. We will shear all our Alpacas, Llamas, and sheep. This is done only once a year.

Normally it’s done in early April each year, so we are running about a month and a half late this year. We missed the first shearing date due to rain in the forecast.

I was looking at the shearing calendar where the five crews are shearing on May 15 this year. One crew is in New Jersey, one crew is in Ohio, one crew is in Wisconsin, one crew is in Pennsylvania, and one crew will be in Alabama. They are doing farms they missed earlier in the season. These five shearing crews have cris crossed the United States from Maine to California in the last three months. They start shearing in March and finish up in early June each year. This time of year they are all working their way back to Ohio, their home base. They shear thousands of animals across the country in the four-month window.

Did you know there are about 300,000 alpacas in the United States but only 30,000 Llamas. Yup. From the mid 1980’s to the late 1990’s there was a big importation of alpacas into the United States from Chili, Peru, and Bolivia. There was an alpaca craze. Then in 1998 the importation was stopped. This means all the alpacas that you see today are all bred domestically from these original imports.

Llamas are a different story. The United States essentially stopped importing llamas from South America in the 1930s due to a Foot and Mouth Disease embargo. A temporary lifting of this ban occurred in 1984 when there was a llama craze, allowing for imports from Chile, but large-scale importation was stopped. Like Alpacas, the US herd of Llamas is largely developed from these earlier importations. Llamas peaked at nearly 145,000 in 2002. The population decreased drastically after the specialty livestock market crashed, with many farms reducing or eliminating their herds.

People ask me which ones make the best pets. By far it’s the Alpaca. They are gentler, easy going, and friendlier than Llamas. Llamas are nothing but a small horse with fur. They are larger and more aggressive than Alpacas and make good heard guard animals.

Did you know that Llamas and Alpacas do not have top front teeth? They don’t.

Remember, it’s up to you to see the good in every day.

05/12/2026

Hello Farm Friends! Another day. Another farm adventure.

Sung to the tune of…. “I’ve been through the desert on a horse with no name”….

I’ve been on the farm with a Yak that’s insane…..
It felt so good to outrun…. this runaway train….
On the farm, he can remember your name…
Cause if he catches you ….
He plans to inflict some pain….
La, la, la, la, la, la,

Friday evening the Yak was out again. Yup. It’s happening so much I’m thinking about posting “Open Range” signs up and down the road.
This time it got worse. He wasn’t going back into his pen at all, no matter what I tried. Feed, begging, nothing worked. While I was trying to get him in the gate, the big Watusi bull decided to come running out to go on walk-about with him. It’s one thing to have a big Yak out but a big Watusi bull with him is nothing but double trouble for me. Huckleberry.

As luck would have it, my friend Preacher Wilson just happened to stop by and saw what was happening. He saw the big Watusi standing there sharpening his horns on a big pine tree. He was rubbing those six-foot horns up and down the tree. The Watusi was getting them ready to Shish kabob ole Mark. He also saw Ole Zack the Yak run past me and run down to the feed barn, turn around, and run back again. He also saw Zack shaking his head at me like he was going to whip me sideways.

Preacher Wilson walked up and asked, “Is there anything I can do to help you?” I looked the preacher straight in the eye, with the big Watusi and the Yak walking around in the background, and said, “Yes, you can pray for me”. We stood there and had a good laugh for a minute.

Then I opened up the north gate. The big Yak finally went in the gate. The problem was that the south gate was still open. That ole Yak knew that and took off in a dead run for the open south gate. He was moving so fast towards the open south gate he was kicking up gravel. I took off running down the road as fast as an old man can run, trying to beat him to the open south gate.
I was running so fast my cell phone jumped out of the holder, did a one and a half gainer, and thumped the road, as I raced down the road. I was running so fast I almost ran out of my shoes.

Luckily, I barely made it before Ole Zack came out the open gate. I swung the gate closed just as he started out of it and quickly fastened the chain. If I would have stopped, even for a second, to pick up my dropped cell phone Zack would have came out the open gate like Golden Tempo at the Kentucky Derby.

Then I high-balled it back to the north gate. With Preacher Wilson on one side and me on the other, the big Watusi reluctantly went right back into his pen. Whew…I sure was glad Preacher Wilson stopped by when he did. Another disaster was averted and Ole Mark didn’t get Shish kabobbed. Shish kabob is an odd word. Worder who ever came up with that.

I showed him where Zack had gotten out this time. Zack has a second-degree black belt in tearing up $100 Garrison’s goat panels. So much so it’s getting kind of ridiculous on how many panels he has torn slap up in the last few months.

How did you spend your Friday night? Oh, I stayed home and fixed fences, what about you? Laugh out loud. This is getting to be my regular response.

Zack has gotten out so many times the bookies in Las Vegas have started taking odds on when he will get out next. I put a bet in – it will be tomorrow, and you can take that to the bank.

I have decided to just enjoy life anyways, no matter how a loco Yak affects it on a daily basis.

Serenity Animal Farm

05/29/2026

05/28/2026

05/27/2026

05/22/2026

05/18/2026

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05/12/2026

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