Aragon Alpacas

12/19/2025

Google ”why Oregon budget cuts”…

We need your help! Oregon is considering budget reductions that could significantly impact education programs like Oregon FFA, agricultural education, and Career & Technical Education (CTE). At the same time, funding continues for many other statewide initiatives, while programs that help students develop real-world skills are at risk of being reduced or eliminated.

FFA currently serves more than 15,000 Oregon students, with participation growing more than 50% in the past six years. Students collectively complete over 600,000 hours each year in supervised agricultural projects that help prepare them for careers, leadership, and community service. These are exactly the kinds of opportunities Oregon students need more of.

If these reductions move forward, it will have a direct impact on classrooms, educators, and students across Oregon who rely on FFA, Summer Ag Education Grants, and CTE Pathway Grants to learn, grow, and build their futures.

Please sign now to encourage the Joint Ways and Means Committee to continue funding Oregon FFA!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfzDdpArklJtalRzpuaQ8-3QHbevo5q_lrIzU8VjjEfF7MfWQ/viewform?fbclid=IwY2xjawOxKlFleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFFWVRVQnM1eTBUdEVxRVQyc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHjVm5ISg-rRLb4JLR13MALGCMSI2RIL_I2PEAc1q2VdpsIenIwNx_lCizqQY_aem_U4vCgGg_ELdHZYnJyysfzg

12/19/2025

12/17/2025

Homeschoolers meet camelids 🦙🙂

12/10/2025

We love our llama! Sunny is a delight. When she’s grazing in the vineyard or lower pasture and it’s time to come in, I just clap my hands to call her and she comes running up to join the girl alpacas. Such a star, and a beauty. Happy International Llama Day, Sunny!

12/07/2025

Alpaca fleece works, too!
https://www.facebook.com/share/17aqzicgeu/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Your garden has been missing this secret ingredient that some have known about for millennia. Sheep's wool isn't just for jumpers. This natural wonder is transforming vegetable beds across Britain, and once you discover what it does for your soil, you'll never look at a fleece the same way again. The results are absolutely remarkable, and it costs next to nothing if you know where to look.

12/05/2025

Cows don’t grow their own sweaters like alpacas do!

12/01/2025

I’ve enjoyed dainty blue flax flowers in my garden and crushed flax seeds in recipes. Here’s the rest if the story: https://www.facebook.com/share/1Eji9SeHFJ/?mibextid=wwXIfr

🌿 From a simple blue flower to the fabric of kings. Did you know the linen shirt in your closet started its life as this tall, slender plant?

The image below maps out the incredible journey of Linum usitatissimum—the flax plant. In Latin, its name literally translates to "most useful linen," and for thousands of years, humanity has used every single part of it.

While the illustration gives us a glimpse into the vintage machinery of the past, the actual science behind turning a plant stem into soft fabric is a fascinating 7-step process that has remained largely unchanged for centuries:

1️⃣ Pulling (Harvesting): Unlike wheat, flax isn't cut; it’s pulled up by the roots. This preserves the full length of the fiber inside the stalk, which can be up to 3-4 feet long!

2️⃣ Rippling: Before the fiber work begins, the seeds are combed out. (Fun fact: These seeds are where we get linseed oil and the flaxseeds you might put in your smoothie! 🥤)

3️⃣ Retting: This is the smelly part. The stalks are soaked in water or left in dew so natural bacteria can dissolve the pectin (glue) binding the fibers to the woody stem.

4️⃣ Breaking: Once dried, the stalks are fed through rollers (as shown in the top left of the image). These crush the hard, woody inner core into small pieces called "shives" without snapping the flexible fibers.

5️⃣ Scutching: This is where the magic happens. Rotating blades or turbines (bottom left) beat the crushed stalks to knock away the woody shives, leaving behind only the long, silky, blonde fibers.

6️⃣ Hackling (Heckling): The fibers are pulled through bed-of-nails combs (top right). This aligns them and separates the short, tangled fibers (tow) from the long, luxurious ones (line flax).

7️⃣ Spinning: Finally, those long golden strands are twisted onto bobbins to create strong, cool, and breathable linen yarn.

💡 Why it matters:
Linen is one of the most sustainable fabrics on Earth. It requires far less water than cotton, needs few pesticides, and every part of the plant is used (fiber, oil, seeds, straw). Plus, it’s 100% biodegradable.

Next time you wear linen, remember: you're wearing a masterpiece of nature and engineering! 🧵✨

12/01/2025

Yay, Caesar!

Does it get better than a Therapy Llama? came to visit for day two of the and trunk show! We're still going 'til 5 tonight!

11/20/2025

11/18/2025

I don’t weave, but this is how it’s done. In the Comments she says it took about 30 hrs.