I Want To Go Back to Michigan (Down on the Farm)

Are you a fan of Irving Berlin? Easter Parade with Judy Garland and Fred Astaire? I am. Do you know there is a song about Michigan in the movie. By Golly, there is and you can occasionally here me hum or sing a few bars of it. The song title is: I WANT TO GO BACK TO MICHIGAN (DOWN ON THE FARM) Here are the lyrics:

1st verse:]
I was born in Michigan
And I wish and wish again
That I was back in the town where I was born
There's a farm in Michigan
And I'd like to fish again
In the river that flows beside the fields of waving corn
A lonesome soul am I
Here's the reason why:

[Refrain:]
I want to go back
I want to go back
I want to go back to the farm
Far away from harm
With a milk pail on my arm
I miss the rooster
The one who useter
Wake me up at four A.M.
I think your great big city's very pretty, nevertheless
I want to be there
I want to see there
A certain someone full of charm
That's why I wish again
That I was in Michigan
Down on the farm

[2nd verse:]
You can keep your cabarets
Where they turn nights into days
I'd rather be where they go to bed at nine
I've been gone for seven weeks
And I've lost my rosy cheeks
That's the reason I'd rather have the country life for mine
My thoughts are far away
That's just why I say:


Makes you want to rent Easter Parade, doesn't it? Or do you simply want to hear me sing it? Well, if I sing it you must know that I am notorious for changing words. It's a special skill of mine. If I say skill and not laziness, it sounds better so henceforth, SKILL!

So, why do I want to go back to Michigan? Where was I? Why did I leave? Well, I went to visit the beautiful farm of Broken Road Alpaca in Geneva, Nebraska owned by Stacy and Joe Miller.

Do you know that you can SEE THE WONDER of alpacas all over the country? I would like you to believe that the only place is here on my farm but it's not. Nope! You see, I had to find out about this fascinating industry from somewhere. From prior blogs you would think that the only other places you could go was Wind Walker Ranch in Middleville, MI or Sahalie Alpacas at Higher Ground in Olivet, MI but even they can't say that they are the only ones with the magic touch. Yes, they are wonderful MICHIGAN FARMS!

Well, part of my journey to becoming a truly WONDERFUL ALPACA FARM is to visit more of the farms that have found the key to success so that I can learn from them because as I learn more about this wonderful industry I like to share and then you too can SEE THE WONDER and also KNOW THE WONDER of Alpaca.

Well, this last weekend I went to Nebraska for the first time ever. My visit was to Broken Road Alpacas owned by Stacy and Joe Miller of Geneva, NE. First I must say that the Miller's are wonderful hosts and better yet, they have a beautiful ranch and a gorgeous herd.

They hosted an Alpaca Seminar for new breeders and for people interested in the possibilities of the alpaca lifestyle. Yes, it is a lifestyle. The speaker was Ken Hibbits from Alpacas By The Sea in California. I learned a bunch of new information and also got a different perspective on alpaca life from people in a different part of the country. Farms in California and Nebraska don't have some of the issues that Michigan farms have such as white tail deer so we talked about different herd health practices. I learned some new information on marketing, showing, confirmation among tons of other information.

Ken gave us a very information and interesting presentation on the history of alpacas too. I have The Complete Alpaca Book by Eric Hoffman but listening to Ken sum it up was much more interesting plus Ken and his wife have been to Peru and met with the farms that are the pioneers in the alpaca industry.

Overall the seminar was great although the Nebraskan heat is not an easy thing for this Michigan Gal to get used to. Hubby tried explaining "dry" heat to me since he lived out west for a time but boy, stepping off that plane was the rude awakening.

So if I back up a bit, I will start by my two hour drive to Detroit Airport.

• Woo Hoo lots of energy!
• Checked in with no issues with security. I was afraid they would take my knitting needles.
• Knitted on my Kidney Kozie for 45 minutes
• Plane ride, knitted some more but had annoying poopie diaper toddler making high pitched noises in my ear while kicking my seat for 1 1/2 hours.
• Arrived in Omaha Airport (incidently is in Kansas not Nebraska, saw the state line signs) and had to wait in the plane an extra 25 minutes because all the hanger decks were full and we could already feel the heat.
• Got my rental car and set up Garmin. WOO HOO! 5pm Friday Night Omaha Traffic.
• Drove the two hours to Geneva, Nebraska. Boy, lots of cornfields and no trees.
  
• Arrive at Broken Arrow. Want to crawl back into the car's air-conditioning.
• Went to eat a a little family restaurant with the Miller's called Bubbas. A cute Coca Cola themed restaurant. Had the fried fish even though Joe suggested that Nebraska is not known for their fish....he was right.
• Went back to the ranch and went straight to bed.....tired, tired, tired
• Woke up to a quite house. Found the coffee and was good to go.
  
• Went out to the BEAUTIFUL Barn (sorry, evil camera was accidently left at home so no pics) where everyone was setting up for the seminar. IT WAS HOT AT 6AM, ALREADY!
• Found the most handsome cria born 2 1/2 days prior. Dark Silver Gray with a white face. TOO DARN CUTE!
• Attended seminar in barn in the heat.
• Seminar over: BEER is very refreshing in 100 degree temps.
• Went to dinner with the Ken and the Millers at Chances Are a really good steak restaurant. I see now why Omaha is is known for their steaks. (much better than the fish)
• Went back to the ranch and left the checkbook in my room: I was going to get my hands on some pacas!
• FELL IN LOVE! I fell in love with the most beautiful rose gray boy, Ibertad's Notorious. He is lovelier in person than his picture tells. I WANT HIM! He would make an amazing Wonder Herdsire
• Fell asleep dreaming of beautiful pacas
• Woke up, packed and visited before my homeward journey began.
• Air-conditioning on, two hours to Omaha
• Did I forget to mention that NEBRASKA HIGHWAY SPEED LIMIT IS 75mph which means I can go 80-85 with no problems. WOO HOO!
• FYI: I have a lead-foot...ask my Dad about that one.
• Accident on road. Oh, Pacapoo!
  
• Good, traffic was able to get around it. These Nebraskan cops know what they are doing.
• OMAHA, here I come!
• Get to the airport and who do I see? The nice couple who flew in from Florida to attend the seminar. I didn't get their farm name (note to self, ask Stacy for that) We visited for a few since their plane was just leaving.
• Knit, knit, knit...boy, this Kidney Kozie is looking good!
• The airport tells us that ten people need to get off our plane due to weather issues in Detroit. WHATEVER!
• Apparently ten people got off.
• Get seated in wrong seat and let the big bald guy take my seat. Pacapoo!, He doesn't have a seat-mate and I am stuck next to loner sleepy guy. Oh, well....one good deed returns another. So my good deed is letting that guy have some space.
• MAJOR PACAPOO! Guy in front of me is too darn rude! Flipped his seat totally back without asking me. Now I have no space to knit....what happened to my good deed? Don't worry, I went three year old on him and started kicking his seat. LOL...yes, I am mature, aren't I?
• knit, knit, knit. HOORAY! I am finally on my second skein of yarn. My Kidney Kozie is starting to look like a shawl. HOORAY!
• Oh, Michigan! I missed you! I love you! I never want to leave you...until the next fun event.
• Arrive at Detroit! WOO HOO! Get my car. What? $60 TO PARK? MASSIVE PACAPOO! Who do they think they are?
• Start driving home, get past Ann Arbor to the Zeek Rd Exit and PACAPOO! Traffic is backing up. Hurry up and get off of I-94, head into Dexter. Feel guilty for not calling Bill Smallwood from our Jackson Transplant Support Group (his wife Donna who had a single lung transplant died in 2008 and she was an amazing woman and Bill, he is a charming and amazing man who is truly a blessing to our support group. If you ever meet Bill, you will know what I mean and if you ever met Donna....well, you were truly a lucky person)
• I-94 still backed up so I continue on back roads through Chelsea. Yikes! Behind slow driving people....I want to be Speedracer. I have Hubby, Herd and Kids to see!
• Finally! I get back on to I-94. Traffice is back to normal. Right around Kalmbach road in Jackson county. Why am I telling you this? Because EAST BOUND I-94 is still backed up. YUP! OVER 25 MILES OF BACKUP! Yes, I missed Michigan!
• Marshall. I am in Marshall and dibble dibble dop dop...RAIN!
• RAIN!, DOWNPOUR! Pull over to the side of the road because I can't see rain! Did I tell you Nebraska hadn't seen much rain in awhile.
• I JUST WANT TO BE HOME! MY FARM!
  
• Finally.....home, sweet home!

Look who greeted me at the door? Hubby, with no shirt on. WOO HOO! Looks like someone missed Wifey? Nope, It's hot! LOL, Whatever! He met me at the door.

I love my farm, my family, my MICHIGAN!

It's good to be home.

Now, read the words to the song again. I have the rooster and that certain someone full of charm and the MOST WONDERFUL ALPACA FARM!

Oops! The pics posted are of my Kidney Kozie! How could I forget that? Yikes! Remember, there is still time. If you knit or crochet, make a 20ish by 60ish shawl in washable yarn. Get it to me. Our knitting group, the most awesome of awesome aka the zombie prom date knitters or ZPDK for short is making shawls aka kidney kozies for local dialysis units. There's awesome door prizes like 4 oz of my Wonder Roving. See knitwithsnot for detail. Oh, that name peeked your interest, didn't it? Yes, knitwithsnot is an interesting lady with a heart full of gold. She dreamed up this kozie donation quest and that is only a small part of her awesome. Check out her page and learn more details.

knit, knit , knit!