My Story about Agape Hill Farm

I come on every Monday or Wednesday in the summer to Agape Hill Farm.

I like to feed minerals to the llamas because I like to be surrounded by llamas.

I felted a picture of Wall.e and a dinosaur.

I like the way turkeys eat. They eat like dinosaurs . I like Nancy because she is funny.

Here's what I do on the farm.

Thursday's Workshop

There's one in every workshop! lol

Making felted bunny magnets

Nope...didn't stab himself once!

First time needle felting at workshop--love the colorful shirt too!

Great picture!!

Talking while the llamas enjoy some early spring pasture

Trail walking

Everybody smile and say "llamas!"

Off we go...

Obstacle course walking.

This is a new student with a wonderful gift for working with animals. Even though she is young she has taken on a challenging llama and did an amazing job with him!

Getting ready to trail walk

Another new student with his llama

2 friends and their llamas

The Agape Hill Farm Ninja

Water for the horses

Grain for the calves

Feeding the Angora bunnies

On the tractor

Feeding the ducks

Spring Workshops Begin...Tuesday Group

Our Tuesday students started off our spring workshops with enthusiasm and fun! What a great group of kids!! We spent a little time with “orientation” for the new students then toured the farm feeding all the animals. Students who have been here before taught the newbies how to give water to the ducks, gather eggs, and feed bread to the sheep and goats. Then it was time to walk the llamas. The new students were introduced to their llamas and were paired with experienced llama handlers for a time of getting acquainted. After that the rest of the students haltered their llamas and we hit the trail. It was a beautiful day for walking and the llamas were on their best behavior. We finished off the afternoon with the boys hanging out on the tractors and the girls starting some fiber projects. This is going to be a terrific spring!!

Heading out on the trail.

Yay...it's Spring!!

Jake was on his best behavior for the first day of workshops.

One of more experienced students is training this young llama.

Two new students getting to know their llamas.

Really...blue tarps AREN'T scary. Note: This is a new student with an older and VERY stubborn llama. They are such a great match. The student is extremely patient and consistent and made amazing progress with Lollyanna in just one session!

This student had previously worked with Macey, our wonderful matriarch llama who passed away over the winter. He is working to get acquainted with his new furry friend, Jake.

A new student learns to work with her llama in the obstacle course.

Being a mentor to new students is a great learning experience for our "older" students

Getting acquainted.

The goats and sheep are VERY happy to have children back on the farm!

Too funny!!

Welcome Spring 2012

The winter of 2011-2012 has been a very difficult one for the farm. We usually like our "PR" to be positive and upbeat, but it is important to share the hard times as well. For those who have visited the farm and grown attached to our animals, we know you will share our sense of loss and want to prepare you that some will be missing the next time you come to visit. Some losses were simply a matter of old age. Buddy (family dog) and Snuggles (the giant low-voiced sheep) left us on the same day early in the winter and Max, our amazing therapy rabbit, passed living his last months in Danny's room so he would be warm.

Snuggles

Have to take a brief moment to share a little more about Max's passing. Danny woke me in the middle of the night to tell me Max was dying. He (Max) was making little whimpering noises. We took him out of the cage and held him. As soon as we started to pet him, he quieted right down,

relaxed and after a few minutes went quietly. It was the most peaceful and beautiful passing of an animal I have ever witnessed. It was the end of a life fully and purposefully lived.

Max at a Nursing Home Visit

The end of January we began to notice something not quite right with the llamas. Their weight seemed to be declining. Then our oldest llama, Macey, went down. It was quite sudden and she died within a few days. Since she was older we were saddened, but not overly worried.

Macey and her cria, Oreo

Then Ande, our oldest male, started having trouble standing. We had a vet come out immediately. It took some time to get test results back and unfortunately, we weren't able to start treatment in time to save Ande. He was one of our favorite trail animals and it was a tremendous loss.

Ande

When all the results were in, it was discovered the llamas had intestinal parasites. We treat routinely for this, but the mild temperatures this year made it more challenging. We began an intensive treatment program of liquid dewormer to all 18 llamas once daily for 5 days and

repeated this routine 2 weeks later. To say that giving 18 llamas a LARGE syringe of liquid medicine daily is a challenge would be an understatement!! BUT, we and they survived. As of our last weight check they have gained back an average of 15-20 lbs each!! What a relief!

Our last (thankfully) loss of the winter, was Ernie, our older horse. He was at least 25 years old and was suffering from liver disease. He was wonderful and stubborn right up to the last day. We are very grateful for the time we had him here on the farm. He is another animal who lived a very full and purposeful life first as a therapy horse for a young man with autism and then his retirement years here greeting children and taking us for leisurely rides through the fields.

Ernie

No one is happier to see spring arrive this year than we are! We can't wait to have all the animals out on pasture eating the green grass and soaking in the sun. Spring is such a wonderful reminder of God's promises of heaven after the struggles of this life. Happy Spring!!

Construction has begun.

The workday last Saturday was a tremendous success in spite of the less than cooperative weather. Thank you to the hard-working and talented crew that put the top on the foundation and got things off to a great start. Donations are now needed to start framing out the walls! See below for how to contribute...

Let the construction begin!!

Spring has finally arrived and with it the first construction day for the Kelly House Project!

Saturday, June 11 starting at 8 am, a crew will be working to complete the floor of the new addition atop the foundation walls. The funds for this part of the project were raised over the winter months. Additional donations will be needed for the next step of adding the walls and roof.

Donations may be sent to:

The Kelly House Project

c/o Agape Hill Farm

618 Houston Hill Road

Hardwick, VT 05843

We'll post pictures of the completed work after 6/11!

Winter Update for the Kelly House Project

Thank you to the many people who have already donated to the Kelly House Project. We are in the process of setting up the donation account at Union Bank (donation checks will be cashed and deposited as soon as the paperwork is complete for the account). Donations cans have been put out at area businesses. A Dinner Dance is being planned for February.

Construction is scheduled to begin as soon as possible this coming Spring. We are maintaining a list of volunteer carpenters and are looking for a crew chief to oversee the daily work.

Christmas at the Frost household was merry indeed. Kelly and her daughter greatly appreciate the warm wishes and gifts received and celebrated in their tiny home with dreams of Christmas next year in the new addition!

KELLY HOUSE UPDATE:

The materials list is on hand at Poulin Lumber and donations may be made there directly. You can donate lumber, a window, nails etc.! Cash donations have started to come in and we are excited to get started with the building.

There is a need for a crew chief! This person would oversee the construction--line up work for the volunteer builders and keep things flowing smoothly. Anyone who is interested should contact Nancy Kish or Tom Younkman (numbers below).

Project: Kelly's House

Update

Plans are almost complete and a materials list will be ready some time next week. The project is ready to accept donations and volunteer builders. Here's how you can help:

To Donate to the Project:

Option 1:

Make a donation for materials directly at Poulin Lumber in Hardwick. Just let them know you want to donate to the Kelly Frost Project and they will provide you with a list of items still needed. You may pay for all or part of any item on the list.

Option 2:

To make a donation, please make checks payable to The Kelly House Project and send to:

Nancy Kish

Attention: The Kelly House Project

618 Houston Hill Road

Hardwick,VT 05843

For more information or to volunteer to work on the Project:

Contact Tom Younkman (Project contact and AgrAbility Specialist) at 802-229-6419 or Nancy Kish (Local Contact) at 802-472-3711.

Agape Hill Farm is privileged to be part of a community-based effort to help a local farm family. We have volunteered our blogspot and other venues of communication to help get the word out about this worthwhile project:

Barn Builders, a local peer support group for farmers with disabilities, is working thru Vermont AgrAbility Project, The Vermont Center for Independent Living and the Northeast Kingdom Community Action Agency, Inc. (KEKCA) to help a local woman and her daughter realize a dream. (See story below) Barn Builders is looking to the community for help to complete a modest addition for Kelly and her daughter. The foundation has already been poured and a local architect Gregory Paus of Silver Ridge Design Inc in Hyde Park has volunteered to design the construction plans which will include a second bedroom, kitchen and workspace. Larry Hamel of Cornerstone Restoration Corporation is helping to oversee and coordinate construction. With donations for materials and volunteer builders, it is hoped the family will be able to enjoy the living space this winter. This will be a life changing gift to Kelly and her daughter and one that will allow them to pursue their desire to live independently. For questions contact Tom Younkman (Project contact and AgrAbility Specialist) at 802-229-6419 to donate or volunteer, please contact Nancy Kish (Local Contact) at 802-472-3711.

Kelly's Story

Kelly with her Icelandic Ram, Harley

Kelly Frost moved to Hardwick to live a simple life on a small homestead. She and her young daughter were starting a fiber farm (sheep, goats, rabbits, etc.) and making plans to enlarge the small camp in which they were living when, in 2007, everything came to a screeching halt. Kelly was involved in a serious car accident and suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). TBI is a challenging disability because people often appear no different than they did before their accident. The effects are not readily visible, but are very real and include memory loss, concentration and attention problems and communication and language issues. This has left Kelly unable to return to her job and for a time brought work at the farm to a standstill. Now that her condition has stabilized and with the help of the groups listed above, Kelly is developing a business plan though (NEKCA) to make the fiber farm reality. She has taken many steps forward, but one challenge overshadows all future plans. Kelly and her daughter have been living in a one room camp with a small bathroom and no kitchen.

There is no room for basic appliances such as a refrigerator and stove, no private space and no room for Kelly to work on the fiber art projects that could provide a sustainable living for her and her daughter. This seems like a very sad ending to one woman's dream, but we are confident that the amazing community in which we live will NOT let the story end here!!