Tehachapi's Online Community News & Entertainment Guide
Tehachapi's Online Community News & Entertainment Guide
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 34
Mornings at the ranch are really busy and filled with surprises. Some of them have four legs. This year we have been blessed with a beautiful, chocolate baby camel born under a rainbow! We named him Finnian. Apparently we love him more than his momma, because she rejected him and we are raising him on a bottle. He loves people and would love to see you any Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., now through the end of October. We were stunned to have a really special baby reindeer born on Easter...
I know I have talked about the sounds at the ranch before. I love them all. A personal favorite is the drumming of the emu. Right now I hear the donkeys braying, impatient for their dinner. Every sound is distinct. I liken it to music. There are happy sounds and sad sounds, and then there is just plain noise, like the call of 13 fallow deer annoyed that their dinner has not yet been served. This got me to thinking. What do these critters think of the sounds we make? It really is kind of a mixed...
If you have ever visited the ranch you have probably met my "girl pack." They are an integral part of the ranch. Each of these girls is a rescue. Truly was dropped off at the Berkeley Animal Shelter by a group of homeless people. She was sick and full of fox tails so bad she needed two surgeries. Momma and Sophie are typical desert dumps. Momma was dropped off along with her puppies in Mojave where she raised and protected them until I found her. There were four puppies but I was only able to ca...
Did you ever have one of those dreams where you wake up and you are not sure if you were dreaming? I have been feeling this way since the beginning of COVID. Here at the ranch things seem normal. Our routine hasn't changed. We work hard to make sure the animals get the best care we can give them. But it has felt like something has been missing, and you know what? It has. With COVID restrictions and all the craziness of this world, we have missed you. The animals have missed you. And that is why...
Every year at this time as we prepare to open the ranch, I look back at how far we have come. Our first opening was a two day experiment and we were stunned by the turnout. We tried it one more time and again, the people came. That is when friends got together and formed "The Animal Education Center at Windswept Ranch, Inc.", a nonprofit educational foundation, and things got real. Volunteers got busy and built a picnic area. A playground was added and pens began to get facelifts. The ranch...
This year, the Fourth of July will take on a different meaning for many. Some will celebrate the birth of a nation. Others will decry injustice and berate that nation. Here at the ranch we approach the Fourth with a bit of sadness and a sense of hope. It has been over a year since we have had guests at the ranch. We closed for the entire year in 2019 to do restoration and repairs and try to build a better place for you and the animals. It was the end of October 2018, that the ranch suffered a...
Sometimes things just don't work like you planned. I think with all that has happened this year, we all know that. When we decided to close the ranch for a year we had no clue this would happen. We just wanted to create a better ranch for the animals and a better experience for you. We worked really hard in 2019 to make that happen despite torrential rain, freezing snow, horrific winds and more recently, extreme heat. Heading up to April, everyone involved was so excited and proud of the work...
Here at the ranch our volunteers have worked so hard to be ready for our planned opening on April 4. And suddenly, a pandemic! People have been showing up and painting and cleaning and building and loving on the animals all year long so we would be ready to invite you out for the grand re-opening. There are new features and refreshed old features, all to ensure you the best visit ever. And if you have not been here before, get ready to be surprised. There are about 100 animals here representing over 25 species and over 30 countries. And every...
I cannot tell you how excited we all are to be opening the ranch to visitors again! We really have worked hard over the past year to get things ready and it looks like most of the work will be done thanks to some amazing volunteers. (We still have a place for you if you are interested in volunteering and will have an orientation on Saturday, March 14 and again on March 28). Having an extra day in February really helped. Leap Year was a gift for us. I am not sure what you did with your extra...
Saturdays at the ranch begin early. There are the regular chores to get done plus preparing for guests. We usually begin at 7 a.m. and are still scampering around getting things done when the first visitors arrive. The animals know. They just know. You can see a level of excitement as they wait for the first guests to arrive. And that is when the fun begins! Visitors are greeted at the gate and checked in, then led on a personal tour which includes teaching about the animals, taking the time to...
Amazing isn't it, how things go in full circles and somehow everything seems to connect. Two days ago, I got a call from a big zoo about five fallow deer that had been confiscated by the Department of Fish and Wildlife from someone who had obtained and held them illegally. The zoo was being asked to take them, but really do not want them. Would I take them? How odd that a similar call 20 years ago set me on the course I now follow. That call came from the University of California. They had...
People say my articles often leave them in tears, so I decided to change it up a bit and tell you the story of my recent trip to San Francisco with our new pig, Double Stuff. Every year I make a trip to San Francisco to do a petting zoo in the city. It really is fun as most of these folks never get an opportunity to see farm animals and the ones that have always have fun stories to tell me. This year, I took Double Stuff, a tiny handful of a pig that is a Kunekune/Duroc cross. That basically...
I don't often talk about the dogs here, but they are an integral part of the ranch. If you have been here, you have probably met most of them. At the very least, you have spent time with Doug, Dolly and Lady. Each dog here comes from the pound or a situation of need and I highly recommend that if you are looking for a dog, you start at your local animal shelter. These dogs know they were rescued and they are grateful. I will never understand how anyone can take a 12-year-old dog to the shelter a...
The other day, I was remembering a show called, "When Animals Attack." If you don't remember the show, it was about animal encounters that ended badly, as in animals attacked for no apparent reason and folks got hurt. What reminded me of this show was our newest camel, Matty, because that is how she was. Well, not actually, but it was the first time in my memory that an animal has taken an immediate dislike to me, so that's how it felt. I've never had such a reaction from any animal. When...
I walk the ranch every morning and every night just to check and make sure all is well with the critters. It is a peaceful time and I enjoy the quiet to just visit with my friends, the animals. This morning baby rabbits were scampering everywhere and it reminded me that it is that time of the year: The time when little ones are everywhere and I start getting phone calls, and this year is shaping up to be busier than usual based on the abundance of forage as a result of the rains. At Windswept...
Things are always changing here at Windswept. There are happy moments, then sad, then happy. This time of the year, we are always happy to welcome new babies. We have lambs on the ground and they will steal your heart. But happy is on overload this year. There are new faces here that were not a part of a plan, but instead came as big surprises. Last July, I went on a road trip with my Grands to Texas. I rented a car instead of driving my van to help me behave because Texas is a dangerous place...
You know the feeling when you start to do something, then you start over, and over, and over? Well, that is the way this article has gone. I had an idea, then Charlottesville happened and everything I thought I wanted to write went by the wayside. I wanted to rail against the hatred, the intolerance, the violence. I wanted to hit the streets and protest for peace. Instead, I sat and watched the animals and I found peace. The thing about animals is, they have no agenda. (Well, maybe carrots....
Saturdays at the ranch begin with total chaos. In addition to our regular chores, we go to special lengths to make sure everything is super clean so our visitors have a great time. We begin at 7:30 a.m. by making sure all the animals have clean water and that hoses are rolled up and out of the way. While the beet pulp is soaking, we begin the task of cleaning pens and pathways. Depending on what the wind has done, this can be easy, or challenging. By 9 a.m., most of the pens are ready and it is time to cut carrots, hang signs and feed all of ou...
Every year, we get to start over. We call it NEW Year. It is a chance for a fresh start. There is just something about that word, NEW. Maybe it is remembering getting NEW shoes when you were a kid getting ready to go back to school. They made you feel taller. You had more spring in your step. They made you feel NEW. Who hasn't been excited as an adult by a NEW car. The smell, the feel of the steering wheel in your hands, the thrill as it accelerates. NEW is good. And nobody does NEW like...
I hate them. Here at the ranch they happen. There are times when no matter how hard you try, how much you spend, in the end, you must say goodbye. Over the past few years, I have embraced and let go of so many animals I loved that it seemed fitting to remember them in this, my last article of the season. For those of you who honor me by following these articles, some of these critters may sound familiar. Walter, the dromedary camel came to the ranch so full of parasites, he was literally dying....
Have you ever just sat and listened? I mean, really listened to the sounds around you? Here at the ranch, we have amazing sounds. Earl, the emu, makes a sound like a chain saw trying to start. The baby reindeer "bark". It sounds like they are saying "owa owa". Our little mule deer fawn, Ember, "meows" and literally sounds like a kitten. Zebra bark a short shrill, breathless sound. Camels make such a unique sound I have thought of recording it and sending it to the Sasquatch Society. I am sure th...
Something in the air is different. All the animals of the forest are restless. What is that smell? Momma puts her nose in the air and sniffs: "Smoke. Run Ember! Run!" And it begins. Running and running. Behind them a monster. It is yellow and red. It makes a hissing sound. It crackles. It is the Erskine fire. Running and running. The smoke makes it hard to breath. And now the smell of smoke is mixed with the smell of fear. "Faster Ember" Momma shouts. Her little legs are going as fast as they...
At Windswept Ranch, this time of year, we get more calls about fawns from Bear Valley than from any other area in Tehachapi. I think that just shows how much Bear Valley's residents care about their deer, so this seems a great time to remind everyone how to act when encountering deer. First, and foremost, please remember that these animals are wild! That cute spotted fawn, is a very important part of California's eco-system. They are animals native to our region and have been here longer than...
Some animals are just special. That perfectly describes Valentine. Who knew you could love a bison? But from the moment I saw Valentine, it has been that way. It was early February when I got the call. A ranch in Cuayama had sold its herd of 300 bison for slaughter. One of the cows had dropped a calf the week before and the owner was looking for someone to take it. Thankfully he didn't feel right letting the baby go off to slaughter. And so on Valentine's day, 9 years ago, I headed to Cuayama,...
Had a harsh reality check to remind me of just how tough ranching can be this morning when I turned on my computer and went to check out facebook. A friend of mine in Oregon found one of her reindeer had been killed by a cougar. It wasn't just any reindeer, but the first baby ever born on her property. He was just 2 years old. Not that I really needed a reminder. Ranching comes with both joy and sorrow. This year, we have already lost 2 baby reindeer. One was born dead, the other died shortly af...
