Musical Animals

Today's a sad day. Our sheep family went back home to their original owners. They were going to stay with us, but Jim realized that if I wasn't going to eat them, there was no sense keeping them when his had gotten them to raise food. I don't like the meat and I prefer to raise animals for fiber since I like to knit. Overall, we decided we didn't like sheep as much as we thought. Rams are real buttheads. Pun intended! It was the llama we fell in love with.


Here's Valentino. Our friends decided they wanted him back when they returned from winter vacation. We knew they would and had taken him expecting this, but it's hard because he's come to like and trust us and we love him. He didn't want to get into the trailer this morning and kept looking back with longing at the other two llamas and Jim.


Yes, I said other two llamas. As soon as we knew for sure Valentino was leaving, Jim began looking for another llama. Not that we can replace Val, but so Jim had another one for a pet to ease his sadness at Val's leaving. We quickly found a couple who were seeking a good home for their two llama pets, but the new home had to prove good. When they discovered we already had a llama and why we wanted another, they decided our home was the best one out of the fifteen or so responses they had gotten. They've been here for about two weeks now and have adjusted well. Valentino who had never been around other llamas took to them well even though he still stood on guard around the unfixed llama (the brown one). When it came time for him to leave today, it was obvious he wanted to stay, and once he was gone the other two, particularly the brown one, whined and rushed about the pen looking for him. While I'm happy our friends can have their llama again, I do hope Valentino will return. I think he'll miss the other two as they already miss him. And we certainly miss him, too. Things won't be the same around here without Val.


This is Quimby, now called Quigley since it's Jim's family name. He is definitely Jim's llama. He comes running like a puppy dog whenever Jim comes home and he lets Jim pet him. Me? Forget it. If I'm lucky and catch him when he's not looking.


This is Moxie, more my llama. He won't go near Jim, but always comes to see me. He lets me pet him and loves to sniff my face. His hind legs are weak due to a worm he contracted from deer pellets a few years ago, but it was caught in time. He may be a bit unstable in the hips, but he's a friendly guy. The strange thing about these two llamas is their smell. It's a fragrant, pleasant smell like faint perfume you would never imagine would come from a llama.

So now we learn to get on without Valentino. At least we have Moxie and Quigley to accompany us through life. Though we've lost some today, we're also priviledged by their presence. Thank You, God. You're good all the time.