Maria, without an h. Peeking through the vinyl door. If you are a breeder of llamas, you take many factors into consideration when selecting an animal to add to your herd. Just makes sense to get fiber, temperament, size, blood lines, guardian and performance types in your breeding plan. When I entered the llama world, I had no thought of breeding, but Carol guided me in choosing as if I were. Now that I am more interested in growing my herd, I have most of what you would want to balance a breeding program. So, how did I select Maria, and why. The video answers that question, beyond a shadow...
Nothing can replace a cria that Miss Cierra is not going to birth; learning llamas includes disappointment. I really wanted her blood line but she is 14 so I think it prudent to retire her and find that line elsewhere. Balancing that sorrow are the two new girls in my herd, and while they are not newly born, they are newly separated from their mothers, and you can tell. Maria and SP are spending their first full day on the farm, and amazingly, they have really settled in. But not surprisingly, they are homesick, missing mothers, missing a large herd where they knew everyone, missing Carol and Buck Hollow Llamas.
I am trying to be a good stand in, and Maria already comes to me. After feeding, I took her for a walk to the pond area where I thought she might graze, but she was much too interested in her surroundings. SP is shyer but by late this afternoon, she was nuzzling me face-to-face. Tomorrow should bring a walk with her. Such graceful beautiful creatures. Wonderful fiber too, but the personalities are what sold me, enough that I switched from Bodacious, a stunning-looking llama, to SP at Carol's open barn. Just loved the the manageability and people-pleasing nature of SP. Of all my herd, the girls would only know and possibly recognize Et Cetera, and so it is no surprise that they bonded to her. What did surprise me is Et Cetera's response; she is mothering them, staying with them, forming a sub-herd of 3. When Tess, Rev, and Miss Cierra went to pasture again late morning, Et Cetera stayed behind with the new girls, mentoring, guiding, and teaching them.
I agonized for months over how they would settle in, if they would be accepted, and would there be enough room for all of them to have fan access. Guess I shouldn't have lost sleep over this one. The two young 'uns stay together, and consider the first stall they entered as theirs. That's where they head, and Et Cetera is right there with them, their stand-in mother. She kushes down with them, calls them to follow her, and they travel together in a small pack.
We are so rain deprived, I followed Carol's advice and brought hay to the pasture. The girls dug in at the beginning, but then went back to browsing the sparse orchard grass. If only we could have several days of gentle rain to green the fields.
If I had to settle on just one thing that made Carol and Doug Reigh's Open Barns at Buck Hollow Llamas so perfect each year, I would be hard pressed to select only one aspect of the two-day event. Perhaps the camaraderie of the wonderful vendors, great friends and member of Carol's GALA 2010 team. Or the collective knowledge in the arts, crafts, and llama breeding, rearing, and running a farm is staggering--and a wonderful learning opportunity. Or spending time with Carol and Doug, however busy they may be. Or just hanging out, being part of the scene, from behind a lens. From felting to spinning, weaving, shearing, and carding to walking llamas or just sitting in the pastoral setting, enjoying a picnic at a beautiful farm, it's all good.
I love being out and about, mixing and mingling with the visitors, vendors, llamas, and the people who are slowly but surely becoming family. Lunch for the volunteers and vendors is always wonderful; Carol makes her beef barbecue and we all bring something else. When all the goodies are put together, it's surely a feast. Saturday evening, we were guests of the Reighs at Shady Maple, an experience in smorgasbord dining. Despite the lines--beyond long--Carol walked us right in, finding our party a special room. Always we have such a fine time, spending a day with friends, family, and llamas. Forgive me for sounding nostalgic, but it's almost like being a child again at Christmas; the wonderful memories last a year. And before you know it, that time of year returns again, building new memories of perfect days with people and pets we love.
She is my Sophisticated Lady, elegant, fine-boned, beautifully chiseled, and reserved. You might ask, which one. Fawn or white. (You guessed correctly if you chose the lady on the left, although the white llama is my soul mate.)
Almost timid; it runs in her bloodlines. Although she is a perfect weight, she is thinner than I would like, what animal people call a hard keeper. Because she will not spit off another llama at feeding time, I am her protector, her grain keeper, and I make sure she has her full measure. Because I hand feed her (the Spoiled Rotten Llamas plaque is so appropriate), each morning we share extra time together, facing first light as it moves slowly over our mountain.
There is a stillness as you watch the invisible made visible, light rising eerily behind a copse of trees, velvet muzzle on your hand, sounds from grain crunchers. In this shared time with one of God's elegant creatures, I ponder the day ahead. How can I make a text more relevant for my students. What about myself needs reinvention. Was my aunt's knee replacement a success. And I pray. "Lord, make me a blessing to someone today." (Jan Karon, At Home in Mitford)
Facing first light, I confront my fears, small as they are. Questions about the future progression of my disease, will it attack other organs, will it lead to leukemia, what are the first real symptoms I should look for, is there a cancer diet. Small things, really. But life fully lived, on my terms, always asks hard questions. Because I can ask them, I can face the answers, facing first light.
Sadly, the llama community is losing a stellar team of breeders who have been in this business for many years. Their breeding program has seriously impacted and improved the llama industry at a national (and perhaps global--I am still too much a newcomer to know) level. Having sold their herd, the owners of Berry Acres Llamas (please view the slide show on their blog--exquisite images) are now selling 25 years of accumulated farm and llama-related items. Their magnificent property is also for sale. You can view a list of items for auction here.
Friday the 13th was a lucky day indeed; the girls were reunited with their first Mother, Carol Reigh, who bred and raised my girls. If ever a logo truly symbolized a business, Carol's logo does, and you can see its representation in this photo and the Animoto video in this post. Carol came to the farm to teach me how to use the chute I purchased from her to use to groom the girls and trim their toenails. Learning llamas is a learning curve in itself: how to halter, lift their feet to support their weight, where to place your foot in the chute to provide that much-needed support, how to massage their feet, how to enter and exit a chute, how to turn a llama to the left, right, or to move one back in a straight line. Nothing makes a learning curve straighten better or faster than learning from the best, and that's what I have in my breeder, who continues to mentor me and our girls as we become a new family.
Maria, without an h. Peeking through the vinyl door. If you are a breeder of llamas, you take many factors into consideration when selecting an animal to add to your herd. Just makes sense to get fiber, temperament, size, blood lines, guardian and performance types in your breeding plan. When I entered the llama world, I had no thought of breeding, but Carol guided me in choosing as if I were. Now that I am more interested in growing my herd, I have most of what you would want to balance a breeding program. So, how did I select Maria, and why. The video answers that question, beyond a shadow...
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