Already a week has gone by since my last blog! 

 Farm life can get busy, not to mention four kids!  But of course what fun would one be with out the other.  My youngest daughter is very determined to get our cria (baby alpacas) trained right from the start this summer.  Everyday, usually before her breakfast she heads to the barn to halter train and get the cria comfortable with being touched.  After all, everyone wants to touch that wonderful fiber, but alpacas are not that crazy about being touched.  Also, it’s much easier to hold the lead line of a bucking, jumping, kicking, 30 pound cria than a 90 pound weanling. 

  My favorite classes to watch at an alpaca show are the performance classes; Jr, and sub. Jr obstacle classes, as well as performance and P.R.   What?  That means kids and even younger (sub Jr.) kids walking their alpacas thru an obstacle course.  Usually, jumps, limbo, steps, teeter totter, backing up, and perhaps loading into a trailer.  The obstacles get even harder in the performance class and then P.R. (public relation) where you and your alpaca have to perform well with people touching and sitting near by.

  I have tried to video some of these sessions, but of course the cria never do well when I have the camera out.  Even though the shows are fun to see, what goes on before the show is even funnier!