Llama Kisses

There is nothing quite like the soft fluttering kiss of a loving llama. Just walk in the barn and wait for the quiet qpproach of a friend. Liberty is that friend. She is a young llama born at Angel Tree last May 25th (2008) from our guard llama Abbey an our guard llama male...Homer. She is a beautiful light blown/grey female with white neck and legs as you can see and that's her friend... Ashley! This, this is what the alpaca (llama :-) farm is about. It's an escape from the busy day...it's a investment...it's a lifestyle... We love the animals and do all the day to day care othselves. Because we love it and that makes our animals loveable and very used to people. Try it...you will fall in love with alpacas.

Angel Tree Farm Alpacas hosts Farm City Day!

This summer he had an event to remember! The co-operative extension contacted us and asked if we would like to host Farm City Day? We of course said yes and were excited to get the field of alpacas out there to the public...well we sure did! With incredible planning and expertise the Co-operative extension enticed approximately 700 visitors to the farm that sunny day. I do recall her saying that we didn't have to do a thing...but that is like inviting 700 guests over and not cleaning your house! We painted, fenced, trimmed and planted (with a little help from "The Plantsmen") in preparation for the day. What do they say? If you build it they will come...well the Co-operative extension really put on a Farm City Day to remember! The sun was shining and the people came to see not only alpacas but spinners, vegetable sculpting, sheep herding, the Dairy princess and her court scooping ice cream and the list goes on. It was a day to remember on the farm!

Mud, Mud, mud!

Some remember as a child...liking mud. I never remember that nor do I think I ever will! This weekend I moved fences so that the animals are confined by the barn door and hay area by the hay bins. They are just trampling down the pastures and we are concerned that the grass will not grow. They don't seem to mind and will just feed off the hay until grass grows. I have a hard time believing that we have seen the last of the snow for the year:-) So for now, whether we like it or not...we will deal with mud. I wish I was an alpaca...not much phases them!

Alpaca Red Hats!

When speaking of hats one cannot go without mentioning the new and stylish Red Hat. Ellie did not want to leave the "Red Hatters" out of this one! For anyone that knows red hatters knows they are special and wear only stylish red hats. Well Ellie figured that a "red hat" for this group would be a special hat indeed. She can create them with purple ribbons and bows or a simple knit in purple band. Our website features these special hats and one special lady got one of the first few to be made...our very own Curly Grandma!

(Pauline Engels)

Hats by Ellie

Okay, if I wrote about socks... I must write and tell you about the incredible hats that are being produced by my mother, Ellie Hunter. She has found that she has a new talent at the age (of 70 something!). She knits, felts and molds that alpaca yarns into these very in-demand hats. They are thick and luxurious and always one of a kind because she hand makes each one. She uses antique pins to decorate each hat and although they are beautiful some people like them plain with the brim. Some are adorned with felted flowers or ribbons. One of the favorite hats is made from a gorgeous dark green iridescent alpaca yarn and embellished with a peacock feather from the peacocks on our farm. They grow them special for us. Once the courting season is over the peacocks conveniently drop their feathers and we gather them up to be sold in the farm store or put on a hat! That is what is so great about our farm...no killing! The alpacas are sheared (once the weather turns nice around here!), the chickens lay the eggs to be sold on the porch and the peacocks drop their feathers for hats and excited kids visiting the farm store. We are not self sustaining yet...but maybe someday!

Check out this blog for other great felting ideas! http://www.alpacafarmgirl.com

Alpaca socks and hats

Although I will probably wear to my grave the incredibly beautiful hat that my own mother knit and felted for me out of one of my favorite alpacas (Snowy) I must admit that as I am aging...I have absolutely fallen in love with alpaca socks! There is nothing quite like putting on these luxuriously thick warm socks on a cold wintry day. It is easy to understand why it was only incan royalty that was afforded alpaca to wear hundreds of years ago. It is this feeling that has truly made me feel old lately! Joy from socks? Ha! The sad part is we have a distributor that has been having difficulty getting us the socks and they meagerly arrive in half dozens every few months. They are so incredible that demand is greater than the supply. Imagine that? So for now as we await our next shipment we and our loyal customers (who have been very patient!) will be satisfied to wear our old alpaca socks and our incredible fiber hats by Ellie. The hats are embellished with antique pins of gold, pearls and jewels. They are one of a kind and just to die for!

Alpaca School Visit

I am excited to report that Jay and I did our first Alpaca School visit. A local school was studying about South America and the teacher wanted them to experience the alpaca, as it is such a vital aspect of the culture and economy in South America.
We really enjoyed this eventhough it fell on an ugly rainy, wintery day in February. The children were interested attentive and very polite. They were amazed just as we are constantly at the facts about this incredible creature...Of course as soon as I mentioned that we had brought her to visit in our "paca van" they laughed...and practically while explaining how clean they are and that they would never relieve themselves in the van or gym where we were presenting...didn't she go and do it..."tinkle" on the floor as one child mentioned in their beautifully written thank you note! It was quite a day. We only wish we did not work (I am a kindergarten teacher but I was excused by my principal during my lunch and planning period to meet Jay for the presentation) Jay recently opened his own accounting firm so that he can have more flexability and more time for the farm. Maybe when we retire we can do more visiting!