Lone Tree Alpacas, LLC

We had some very special guests this weekend. Archie and his family. Archie listened so well to us as he held perfectly still for our skittish alpacas so they would become brave enough to come close to him. It was a challenge in patience and trust. And he rose to the occasion. He got a kick out of our Homer, the pot belly too. Then, Archie couldn't resist covering himself in alpaca mash to make him even more desirable to the alpacas. It worked like a charm. I suspect he may grow up to be an animal whisperer. What an absolutely delightful time we had with everyone.

This family is special as we have memories that go back further than anyone other than my own family. Patty Mercer is a childhood friend without match. Our family moved around almost yearly until I hit 4th grade. The longest spell was in Great Falls, MT. We lived in the same neighborhood, ran and rode the bus to school, went on a gazillion field trips, scared each other half to death with ghost stories and spent our formative years together. In our gallivanting I once fell on the RR tracks and a rock lodged in my leg. Patty carried me all the way home to my parents and a doctors visit. There is no truer friend than this and doesn't she still look as healthy and strong as she was 56 plus years ago. Thank you my dear friend 💞🫂🌈.

We made it through shearing, in between days with buckets of rain falling. Our head shearer was Triston this year. He was the last crew out and we got that fleece off dry except for a small number at the very end. Baby girls had their first shearing. One is cushed right next to her Mom while she's getting shorn.

Now, it is quite hot so very relieved the alpacas are comfortable. They can't take those fur coats off so shearing is literally life saving in some cases, especially for lowlanders with humidity.