Ideuma Creek's Henry David Thoreau

Welcome barely shows any signs at all of being in stage one labor.  She's incredibly stoic, doesn't hum, and seemingly just pushes the cria right out.  It's a good thing she's very reliable or I'm sure I'd miss her births.  Welcome has had seven crias for us.  All of her births have been very early, at day 319 or 320!  Even though her births are so early, her crias are not premature.  Thoreau was 17 pounds at birth and was up and nursing within an hour.

Welcome is one of the friendliest alpacas here on our farm.  When John woke up, he came over to the barn to see who was having a cria today.  He found me sitting Indian-style right next to Welcome petting her neck.  I proudly announced that Welcome would be having her cria this morning.  John stayed in the barn for over an hour, but Welcome wasn't showing any imminent signs and the Sunday paper was waiting for him.  He headed back for the house.  I'm sure he didn't make it to the front door when Welcome delivered her cria. 

Right from the beginning, I knew Thoreau was going to be beautiful.  He's just got such a unique rose-grey consistent color.  I couldn't wait to run into the house (John barely had the first page of the paper done) to tell John Welcome just delivered a gorgeous rose-grey boy!

We named the cria Thoreau after my favorite Romantic author.  When I was studying for my Master Degree comprehensive exams, I reread Walden, a novel Thoreau wrote while spending time alone in the woods.  I realized that John and I really do live much the same way as Thoreau did, very simply and appreciating the wonders of nature.  I read how Thoreau realized life was short and didn't want to spend his precious time doing things he didn't want to be doing.  One day while he was dusting, a chore I venture to say no one enjoys, he threw a rock he had been using as a paper weight right out the window.  He simply spent too much time dusting it on a regular basis.  After reading this section and digesting what it meant, I went right downstairs and threw out my iron!  I hated ironing.  I spent way too much of my precious time doing it.  To this day, John and I do not own an iron. 

Thoreau has had an impact on my life's philosophy.  I wanted to name this sweet little alpaca with so much potential after him.  Alpacas have just added to the simplicity of our lives.  We so enjoy being alpaca farmers.  The pleasure that we receive from these animals is not measurable.  I can't imagine having a more pleasant summer evening than sitting in the pasture and watching the crias run through the fields at dusk.

Our little alpaca, Thoreau, may turn out to be a herd sire.  From where he is right now, it certainly seems to be a good possibility!  He is very straight and correct, has a perfect bite, and of course, has this incredibly soft, beautiful rose-grey fiber.  Time will tell what his future will be.  For right now though, Thoreau is a reminder for us to appreciate the little things, to admire the beauties in nature, and to spend our time enjoying life.

Thoreau in the Fall of 2004