Saying Goodbye is Such Sweet Sorrow

I said goodbye to a herd of 10 alpacas yesterday.  They were boarded on my farm while their new farm was being outfitted with a barn and fencing.  This was such a wonderful job tending to this herd.  Such sweet alpacas that were quite the characters.  Nothing was more enjoyable than hosing this group down.  They loved the hose and their kiddie swimming pool.  It was a guarantee belly laugh every time the hose came out.  This herd had been coming to my farm for temporary boarding for about two years.  Their owners had owned a small place about an hour from me and when they went on vacation, they'd drop off their kid alpacas a day or two before they left.  I was affectionately known as Camp Hum Sweet Hum.

I remember the first time this herd came for their temporary stay.  They are such a close-knit cohesive herd.  They stem from two dams and it is their children and grandchildren that are all together still.  They were quite skittish that first trip here.  If one moved, they all moved.  They looked like a school of fish how they moved around in their pasture.  It took several days before they felt braver but none ever came too close to me.  The second trip to the farm, they were a little more comfortable with things and they were getting to know Moose and the rest of the gang here.  By their third trip to the the farm, they would race about the pasture pronking as their owners left.  It was fun times here.  They enjoyed the fruit during summer as I handed out apples.  Their owners said they never knew about apples and they got their addiction while here.  

Although this group enjoyed the farm here and were comfortable, they never quite showed the affection they do with their owners.  I was ok with that and never pushed them to do more.  But, yesterday as I was haltering them up and talking to them about how much I enjoyed having them here and telling them they were heading to their new home and seeing their mom and dad again, several reached over and gave me kisses on my cheek.  It was like they knew they weren't coming back.  They are moving too far away for me to continue doing their temporary boarding when their owners are on vacation.  Tears welled up in my eyes as they gave me their kisses and allowed me to rub their necks.  I'm happy their owners will have their kids home because they adore their alpacas, yet it was bittersweet saying goodbye to them.  I so enjoyed having them here.  What a wonderful job that was to tend to such beautiful, sweet and easy alpacas and I got paid for it!  When one door closes another one opens and I hope the next door that opens will be as sweet as this one.

The alpacas attending Camp Hum Sweet Hum