As I have shared before, it was a long, hard winter for Ellsbury, our aging black alpaca. Ellsy has always been a happy, docile, really shy guy, who absolutely loved his alpaca buddies. When Kahuna died this winter, we did all we could to keep Ellsy company, but it was if he was so far in his own grief and sadness, that he was kind-of mad at us that Kahuna had died. Yes, maybe I am projecting a bit, but no matter what, he seemed down day after day. He even reached a point where he wouldn’t eat grain from our hands or even from the bucket when we held it. He basically ignored us and moped.

Then his lambs arrived full-time in the barn, and it is as if ever single minute they are there, Ellsy comes back to life and joy more and more. He’s making happy sounds, he’s following them everywhere, he sleeps right next to their pen at night. He shares his grain with them. And yesterday, for the first time in over two months, he ate from the bucket as it rested on my hip, while I gave Lana a bottle. He’s back to looking us in the eye, he is standing up straight, he even ran a little bit yesterday.

Having a purpose — that of being the protector of the lambs, is bringing him back to himself. His mood is improving by the day, and what a joy it is to see!