The calm after the storm

It’s been more than 20 days since I last posted anything here on the farm blog. Twenty days that were busy and filled almost completely with good things, though there is undeniable relief in this family, that the craziness that the month of April always throws our way has passed yet again. I walked up to the Main Barn this morning to finally move the truck and our large trailer, which were still sitting where Sam and I had parked them late Wednesday afternoon when we got home from Kansas City and the Futurity. It was nice just to take a little stroll. The road here on the farm has dried out (finally), the sounds of spring birdsong filled the air, and the grass in the pastures has slowly but surely even started to turn a light hue of green.

I’m still feeling a sense of psychological numbness. It’s not just that yours truly was away from home for 9 total days, getting to and from the show in KC — our friend Dave Serino and I left on Tuesday 4/8 with the critters in tow and the rest of my clan joined up in KC on Saturday, 4/12 —  which was definitely a bit disorienting. After being in an almost purely reactive mode, I’m also slowly (and happily) coming to grips with the quiet realization that after 2+ months of show prep that began with the the training of 20+ weanlings when we got back from our kids’ February break, we now don’t have to even think about an alpaca show again until some time in October. Shearing is in less than two weeks and we have a female in the Parade of Champions sale at the end of May, but after the past month, that all feels easy-peasy by comparison. Yes, we’ll have some fleeces representing us in various far-flung places in the coming weeks ahead but those are already in the pipeline so to speak. Meh. What will be, will be, where those results are concerned. We just ran the 4 week gauntlet that began with the National show back in Mid-March, so I’m having trouble envisioning any fleece show result that could really tamper our joy at having all of Nationals/NAAS/Futurity solidly in the rearview mirror.  In any case, more on results from those last two halter shows, as well as a wonderful visit from some new friends to come in other posts shortly. Hope everyone has a great Easter weekend, however it is you choose to celebrate it…

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