Growing up, my home was easily identifiable -- gray farm house, matching gray barn -- oh, and let's not forget the fence enclosing two llamas on my property. Yes, I had two pet llamas. Often my family would see cars parking on the side of the road as people snapped pictures, some even coming up to the fence to get a closer look. Needless to say, our home was given the moniker "llama house."
Life was interesting with Sherman and Sophia. Bought on a whim by my father, the llamas were raised with goats. They acted as protectors for the herd as they grazed on our property. Sherman, the younger and milder tempered lived happily among them, whereas Sophia had a mind of her own. This mind lead into the first question that everyone asked upon hearing that I had llamas: Have they ever spit? The answer, in short, is yes -- a lot.
Here's a photo of me walking Sherman.
Sophia was dominant. She wanted to be in charge, and on numerous occasions she displayed this in the best way she knew how: spitting on anything that stood in her path. This included goats, dogs, and other farm animals, along with the occasional human. An unhappy family member or two can attest to being in her line of fire. This is what inevitably led her to be removed from our house. The final straw came when my dad, simply trying to pass her, apparently displeased her so much that he got a face full of spit. With that, Sophia, the commander, was exiled from our home being sold to another unknowing person.
Sherman, on the other hand, was docile; we raised him from a baby. When first bought, he fit into the back of our SUV, squeezing into the backseat like a dog. I imagine that many stares from other drivers took place that day as we passed them on the road, llama on board. As a child, Sherman was a source of entertainment. I would parade him around my yard on a lead, so excited that no one else had a pet like mine. Once, my younger sister attempted to ride him, which although unsuccessful, was immensely humorous to everyone else watching the spectacle. We had Sherman for years, keeping him fondly as a quirky pet until he passed away.
A photo of Sherman as a baby:
Now, looking back on these strange childhood memories, I can attest that my love for the movie, "Napoleon Dynamite," came from identifying with him and his pet llama, Tina. Sherman and Sophia made my childhood experience a little more exciting. It also doesn't hurt to have "once I owned a few llamas" as a funny conversation starter. Even though our home no longer bears the title of the "llama house" I'll still have the memories and pictures to look back on with odd appreciation for an even odder pet.
