Just the other day my mom called and asked if I could hand out flyers at WPI for an upcoming event taking place at her alpaca farm. I genuinely thought she was kidding. Thing is...she wasn't.
About seven years ago, I came home from school to find a few four-legged creatures roaming around in a pen in my background. I ran inside, bewildered, and asked my mom and stepdad what made them decide to purchase llamas. They began by correcting me on my terminology, then told me this nonsense was a mere hobby they had chosen to adopt. I shook my head, confused as to what in the world sparked this interest. There was no family background that suggested that anything like this would ensue; I reluctantly accepted the sudden presence of the odd-looking camel-things.
A few months later, the pen that enclosed the alpacas was divided into two different sections based on gender. At this point, the number of alpacas in my backyard had almost tripled...how did this happen? How could I ever hide this embarrassing scene from my friends?
I began praying that he two of them would take on some other hobby, like skateboarding or something. Word got out; most of my friends knew about the alpacas, but I still made no effort to explain what was going on to anyone that didn't ask about it. Deep down I knew that this hobby would transform into something bigger. The years passed and man did things amplify.
The logo came a few years down the road. I came home from school to a massive magnet on our front door that looked like this:
It was official: My mom and stepdad were proud owners of a growing alpaca farm. There was absolutely no hiding it now. The two of them recognized my embarrassment and decided to plant two of these magnets on the back of the truck I used for driving. It was famously labeled as "the alpaca truck" by my friends. I laughed off the embarrassment; a gradual acceptance of the farm began to take place in my mind.
The farm was expanding, fast. It seemed that every month the herd doubled in size and there were more little alpacas running around. It was unclear to me as to whether or not the growing would slow down.
After relocating the farm a few times, the two of them eventually settled on a beautiful 250 acre landscape in Thompson, CT. Today, things are a bit different than they were seven years ago. Morning Beckons Farm is now the largest alpaca farm in New England, over three hundred alpacas reside there. Accompanying the alpacas are goats, chickens, turkeys, llamas, and plenty of other animals.
I am well on my way to accepting the strangest and coolest thing that's ever happened to me. I mean after all, if I wasn't, I definitely wouldn't be writing this article. It may have taken me seven years to accept the presence of alpacas in my life, but now I find it plain awesome. I look forward to seeing what's to come in the future.
By the way, mom, I will not be handing out flyers at WPI for the farm's upcoming event.
