Sunday Morning Blog

November 19, 2005

You Can Pick Your Friends, But You Can't Pick Your Llamas

I love the smell of llama in the morning! I try not to give away too many clues as to where I live, but this one could almost guide you to my front door. I don't imagine llamas are all that common on Cape Cod, but at my house, llamas are part of the landscape. I must admit, the smell is really not that noticeable. Every once in a while you get that Barnstable County Fair, petting zoo scent teasing the olfactory membranes. It is somewhat like hearing that song on the radio that brings back happy memories of people, places or events. The barnyard smell also reminds us that a farm is nearby, and provides an odoriferous remembrance of the days when farms were more common.

I remember when we first moved in, our next door neighbor asked us to sign a petition trying to oust the llamas from the neighborhood. I did not sign of course. Although I pity our neighbor's dilemma- visitors to his backyard pool must get blasted by the barnyard scent at times (there are chickens too), I certainly would not deny someone the right to their animals or livelihood. The avian flu has come to mind when considering the proximity of their chicken coops, but I am not planning any visits to the farm, so there shouldn't be cause for concern. The llamas, although I am not certain of their benefit, have never bothered me. The smell is not obtrusive, we just get a reminder of their presence on occasion.

The most excitement regarding our neighbor-herd was when the window and siding company arrived with van loads of illegal immigrant Ecuadorians (honest, I didn't check their papers). Apparently, llamas are more common in Ecuador than Massachusetts, and it was like old home week here at the farm. The wide grins, excited jabber, and pointing fingers all expressed recognition of their native beasts (or maybe they were just thinking barbecue). This is the closest the llamas have come to celebrity here since our move, but not everyone can brag of such neighbors. In Hyannisport they have the Kennedy's; in our neck of the woods, we have the Llamas. I will let you decide which neighbors I consider more respectable (and which more pleasing to the senses).

Suggested reading: The Twenty-One Most Commonly Asked Llama Questions

Posted by capecodcyclist at November 19, 2005 06:00 AM