July 2023 by bruce grace
Alpacas are my absolute favorite animal. While visiting family in MO, I stumbled across the Heartfelt Alpacas org on google, and I thought it would be a great time to visit there with my family. There were no hours listed on their website, and no one answered the phone, so we decided to take a drive over around noon on a Saturday. I pulled up in the drive with my wife and two small kids, and as we approached the herd, my heart was instantly filled with joy. The curious creatures with their funny Afro haircuts and lopsided teeth always seem to brighten my day. Little did I know, my joy would soon turn to sadness.As we pulled up the drive, we noticed that there was a small building in front of a house, and we assumed that this must be the store, so we pulled up next to it and got out of the car to approach the skiddish distant camel cousins next to the building. My kids smiled and laughed as they tried to feed their new friends some long grass through the fence. All was perfect, joyful, goofy animal bliss, until a dark blue crossover came blasting down the drive kicking up dust. My first thought was, “great! Someone is finally here to show us around the happiest place on earth!” But I was wrong. So very wrong..My kids were still trying to feed the mini llamas as a man approached us. I smiled and said, “Hi, we saw your website, and we really wanted to see your farm. We didn’t see any hours listed, and no one answered the phone, so we decided to drive over. Are you open?”At this point, my expectation of someone who owned such an amazing taste of heaven on earth would have been.. “I’m so glad y’all are here! Let me show your kids around! Oh, you said you’re from Michigan?? Let me show you some of the gloves that we make from the Alpaca wool. They will certainly keep you warm during the harsh Michigan winters!” However, like I said, I was dead wrong. The man opened his mouth and angrily muttered three words “By appointment only!” Right there, my heart sunk, and my kids’ dreams were crushed. We were obviously not welcome, and we felt the urgent need to leave. I guess alpacas don’t bring as much joy to their owners as they do to me. I really have a hard time understanding that, but Reality is reality, and I have to learn to live with it.Our Aunt, who we were staying with in MO, just happens to be a professional shirt maker. After she heard our story, she could tell I was distressed, and she made me the awesome shirt in this picture to bring my spirits up. Thanks Auntie ❤️. Long story short, if you get as excited about alpacas as I do, and you happen to come across this place, you may want to avoid it so that your heart isn’t broken like mine..
