This is Shirley. She is 93 years old.
This is Shirley. She is 93 years old.

Written by Jamie Raper; Our Little Slice of Heaven Farm, LLC; Fort Collins, Colorado

This picture says it all. On this day we were hosting an event and with all that is going on in the world, I looked around and EVERYONE had the biggest smile on their face. It was wonderful.

That was the day I knew we needed Alpacas in our lives.

My husband Keith and I visited Marc and Sharon Milligan at Red Granite Ranch in Livermore, Colorado, last summer. I fell in love with all the alpacas and couldn’t stop thinking about them. We visited a couple more times and shopped at their cute store for Christmas.

roadside farm bakery stand

I run a roadside farm bakery stand. The first weekend in December we hosted a small event and had several other vendors join us. We invited Red Granite Ranch. They came down to the sale with their alpaca products and three young alpacas.

I couldn’t stop thinking about how wonderful the alpacas were and how they made so many people, including us, so happy at our roadside stand event. I smiled for a full week after they left!

And then we made it happen.

We made the decision to purchase three of Red Granite Ranch’s boys — Houlligan, Calimero, and Rebel — at the end of March.

kids and alpacas

They are now gelded and living at Our Little Slice of Heaven Farm. They are here for us to love and care for, and to spread their love and joy to our wonderful customers. We educate all who stop to shop at the roadside stand about alpacas while using their fiber to produce a few items to sell.

Marc and Sharon have been amazing mentors, helping answer any questions that we have had. Gary, the barn manager, even came down to help me with questions that I had the first week they were here.

Sharon gave me an AOA Gift Membership, along with so much guidance. We just can’t thank her enough. I appreciate all AOA has to offer new alpaca owners and want to take in as much information as I can. I especially look forward to watching recordings of the educational webinars and look forward to attending any upcoming sessions. What a wonderful resource for new alpaca owners to have.

huacaya alpacaWe wish other people who live on a few acres would experience the love, fun, and fellowship of these curious little creatures called alpacas!

Our Little Slice of Heaven Farm, LLC
www.ourlittlesliceofheavenfarm.com
Find us on Facebook @olshfarm

Tags Our Little Slice of Heaven FarmJamie Raper