Alpaca Show

John always goes out to the mailbox early on Sunday morning to get the local paper and then comes up to the loft while I'm still in bed and reads headlines and some of the stories aloud to me. This morning, the one that caught my attention was headlined "Cuddly alpaca pack 'em in" that told about the 15th annual festival  just a few miles away at the DeltaPlex. The call of these creatures was just too strong, so we headed off to walk through aisles of alpaca pens rather than walking down the aisle of church to find the right pew. (We're planning to go to the Reformation hymn sing at church tonight, so this turned into a wonderful alternative worship service  by admiring these most delightful creatures.)

What charmers they are. I'm a goat lover from way back, but alpacas now have a place in my heart as well. Turns out that Michigan is leading region for alpaca farms.The show was free, but the items for sale were very pricey. Here I am, pictured above, with a friend I met along the way. This adorable guy didn't even come out of his pen to greet me.

Northern Lights

Tonight John and I went out to sit on our chairs on a little deck that overlooks the river. Everything was normal on this brisk dark night until we saw curtains of light developing in the northern sky. What a show it was. Truly breath-taking. After we came in I went to the local weather blog and already about a dozen people, including our chief meteorologist, had posted about the phenomenon. Right now, there are upwards of a hundred comments, including my own. People have been calling in from all over Michigan and in neighboring states as well.

Life has been incredibly busy lately with my self-imposed daily goal of writing 1000 words.  Some days I struggle to get over 999, but today I managed 1618. Saturday there was an article in the Grand Rapids Press about local women writers---four of us, beginning with me and my church history text.

Earlier this month we took our annual trip to Spooner, Wisconsin. The old farm will forever been in my heart and memories. We had a brunch with brother Jonnie at the picnic area on the bank of the Yellow River. Another highlight was having dinner with my high school band director Don Nelson and his wife Marg---hadn't seen them in many years. What a wonderful reunion. After we left Spooner we headed for the Upper Peninsula of Michigan where we hiked in the Porcupine Mountains and Pictured Rock National Lake Shore.  It was a wonderful 5-day get-away.