llamas everywhere

MY HUSBAND, TOM, had come up with more than a few crazy ideas in our 29 years of marriage, but this one topped them all.

“We are not buying a llama,” I told him. “No way.”

We had just driven home after spending the afternoon at a huge llama exhibition and show on the Ohio State Fair grounds.

We had gone there for the dog show, where for five years we’d shown our beloved boxer. Roxie was a beautiful champion show dog whom I’d loved as if she were one of our children. She’d drawn us into a life I could never have imagined. Roxie came into our lives when she was a puppy and everything changed. Summer weekends were spent going to shows across the region. It became all-consuming. For months, we didn’t even go to church. That was