In December, our alpaca moms delivered to us some of the best babies we have ever had. Rhonda’s careful attention to breeding, health, and nutrition in our alpacas has led to a cria crop that should do spectacularly well in next year’s shows. With the colder weather, the alpacas are their most active and happy. The babies get together and have pronking races around the pastures. It’s hilarious to watch. Some of these babies are healthy and beautiful, but will not be up to Rhonda’s exacting breeding standards. They will still be great sources of fleece, and eventually make great pets for someone. We have been selling more alpacas for pets every year as our breeding standards have tightened and people begin to realize how great alpacas can be as inexpensive pets. January is always a sobering month. The lights come down, the parties end, and the family goes home, or back to school. It’s too cold to go to the lake. The consequences of all the buffets show up on the bathroom scales, and the credit card bills arrive. Plus, as I write this, we are possibly facing “the fiscal cliff”. In December, we had holidays, festivities, and hopes for peace on earth. In January, we have . . . resolutions! I suggest a treatment for the January doldrums; make a donation to your favorite charity! Charity beneficiaries don’t stop having needs just because the season is over. Go ahead! Give up the latte, or the dinner out, or something else, for a month (it will help with the holiday weight gain anyways), and donate that money to a charity near to your heart. We donate to our church, a Native American school in South Dakota (the Native Americans need some pay backs), a charity that helps wounded veterans and their families, Heifer International which will put livestock (including alpacas!) in the hands of the people who need them the most, and the Quechua Benefit which is providing vital food, housing, and health services to some of the poorest people in the world. There are many other charities doing great work and using every donation wisely. Making a donation reminds us of just how many of our “necessities” are really options. It is heartwarming in a cold month to put a check in the mail for people who really need the help. The alpacas send their New Years greetings! Another treatment for the January blues would be to come visit them! They are really cute right now!