The Keepsake Farm Story
 

     We are Lyn and Al Kessie, a real estate broker/manager and a high school teacher and retired athletic director. And NOW, we are Alpaca Farmers!

     I have always been a lover of animals. I was the kid that every stray dog would follow home; this was inevitably succeeded by my parents saying “NO, you can’t keep another one!”  I don’t believe in just one pet ... no, I bring home duplicates or triplicates.  After all, don't they need company of their own kind?  That's my philosophy, anyway!

     Before Al and I married, I had to be away on a business trip, so he stayed in my home and cared for my two children, one cat, two Greyhounds, five adult Borzois and twelve nine-day-old Borzois puppies that needed to be tube fed every few hours. When I returned from my trip and found that everyone was just fine ... fat, happy and healthy ... I knew for sure that Al was a keeper!

     Until recently, after thirty-plus years of marriage and several animals later, the farm consisted of three cats, four dogs and four horses. Why four horses when I am the only one who rides?  Why, I bring them home for Al, of course!   For Father’s Day, his birthday, or for any other reason I can think up. 

     And NOW ... enter a herd of wonderful, beautiful, friendly alpacas!  After all, what else is a farm for?

Our Alpaca Start

     It was a rainy day, and Al was watching his many football games.  Having heard about an Alpaca show, I decided this would be a great time to go to see what it was all about.  Al’s last words to me before I left were, “Don’t come home with any Alpacas!”

     As I parked my car I met a gentleman walking into the show, and I asked him if he was showing today?  He told me that he owned an alpaca, but that he kept her boarded with the alpaca farmer from whom he purchased her. Hmmm…interesting!  It occurred to me that, if I found one I liked, I could board it, and AL wouldn’t even know!   That ended up being a silly thought because, after looking at hundreds of alpacas, I immediately fell in love with WAY too many for me to ever be able to pick out only one. Obviously I would just have to have a herd!  The dilemma ... how would I go about convincing Al?  On the drive home, I plotted and planned ...

     A few weeks later, when Al and I were on our way to visit our adult kids and grandchildren in Virginia, I convinced him to stop for a "quick look-see" at a couple of alpaca farms. While I spent time looking and playing with the alpacas, Al talked with the farmers about the details of raising them. Both farmers talked to Al about the tax benefits of the alpaca venture and by the time our farm visits concluded, we were talking about raising alpacas when we move to Virginia in the future.

     So, all that was left for me to figure out was how to convince Al to do it now instead of waiting.   There was just no way I could ever wait that long for those precious little furry hummers to become part of our family!  I thought about what a "sensible" idea it would be to try it out now and see if we would really like raising alpacas before we made the investment to develop the Virginia farm for that.  “You never know, we might not like it,” I told Al, trying my best to sound terribly sensible.  Knowing what I'm like when I get determined about something, he said “Well, that actually does make sense, so, OK, let’s do it now.”  And, after a few more lengthy farm visits, we brought home our foundation herd, basing our purchases on strong, well-sought-after bloodlines.

     That was the beginning ... And now, not only are we thoroughly besotted with our gorgeous, enchanting creatures, we have also found the people in the industry to be just as great as the alpacas. It is truly a fun and relaxing lifestyle filled with not only beautiful animals, but wonderful people too.  My advice to those who are unfamiliar with Alpacas?   Give it a try for yourself ... you will be amazed at how much it will enrich your life!

Lyn & Alan Kessie  ▪  Waxhaw, NC  ▪  704-843-0517   ▪   kess@keepsakealpacas.com