It had been such a long time since she'd had the pleasure of tending to llamas.

Walking steadily and calmly toward a large male who grazed with his female companions, she approached him from the side, not head on. She didn't want any llama butts to spoil her journey!

"And who are you, sweet lamb," she crooned as she approached, standing near but not too close to the fully furred creature.

The llama nodded his head once, his big brown eyes acknowledging the presence of a knowledgeable llama lover.

"You are a beautiful thing, aren't you, my sweet?" Vee's voice was silken and soothing as she stroked the llama's neck, becoming acquainted with his mannerisms, his tolerance for human contact.

She ran her hands through the thick pelt on his side, noting the fine down beneath, the most valuable part of the llama's coat. A simple combing would yield nearly 8$ to the ounce for for the soft wool, leaving the coarser top hairs to protect the valuable product beneath.

"Good fellow," she whispered near his ear as she inspected his sturdy legs and strong back. "You would make a splendid caddy!"

Taking hold of the halter, Vee attached a lunge rein to the inside buckle.

"Let's see what you can do, sweet baby," she smiled encouragingly as she led the magnificent male toward the strange assortment of objects at the far end of the paddock.