Exciting and Scary week!

Easter is always a special and thoroughly spiritual remembrance day commemorating the Resurrection. After church, we were out with the llama and I was brushing Adelaide. Two days before, the long awaited Stone Crest's Maximus, my six month old appaloosa llama, arrived by Chad's transporter's service with Brett Snead. We were totally jazzed to have him - Max came all the way from Wisconsin and now Windy Ridge Llama Ranch is his home. He was frolicking about while I was grooming my pretty Suri's long tendrils when I saw a plume of smoke. No matter where you live, smoke immediately draws your attention and increases your heart rate. Herve drove down our dirt road and found it to be blocked off by firefighters and police. A policeman came up to the barn and told me we needed to evacuate! I told him we have 19 llama and 5 large dogs, and he said we needed to go. It was terrifying - we had an evacuation plan already - load everyone up in the trailers and go. But one truck was in the shop, and one trailer was loaned out to a friend. Almost instinctually I started haltering all the llama, and watched as the smoke climbed the hill up towards us. The police were practically yelling by this point - lady, you've got to get out of here - you have to leave the rest of them and go! Our pastures have electric fencing, and we knew if a fire approached, they'd just go through it. My neighbors goats were let our of their pen along with her chickens. Another neighbor's cow was making its way up the hill toward us. Our driveway is both the end of a road and the beginning of another; so we just unlocked the gates and let everyone drive through to safety. We drove away but stayed within sight of the spectacle that had started so abruptly, and spread so rapidly! Helicopters brought bucket after bucket of water, and everyone just watched, helplessly, as the rescuers did their work. The Last Chance Chapel opened its doors to soothe the numbed people, offering coffee and prayer. Prayer chains went up all over Helena. My own church, Helena Church of the Nazarene, had members trying to get to us, but were blocked by the blaze. Hour upon hour the firefighters worked until finally, the smoke seemed to dissipate, and a police car that had previously blocked my back road drove away. My neighbor followed me as we made our way up the overgrown back entrance to our ranch. We made it! The llama and pasture dogs were safely in their paddocks, munching hay as though it was just another normal day. We rounded up the miscellaneous goats, cow and chickens, and neighbors drove in through our easement, hoping to find their homes unharmed. All was well. Some scorched ground and burned up hay, but no lives or properties were lost. On this Easter day, all of us were indeed, saved! What a story of neighbors and rescuers working together, strangers opening their church to comfort those in need. All of God's people sharing in the business of loving and caring for one another. A glorious day in our Lord and Savior - Windy Ridge Llama Ranch (and all of us) have been saved!