Of Apples and Alpacas

Note: There are two main characters to this story (twins Aidan and Angelina)

“Advice from a Tree - stand tall and proud, enjoy the view” - Ilan Shamir

The enticing aroma that wafted up the stairs was enough to wake the peacefully sleeping twins. It could only mean one thing - Grandma Joseph was here and she was making her famous apple fritters. Both took the stairs two at a time to high tail it into the kitchen. After big hugs all round, they sat at the breakfast nook while Grandma finished cooking.  

“Where’s grandpa?” they asked. Oh, he’ll join us later this morning. He had an early morning fishing date with his army buddies.

Excitedly the twins asked at the same moment

“Is it apple picking day Grandma?”

“Yes, we are going to Pippenger’s apple farm and will have the whole day together.”

“I remember it” said Angelina.

“Me too” said Aidan. “We’ve been there every year since we were born. This year will make 6 years ‘cause we just turned 6.”

“Exactly” said Grandma Joseph. “The apple farm excursion is our gift to you too each year and a lot of fun for us as well.”

“I hope they still have the alpacas and goats for us to come close to” said Aidan.

Grandma nodded then added 

“I heard they added a miniature train ride, so we got tickets for that as well. Fritters are ready now, so eat up.”

The twins needed no encouragement. The homemade apple fritters were deep fried and had big chunks of apples, dusted on the outside with a little bit of icing sugar. With an ice cold glass of milk, it made for a “breakfast of champions” for young explorers.

“It’s a shame ma and pa can’t come with us” Angelina said quietly.

“Maybe next year little one, maybe next year. Finish up then get dressed and we’ll head out.”

Aidan wrapped a little bit of one of the fritters up in a napkin - his cat Midnight had a real taste for them.

         The twins knew what to wear for the outing. Flannel shirt over a t-shirt, corduroy pants, socks, and gym shoes. They had emptied their backpacks so they could easily carry some apples home. Before leaving they gave some sunflower seed to the finch and cream to the cats - now everyone was happy. Aidan and Angelina piled into the back of Grandma Joseph’s car and buckled themselves in. Grandma Joseph was a cautious driver for the most part, but they had been taught to buckle up from an early age. During the ride they played finding the letters of the alphabet on the passing cars. If they happened to spot a rare letter like a Q; they saved it. The first letter they saw determined the direction - Z they would go backwards (that was challenging) or A they would go forwards. Another game was trying to see how many different license plates from other states they could see (last year they got to 12 states before they got to the apple farm). Some of them were very colorful. The leaves were beginning to change color, so it was a pretty ride. Each of the children found a packet of lifesavers in the pocket of their shirt - how on earth had Grandma hidden them in there? It was a nice treat that also helped pass the time. At last they arrived at Pippenger’s and were greeted by a scarecrow and pumpkin display. The pumpkins were arranged on bales of hay and spelled out W E L C O M E. Clever! The twins saw Grandpa Joseph approach and ran to meet him. As he hugged them, he placed a $1 coin in each right hand palm. In his pocket were all the tickets they would need that day - bridge pass for the alpacas and other animals, train ride (this was new), coach ride to the apples (on a sort of wagon) and play area for children. The children had a secret code phrase to use with their grandfather when they were ready for a fun day - to infinity and beyond. All giggled. 

Grandpa Joseph said “Okay then, let’s go!”

The apples available for that day were Gala, Fuji, Cox’s Orange Pippin (this was ma’s favorite), and Jonagold. They could eat some of the apples while in the orchard. The first stop was the Cox’s. The trees were all dwarf varieties so all the apples could be picked by hand. Two years ago, Angelina was sad when she found some on the ground. Pa was with them that year and had told her that those were special - they provided nutrients for the trees as well as food for rabbits and other animals. That made her happy. Grandpa had to remind Angelina of that again - she had a feeling it would be a standard joke to be retold year after year and was secretly hoping his memory of it would fade. The children gathered as many Cox’s as they could carry for their mother. The adults had mostly Cox’s but added a few of the others as well. After a few hours of leaf crunching, nibbling, and a tea break for the grandparents they headed back to the entrance to pay for the apples. Each one then put their treasures in the back of the car and headed to the play area - it had tables and chairs to have a picnic lunch also. Grandma Joseph had made ham sandwiches before the children woke and surprised them with a big bag of Lays potato chips for all to share. Milk for the children and tea for the adults rounded out the meal. The children ran off to play on the swings while the adults rested and quietly sipped their tea. The swings were close to the picnic tables, so the grandparents were happy to let the children play.

         After lunch came the train ride which went past the front of the orchard rows, around the small lake that was on the property, through the pumpkin patch, and around the edge of the play area before the final stop - the bridge that led to the alpacas and other animals. Much to the delight of the children the train sped up on the straight bits of track. The money from the sale of tickets would be used for the upkeep of the train - the engineer volunteered his time. It turned out he used to be a full time driver on the California Zephyr before retiring and was happy to be on board again, even if it was in a small way.  

         Aidan and Angelina half walked, half ran to the fenced area. Aidan went straight for the alpacas - there was a young one there - how wonderful thought Aidan. They were housed in a shady pen. Angelina went to see the goats – she thought the young ones were happy as they jumped around. She felt happier watching them. The young alpaca and Aidan locked eyes and seemed to understand each other - it was a deeply moving experience for a young boy. At one point the young animal looked toward an empty pen that had plenty of warm sunshine then looked with longing in his eyes at the boy. Aidan immediately understood and approached the caretaker doubting that anyone would listen to a small boy, but he had to try for the animal’s sake.

“Mr. Jones, hello. I have been studying Alpacas in school and I appreciate them being here. I wonder though, could they be moved to that other pen (pointing to the far corner)? It’s just that I understand they like plenty of warmth and don’t seem to get very much sunlight where they are now. Thank you.”

“No son, thank you. You know - you are right. In fact, you can help me move them if you would like to.”

“Oh yes please, our whole family will help.”

After all of them had been moved over the young one came over to the fence and nestled his head in Aidan’s hand. Instinctively the boy thought the gesture was one of thanks. He stroked the alpaca and smiled. That experience was a real blessing for him and the beginning of his work with animals.

         The children had such a busy day at Pippenger's that they were fast asleep during the ride home. Their grandparents took them every year but 2019 would always live on in their memory - the year they helped the alpacas.