FOSTER -- Father and son stand next to each other, ears flat against their heads and long necks stretching into the air in an attempt to outreach each other. Seconds pass as Silverweed's father's lips begin churning. Then he spits. The contest is over.
The llamas know to behave when their owners, Bonnie and Don Lambert, come out. Bonnie kisses Silverweed on the lips, mimicking a mother and her baby. Silverweed, with huge brown eyes, sometimes takes it a little too far, she says affectionately, when he rakes the teeth that stick out from his lower lip against her cheek.
"He's been handled since birth," she said. "He wants to interact with me."
The Lamberts want to share their love for llamas with the community by opening their farm on Cucumber Hill Road, called LLadyllove Llamas, for llama visits and as a store.
They plan to sell everything from scarves, sweaters and baby clothes -- some made with their own llama wool and some imported from South America -- to jewelry and llama-shaped chocolates.
The wool is a finer fiber than a sheep's, and is better to wear, she said.
Bonnie, who is also a science teacher at Warwick Veterans High School, said she has sold some items before and generated a lot of interest. A real store will help them make money to pay for the expenses of keeping 17 llamas, including feed and veterinary costs.
They're fixing up the barn to open this weekend. It will be open after that on the weekends from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. from November through Christmas.
The llamas' names follow themes: Madame Iris' children are named after flowers, Cocoa Bean's after chocolates, Patch's after rocks and minerals, and Nutmeg's after herbs and spices. Some are babies, three are pregnant, and the boys and girls are kept separate.
Like children, they all have their own personalities. Some are playful, bouncing on all fours and chasing their Australian shepherd. Others, like Cocoa Bean, can be kind of obnoxious, Bonnie said.
Cocoa Bean is leaving the farm soon to "baby-sit" sheep. Llamas are known for guarding them from coyotes and wolves, which they can stomp to death, she said.
Most of them are also intelligent, she said. They know how to turn on fans in the barn to keep themselves cool and are even trained to use a form of litter box.
Don said they can also be empathic, recalling a mourning ritual when one of Patch's babies died. The females gathered together letting out long whines, different from their typical humming, and didn't eat or drink all day. Bonnie participated, sitting with "the girls" until they walked away and she could quietly remove the body.
Bonnie shears them herself, proud that they are willing to stand still, so she doesn't have to tie them up.
"I'd just as soon work on their trust," she said.
With the new store, she hopes the farm can be self-sufficient.
The farm is at 82 Cucumber Hill Rd. off of Route 6 in Foster. For more information, go to www.lamastore.com or e-mail lladylloveXXXaol.com.
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