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Ru the llama visits Scoville Library

Ru the llama visits Scoville Library

Debbie Labbe and Ru stopped by Scoville Library Saturday, March 2 for a llama lesson.

Patrick L. Sullivan

SALISBURY — In what was a godsend for parents of small children facing a cold, rainy Saturday morning, Debbie Labbe brought Ru the llama to the Scoville Memorial Library for a visit Saturday, March 2.

Ru, age 4, allowed himself to be led into the children’s area of the library. He made no fuss at all. In fact, he seemed more interested in looking out the window.

Labbe, who runs Country Quilt Llama Farm in Cornwall, explained that llamas typically pay attention to whatever is moving around them. The 15 or 20 children were all quite still.

Labbe imparted basic llama facts: coloration, relative hairiness, and longevity — 18 to 20 years.

She had a sample of yarn made from llama hair, which the children examined.

Labbe read the book “Is your Mama a Llama” by Deborah Guarino and illustrated by Steven Kellogg. All the children got a chance to pet Ru.

Patrick L. Sullivan
Senior Reporter
Patrick Sullivan has been a reporter for The Lakeville Journal since 2004, covering everything from town meetings to local characters and the outdoors. He grew up in Northern Virginia but spent summers on Mount Riga in Salisbury, giving him a lifelong connection to the Northwest Corner. A graduate of Denison University, Patrick is also the author of Tangled Lines, the newspapers’ popular fly-fishing column—making The Lakeville Journal, as far as anyone knows, the only newspaper in Connecticut with a regular fly-fishing columnist. He once received a fan letter from England, which he considers sufficient evidence that his work has achieved international acclaim.

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