The alpaca (Lama pacos) is a species of South American camelid mammal. Traditionally, alpacas were kept in herds that grazed on the level heights of the Andes of Southern Peru, Western Bolivia, Ecuador, and Northern Chile.  More recently, alpacas may be found on farms and ranches worldwide, with thousands of animals born and raised annually.  Alpacas are especially popular in North America, Europe, and Australia.  There are two modern breeds of alpaca, separated based on their respective region of endemism and fiber (wool) type:  the Suri alpaca and the Huacaya alpaca.  Both breeds produce a highly valued fiber, with Suri alpaca's fiber growing in straight "locks," while Huacaya fiber has a "crimped," wavy texture and grows in bundles.  These breeds' fibers are used for making knitted and woven items, similar to sheep's wool.  Alpacas make a variety of sounds: 

Humming:  When alpacas are born, the mother and baby hum constantly.  They also hum as a sign of distress, especially when they are separated from their herd. Alpacas may also hum when curious, happy, worried, or cautious.

Snorting:  Alpacas snort when another alpaca is invading their space. 

Grumbling:  Alpacas grumble to warn each other.  For example, when one is invading another's personal space, it sounds like gurgling.  Screaming:  Their screams are extremely deafening and loud.  They will scream when they are not handled correctly or when a potential enemy is attacking them. 

Screeching:  A bird-like cry, presumably intended to terrify the opponent.  This sound is typically used by male alpacas when they are in a fight over dominance. When a female screeches, it is more of a growl when she is angry.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpaca    

Bole is a shade of reddish brown.  The color term derives from Latin bōlus (or dirt) and refers to a kind of soft fine clay whose reddish-brown varieties are used as pigments, and as a coating in panel paintings and frames underneath the paint or gold leaf.  Under gold leaf, it "warms" the colour, which can have a greenish shade otherwise.  However, bole in art is a good deal more red and less brown than the modern shade; it is often called Armenian bole.  Although bole also means the trunk of a tree, these words are simply homographs that do not share an etymological origin.  Another name for the color bole is terra rosa.  The color name terra rosa has been used as a synonym for bole since 1753.   The color terra rosa is classified a warm red color.  In art, it's classified as being similar to Venetian red, but more pink or salmon.  Bole is one of the oldest color names in English.  The first recorded use of bole as a color name in English was in the year 1386.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bole_(color) 

Gilead or Gilad is the ancient, historic, biblical name of the mountainous northern part of the region of Transjordan.  The region is bounded in the west by the Jordan River, in the north by the deep ravine of the river Yarmouk and the region of Bashan, and in the southwest by what were known during antiquity as the "plains of Moab", with no definite boundary to the east.  In some cases, "Gilead" is used in the Bible to refer to all the region east of the Jordan River.  Gilead is situated in modern-day Jordan, corresponding roughly to the Irbid, Ajloun, Jerash and Balqa Governorates.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilead#:~:text=Gilead%20or%20Gilad%20(UK:%20/,Ajloun%2C%20Jerash%20and%20Balqa%20Governorates.

Hermann Karl Hesse (1877–1962) was a German-Swiss poet and novelist, and the 1946 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate.  His interest in Eastern religious, spiritual, and philosophical traditions, combined with his involvement with Jungian analysis, helped to shape his literary work.  His best-known novels include Demian, Steppenwolf, Siddhartha, Narcissus and Goldmund, and The Glass Bead Game, each of which explores an individual's search for authenticity, self-knowledge, and spirituality.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermann_Hesse   

Pepysian (comparative more Pepysian, superlative most Pepysian)  adjective (y is silent)  Of or pertaining to Samuel Pepys (1633–1703), English naval administrator and Member of Parliament, famed for his diary kept during the time of the Great Plague of London and Great Fire of London.   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Pepysian#Adjective  

October 15, 2025