The first thing I noticed, upon arriving at the barn this morning, was the quiet. This is far from normal, as I’m usually greeted by half a dozen excited babes, all trying to be the first to get snuggles. Where was everyone?

Walking inside the barn to search for my little ones, I immediately learned the cause for all the missing babes… ants! There were more ants in the barn than I’ve ever before encountered… they covered the floor from one end to the other. I’ll be honest in saying that, had it not been for my babes all huddled up in the rafters, you’d have seen me running for the door. As fleeing was not an option, I stood staring at the scene before my eyes, trying to determine what on earth was going on.

Even though the sight of this many ants made my skin crawl, they didn’t seem to be going anywhere, or doing anything, aside from waiting like an audience waits for a show to begin. From up in the rafters, I heard Tilly offering words of comfort to Dinky, who was fully terrified at seeing the floor beneath her move. Squagon suggested that I go ask Lilly about all of our unexpected guests, as this was apparently, all her fault! He pointed toward my open office door with an irritated look upon his face, and said, “Barbara Walters is waiting in your office for her interview, and she brought her entire family along to watch!”

As I walked toward my office doorway, the mass of ants on the floor graciously parted to either side, making way for my passage. When I walked through the door, I was greeted by a sight that made me want to laugh out loud. Stifling my giggles and trying to be fully serious, I approached my desk and greeted miss Lilly, who did look a great deal like Barbara Walters. There she sat, pen and paper in hand, upon the surface of my desk.

So, I spent a full 20 minutes trying to convince Lilly to send her family home, without offending them of course, about this little misunderstanding. Once I explained to her that she didn’t need to interview me, in order to tell you of what makes her special, Lilly finally agreed to send them all away. She and I both assured her family that we would be sending them a copy of today’s story, as soon as I finished putting it together.

Surprisingly, it only took about 10 minutes for the army of ants to leave the barn, but an entire hour was needed to get my little ones down out of the rafters. I finally had to put a large bowl of oatmeal out on the floor, covering it with raisons, honey and melted butter. Food wins out all the time around here!

Truth be told, the way things went this morning with Lilly, is the very reason I think she is so special! From the moment she arrived in our barn some months ago, I knew that Lilly was not only very bright, but very bold and adventurous! How else would she have found her way to the barn, if not for the flight of her puffball?

Lilly might be a tiny little thing, but she makes up for her small size with a larger-than-life amount of confidence! She’s not scared of anything… that is, anything aside from being left out. Perhaps, this was the reason she felt it necessary to be an active part of her own story this morning. While her actions are not always the best idea, I fully believe that her heart is always in the right place.

When the babes are playing, Lilly is the one they go to for ideas of what to do for fun. She actually enjoys spending time with the other little ones, learning as much as she can about them. From there, she creates fun games and adventures for the whole barn. When I’m in my office writing, Lilly can often be found resting on my shoulder, taking her own notes and giving me ideas when I ask for her help. I wouldn’t be surprised if she becomes an author herself, among her ant colonies. You saw, by the sheer number of ants that were in the barn this morning, Lilly has an enormous family and following.

Since Lilly is such a free spirit, she tends to come and go as she pleases, but more often than not, she chooses to either spend time playing with the barn babes, or with me in my office. I don’t completely understand why she loves us, but I’m so very glad that Lilly chooses to be a part of our family! Life here in the barnyard would not be nearly as wonderful, if Lilly hadn’t come along and become a part of our lives.

Now all we need to do, is learn how NOT to panic when Lilly has family visiting…