[Cherrios] From Heaven

Today would have been Maisie's 13th birthday.  We never really celebrate any other sheep birthdays, but I guess because it was such a miracle that she made it to her first birthday we decided a celebration was in order and we just kept it up every year.  

I couldn't remember when we started making her Cheerio "cakes", so I just decided to brave looking back. Her first birthday post reminded me that her birthday was actually November 25th.  We celebrated that year on a Monday.

Birthday number 2 was her first Cheerios cake...and that year we celebrated her birthday on the Sunday after Thanksgiving because, and I quote... 

"Since I'm terrible at remembering actual dates, I just always remember Maisie was born early Sunday morning of the Turkey Trot Dog Trial."

That sounds right now that I think about it.  And if you are one of my friends or family members who can't believe I forgot your birthday yet again, take heart in knowing I couldn't keep track of Maisie's either.  

At some point along the way I "remembered" it was a Saturday so the sheep and I had a birthday party for her this afternoon.  I believe Maisie always understood it was her special day, but the rest of the flock just knew that on the Saturday...or Sunday...or maybe even Monday after Thanksgiving they always got to eat "cake", so we had "cake" today.

I drew a heart in the side field using Cheerios, graham crackers, vanilla wafers and crackers.  That seemed like the right thing to do.  I didn't feel like taking my normal pictures, so I decided to just set up a video camera and let it roll...and as soon as the sheep came in and worked themselves around the heart shape I immediately changed my mind and ran to get my camera.  I'll try to share some of those pictures tomorrow.

It was a sweet little party and I'm glad I decided to do it.  I divided the really long video into two shorter videos on Instagram.  They are still kind of long and probably not too exciting, but I'm glad to have them.  The first one is the sheep running over to the heart and the second is us all together.  

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A post shared by Sara Dunham (@thecrazysheeplady)

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A post shared by Sara Dunham (@thecrazysheeplady)

And now I'm wondering if Maisie put it in my head that today was the day so that when I figured out it is actually tomorrow everyone would get a second party...and that really would be Cheerios From Heaven.

The 2026 Calendar

Putting the upcoming year's farm calendar together is usually one of the best parts of fall, but I really struggled this year.  I knew looking back throughout the year to pick pictures and seeing so  many now missing faces was going to be hard, but it seemed more than that.

This is most likely our last farm calendar.  Saint Tim is hoping to retire next year and without his print shop's support, it's not really feasible to produce these.  I don't print enough to earn a bulk discount from a big shop and I don't like the thin floppy paper that most of them use anyway.

I didn't do much with "the business" this year.  It was a hard year and we all did our best.  I also have a lot of old sheep, old horses, old cats, old shepherds, old printers.  Everything felt a bit "over" and that was an added heavy weight.  Is this how it all ends?

I hope not.  That would not be fair to all the good sheep still here.  Sure, they are getting older, but they are still relevant.  It also wouldn't be fair to all the good sheep who paved their way.  I think I'm still relevant as well.  I'm a good teacher, encourager, hopefully inspiring and frequently a good example of what not to do.  Tim just wants to go fishing ;-).

We'll see.  In the meantime, let's find joy in what we are doing and see what the future holds.  And we can do it with one last calendar of friends to keep us company throughout the upcoming year.

There is also a limited run of companion note cards again this year.  If you'd like to share a favorite calendar picture with a friend, the companion card is a perfect option.  The accompanying stories are found on the back.

2026 Equinox Farm Calendar $25.00  

Companion Calendar Note Cards $10.00 

Buy together and save $5.00  $30.00

We charge just actual USPS shipping cost with no mark up for packaging and handling.  If you'd like a quote, send me an email with your zip code and I can give you an exact price.  

We are once again going to stick with the old timey ordering system where you send me an email  letting me know what you'd like and where it should be shipped (add an extra note if you'd like :-) and I'll send it out with an invoice and return envelope in your package.   

Those extra notes are how I learned that several of you don't turn the calendar pages until it's time so that each month is a surprise.  I love that idea and now do that myself.  Even though I made the calendar, by about March I've forgotten who comes next.  I love being surprised!

That spoiler factor is also why I've put all the boring text up here and hidden the sneak peek calendar and card shots below.  Don't look if you don't want to!  Or you can peek...but goreallyfast ;-).

Well, Maisie didn't live forever and that broke my our hearts more than I thought.  I sure hope there is a big group of sweet, funny, wonderful sheep hanging out telling stories somewhere and it's not the last we've seen of them.

Pinto is still jumping in and out of the arena at will.  Pinot is still confusing spellcheck.  Bea is still Head of Operations and Possum is still mean as a snake. Bullseye has been a charming addition.

The gardens worked hard over the summer and two luffa plants kept an amazing amount of bees fed and produced more than a lifetime supply of luffas...but we'll plant them again next year because of the blooms.  If you could use a luffa or ten, let me know. I don't know where Stella's bees are living now, but there are a few working some late blooming flowers outside the window as I type.

After over a decade of teaching students of all ages how to ride and care for horses, Gato came home for a well earned retirement.  It took a while for Frankie and Lancelot to work out all the details, but the three are now inseparable and the pasture more colorful, so I guess we need a palomino and a chestnut to complete the crayon box.

After 11 frustrating years trying to force his way into the Easy Breezy extra feed group, Murphy has finally started getting a little special food at night.  He can not believe his good fortune.

As always, a huge thank you to Saint Tim for doing all the heavy lifting and for all of you who love our farm family as much as we do.

 

Good Afternoon!

Everyone enjoyed the sun today :-).

Calendar Worthy

During a break in the rain yesterday I caught this sweet picture of everyone sleeping together in the upper paddock. 

This would be a great calendar shot...if it wasn't FINALLY FINISHED and just gone to print.  Whew!

Oh well, it will probably be a fun puzzle ;-).  And I love Frankie's white dot showing :-D.

The Parable Of The Broken Doors

Anyone who's visited the Wool House in the last...embarrassable amount of months has surely noticed the falling apart doors.   Feeling a bit like a broken door myself, I hadn't made any effort to even take them down, much less hang the new ones that were just waiting for a coat of paint in the garage.

The blanket flowers and salvias out front had been blooming like crazy all fall and had done their part to distract attention from the doors and we'd all enjoyed them, none more than all the bees still gathering food to pack their larders for winter.  News of an upcoming hard freeze hit hard.  Especially as, if we could just get through two miserably cold nights, the temps were heading back up into the 60s again.

All the potted plants were moved inside; the orange tree carried in as well.  That job gets harder every year!  The greenhouse, with its falling apart roof panels (yes, it's a farm trend) was patched back together and the resident writing spider tucked in.  The plants in the ground...just covering them with a sheet was not going to do much good.

If it had just been a few flowers, I'd have accepted the inevitable.  It was a lot of flowers.  If I could just build a "greenhouse" over them... 

A couple of old lambing jug pens, an ancient rusty puppy exercise pen, some miscellaneous tomato supports, three beat up Wool House doors as a roof and some booth tent sides later...a little fairly large "greenhouse" covered everything in hopes that there might be enough residual ground warmth trapped to keep everyone safe.

And cold it got.  21 degrees and snow.

And two days later...

...the bees were back at work!  

I am sentimental to a fault (maybe/probably) and I hate to throw anything away because it's old or broken or just used up.  Those old doors didn't want to just get chucked into the back of a truck.  No one does.  And like the parable of the leaky bucket, without those broken doors, we'd have had no temporary greenhouse.

Two weeks later, the flowers are still blooming and the bees are still around.  The old doors are safely tucked into the barn.  The lamb and puppy pens are in frequent use here, but those doors are beyond repair and will be replaced in the spring.  The old doors can stay though, because I may well need their help again sometime.