Once Upon A Time...

...a sheep walked into a bar.  Ewen McTeagle would have followed me anywhere.  It was truly an honor.

Ewen McTeagle

April 2007 - December 28, 2019

Sleeping Off The Cookie Hangover

Silly old Blossom.  She's the most non-active sheep on the farm...until the cookies come out.  Boy, she was wound up last night!  That's Woody in the foreground, still hoping there might be yet another cookie party ;-).  I bet this would make a fun puzzle!  

Merry Christmas!

A Live Christmas Eve Cookie Party

"Do we get to have two parties like we did last year?"

The sheep would like to do the Live Christmas Eve Barn Parties again this year :-).  I don't remember any problems from last year, so if anyone does, please remind me!

If there are no changes, we'll do it like last year and at 9:30 p.m. I'll go live on Facebook and then go live on Instagram at 10:00.  I think the FB video is automatically saved and the IG video will save for 24 hours so you can watch it later.

Here is a link to the Punkin's Patch Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/MyFavoriteSheep/  I think you just need to go to the page to start watching.  You shouldn't have to join anything.  If it's more complicated than that, somebody please chime in!

Here is the link to the Punkin's Patch Instagram account. https://www.instagram.com/thecrazysheeplady/  I'm not sure if you'll have to have an IG account to watch a live video there or not.  Again, someone chime in with further instructions for those of us over 12 who are super techy.  

If we don't "see" you this evening, we all wish you a very Merry Christmas!

Without Further Ado...Finally

At this point I just have a few takeaways...

I guess I should have known that a Christmas card featuring two retired racehorses would end up as a photo finish.

I finally found the painting...already in the scanner.  The almost two hours I spent looking for it...I'm never getting back.

It should be noted that even if the house had been clean and tidy...it wouldn't have helped.  So there.

Th-th-th-that's all folks ;-D.

Merry Christmas!

And This Is The Part Of The Story Where...

...I say "The card is finished and in the mail and ta-daaa, here it is!" and...  

.

.

(crickets)

.

.

You really can't make this stuff up.  I've lost the painting.  In the house (that's the not surprising part.).  Worst case scenario I can post the scan from Timprint, but I'd rather have a direct scan from here that is the actual painting, not the one we color adjusted to try to get it "print-worthy".

Headed to the barn to get the skid steer...

Top Nine 2019

It's the time of year to join the "Top Nine"...whatever you call it...thingy...where you "click the button" (my brain is mush) and it searches through your year of Instagram photos and assembles a collage of your nine most popular pictures.  Mine is pretty cute this year :-).  

Two from Wovember, one of silly Mini Moose and the rest from Lamb Camp at Final Frontier and Tring Farms.  I kind of thought Frankie would show up somewhere, but as we all know, it's hard to compete with babies ;-D.

The card is painted and printed and hopefully going in the mail this afternoon.  Whew!  It was a real struggle this year and I'm not really sure why.  Now that's it's done and I'm almost 48 hours away from it, I'm pretty happy with it.  It's cute and sweet and I think everyone will enjoy it.

Here's a funny story...Saint Tim's superpower is making me laugh when there seems to be nothing to laugh at.  After several super late nights struggling (unsuccessfully) to paint the card, I got up (still too tired) the other morning to find Eli's tree ("the stairway to heaven") had fallen down after the latest 3" deluge of rain.

The tree was very old.  There were only a couple branches left on it and they were barely, but bravely hanging on.  Eli used it to climb up to the porch roof (his "office").  I framed pictures of the back of the farm through it's lacy leaves.  Momma birds raised babies in the hollow trunk.  It was a good old friend.  

I stood there staring at it...turned and walked back inside...stopped in the kitchen...didn't pour myself a cup of coffee...finally went to tell Tim...and then the tears spilled.  Tim's not as sentimentally attached to trees as I am, but it was Eli's tree and it was special because of that.  

He listened to the tree story, the unhappiness with the card painting, the "I wish I'd stopped after last year like I'd said I was going to"...and "clicked the button" in his brain and said, "You should just download the Loony Tunes font and plaster "That's All Folks!" across the front...and all I could see was Maisie pasted in where Porky Pig usually is, saying "Th-th-th-that's all folks!" :-D

That's (probably) not all folks, but it was just what I needed.  

Keep laughing!

The Queen Of Silly Names

PPPP

January 2005 - December 12, 2019

PPPP should have had a better name.  Well, it was started out as Pearl (very pretty) and then it was Popcorn (very cute), but for some reason (probably because she lived in our kitchen much of the winter) neither name stuck and and she got called Pee Pee (which I now regret).  In the end she stayed with Popcorn PP Pants or PPPP.

Most of our sheep know their names.  I can call out someone specific and they respond either by talking back or looking up or coming over.  PPPP either didn't mind her silly name or maybe PPPP sounded good in her ears.  I'd say "PPPP" in a sing song voice and she'd always reply "Ma-a-a-a-a-a-a". 

I wish I'd recorded her like I did Buddy.  "Ma-a-a-a-a-a" always sounded good in my ears.

Frankie Got A Pony For Christmas

Santa has been keeping an eye on Frankie all year and since he's been such a good boy, he gave him exactly what he's been wishing for, a friend.  Meet Lancelot :-).

Lancelot is a 19 year old Standardbred gelding we've adopted from New Vocation Racehorse Adoption Program, the same organization Frankie came from.  Lancelot raced until 2005 and then transitioned into a show horse for several years and is now semi-retired.  Frankie is completely smitten.  

We got him home late yesterday afternoon and he stayed in the arena last night. I put Frankie in there with him after breakfast and then at noon I moved them both to the front field.  After being completely quiet in the arena, I wasn't expecting the show they put on when they hit the big field.

View this post on Instagram

After nothing but walking and grazing together in the arena I wasn’t expecting the show they put on when I turned them into the front field after lunch. Frankie loves his Christmas present! He’s happy Santa was watching him be a good boy this year 😀. #frankiesrockstar #nvlancelot

A post shared by Sara Dunham (@thecrazysheeplady) on Dec 13, 2019 at 10:23am PST

I'd say Lancelot is pretty happy, too :-).

"Are you really real?"

I'm pretty smitten as well :-).

If you'd like to spend a little more time with the two boys, there are two new puzzles :-).

A Warm Winter's Nap

Sweet old Salt.  

The Salt thermometer says it's hovering around freezing.  It has to get at least that cold before she goes in search of a warm nap spot.  Her demeanor around the sheep is so quiet that even the most suspicious sheep (like PPPP) don't mind her company.  

*     *     *     *     *

Everything is fine here.  I've just been so stinking busy trying to keep all the plates spinning that the blog (and even IG) has sadly been neglected.  I think it's sweet that when it gets too quiet you all start worrying.  I'm sorry I let that happen though.  Sigh...

Anyone else starting to get a little sore about losing that extra week with Thanksgiving being so late this year :-o.

On a good note, I came up with a brilliant title for the Christmas card this year.  Sometimes it takes a couple of several days and it usually the most stressful part of the design process.  This year I nailed it straight off...and now have the song stuck in my head as I struggle to paint.  Over and over and over and over and over...

"Serenity now!!!"  ;-D

King Of The Dirt Pile

"What are you doing, Biscuit?"

"Nothin'."

"Right.  Okay then.  Carry on."

That would probably make a fun new puzzle. 

Enjoy :-)