Sunbeam Sheep

I really thought things were starting to settle down...  I did take my camera out this evening for a few minutes though finally.  Surprisingly the batteries were still charged up enough to use it.  Just for fun I took this sunbeam shot and it's a nice way to end the day.

  

So I Did A Thing

I decided I wanted to go to the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival this year.  It only took me over 20 years to get over the extreme heat from the first time I went when I swore I'd never go back ;-).  Anyway, I thought if I was going all that way, I should challenge myself to enter something in the Skein and Garment competition.

My favorite class is the Spinners Yarn Basket and from there it was an easy jump to figure out some way to include Jared.  If you are going to put that much effort into making something, it needs to be with a good friend.

In 25 words or less, you spin at least one pound of yarn, tell how you processed and spun the yarn, include the pattern you are going to use the yarn for and a swatch to show how it will work.  My favorite description for everything after that is "flower arranging for yarn".  

I am extremely honored that Big J and I brought home the blue ribbon.

I always wished I had a picture of the two of us so I decided to paint one.

And I wrote him a letter and put together a little booklet with some more information and "flower arranging".

And some of my favorite pictures that helped illustrate how much he meant to me and everyone who met him.

I made a big "basket" to hold his big yarn from the apple crate I used to sit on in the barn with him.  I lined it with a drawstring project bag that I made from one of Bill's old shearing bags and a sheet that we use to wrap the freshly shorn fleeces.  The tags are my required entry information.

This is the front and back (outside) of the booklet.  The inside spread was an excerpt from his obituary from the blog.

And this was what I would have said to him if we were standing in the driveway.  The Xs were to make sure there was no identifying information anywhere.

Meteorological note - this year was one of the coldest on record.  Of course it was.  

Maisie note - I included the picture of Maisie sashaying away from my wrecked bike with Jared looking on in horror because if you are going to do something bold, you might want to do it with Maisie...or not ;-).

And After

I always love Murphy's marbled colors.

And how black Muffin still is.

The two Kristas, grandmother and granddaughter.  I wonder if the little gray ewe on the left is related to them as well.  She looks more like the OG Krista than the new Krista does, although her "Baa" sounds just like her grandmother :-).

Everyone in the main flock together in one picture.

And a new puzzle!

Before...

Is Maggie taller than she is wide?

Big Moose

Pinto...only taller because he has long legs ;-).

White Krista.  What a sweet little ewe.

This is a fun puzzle :-).

 

The 74 Days Of January

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It wasn't really that bad, but it does seem like a long time ago since we had green grass!

[Blogging]

Nineteen years ago today was a snow day.  I know that because I was out taking pictures of the sheep for my very first blog post.  The two pictures I shared that day remain two of my very favorite pictures ever, but I've shared them many times over the anniversaries so this year I'm going to share another old favorite instead.  I believe I only have these beloved pictures because I started blogging...nineteen years ago.

So many old friends in this picture from February, 2015.  I wish Hank was mixed in there too, but I'm thinking that might be what Elizabeth, in the front, is looking at.  Don't miss Comby sitting on the fence.  It's all part of the puzzle.

Praying

 

It doesn't have to be 

the blue iris, it could be

weeds in a vacant lot, or a few

small stones; just

pay attention, then patch

a few words together and don't try to make it elaborate, this isn't

a contest but the doorway

into thanks, and a silence in which

another voice may speak.

Mary Oliver

Thank you for still being here and being my other voices.

 

Another Thanksgiving Dinner That Couldn't Be Beat

In my mind it will probably always be Maisie's birthday, but from here on out it will be known as Sheep Thanksgiving and if I mess up the date, it's okay because every day should be Thanksgiving.  Leftovers (more cookies ;-) this evening!

It wouldn't have been a party if an orange cat didn't show up and then the chickens.  By that point it was getting dark and I didn't think to change my ISO so the chicken pictures are mostly a blur...like chickens.

Show of hands for who knows what the title of this post is referencing :-).

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.

"Go Outside!"

Occasionally it's a good thing to check your socials before bed.  I almost missed the Northern Lights last night!  

Apparently the last time we saw them here it never made the blog :'-(.  That makes me think it was two years ago, but I can't go back and verify.

The colors that time were purples and greens.  Last night was all about the red and we got streaks shooting up into the sky as well.  I can't even believe I am saying "that time"....and I'm trying not to overthink why I've now seen the Northern Lights three times in two decidedly not northern states.

The iPhone picks up extra light in "night mode" so the first two pictures were a little brighter than what you could see with just your naked eyes.  I did bump the over exposure down some to get a more realistic picture, but left them a little brighter because the skies were so pretty through the camera lens.  This bottom picture is what I was actually seeing standing out in the yard.

As soon as I saw we were getting good colors last night, I started making my calls.  While all of my friends, except  maybe one, I'd normally not call after 10:00 p.m., I did send out a call last night.  "Northern Lights! Go outside!"  

We shared pictures and exclamations and thank yous and one by one finally drifted off back to bed.  I settled in thinking about my night sky calendar picture choices and knew which one I should pick and the story that would go with it.

By morning light though, the choice between the two pictures I had in mind...the shot I was thinking of that would pair with the night sky stories had Lancelot and Gato as the feature, along with a full moon.  The other shot had Maisie and Short Round.  I already had a nice picture of Lancelot picked out for another month...and the other shot had Maisie and Short Round.

There's a pretty good chance that I am putting together our last farm calendar.  Tim is hoping to retire next year and without his in house printing service, the calendars are not really feasible.  I hate not telling all the good stories.  There may just be a couple of extra pages this year.

By The Way

That was Nistock Farms yesterday.  Probably most of you already knew that, but for anyone who doesn't know about their award winning sheep and beautiful wool and wood products, here's a link.

"I heard you used to be better at this blogging thing!"

A New York Flock Walk

I've been working on the 2026 calendar this week and was doing okay scrolling through months and months of pictures of Maisie and then got to the picture of her standing next to a big dangerous trench and an excavator, giving me one of "those looks" and it was so classic Maisie that...

I tried to keep it together and move on, but I just couldn't.  I kept staring back into her coal black eyes that always seemed to look straight into my soul and finally realized I needed to go do the evening chores...and fix dinner...and watch some "baking show"...and go to bed...and this morning I still couldn't get back to it so I decided to take a short vacation back to New York and share some pictures of sheep who aren't Maisie.

I also made three new puzzles!

Robin and I had been busy with all sorts of fun things that Saturday and as she and Andy started prepping evening feed, I headed out to the big field with my camera.  The leaves were just starting to turn and the light was starting to fade, but I still had a great time taking pictures of all her beautiful sheep.  Well, most of them.  There is also a ram barn and a group of retirement home sheep.  This is the main flock.  

It was a great vacation, then and today.  I hope you enjoy it as well :-). 

I did a post on Instagram this morning talking about counting sheep.  Does this picture make you want to start counting as well?

And dinner was served.

Real Quick

Hug A Sheep Day was chilly, but very fun and I have pictures and stories to share from that, but they are on my phone, so an extra step to share, but not to worry...I will get that done, hopefully tomorrow.  In the meantime, here is a quick post to update everyone on the swallowtail caterpillar in the garden.

Last week I found a swallowtail caterpillar still eating away on some leftover carrot tops out in my messy garden.  I'm glad the garden was messy because, by accident, there was still some food for a late to the party caterpillar.

We had two medium freezes and a hard freeze last week and I worried about what was going to happen, so I built a makeshift greenhouse using some picket fence pieces and clear plastic and on the coldest nights I draped a cotton sheet over the top, tucking it in the edges to hold as much heat in as I could. 

It worked!

Each morning I walk out and check on it and this morning he/she was in a good spot for a photo so I grabbed my big camera.  Cell phone cameras are nice, but no comparison to a good DSLR.  I not only prefer those pictures, but they are also easier to get inspired to post a quick blog.  

Monarch caterpillars can not make it through the winter, but swallowtail caterpillars can overwinter if they make it into a chrysalis.  I'm not sure if I would need to try to move it into the garage or something, but if we make it that far, I'll do a little more research. 

In the meantime, we'll all do our best and be grateful there to have made it this far.  Those carrots have got to be confused for sure!  

Speaking of messy gardens, it's best to leave them messy all winter!  The birds will eat all sorts of leftover seeds and any insects they find there and there are insect of all sorts living in the mess and eggs that would hatch next spring if they are given a chance.  Embrace the mess and leave your leaves, too!