Pepper
Good morning to you Mr. Claus,
It is cold and windy here at my farm. Mostly llamas like cold and wind. We hail from the mountains. There are no mountains here in Boyds, but I spend a lot of time in the woods because my best friend Dingy likes it there. It’s OK, but it’s far from the sheep and I’m a sheep-centric llama. Also there is no hay down in the woods because there is no way to keep it dry, so I have to climb up the hill to go to eat my hay. That’s a lot of exercise for an older lady like myself. Not that I’m complaining. I would never complain. Everyone here is really quite nice, except, perhaps, that cheeky Jean-Claude who thinks he is God’s gift to women. He’ll chat you up and the next thing you know, he’s eating all of your dinner. Right in front of you. Shameless, that one is. He does make us laugh, though, so he’s not all bad. And, yes, I do admit that he is awfully handsome.
Santa, I actually believe Jean-Claude in a RARE MOMENT OF ALTRUISM asked on my behalf for someone to help us with building or supplying to funds to help build a small shelter for Dingy and me in the woods. Just a weekend cabin kind of thing. Perhaps a little front porch where we can sit in our rocking chairs. A TV up in the corner with EPSN and a portable coffee maker. Never mind, I’m supposed to be giving up caffeine. Here is a photo of the kind of thing we’d like (ours can actually be smaller than that).
I wonder if an Eagle Scout troop could help with this? Or maybe some people who have experience with Habitat for Humanity? You see, we cannot just buy a shed and have it delivered, because the terrain is too hilly for a large truck. We really do need this, Santa.
Well, now may I please ask you for some smaller things that are much needed for my farm? First, we have been told by some other sanctuaries that these hydrant covers are wonderful for when the weather gets truly arctic. This happens at least once a year and sometimes the hydrants freeze up. When this happens, humans go stomping in and out of the house to the bathtub to bring out water buckets. The humans make a lot of irritating sounds while doing this. And we have to wait a great long while for our water. These would not be what you would call “good times.” But this cover should solve the problem! http://tinyurl.com/hydrant-cover-for-pepper We have four water hydrants, but we only use two of them every day. So maybe you could send us two?
Speaking of water, a big concern around here is hoses. They get kinked up, run over, and generally moved around a lot. But many hoses are really not safe for people or animals to drink from because they contain toxic chemicals. Here is a good article on this problem. It concerns me, because as I have already mentioned, I’m very keen on maintaining my health. (Santa, I thought you might find this to be nice bedtime reading! https://www.honestlymodern.com/how-to-find-a-non-toxic-garden-hose)
Just to get us started in our migration to safe hoses, in two spots on our farm we use short hoses to fill buckets – these would be very helpful for that purpose: http://tinyurl.com/drinking-safe-hoses
Please do not get frustrated with my health kick, Santa, but this really is the last I’ll mention! I recently got fitted for a coat because of the weather. I do not grow out my fiber that long anymore so it’s harder for me to keep warm. It is a good coat, but … it was previously worn by a donkey. A DONKEY. I can tolerate a few donkey smells on it for now, but soon it will need to be washed. I do not want to wash it in all those chemicals that come in those non-recyclable plastic bins. I want to be healthy and help the planet be healthy. (And Santa, believe you me, we do a LOT of laundry on this farm so these would help everyone). http://tinyurl.com/clean-washing-for-pepper
Oh, my, I must sound a bit like a fussy old lady and surely I do not mean to be – you know, I was quite the gal about town when I was younger and you can tell that I was a looker! But wisdom comes with age and I find much value and comfort in that. Don’t you, too, Santa?
Santa, I do not know if anyone has ever sponsored me, but it would make me awfully happy to know that someone liked me well enough to do that. Can you find me that special someone? Thank you, dear dear Mr. Claus. https://shop.stargazingfarm.org/product/sponsor-pepper/
Till we meet again,
Pepper
Star Gazing Farm
16760 Whites Store Road
Boyds, MD 20841