Tending the Flock

At Christmas 2018, my daughter Anna Elizabeth Prinkey came to my house to borrow the plywood sheep from a nativity set I made over twenty years ago. If I’m ambitious, I pose Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus, the manger and two sheep in my front yard with a spot light on them. This year, I left them stored in my basement and shed. I wasn’t feeling super Christmassy and felt happy and satisfied that I was able to put up the artificial tree with all of the lights and decorations.

I was really lazy in 2017. I hadn’t put away two crèche manger scenes. They were still perched atop the barrister cabinets for this past Christmas. This year, I decided to store them away when I dismantled the tree.

The church needed sheep for the Christmas play and Anna cattle-rustled my two sheep for the scenery of the play. When the performance was over and I was able to claim my sheep, our Pastor said to me, “I really wish we could have sheep that are knee high for future plays.” The sheep I had from home were only fifteen and eighteen inches high.

I remembered that I had a half sheet of wood paneling stored in my shed. An idea slowly formed in my head. I could make a few sheep from it. I had paint left over from my bathroom remodel and craft paints from past projects. I dragged the half sheet into my basement, placed it on a table, then studied it to see how I should sketch the patterns for the most sheep from the wood I had.

By placing the heads, backs, and tail ends in different positions, I was able to design a flock of four sheep. Each one was nearly twenty-four inches high. Only one got short changed. That wooly lamb was in a laying down position with its legs tucked under it to fit the amount of space that remained.

I cut them out, painted them, and even slotted their feet to allow slotted bases to slip on. The bases allowed the sheep to stand without propping them up. Later, after several splinters in my fingers, I was able to finish the entire flock and take them to church. I had no desire to store them at my house until next Christmas.

By making the sheep, I’ve accomplished two purposes; the Pastor now has his sheep and I have less clutter at my house.
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