As we near Christmas, this is my warning – double-check your boxes…there may be treasure hidden in the peanuts 🙂  Luckily, my box that contained a hidden treasure was stored in my shop and not thrown away!

On December 12th, UPS delivered a box that I was very excited to receive.  It contained a painting from Royal Unzicker at Ivy Brook Meadow, someone I feel honored to call a friend and a very kind man.  He agreed to paint a scene from our farm as a Host gift for the JSBA Annual General Meeting, the event we had here at the end of August.  For the last several years, he has donated a painting for the JSBA AGM raffle and I keep hoping that ‘this’ year will be the year my name is called, but it hasn’t happened yet.  So I was beyond THRILLED when he told me that he was going to do a painting for us!

So much anticipation when the box showed up!  I had no idea what scene or sheep he painted.

When he was here in August, he was snapping away with his camera.

What is it?  What is it?

Oh my goodness!  It is amazing!  Taken from a picture of some of my favorite rams – Kenleigh’s Reno, Kenleigh’s Wrangler, and Magic Moon Junior.  I was delighted with it and so happy and immediately sent an e-mail to Royal, saying ‘THANK YOU!’

Little did I know there was another treasure in the box.

I hung the painting in our kitchen – the colors are perfect…and then took the box out to my shop.

A week later, I got an e-mail from a mutual friend and it said…’Royal had mentioned to me that he did two paintings for you.  Did you get the second one?  The second one was meant as a surprise and I think you’ll like it’.   I read the e-mail and then read it again and was very puzzled.  A second painting???  I e-mailed her back and said that no, I hadn’t received a second painting.  I was perplexed.  It didn’t make sense for him to mail two separate packages.  It hit me that maybe it was still in the box!!!  I ran over to my shop and what I found brought tears to my eyes…

A painting of our son and his ewe, Precious.  A true treasure!  The details are amazing and my son loves that he included his glasses and the details in his pants 🙂  He really captured the love these two share for each other and the patience in her eye.

THANK YOU ROYAL!!!