Three Last Minute Gift Ideas for the Shepherd in Your Life

Do you need some last minute gift ideas for the shepherd or farmer in your life? Here are a few things I would not want to live without!

1. Practical work clothes-I wore through numerous pairs of jeans before finding a pair of work pants that fit me well. Most work pants are not made for women, but Arborwear has perfected a line of women’s work clothes. Arborwear specializes in making clothing for tree climbers, eliminating the oversized, bagginess that I have found in other brands of work clothes. Their work pants have double fabric on the thighs for extra endurance. They fit closely, yet allow for extra room where needed when working. Their vest has the same rugged fabric as the work pants, but is fleece lined with an inside zippered pocket. With zippers on the sides, you can adjust how snug the vest fits. These are my go to clothes for everyday work around the farm. 
2. Digital Scale-A couple of years ago, my husband purchased this hand held digital scale from Premier and slipped it into my stocking. We had been using a hanging scale to weigh lambs and fleeces which was difficult to read and not very accurate. This scale has become one of my favorite tools to use. It has been handy in weighing boxes of fleeces headed to the mill, weighing lambs as they grow, and weighing out minerals. I see that Premier has it on sale now.
3. Poly Tough Cart-This amazing little wheel barrow from Gardener’s Supply has gotten heavy use on our farm. It has two pneumatic wheels that are centered on the base, making it easy to maneuver over our hillside terrain in all kinds of conditions. The frame is capable of supporting up to 300 pounds. I use this every season of the year for hauling manure, dirt, rocks, and veggies from our garden. 

Hopefully, you have already done your Christmas shopping, but just in case you need one more gift, I hope these suggestions give you some ideas! Do you have other gift ideas for a farmer/shepherd? Please share!

4.  My daughter just reminded me of one  more item that should have made this list-Head Lamps! Several years ago, my husband purchased two head lamps from our local farm supply store, blue for him and pink for me. We have literally worn these out! He was tired of trying to hold a flashlight between his teeth while trying to care for new lambs and sheep in a dark barn. We have used these little lights for sugaring season, lambing season, wood working, winter time outdoor cooking, and for those power outage days. Hmmm…..I wonder if St. Nick will bring us new head lamps this year?