Just for fun, in this age of smart-phones, PDAs, and online calendars, I still put together a personalized old-fashioned paper calendar each year to hang on our kitchen or office wall. In past years my electronic brains have failed me. They crash, the batteries die, I often forget to sync them, and honestly, when you’re up to your elbows in compost and transplanting, it’s just downright inconvenient to use them. Most days I find the old fashioned pencil and paper methods still work the best.
2011 calendar cover, featuring our favorite fowl, Frodo.
In previous years we’ve chosen our favorite single photograph for our annual calendar. This year, feeling rather indecisive, we couldn’t choose just one image, so we went the whole hog, and selected a collection of images from our past year’s blog archives for each of the twelve months. As such, for 2011 we’ve put together a calendar with some of our favorite farm-centric photographs, of animals, native plants, and produce, from the past year.
Each month features three images, with caption (click any image to enlarge)
We put together this calendar just for us, but a few have asked us how they can obtain copies of our elusive Curbstone Valley calendar for themselves, so this year we’ve chosen to use a print-on-demand publisher so we can share!
Each page measures 13.5"x19"
For 2011 this is a large-format, twelve month calendar, spiral bound above the photographs. Each month is a full page measuring 13.5 x 19 inches tall. There’s lots of room to scribble important upcoming dates of note, and events, without our busy days becoming too crowded and illegible.
Detail showing the layout for each month
The print-on-demand company we’ve chosen to use this year does ship internationally. For a preview of the entire calendar, see below:
After such a drama-filled year, including an attempted assault by a bobcat yesterday afternoon, we felt that our favorite rooster, Frodo, deserved to make this year’s cover. He is also featured as ‘Mr. October’. To see all of the images included in this year’s calendar, see the full preview here.
Let’s hope our new calendar helps to keep us better organized in 2011. Enjoy!
Yeah Clare – I have started getting emails again of your new posts so I won’t miss another one!
I love your calendar. I too still use a paper one hanging up in the kitchen.
I find I can still write with a pencil, even with mud on my hands, better than I can use a smart-phone. That’s a little hard on the sensitive screens 😛
I noticed I received the new post notification too, to my test email account. I think the recent WordPress update repaired an incompatibility with the email notification widget. Regardless, I’m glad it’s working again!
Love the calendar Clare!
ps. whats that commentluv thingy at the bottom do?:)
Thanks Esther! Commentluv is a widget that will link to your current blog post automatically, if you include your blog address when you leave a comment. Just helps to drive traffic around between blogs 🙂
Love your calendar and Frodo is a worthy cover boy.
I do one each year for my husband to keep on his desk at work – mainly with photos of the grandchildren. It’s to help him remember all the birthdays (including mine).
Oh my gosh! I remember all of those old posts! Love that Frodo is your coverboy! I’ve always thought he was very handsome.
I could not live without my paper calendars. I love yours Clare! Beautiful! It is so fun to see Frodo in the spotlight! Another Bobcat attack!!! ??
Yes, well, an attempted attack. I had Frodo out in the portable pen, so he was somewhat protected. The dogs alerted me to ‘Bob’ standing with his front feet up on the pen at 2:30PM yesterday, so I chased him off. Frodo has a bit of a bloody comb, and he lost a tail feather, but he’s otherwise unharmed. Bob’s been really persistent since he killed Zilla, so no chickens are out loose at the moment. I love Bobcats…but I really wish he’d move on.
I’ve always admired your photographs and I’m sure that they look terrific on a calendar! Frodo looks stunning on the cover page!
Calendar is a brilliant idea!
I love your calender! I remember a lot of those pictures from your blog.
My husband keeps asking me why I don’t use the calender on my computer or phone. I like to write it down, somehow it seems to get into my brain that way and I don’t forget as easily.
I actually have two paper calenders that I write one, and I often forget to “sync” them 🙂
I’m the same way, just writing it down helps cement it in my brain. Never thought about syncing paper calendars though, funny. 😛
You have put together an awesome calendar and Mr. October…very handsome! Your photos are all beautiful. Nice job!!
I love your calendar. Frodo makes a very handsome Mr. October. And the cover no less. What a popular guy he is. Is Zilla on page four with a tribute page or was this calendar to press before Bob attacked?
Zilla didn’t make the calendar, as the proofs were submitted before Bob’s attack. Our old hen ‘Roo’, who became egg bound, and died of an oviductal impaction earlier this year, is in the larger of the three images on that page though. Note that Bob however is conspicuously absent from the calendar…and hopefully he won’t make next year’s edition either! 😉
Like a recap of your wonderous year, love the calendar, Clare! I have thought of using Lulu … so you are happy, which is good enough for me. Happy Holidays 🙂
Joey, I’ve used Lulu for a few years now, and published a hardback book of poetry (not mine, but a family member’s works), and I’ve been very happy with their quality. Had one printing issue with a copy of a book, and their customer service was great, and they refunded the cost of the book and shipping. So far I’ve only had good experiences with them. The calendar quality surprised me, and I love that they don’t put their own logo all over your work too, like some companies.
Wow, that looks slick! I do tend to use virtual calendars, but perhaps that’s why my phone’s face is cracked in a million pieces and covered with packing tape! I like your solution better.
You should make one for Idora, with your lovely drawings, trellises, and garden designs!
very cool..beautiful and wonderful..inspiring!
You have put the photos together very well. Very beautiful. You take photos of mushrooms and toads too. I must have missed those. To be honest, I use online calendar.
Last winter was so wet here, we had all sorts of fungi popping up all over the property, so we started writing ‘mushroom monday’ posts during the rainy season. I’m curious to see what fungi grow here this winter! Last year’s posts are available here:
https://curbstonevalley.com/blog/?cat=118
What a gorgeous calendar, Clare! It’s so professional. I’m in love, of course, with the October close up of Frodo showing his pensive brown eye, and one of my favorite details is the Buff Orpingtons with their rumps up in the air. You’ve created something wonderful here. 🙂
Frodo’s October photo I like to call his “smug shot”. He looks rather defiant, as if to say ‘hey, go ahead, pull my tail, bully me, do your worst…I’M STILL HERE!’. The Orpington derrieres were funny. Over 7 acres to range that day, and they were all squabbling over the same bug on the same speck of soil! Silly chickens. 😛
Very nice calendar! I made several calendars. Some of them for my boys with the pictures of them and their friends; some for the teachers who led our class on the Williamsburg/DC trip with the pics of the colonial gardens. My favorite is the calendar for Jim, Hosta hybridizer, with the pics from his garden. He said it was the best gift he has ever recieved.
With such great pictures as you have,Clare, you can make the whole photo-book!
What a great calendar! And a great idea to create one with your own photos. We’re fans of paper calendars too. It’s the organizer of choice here at HA. Dear Frodo looks striking on the cover. And it looks like Ginger got some space as well.
Re: the commentluv thing – that is a pretty neat lil nifty tool. Maybe if one day I have a real blog as well lol I could include it too hah.
You take the most beautiful photographs. Love the calendar. Looking into Frodo’s eye, looking into mine, you can’t tell me chickens aren’t smart. Do you follow Alice Walker’s blog? She has a wonderful new book she’s serialing, at least in part, on her blog: Sitting with the angels who have returned with my memories, The Chicken Chronicles: A memoir. And yes, much of it takes place while she sits with her chickens.