Stuck in the Middle

Out in the country they have animals. Some of these animals are bred for a specific purpose. To make any money at any of these such adventures one has to have A LOT of animals. I came across one such man today on my drive out into the country to take Luke to pre-school. A man and his employees were herding sheep down the road. This particular breed, Columbia, is all white and is kept for wool. They cross breed them with Suffolk males, who are taller and have black faces and legs, and sell the lambs for meat. Not just a few sheep but hundreds of sheep. After a lengthy conversation with my father, we decided probably 500. They had one black sheep in the mix. According to him this is how they keep track. He would know. He used to own a few himself. Not 500 but a dozen or so. I used to show them in 4-H. I LOVED IT!! Today I was reminded how much I loved it.

As we got closer to the sheep it became apparent that they were headed the same way we were and it made for slow going. It took about 20 minutes for us to finish the last mile to our destination. The man in charge, sitting high atop his Clydesdale (think Budweiser horses) "led us" through the herd by cutting a path for me to drive along. The sheep were still moving as I drove so they stayed with us for quite awhile. It didn't even matter to me that it took a really long time to get through. I loved being amongst them. The smell was familiar, although Luke thought they were really stinky. The sound of them was a soothing sound. Luke liked the fluffy dogs that were helping herd the sheep. Memories of being a teenager, teaching my sheep to follow me and be led by the chin with no rope came flooding back. They make great companions and fun pets.

I did not have a great camera to capture this moment on film. I did take a picture with my phone out my window at the passing sheep. Just a little glimpse of what we saw as we drove down the road at a snails pace. There were several other cars behind me and as we drove the sheep got more dense in between us so we were literally stuck in the middle of a herd of sheep. Surrounding us on all sides. It was a neat visual and I wish I could have caught it for you. I know I won't forget it.

So there now you know a little more about me you never knew. Ryan and I often talk about our "someday." It includes a home on land so we can have animals. He wants horses. I want a dog. And I do want sheep someday too. The other day Emma told me she wants rabbits. 4-H was fun and I want my kids to experience the satisfaction of being responsible for another life and learning to care for it. Then the pride of showing off what they learn and being rewarded for their efforts. "Projects" help build character and responsibility. I feel like these kinds of experiences helped shape me into the kind of person I am today. I love the feeling of seeing a project through from start to finish and doing a good job at it along the way. I did win Grand Champion Chickens one year. That is a story for another day.