The Lord is My Shepherd

That is one of scripture's most comforting passages.  Until you get to know sheep.  Then you re-think what the Lord is really saying about us.  I'm only partially kidding.

I think the first time I met sheep was long, long ago, at my great-uncle and aunt's house.  They were romantic and peaceful.  I probably wasn't much older than 5 or 7.  My great aunt and uncle were pretty awesome and had cool farm toys.  That's about the extent I have of that early memory.  Later on, I found out that they were actually unlikely sheep farmers.  If memory serves me right, just a year or two ago my great-uncle told me the reason he had sheep was he didn't like to mow the grass.

I started knitting when I was 6 or 7 and have been knitting since.  Yarn is expensive, especially nice yarn, so I dreamt of having my own sheep and making my own yarn.  Somewhere in high school or early college my parents actually gave me a "spinning" class.  Not like the bicycle type of "spin" but using an actual spinning wheel and making yarn.  It was pretty cool.

In my undergraduate years I took a "sheep management" class.  I got to learn all about sheep farming.  I had no intention of becoming a sheep farmer for a living, but I thought it would be helpful when I had my own "hobby farm" someday.  With the way I knit, it could even become self-sufficient.

Photo by Meg Herriot 2007.  Do not reproduce.

In veterinary school, I was one of the lucky few who got to take the last "small-ruminant" rotation.  Our beloved professor retired after our class graduated.  It was probably one of my favorite rotations in vet school and it prepared me in ways one wouldn't think.  There's something about delivering lambs at midnight.  I also found out that I had actually paid attention in some of my classes, but didn't remember everything.  Without going into too many details, there was a wine-bottle trick that I had thought my professor was kidding about- no, it actually does do the trick (and more than just the relaxation of the vet drinking the wine).

  It takes physical labor, mental fortitude and definite problem-solving skills.  It takes more athleticism than you would think.  Sheep are made to be "flight" animals.  Even though they might need assistance, when able, they will run away from you.  Animals typically are "fight or flight".  Cats have excellent skills in both areas.

Photo by Meg Herriot 2007.  Do not reproduce.

One of my fellow vet-students, Sarah actually commented that I would make a good quarterback because I was known for running after sheep who needed assistance, tackling them and then getting them into a position where I could assist.  My classmate Sarah and I actually realized when we were working with sheep, "If the Lord is my shepherd and we are his sheep, I'm not sure that's His nice way of saying we are REALLY stupid," I can't remember which of us said that.

I still like sheep though.  There's something about a newborn baby lamb, it's innocence and sweetness.  As I told my husband, I've done more C-sections in sheep than I have in dogs or cats.

About 4 years ago I convinced my husband (reluctantly) to go to a "Sheep and wool festival."   I think he thought it was going to be like going to a giant yarn store.  We got there and my son and him enjoyed the "folksy" music, the live demonstrations and seeing all the different breeds of sheep.  It was a kinder on the nose situation than your regular county fair (due to diet, sheep excrement does not stink nearly as much as other species).  Now my husband and son are hooked and it is an annual family affair.  Now I just have to continually remind him how much he doesn't like mowing the lawn so I can get a few sheep of my own!