Know what's an immediate conversation starter? Sheep. Even if the person you're talking to doesn't have sheep, they'll have lots of questions about your sheep. And if that person has sheep of their own? Well. The conversation could go on for hours.
I have noted this before, and had another demonstration of it the other day when I stopped at the local orchard to stock up on apples before they close for the season. I heard some sheep somewhere on the property as I was walking into the shop. I didn't know they had sheep at all, since the sheep are kind of in the back out of sight. I was talking to the proprietor as I was getting my apples and before I knew it, 15 minutes had gone by and we were debating the relative merits of different varieties of hay and how often the sheep should be grained in the winter.
It's times like these that I have to laugh at myself (silently, of course, because the alternative would be way creepy). Because really, when did I become the person who can speak intelligently about first-cut hay and supplements? Sometime in the last couple of years, apparently.
This life. It just keeps on surprising me.
Too funny! I find myself doing the same thing occationally about the video cameras, which is so geeky I know.
ReplyDeleteFor me, sheep would be a total WTF kind of conversation, but I see your point. First question, do you count your sheep? Second question, do you fall asleep while counting your sheep?
ReplyDeleteIt's fun the things we keep discovering about ourselves. It's like those things were deep seated, awaiting for the perfect "Ah, ha" moment. Funny.
ReplyDeleteI feel like that when finding myself in conversations about gardening or running.
ReplyDeleteBecause inside I still am just a total amateur and know basically not much more than the internet can tell you if you were to look it up.
But I do appreciate how people seem mystified that I know about soil amendments. Makes me feel science-y.
Knowing about sheep though? That's a special kind of Fancy.
X: Yes, every time I pass the paddock, to make sure they're all there and one of them hasn't gotten stuck in the fence or something. There're only 8--not enough to put me to sleep.
ReplyDeleteThe most frequent question is about the wool. As in, what do we do with it. And sometimes I can just kill a conversation dead (HAHA) when I say we mostly raise the lambs for meat and don't worry about the wool so much.