(The following is written by Mr. Mark Johnson, a very good friend of mine, a very good writer, and a pretty perceptive.  Mr. Johnson is a country boy as well and resides in South Dakota with his wife and two sons)

My wife and I have sheep.  We don’t have the space for cattle or the facilities for pigs. Since we are lovers of animals and gluttons for punishment, we have sheep. So somewhere in the racket of our daily routine, we make time for some shepardly husbandry. Although I will admit, they are strange animals that do strange things.

Any time the flock senses we are outdoors, to them, it must be feeding time. They call, begging us with their “baaaah!” Much to their displeasure they are only fed once daily, making it a time of frenzy. When we aren’t going to get the mail or just walking across the yard, and the woolen creatures actually get their way, the frenzy is on!

It starts when they see us go towards the hay. They charge towards us with reckless abandon. And of course, if one of them jumps whether it is something or nothing the thirty-nine followers all jump over the same spot. It is a race to see who can get to the bunk first. The sheep race each other, they also race me. A few rude old gussies will stand in the bunk, while others will lag behind. But they all know it is time.

It is all fun and games when the dry old hay is being fed. It is filling, but not satisfying. When the shake of a pail of corn occurs, it stokes the emotion of the flock. Some show rage, others enlightened euphoria. Make no mistake about it the corn is king! I wade through, struggling to get the grain to the feed trough, but I am always met by knee-high wooly hit men, struggling to be the first to get their sweet fix.

So why would I chronicle the life and times of a hungry old sheep? Because I had a realization that sheep and mankind really aren’t that different.

People are never happy. We want what we don’t have. We often follow, even though we’re not always sure who we’re following or what obstacles we will be jumping over. We push to get what we want. And we don’t care who is in our way.