The "Faces of Strangers: #35" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Visiting the Grange Fair in Centre County and headed toward the east end of the grounds to make our yearly visit to the livestock buildings.  Always neat to walk throught all the buildings, checking out who may have already won a blue ribbon or who is still preparing for competition in a myriad of animal classes from steers to bunny rabbits.  As we passed into the sheep building, I noticed two young girls standing close to the entrance, talking with one another.  As I looked to my right I saw these two adorable sheep that had coverups on their bodies.  One was dressed in a zebra outfit while the other had a leopard skin outfit.  I was admiring and preparing to take a photograph of them when one of the two girls walked toward me.  

11 year-old Rachel with her friends.

I smiled at her and she greeted me.  "Are these your sheep?" I inquired.  The young girl gave me a big grin and said they belonged to her and her sister.  I began a conversation with her and finally asked her if I could take a photo with her in her sheep pen.  She hustled into the pen and posed next to one of the sheep for me.  Rachel has been showing sheep for three years of her 11 year-old life.  Her sheep were less than a year old and cute as can be.  The were very vocal as she stood with them talking with me and telling me that she and her sister put the coverups on them to keep them clean so when it is their turn to show them, they will still be clean.  The entire time I am talking with her I can hear the constant bleating from behind her.  Her goal, she told me, was to win a blue ribbon, but she is up against some tough competition from girls slightly older than her.  The cute little girl asked if I was a newspaper reporter and I think I disappointed her when I told her I wasn't, but promised her I would write about her on my blog.  She smiled once again as I waved goodbye to her and wished her good luck.  The only thing I forgot to do was to get the names of her two four-legged companions …  and her sister.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.