But Mia, the sheep with the most personality, isn't so lucky. She has been raised for ''market purposes,'' as Carolyn obliquely refers to the slaughterhouse. She has been through this before. The first sheep she raised was a ''market lamb'' named Danny. It made me feel more good than bad,'' she said, sounding less than certain.
Animals bring out the best in kids.
Anyway, Carolyn is not one to dwell on sheep showing's morbid undercurrent, even if it is agreed that there is one. Her laughter is a familiar sound at 4-H events, where she is known as an effervescent personality and the possessor of something like real presence in the show ring. The sheep may not know or care they're on stage, being evaluated for their build, appearance and the way they are handled, but Carolyn lights up in the company of a judge. She did the first night of the fair when she all those months of solitary preparation came to a head yet again. In walking around the ring and positioning just-so, one sheep got away from its owner, a girl new to showing who flushed bright red and cast a look of anguished desperation at her parents at the sidelines.