Training.

Today is Mark’s last day of paternity leave; MJ is 3 weeks old today.  So did I lie around nursing the baby, saving up energy for tomorrow when I have to start fending for myself again? 

No!  We took the kids to the Minnesota State Fair!

Sadly, the poultry barns were closed, so Milo didn’t get to see any birds.  But we did get to watch some of the Stock Dog Trials.  You know, sheepherding dogs.  I mean, dogs herding sheep.  The boys sat transfixed as we watched an Australian collie patiently prowling about, eyed by three skittish sheep, bit by bit nudging them towards the pen. 

Mark marveled:  "That’s a really patient dog!" He went on to point out many details:  how the dog, unlike the previous competitor, didn’t waste a lot of time and energy running around, and instead spent most of its time crouched in the "down" position; how the dog would want to chase the sheep, which would be counterproductive as it would tend to scatter them, and so it required a great deal of patience and control on the part of the dog to remain "down" long enough to calm the sheep; how the handler was communicating with the dog, and so forth.  I was thinking to myself that it was nice that Mark was able to explain it to me, and that he must remember things about sheep from when his family, briefly, raised lambs when he was younger, as I seemed to remember. 

And then I realized that he doesn’t actually know anything about sheepdogs, or the rules of the sport, or much about the sheep either.  He’s just really, really good at thinking out loud about things, so that it sounds as if he knows what he is talking about. 

I keep trying to compliment my husband on this ability to sound as if he is more knowledgeable than he really is.   This is a skill I wish I had.  This is a marketable skill.  But every time I praise him for this to his face, he thinks I am telling him, essentially, "You’re a lot dumber than you sound." 

UPDATE:  On the way home, Oscar asked:  "How do they decide which of the chickens is the winner?  Do they have a dog that chases them around?"

I would so pay money to see that.