The Good Shepherd

A  while back, in March 2011, while on an evening bicycle ride on the country roads in East Williamson County, Texas, I came upon a man, accompanied by his dog, as they herded a large flock of fluffy sheep along County Road 345, a peaceful road with very little traffic of any kind.  A few days later, in my car this time, and with cameras, I returned.  This deserved documentation!  The man was Rosalio Rodriguez, and his herding dog was Charlie.   During a slow period recently, I decided to see if they were still around.   Indeed they were.   Rodriguez, now 61, and Charlie, now  a lively 8-year-old, were once again shepherding their sheep, about 60 head, up and down that same road.  Rodriguez works at a machine shop in Pflugerville.  Each morning, he gets up at 5a.m., reports to work by 6:30, and is home by 4.   The routine doesn’t vary much.  He and Charlie herd their flock out of his 5-acre pasture onto the roadside, where the sheep fill their bellies for a stroll that often takes two hours.  Not one time have I seen him actually whip the sheep.  It’s only a deterrent, it seems.   It’s nice to see them again.   I hope to return next Spring when shearing time comes around.