Occupation: Shepherdess

When I fill in "shepherdess" as my occupation on official forms, for example my taxes, most people don't quite know what to make of it.  But to me it seems very normal.  I raise Shetland sheep; hence, I'm the shepherdess.  Perfectly, grammatically correct usage of the word.  Of course, I could fill in retro-housewife, pin-up, mother, writer, seamstress or any number of other occupations, but shepherdess seems the most appropriate umbrella.  By definition it is "a rural girl or woman who herds, tends and guards sheep in a pastoral setting."   And if you expand the definition of "sheep" to include my home and family, then I do indeed herd (keep my home and family together), tend (by cooking, cleaning, laundry, etc.) and guard (by giving care and emotional support).  

However, labels can be deceiving.  Everyone I know is such a conglomeration of diverse talents that I usually stop in wonder to shake my head.  But then those very same people wouldn't be complete if just one of those quirky talents wasn't part of the whole.  So whilst you browse these pages, you may shake your head at my definition of shepherding, but in time you'll see that my uniqueness is most definitely built by the whole of my talents.