My Enabler

I realized recently -  my husband is my enabler. He feeds my habit.
"Hi, my name is Lyndee, and I have an addiction to baby calves."
It started with two calf hutches. Then, this past spring Taylor got me a 3-pen calf shed.  And rarely do any of these pens sit empty because Taylor brings me baby calves from the feedlot. In the past two years I've taken care of 37 different calves.
And, just last evening Taylor brought me number 38 - a sweet little black brockle-face heifer I named "Alice" off of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (or for my grandma) :)

Sunday afternoon was absolutely beautiful, so after church Taylor and I decided to work on a few projects that needing doing outside.  As we were working, I realized nearly all of our projects were created by/for my calves:
- Taylor getting the loader to move hay bales that helped block the wind from my calf shed when it was really cold earlier this winter
- Using the loader to pile up the old straw and manure I cleaned out of my calf pens
- Digging dirt out from my calf hutches to limit any bad bacteria
- Leveling off the dirt from the line that was dug to get electricity and a water line out to my calf shed

"The first step is admitting you have a problem" - well, this theory doesn't apply in this situation. I may have an addiction (and I know it), but I have no intention of trying to overcome it. :) I love taking care of little baby calves that would otherwise not have a chance. And I couldn't do it without Taylor. He gets me hay and straw, helps me doctor and work them, and on those sad occasions when a calf gets really sick and is suffering because it isn't responding to the medicine, Taylor puts them down for me. I'm so blessed to have a husband who gives of his time and effort simply to make me happy because he knows how much I enjoy my hobby of caring for baby calves.

Now the trick will be to always recognize all these gifts Taylor gives me, and make sure that I'm giving back to him as well. I want to put him above myself, the way he has for me.

Bently cuddling up with new baby, Alice

I'm also extremely grateful for friends like Jim and TJ, both of whom work at the feedyard. Jim frequently takes care of my calves for me if we're gone, and TJ, along with many other things, helped us build my calf hutch  pens and put in a water line to my shed. (It's a good thing they like cookies, pies, and quick breads and will work for food, or we'd be broke from how much I'd owe them for their help.)

Besides messing with calves, Taylor and I recently went skiing with his family at Crested Butte. It was such a blast! It was really cold while we were there, but we bundled up and had a great time. Because of when we went, there was hardly anybody else on the mountain. It was awesome not to have a ton of other people on the slopes at the same time. I like doing a few nice runs, but my favorite thing to do is to try and follow Taylor down some blacks. I'm about as skilled at doing the moguls as a house cat is at swimming, but I like to try. I'm sure I'm horrible to watch, but at least I skied down those parts more than I fell this year. :)

These are what moguls look like - (until I started skiing with Taylor I had no idea what they were)

Western Kansas Fact: We need moisture, VERY BADLY - please pray we would get some. But if you're going to pray, please be specific - ask for snow that would come without wind.  Blizzards kill cattle in a hurry.

 I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink. Matthew 25:35
I needed to be reminded of the lesson that went with this scripture. A lot of times when I think of working or doing things for God, I feel like I need to accomplish something big for it to count. But this lesson reminded me that this scripture doesn't say "I was thirsty and you dug me a well." God doesn't ask us to perform miracles. That's His job. All He needs is for us to show up and offer our lives for Him to use. God can use the simplest acts that are done in His name - like offering the thirsty a drink - to make a difference for His kingdom.

Hope you all have a wonderful week!
Lyndee