Thankful for my job.

With the temperatures dipping down below 0 degrees and listening to the wind howling this past week, I was reminded of how thankful I am for my job. Specifically that I no longer go take my coat off in blizzards and shove it up a cows vagina or rectum. I think some ranchers/farmers are the toughest creatures on the plains, I think others of them are just plain crazy. The tough and crazies would schedule me to come out this time of year to castrate their calves! Oh how I dreaded this. I should have made them take off their gloves/mittens and dip them in water below 32 degrees and let them air dry in temperatures below freezing.

This is a true story that most don't realize happens frequently in the life of a bovine veterinarian... I would have to dip my hands in a bucket of water between each calf. It was a race... Could I get done with the entire herd before the water froze? When the rim around the top of the water had 1/8 of an inch of ice on it, I would trade it out for as hot of water as I could get my hands on. Which wasn't usually very hot, because we would be in a remote place with limited hot water. Sometimes it was even cold water, but warmer straight out of the hydrant than what was in my bucket.

I specifically remember one farm... that had 40-50 head... so they claimed and it should only take about an 1 1/2 hrs. I thought I could handle it. I should have cancelled, which was not acceptable per my boss or secretary so I didn't. They had more than 50 head and it was way too cold. When the farmers are wearing Parka's and MITTENS this is a bad sign!!! My hands got so cold I couldn't feel them, I could just feel pain from my wrist down. My feet weren't much better. And I was standing on ice trying not to fall on my butt! I am getting nauseated thinking about. My boss recommended that I wear latex gloves because they "really cut down on the wind chill." Yeah right! I did wear latex gloves, are you joking me?!

So I lift a toast to myself and say thank-you Jesus for providing me with a job that is a joy, no matter what season it is!