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Different strokes for different folks

Soapweed

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 11, 2005
Messages
16,264
Location
northern Nebraska Sandhills
This is from Flying S's post on "Time didn't change." Didn't want to sabotage the original post so here is a new one.

flyingS said:
It's not that I need to know what time it is. I just can't stand the small details. Maybe a little anal!!!!

flyingS said:
Don't the little things ever drive any of you nuts. Like putting in a fence and knowing that it is not straight even if you can't see it from the road. Or having to put a splice in a new gate. I could go on forever. I have a hard time with the "If it gets the job done, It's good enough" process.

You raise some interesting observations. I admire your high ideals, and strive for these high ideals myself. Unfortunately they don't always come to pass. As I get older, I try to not let the little things bother me quite as much as they did when I was younger. It is more beneficial to keep the big picture in perspective; in other words we shouldn't let the trees keep us from seeing the forest.

When I was in the National Guard, there was a somewhat graphic picture on the bulletin board. The caption read: "It is hard to remember that the object was to drain the swamp when you are up to your ash in alligators." How true. :wink:

Many years ago when I was still helping my dad on his ranch, we had lost quite a few calves one spring. It was starting to bother me almost enough to want to find a competely different occupation. I was voicing my grievances to my dad one morning, and he said, "You mean you'd throw away the whole opportunity to ranch because of a few dead calves?" It kind of got me to thinking, count the live calves not the dead ones.

Back in the 1980's, there was a real perfectionist rancher that raised very good Angus cattle, both registered and commercial. He kept immaculate records, and was an astute operator. Unfortunately his financial situation wasn't in as good of shape as the ranch records, and the bank sold him out in August of 1984. Neither the rancher or the lending institution used much judgement by selling spring pairs in August. Another two months of summer feed would get the pairs to where they could be split to bring more money. I attended the sale and was pulling a ten-foot stock trailer. There were four two-year-olds with calves at side that came through the ring, so I bid $520 per pair and got them bought. They just barely fit in that ten-foot trailer, but they made it home alright. In October (two months later), the four calves were sold for $300 apiece and I only had $220 into those nice bred coming three-year-olds. All four of these cows stayed in the herd for another ten years. All the records in the world on these nice young cows didn't do the original producer a bit of good in the long run.

Back to fencing, I admire a straight fence as much as anyone. It really isn't all that hard to make a fence straight, and if the original corners and a few posts are in the right alignment, the rest of the fence just falls into place quite easily. Kenneth, the man that night calved for us a few years ago, and then stayed the summer to fence, was a real perfectionist. Once I was complimenting him on a new fence he'd built, and he said, "I rather have a pretty fence than a pretty woman." :-) To each their own. :-) Kenneth did an outstanding job building new fence, but he wasn't very good at fixing old fence. His way was to lay it all down and start over. If it didn't end up perfect he didn't want to do it. There is a time to be a perfectionist, but there is also a time to use what is already there to its best advantage.

Studying people, it is interesting to discover that what bothers some folks doesn't bother others at all. This holds true in all aspects of life, from fencing, to automobiles, to wearing apparel, you name it. God made everyone to have a little bit different outlook on life, and that is what makes it so intriguing. Different strokes for different folks.
 
Attending an auction many years ago, all the machinery and equipment was in A1 immaculate condition. My dad mentioned to the owner's nephew, "Looks like your uncle had his hired men busy painting everything and getting ready for the auction." The young man replied, "No, he did all that himself. He wouldn't trust the hired men to do it the way he wanted." Everything did sell for fairly good money considering it was in used condition. Nonetheless, it was a "have-to" sale because money was needed to pay off debt.

Another man that was at the auction summed it up. He said that the owner could lose a hundred head of cattle in a fence corner in a blizzard and never bat an eye, but if a hired hand lost a wrench out of a complete set, the owner would go stark raving bananas.

Priorities need to be periodically evaluated. :wink:
 
You are very thought provoking Mr Soapweed. This business we are in is very trying at times, to say the least. I talk with my friends in the business this time of the year, and with a few days of warm weather and sunshine. They all feel as they are behind in their work. I remind them to look at the calendar. It is still March and we can remember the biggest snow we ever had around these parts, before the "Big Snow of 92". Was is April.

Becoming a father, and losing mine. Has changed how I look at the world. The world through a 2 year olds eyes is of wonder and how come. The world through the eyes of my father, who knew the end was near. Was about how well he lived his life, was he honest enough, did he say "I love you" to the people he really loved. He felt a sense of accomplishment in the end. Because he knew he had taught his boys all he knew about ranching.

Time is the only thing we are given in this life. What we do with it, is what makes the difference. Attitude is everything.
 
Soapweed said:
This is from Flying S's post on "Time didn't change." Didn't want to sabotage the original post so here is a new one.


You raise some interesting observations. I admire your high ideals, and strive for these high ideals myself. Unfortunately they don't always come to pass. As I get older, I try to not let the little things bother me quite as much as they did when I was younger. It is more beneficial to keep the big picture in perspective; in other words we shouldn't let the trees keep us from seeing the forest.

Got to thinking about my post about having to change it manually....Actually it will probably change by itself on Saturday night. Remember the Y2K panic about the year change. Well, they tinkered with the date to change daylight savings time and a lot of software hasn't been "fixed".

But speaking of straight fences.... Dad spent most of his life patching together fences. Very few were ever cleared out and rebuilt from scratch. New post - old wire. Old post-new wire but the fences were usually in pretty good shape till he could no longer do the work. I've been rebuilding, for 5 years now. Course I'm looking at it from the angle that this is the last time I will have to deal with it as a new fence should last till after I'm planted and gone.

However, circumstances usually rears it's ugly head.... I scrimped, cut and held my expenses down as much a possible last year as I new by selling a third of the cows because of the drought would eventually hit the income side as well. I splurging only trying to improve my pastures. Well the drought pretty much made that a waste of money but I did get some return out of it late last fall. Anyway I had planed to loosen the belt a bit this year and spend some money on some things I have wanted for a long time. Such as a Kawasaki 4x4 Mule, a new zero-turn lawn mower, some gravel for the road, having a new stock pond dug on a 50 acre pasture, replacing a 50 year old rusting out waterline that is springing new leaks quite regularly.

Well, I did get the roadwork done, but just barely. As I was finishing up, I lost the clutch petal. Was supposed to be a simple repair of the slave cylinder....but NO....flywheel is damaged, crankshaft is blue, thrust bearings are shot rod bearings peeling..... Shop foreman quotes a price of $16,500 to get her running again.

So........No Kawasaki, no lawn mower. No dozer to clean the fence line and build a new fence. Instead I started cutting the brush out yesterday to get to the 40 year old wire, drive an old t-post between the old post (if they are still their) and raise the wire back up to where it is supposed to be. No, it ain't pretty but it is functional. Dad would be proud....I hope. Got about a quarter of a mile of this to do. Hope I get another 5-10 years out of it. Thankfully it is on the back side of the place away from constant view. :lol: But a patch it is.
 
God didn't make our country straight, just beautiful. We are the only ones concerned with the fenceline. Same goes for how he made us and the other people we deal with on a daily basis. FWIW.
 
I have learned that sometimes you just have to get stuff done. On the other hand there is a difference between needing to fix fence right away because cattle are out and spending time fixing fence. I am not trying to cause any trouble just how I think. I would rather have everyone talk about how I am too lazy to fix fence than have them talk about how I half ash it everytime I do fix it. I tend to like to have time to do things right the first time, I can't stand cobbling. If I don't have time I don't do it. If I cobble something together I am either reminded of it everytime I see it or it breaks again and causes my twice as much work and twice as much headache. I think that applies to a lot of things in life. Sometimes you just have to get stuff done and do with what you have. On the other hand there are somethings worth spending the extra time to do right.
 
flyingS said:
I have learned that sometimes you just have to get stuff done. On the other hand there is a difference between needing to fix fence right away because cattle are out and spending time fixing fence. I am not trying to cause any trouble just how I think. I would rather have everyone talk about how I am too lazy to fix fence than have them talk about how I half ash it everytime I do fix it. I tend to like to have time to do things right the first time, I can't stand cobbling. If I don't have time I don't do it. If I cobble something together I am either reminded of it everytime I see it or it breaks again and causes my twice as much work and twice as much headache. I think that applies to a lot of things in life. Sometimes you just have to get stuff done and do with what you have. On the other hand there are somethings worth spending the extra time to do right.

Could I trade you for my son for a couple weeks of fencing. :D
 
flyingS said:
The fence is so bad on this place if I don't lower my standards it will never get fixed.

Just remember one piece at a time. :D

This place was fenced in 1914 i think my Dad told me. They used second hand wire at the time. :roll: Some of it is still up. We are in some fairly rugged country so we do our best . The thorn bushes have moved into the coulee in the last 80 years. I always wondered how they ever strung wire but looking at old pictures the hills are just as steep not we have way more trees then before.
 
We sent for a new desk for Soapweed when he was a kid. He waited with anxious enthusiasm for it to arrive. I used my jack knife to open the box and cut a little deep making a line all the way across the top of the desk. If Soapweed allowed it to enter his room it was with reluctance!

As Soapweed mentioned he isn't now a perfectionist beyond being practical but I am proud of that part of his makeup he has retained. He and Peach Blossom moved on to a ranch 24 years ago that had much better than average fences but the buildings were in bad shape, Since they have lived there the buildings have been remodeled or torn down and replaced making it an attractive homesite. What they do they try to do right!
 
Bob M said:
We sent for a new desk for Soapweed when he was a kid. He waited with anxious enthusiasm for it to arrive. I used my jack knife to open the box and cut a little deep making a line all the way across the top of the desk. If Soapweed allowed it to enter his room it was with reluctance!

As Soapweed mentioned he isn't now a perfectionist beyond being practical but I am proud of that part of his makeup he has retained. He and Peach Blossom moved on to a ranch 24 years ago that had much better than average fences but the buildings were in bad shape, Since they have lived there the buildings have been remodeled or torn down and replaced making it an attractive homesite. What they do they try to do right!

The desk getting messed up made me not want to be a studious type person after all. :roll: :-) Had that not have happened, I may have become a doctor or lawyer or someone else of importance, instead of just a scruffy old cowpoke. :wink:
 
Soapweed said:
Bob M said:
We sent for a new desk for Soapweed when he was a kid. He waited with anxious enthusiasm for it to arrive. I used my jack knife to open the box and cut a little deep making a line all the way across the top of the desk. If Soapweed allowed it to enter his room it was with reluctance!

As Soapweed mentioned he isn't now a perfectionist beyond being practical but I am proud of that part of his makeup he has retained. He and Peach Blossom moved on to a ranch 24 years ago that had much better than average fences but the buildings were in bad shape, Since they have lived there the buildings have been remodeled or torn down and replaced making it an attractive homesite. What they do they try to do right!

The desk getting messed up made me not want to be a studious type person after all. :roll: :-) Had that not have happened, I may have become a doctor or lawyer or someone else of importance, instead of just a scruffy old cowpoke. :wink:

Ya go ahead and blame you Dad for your under -achieving attitude. :wink: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
 
One of the smarter things I have done in my life, so far. was scratching the top of Soapweed's desk if that took away his aspirationns to leave the ranch to become a doctor or a lawyer!

About that same time Little Soapweedie was mad as a guy his size and age, 45 or 50 pounds and about 6 years old, could get one nigiht when he came home from school. The kids in his room were being taught to march for the rhythm band. When we got him calmed down so he could communicate he said he was the only one that was in step and the teacher kept giving him heck all the time! It turned out he thought you were supposed to raise your left foot up on "left" and the riight foot up on "right!"
 
Bob M said:
One of the smarter things I have done in my life, so far. was scratching the top of Soapweed's desk if that took away his aspirationns to leave the ranch to become a doctor or a lawyer!

About that same time Little Soapweedie was mad as a guy his size and age, 45 or 50 pounds and about 6 years old, could get one nigiht when he came home from school. The kids in his room were being taught to march for the rhythm band. When we got him calmed down so he could communicate he said he was the only one that was in step and the teacher kept giving him heck all the time! It turned out he thought you were supposed to raise your left foot up on "left" and the riight foot up on "right!"

We always knew he marched to a different drummer. :wink: :lol2: :lol2: :lol2:
 
Bob M said:
One of the smarter things I have done in my life, so far. was scratching the top of Soapweed's desk if that took away his aspirationns to leave the ranch to become a doctor or a lawyer!

About that same time Little Soapweedie was mad as a guy his size and age, 45 or 50 pounds and about 6 years old, could get one nigiht when he came home from school. The kids in his room were being taught to march for the rhythm band. When we got him calmed down so he could communicate he said he was the only one that was in step and the teacher kept giving him heck all the time! It turned out he thought you were supposed to raise your left foot up on "left" and the riight foot up on "right!"

On the rhythm band issue, I started out being a little bent out of shape. A whole box full of rhythm band paraphernalia was distributed to the class. All of the more adept kids got issued the "cool" stuff, like tambourines, maracas, sand blocks, cymbals, drums, bells, triangles, and the like. The rest of us were each given two sticks to hit against each other. By the time the session was over, I didn't give two whoops or a holler if I ever got to be in the rhythm band again. In this day and age, I probably could have sued someone for hurting my little two-bit feelings. :roll: :wink: :-)
 
Big Muddy rancher said:
Bob M said:
One of the smarter things I have done in my life, so far. was scratching the top of Soapweed's desk if that took away his aspirationns to leave the ranch to become a doctor or a lawyer!

We always knew he marched to a different drummer. :wink: :lol2: :lol2: :lol2:

Still does today.... trying to make a cow horse out of a mule :oops: :wink:
 
efb said:
Big Muddy rancher said:
Bob M said:
One of the smarter things I have done in my life, so far. was scratching the top of Soapweed's desk if that took away his aspirationns to leave the ranch to become a doctor or a lawyer!

About that same time Little Soapweedie was mad as a guy his size and age, 45 or 50 pounds and about 6 years old, could get one nigiht when he came home from school. The kids in his room were being taught to march for the rhythm band. When we got him calmed down so he could communicate he said he was the only one that was in step and the teacher kept giving him heck all the time! It turned out he thought you were supposed to raise your left foot up on "left" and the riight foot up on "right!"

We always knew he marched to a different drummer. :wink: :lol2: :lol2: :lol2:

Still does today.... trying to make a cow horse out of a mule :oops: :wink:

I am not a leader; I don't follow worth a darn; and I just try to stay the heck out of the way. :wink: :-)
 
Soapweed said:
efb said:
Big Muddy rancher said:
We always knew he marched to a different drummer. :wink: :lol2: :lol2: :lol2:

Still does today.... trying to make a cow horse out of a mule :oops: :wink:

I am not a leader; I don't follow worth a darn; and I just try to stay the heck out of the way. :wink: :-)

Now we know why you play the piano :D

You don't like to march. :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
 
I have a hunch Soapweed and I were more than a little alike in our perfectionism when we were growing up. I once gave the neighbor kid a licking for putting a pig on the barn roof of my farm set. Guess I should have known town kids didn't know how to play farm right. :roll:

My shop has never been built because I refuse to start without a cement pad and those dollars haven't appeared yet.
 

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