Allthough it seem all corners of this thread have been coverd thot id give my bits worth.
My first payin job I was 12 years old, and happy to have it. Myself and a close freind hustled hand lines twice a day for a measly .10 a pipe and furnished our own ride. 800 sticks a day in skeeter invested hot summer sun madefor good spendin money and to buy school clothes in the fall. As the years went by jobs would git promoted up to hayin crew , then to even landin some after school work loadin hay trucks, for myself at the time it was no better life than to be a young wipper snapper with his own spendin money. Seems today its hard to find kids to do that kinda work, and in most cases ranches and farms have stream lines ther operations to include center pivots and bale wagons.
later in years I went to work for a good boss, He and I got along real good, I was pretty much left alone and did what needed to be done, he would even go as far to often confir with me with daily operation of the place and git my opinon, but after 6 years of workin for him he came to me one day and annouced he was sellin the place, to add insult to injury he was sellin to big money for a recreationl ranch. I guess I caint blame him, he sold the best ranch in valley then prompty turned around and bought the worst place in the state. I gave my 2 weeks notice out of sheer disgust for his greed, and havent spoken to him scince.
I then went to work for a short time for one them california transplants, this guy didnt know a cows backside from a hole in the ground, but he did however have a book published by some professor on every thing from grass farming to acerated genetics in goats :roll: He paid well,but it was hard to stomach some of the crazy ideas he would come up with, in fact at times downright embaressing. also this guy couldnt ride a horse and conceded that nobody else would ride on his ranch either. needless to say after a day of discussin why a baler wont make 90 lb bale every bale it made, and helpin him weigh 30 bales on a bathroom scale to prove his point, it was time for me leave ( i guess im not much a baler technition)
I then worked for myself,leased a small place and bought some cows.To keep the bills paid I took association ridin jobs in the summer and day worked in the fall and spring, When day workin ya deal with all kindsa bosses, most were good folks and i was allways happy to go give a hand when the call was recieved. Then ther was some id never go back to, my excuses ranged from low day wages, crappy corral setups to eatin cold bolonga sanwiches when dinner was promised.
Another good job I landed was managin a outfit in Nevada , Then i had the chance to be boss. I learned alot :shock: Being boss aint the best job in the world and good help is hard to find, hands came and went from reasons on drunkeness to the wife just wasnt happy. ( wich sometimes went hand in hand) I did learn that if ya got a good hand, ya best go outa yer way to keep em happy, not only the hired man, his wife also ya got a better chance of keepin em around. I would drop what ever i was doing when the wife had a prob with the house that was provided by the ranch, folks gota be comfortable wher they work or ther not gonna want to stay.
I stayed ther 4 years, then once again in case of dejavu, it wasannounced to me the place had been sold, the insut to this injury :???: It was sold to the MORMAN CHURCH :!: :? :evil: I was asked to stay on, but for reasons id rather not discuss I packed up and was on the move.
I went back to the cow camp and bounced around a lil bit more, I Interveiwd for quite few jobs, I allways got a chuckle when the prospective boss would gimme the old " we kinda do things differnt around here" speech ( any ranch hand can relate to this) but all in all ther the same, crappy houses,. low pay and use yer own horses and pickup, free beef from what ever prolapse cow that lived long enuff to make the ride to the butcher, no insurance, wore out farm equipment, corrals with gates that drag the dirt, and some pimpley faced bosses kid ya have to take orders from,,,,, now tell me>? why do ya think ther lookin for a hired hand to begin with??
Being the Hired Hand can be a thankless job. For those of us that were less fortunate to be born into prosperity , or just aint had the breaks that some folks had.... Its the only way we can live and work in a life style we all enjoy and love. On the way downside of this, the retirement program is pretty bleek, if your lucky ya might put away a few dollors and might buy a small shack to live out yer later years in,, but for most, they retire with a wore out saddle and a bunch of stories to tell, most will end up dieing due to poor health, or injurys from the job.
Now i drive a truck,and not a day goes by i dont wish i was back a straddle a horse in the high country, or sittin a tractor puttin up hay ( i can say i dont miss them hand lines so much) the sleepless nights of calvin season, the smeel of brandin smoke, or the steak dinner when calves are shipped. But i got plans of going back,I hope i find a good boss to work for again.
when ever ya think you boss, try tellin somebody elses dog what to do
For all the reasons to leave, all the things that have happened....good and bad, and deep down inside that's still what he loves/wants to do. That's what it all boils down to. A love for what ya do, and where ya do it, and doin yer best at what ever your handed.