Semi-Handy Man

Backhoe operator, carpenter

 My Father-in-Law is an engineer.  I joke that the problem with engineers is that they know a little bit about how everything works, which means they also know how to fix pretty much anything.  It's a wonder they can get anything done; they must fight the urge to fix every problem they see.  Ranchers are like blue-collar engineers (And I know, some of my ranching friends are actual engineers. I'm not talking about you).  We have to be able to do -- and fix -- a million little things to keep a ranch running smoothly.  I have to be a veterinarian, cowboy, mechanic, carpenter, trucker, butcher, logger, hydrologist, electrician, farrier, nutritionist, and plumber.  We're generally just not as precise as engineers. 

Trapper

I was thinking about all this on Sunday as I lay face down in the mud with my head in a hole as I repaired an 1 1/4" pvc pipe that fed 3 water troughs.  I'd hit it with a pair of post hole diggers while I was being extra careful and digging this particular hole by hand because I thought there might be a pipe down there, somewhere.  I was right.  It was the last thing I wanted to do on a Sunday and I wasn't pleased.  Just that afternoon, I'd already been a heavy equipment operator, carpenter, and surveyor. Now I was a reluctant plumber.  And, as my wife and kids pointed out, I could add sailor to the list, because I sure was swearing like one.