Keys to Working on a Farm: The Bus

I have decided to devote one entire post to the first most important key to a successful career as a farm hand.  I'm a farm hand..only I have what is called "accountability".  Thus I am expected to think for myself and make decisions...which means people get to blame stuff on me willy nilly. 

Try to avoid being in this situation.

The first most important key to being a farm hand is, DO NOT under ANY circumstances pass up the opportunity to throw a fellow co-worker, or boss, under the bus. 
These are in fact "opportunities" and should be held in the highest regard..you can't tuck these in your back pocket for later use.

I am at a severe disadvantage though, because my boss happens to be my dad. 
I screw up?  I start a forest fire.  It's easier to deal with.
He screws up?  It's someone elses fault because of something he never told them to do. 
I have a nickname for him, but I'm not stupid so I'm not telling.

Tim and I have a brother-sister relationship.  There is something about him that makes people want to tell him everything.  And in return he tells dad everything.  I too used to get a severe case of diarrhea of the mouth around Tim, but you get hit by the "dadhound bus line" enough times and you learn to zip your lip.

I took the dairy over from Tim 3 years ago and I cannot even begin to describe the state it was in.  Duct tape and hope..that's what was holding it together.  Now I have an arsenal of "bad Tim decisions" to pull out and use when needed.  Can't put a price on that.

Tim lives in the here and now.  He thinks it's a good idea to raise a few bull calves on a cow that doesn't need to be in the dairy?  Mmmmmk but they are now his calves so he has to band and dehorn them..wasn't my idea so I'm not doing it.  Couple months go by..he has yet to dehorn them..they are now well over 100 lbs of spoiled-rotten kick-you-in-the-face bull calf.  Boss says "why haven't these been dehorned?!"  Rachael says "because those are Tim's calves"..cha ching.

Eddie is easy to throw under the bus...the Tim bus that is.  Eddie does a lot of hiding and "disappearing" then suddenly he shows back up an hour before it's time to go home.  Sneaky.  I'm jealous..dang accountability.

Tim does a whole bunch of yelling at Eddie which makes Eddie mad..but Eddie doesn't get angry he smiles.  Oh Lord.  You can feel the atmosphere change and I go do that thing that I needed to do...
Last month I got stuck in the crossfire and Tim told Eddie that he should go home..he said it in such a way that I wanted to go home. 
I would have gone home.
I missed home. 
I can't yell at Eddie..I just sigh cuz it's Eddie.  Not to mention he has this HUGE place on the end of his nose and I end up talking to it the entire time. 

If something doesn't get done that really needed to get done..it's because Eddie didn't do it.  Duh.  But the boss doesn't expect anything outstanding from Eddie so this only works with Tim.  Then Eddie smiles and we all want to go home.

The second key has to do this the most dreaded phrase you will EVER hear..the phrase you try to avoid at ALL costs..and I will talk about that later.  Maybe tomorrow.

I gotta go figure out what Eddie didn't do yesterday...