[Bodega]

Great Grandpa Lurkin “rode fence” on the Irvine Ranch. Does that mean he was bottom rung?

Generally speaking, yes.

Unless he was the owner of said ranch.
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It is so odd...all of us “rode fence” one time or another. Maintaining fence integrity was actually everyone’s responsibility. I don’t recall any one person having to do it as a “responsibility”. But then I was young and wasn’t familiar with doling out job responsibilities.

[RedMonqey]

Maintaining fence integrity was actually everyone’s responsibility.

That and a whole lotta other things. When things happen, there's nobody else to call to "handle things"

No government agency. No society program.

A good neighbor is a thing to chernish, though.

That's why rural folk and ranchers in particularly tend to conservative or independents