“Hope's a tough old hen—she keeps layin' even after the coop blows down.”

A tough job that only gets done one painful foot at a time.

Fend for yourself, because nobody's coming to feed you.

Can't take from someone what they simply don't have.

Life alternates between hitting and being hit.

Everything's going wrong in both directions at once.

Fix it, stretch it, or learn to live with the hole.