Sadly, this week we made no major accomplishments. There were a number of items crossed off our to-do lists, but nothing newsworthy. That will not, however, prevent me from composing a thoroughly descriptive post for the week.
On Sunday, we attended the Goldstream Valley Farmer’s Market, as usual. It was a good day for egg sales. We took 17 dozen, sold all of them, and had to disappoint a later customer. We also sold some chicken meat, but not an impressive amount.
During the week, we harvested 14 birds from the second batch of broilers. This year, we have been more careful to monitor the birds’ weight. So, we have had almost all of them dress out near 4.5 pounds. That is the weight preferred by the Roaming Root Cellar, where we also sell eggs and meat.
Any of the birds that dress out significantly over 4.5 pounds get parted into quarters – chest, legs, and wings. Usually, we combine the wings from two or three chickens to make a better volume.
Our mailbox came in need of repair. The mailbox came with the house when I purchased it, 26 years ago, and it was not new then. So, there is no justification to complain that the latch wore out from the small daily abrasions of so many years of use.
Earlier in the week, I noticed that the bottom strip of the latch felt soft when I opened the box. The next day, the bottom strip of the latch was missing. I suspect it broke in the postman’s hand when he loaded the mail into the box.
There actually is justifiable complaint to make about repairing the mailbox. In all of Fairbanks, there is no hardware store offering a mailbox repair kit with a latch. I could replace the flag, the base plate, or the entire box, but not the latch. Unenthusiastically, I resolved to cut a strip of metal and fiddle with it until the shape became compatible with the top latch strip. Fortunately, a simpler solution came to me.
While looking at the styles of the mailboxes in the stores, I realized that there were several different latches in use.
Reasoning that there is no standard latch design, I purchased an inexpensive drawer handle and mounted it to the door of the mailbox. The remaining portion of the latch has enough springiness to hold the door closed. The postman should have no objection to my repair work as long as he can open the door with a gloved hand in the winter.
While on an errand, I noticed the cranes have returned. This week is the 29th Annual Tanana Valley Sandhill Crane Festival. As they migrate south for the winter, the cranes so predictably stop in the field at Creamer’s Dairy that the bird sanctuary hosts educational events for the public at the peak of the migration.
The pictures don’t allow for judging sizes, but the cranes are actually quite large birds. Greater Sandhill Cranes can be 5 feet tall with 7-foot wingspans. Lesser Sandhill Cranes can be 4 feet tall with 6-foot wingspans. Canadian Sandhill Cranes are in the middle, size-wise.
