LABOR DAY

Yesterday was a chicken processing day. We did seven. They were huge! They averaged about ten pounds. I picked out the biggest so the next batch won't be quite so heavy. We had one for dinner last night- delicious.

Labor Day was a significant day when I was a child and, also, when I had children at home. A big day, everything was different the next morning when the school year yawned before you. Now it creeps up quietly and has little demarcation in our lives; yet, the weather did cooperate as it seemed to usher in Fall. It got down to 39.7 degrees last night and was still chilly when we got up.

It occurred to me, as I heard more rumblings of the financial collapse, that chickens might become a very popular bird in city and suburban locations. They are easy to raise, they are omnivorous {eat almost any food scraps} and give eggs and meat. Chickens, coupled with a small garden, can help get a family through some lean spots.

I grew up in Columbia Heights, Minnesota which is/was an extension of North East Minneapolis. During World War 11 it was considered your duty to raise as much food for yourself as you could. Most people had "Victory Gardens" and many people converted a corner of their garage into a chicken coop. We had chickens, my grandparents did, several neighbors and so did many families throughout Columbia Heights and North East Minneapolis. This custom continued after the War and lasted well into the 1950s. It is a custom that could be revived to help families through the transition.

We give our chickens all the table scraps, in the Summer we have to feed them very little. In fact for years I didn't feed them anything besides scraps but they tended to find their way into the garden with too much regularity looking for bugs. Now I give them a little corn in the summer, still a few like to scratch in the garden. We are going to fence it in next year. Chasing the chickens out of the garden ceases to be fun after a few years. In the Winter, as soon as snow covers the ground, they need to be fed. Most folks now-a-days feed them a prepared mash. The old timers in this area fed them oats through the Winter.

Tomorrow could be a significant day on World financial markets. I might talk more about it.

Peace, Gregg