Two Projects (Almost) Done!

Yesterday was a busy day. I hired a guy with a bobcat to come out and drill postholes for me, and while he was here we pulled up the old mailbox, drilled a posthole for the new one, then he cleaned up the burn piles for me and also pulled out a few volunteer trees that I needed out of the way. It felt good to get so much done.

After he left, I set the corner posts (so later I can put up a line and do all the others), then I set and painted the mailbox post. Then I went comatose around 8:30 last night.

Thankfully I woke up pretty refreshed, albiet feeling like I was closer to 80 than 30. Plus, it's cold, foggy, misty, cold, and down right depressing outside, so after going to the store, I thought I'd lazily finish my nesting box project.

I've been working on building a nesting box for the chickens out of an old cabinet that I found in the old house. It wasn't even salvagable, but rather than throw it away, I felt a conversion was in order. Here's how it looked before I started:



Here's how it looked with the addition of some old barn wood, dividers, and a bit of paint (please forgive the crummy lighting--there is no natural light today).

I know it's pretty rough, but I "meant" it to be that way. It's for chickens, after all....

Here's the mailbox before:

Mailbox after:

I do need to do one more coat of paint, but can't finish it in this damp weather. Since I'm too lazy to go clear to town to get the mail I went ahead and just put the mailbox on this morning. I'll finish up the paint job a bit later, when the weather is better.

Here's another before:

And after:

I also plan on putting numbers on the post as well. And plant some decorative grass right behind it. Then a fence behind that. Then some cedars for privacy. Then replant the front yard. Then landscape the house....

See now why I'm so thrilled about a mailbox?