The Fall Feeder

Summer is unofficially over and fall is in the air. I have to admit, I wasn’t really on board with welcoming fall just quite yet. I suppose it had a lot to do with the fact that it has been blazing hot outside and also that life just sometimes gets a bit overwhelming. But then it happened. Inspiration hit!

Let me back up a bit. For years, my Mom and Dad have raised chickens. They’re not like big chicken farmers but usually had a dozen or so strutting around the farm. They raised chickens for the farm fresh eggs that are out of this world. The chickens would do their job and enjoy their retirement years pecking around the farm. After many years and many flocks, my parents decided that they were getting out of the chicken business. They gave their remaining chickens to my oldest son and his wife and proceeded to clean out their chicken coop. In doing so, my Dad was getting rid of things like the wooden chicken feeder that he had built. My Dad wouldn’t agree with me but he is one heck of a woodworker. He builds the most beautiful things out of ordinary stuff.

This is when my fall inspiration hit! I was lucky enough to inherit the chicken feeder that was making its way to the dump. Score!!! I could just picture this beauty spread across my farmhouse table with gourds and pumpkins in it and the fact that it was made by my Dad made it extra special!

I hosed off the chicken feeder since chickens have a hard time differentiating between their kitchen and their bathroom and let it dry in the sun. Once it was fully dry, I applied a coat of Minwax Protective Finish in Clear Matte to seal it.