Living in an older home, on land that has been ranched, farmed and subdivided since the very early 18oos, leads to some interesting finds.
Digging for gardens, or even just the rainstorms we get, can bring many interesting items to the surface. Pocket knives, old bottles and tools, items thrown into the burn pile that wouldn’t burn, and more. There are tales of Indian arrowheads to be found everywhere here in Alabama, and that should not be surprising as this was once Native Amerindian land. Though I confess, I have yet to find any of this valuable treasure here on the Farmlet.
What I do find, after the fact, are the items the rain loosens and brings up. Things my geese will dibble up out of the soil, and like a Raccoon, will take to the water pail and wash.
To my chagrin, these items look dangerous and non-foodworthy. For your interest, or not 😉 , here are some treasures my geese have collected so far this year…
Each of these items were found at the end of the day when I dumped their water pails!
Row 1, L to R: rusted clockwork; a 2 in. reflector; a plastic soldier who’s seen some pretty serious action; an 8 in. plastic zip tie; a small bit of white plastic; a hose washer; a strange, plastic, locking clip; and a rubberized covering for a tool tip.
Row 2, L to R: An ancient bit of barbed wire; wire; a row of nails from 1 inch to 5 inches in length; two bits of *twisted mystery metal; and an underwire from a rather large cupped bra, with plastic coating missing. Eaten? 😛
Row 3, L to R: An eye screw with a bit of wire attached; a bolt with nut and washer rusted in place; an aluminum screw cap; a fuse from an automobile; a rather sharp piece of heavy gauge, cut aluminum; two miscellaneous bits of twisted, aluminum wire; and …
Row 4, L to R: Various pieces of glass from broken windows and old glass bottles! I find this everywhere on the property! I don’t know why we’re all not missing toes! Scary.
When I see the items the geese leave behind in their water, I often wonder how much of it I don’t see. That is to say, how much is small enough to be EATEN!
When I prepare my chickens for the table I have seen bits of glass they swallowed whole, usually pea sized or smaller. Thankfully, their crops and the rocks they swallow work the edges off the glass shards and apparently with no harm to the bird. But then I have to wonder…
What have the geese swallowed?
I haven’t a clue. I can only assume that if any items were swallowed, they were nothing deleterious to their health!
It is going to rain again today and tomorrow
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*INTERESTING: I went looking for barbed wire history, and found this display:
(Available for sale HERE)
I may have a bit of antique Crandal ‘Champion’ ca. 1879, or Hodge ‘Spur Rowel’ (sp?) ca. 1887. Neither of them collectible in their rusted state, but a fun find!
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Hm, if I train them right, maybe they’ll find something really good and I’ll get rich!
Life on the Farmlet 