A Day in the Big City and More

Yesterday Maureen and I took a trip to Fresburg, though that wasn't the main reason. We started with a trip to a blogworld friend that was processing chickens. Having done Dinner, our next adventure in suburban sharecropping should be chickens, right?

I was a great time. Here is the great description our friend posted, and they did a good job detailing the process. We learned some tricks processing these roosters. For me one issue was the chicken's cavity and its size. Getting my hand in to scrape out the lungs was a bit tight. It was also a learning process to slaughter more than one bird at a time. We could take our time with Dinner. Not so here as even with only five roosters speed became relevant. Afterwards the thought again came to mind that this job isn't necessarily hard, just another form of work. And work that previous generations did on a regular basis. One that the future may hold for many of this generation.

After the chickens were packed away, Maureen and I traveled into the hills to Prather and G.I. Jim's Military Surplus and Supply. This is a place that is out of our normal travel paths, but since we were close and had some time thought we would go see what is available. We were pleasantly surprised with the selection,  Jim is a nice guy to talk with, and he certainly has a passion for his job. We ended up getting a break-down shovel, headlamp and space blanket to leave in the car in case of emergencies. We definitely plan on returning.

After spending the day so far in pleasant company and calm surroundings, our next and last stop was a contrast. We needed some milk so we stopped at Trader Joe's on Blackstone in Fresno. Trader Joe's isn't a bad contrast, and  is always a great people watching location. Blackstone was a madhouse at 5:00 in the evening. I was struck with the thought that I was the only one in the store with blood on their shoes.

Meeting and helping a friend, gathering good food, watching people, then back on the asphalt spine of Central CA to the little town with the English name. A good day.