Picture of the day - September 19, 2007

Granny Martha's "Mailbox Birdhouse"

Last Christmas, Cheria and I gave her mom a new mailbox to replace the old beat-up metal one that she had been using for decades, and as soon as the weather improved enough to allow it I took the old one down and installed the new one in its place. But instead of trashing that old mailbox, I asked "Granny Martha" if I could take it home and convert it into a birdhouse. She said "sure", so I threw it into the back of the car and took it home with me...where it sat on a shelf in my storage building for several months! Well, a few days ago I happened to be looking for something in the building when that dented old mailbox caught my eye. Almost as an afterthought, I picked it up and carried it into the garage where I set about straightening out the dents and sanding away several layers of paint. Then, after cutting and sanding a block of wood until it fit the opening of the mailbox, I drilled a one and three-eighths inch entrance/exit hole and installed a short length of dowel for use as a perch. Next, I drilled a couple of drain holes in the metal door and left it hanging open for use as a birdfeeder. Then as a finishing touch I painted the new "mailbox birdhouse" a sunny shade of yellow - and the flag a bright red. After the project was finished, I placed it in the car and drove it right back to Granny Martha's house where I installed it on a fence post that had once held a wooden birdhouse that ended up succumbing to the elements. The old 4x4 post was well-weathered but still quite functional, so all I had to do was add a couple of short lengths of treated 2x6's to serve as a solid foundation to hold the contraption. Granny Martha was pleased as punch with her "new" birdhouse, happily posing for pictures while looking up at it from her relatively low vantage point. All in all I think the project went well, but I suppose the real test will come in the spring when Granny Martha's feathered friends start looking for places to build their nests and raise a family!   Visit the POTD Archives for previous "Pictures Of The Day"!     Submit a photo of your own!            Why I publish the "Picture of the Day"