I went to a local garage sale today and it got me Jonesing for sturdy, wooden boxes.
Do you want to guess what a wooden box approximately 20" long by 12" wide by 8" deep goes for?
Yeah, a box that is basically made up from repurposed pallet wood. $500 each.
To my readers who were in the military: Please suggest a size-of-box that has a wide range of utility?
Vaguely insulted
There I was, maybe minding my own business, when a 40ish year-old woman asked me if I was comfortable walking on hills.
Looking around me, I asked "Well, that depends. Are we talking 'Michigan' hills or 'Wyoming' hills?"
She pointed at the down-slope at our feet. It was all of 5' of drop with (maybe) a 15% grade*.
"No problem" I assured her. "I might fall but I will be TOTALLY comfortable doing it."
On one hand, the cockles of my heart were warmed that she was concerned about my well-being. On the other hand I wondered, do I really look that decrepit?"
American plums
I picked some of our crop of American Plums, primarily to harvest their seeds. Diploid plums like American plums and Japanese plums are not self-fertile. They need another variety to provide pollen if they are to set fruit.
Pro-tip, plum flowers are not very attractive to bees. Plant your trees close enouh so the branches of separate varieties interlace. This is not a big deal with European plums (hexaploids) but is make-or-break for diploid plums and their hybrids.
I have cultivar "South Dakota" planted in two places. One place has Prunus americana from the Niobrara river valley in Nebraska as the pollen parent. The other has Prunus nigra as the pollen parent. Of the two, the Niobrara has better fruit quality, so those are the SD plums I am saving seeds from.
A couple of years ago I grafted some AU Rosa into one of the trees (thanks Lucky!) and it bloomed this year but I am dubious about it pollinating any of the SD plums. The AU Rosa bloomed much earlier than the SD.
The flesh of the plums is stewing on the stove and will be fed to Quicksilver. The pits are soaking in water prior to stashing into the refrigerator.
I kind of wish I had some scion-wood of "Fortune" Japanese plum. I think South Dakota (female parent) by "Fortune" would be an interesting cross.
*Percent grade is feet of vertical change per 100 feet of linear road.
It amazes me that a wooden box that quick and easy to make could sell for that much. Kinda shows the extent of the lack of basic skills in American men anymore. ---ken
ReplyDeleteYou pay for the steak and you pay for the sizzle.
DeleteWithout the stenciling it is probably priced at $150. Still a ton of money for a potato crate made from crap-wood with a top.
On the other hand I wondered, do I really look that decrepit?"
ReplyDeleteYeah, some people are just more perceptive.
I get Extra Napkins without asking..
One Day I'm gonna Show'em!
I'm gonna get done and leave a few unused..
One damn Day..
When you do, lemme know how you pulled THAT off.
DeleteThe same sort of feeling as when a younger person suggests that perhaps that is a bit too much for you and would you care for some assistance...
ReplyDeleteWooden containers with a lot of utility. Army issue footlocker. Has a metal clasp for a lock. Handles on either end that are shoulder width apart. Two separate removable compartments in the top. You would be hard pressed to load it full of anything so heavy you could not still pick it up and move .
ReplyDeleteLooks a bit like the old dynamite boxes. I make my own ammo crates. 20" lg x 14" wide and 6 to 8" deep with runners on them so they can be stacked. C/W hasp rope handles and hinges and a can of hunter green spray paint outside. Don't make them too big or you will just fill them up and never be able to lift them. Lead is heavy.
ReplyDeleteThose boxes had spam cans of ammo in them. They 'might' have cost $5... sigh... And yes, we're getting to be 'men of a certain age'...
ReplyDeleteSpot on, Brother!
DeleteBest size would be one that would fit two ".30 cal" cans
Boat Guy
$500 for an empty wood box ? Wow - that is nearly the cost of its former filled contents. Do people actually pay that much for something like that.
ReplyDeleteI was going to recommend the 2.25 Rocket Container MK2 Mark 3 US Navy Metal Ammo Box, but they too are expensive to purchase as well. This box is about 29" x 11" x 11 1/2" tall. Filled with metal contents will likely start fires from the sparks shooting out of your eyes. :^)
There are lots of places to buy "veteran" boxes like that for far less.
ReplyDeleteI find them useful for tools and metal parts - they will hold anything that fits and won't come apart, unless damaged.
I like the longer ones for crowbars and hand saws, but they are far less available.
As mentioned above, if you fill one will projectiles it gets REALLY heavy!
Jonathan
We used grenade boxes for just about anything - road side latrine, storage, card table/ dice throw backing. 24" x 18" ish in size
ReplyDelete