Further to the plethora of modern equipment, weights and machines that we can access to maintain good health these days, I have another addition. To be honest, I cannot say it is new. I cannot even say it is a machine. It is white in colour, weighs about 6 to 7 lbs, can move about by itself and talks…er clucks at times.
Flash back to the 70’s. It is 2:30 am. An old beaten up Ford pick-up pulls into your driveway. You nod to the driver and get in. The two of you don’t speak while driving to your destination: a rectangular barn built of aluminum, 150 feet long, 100 feet wide and four stories high. Beside the barn, is parked a semi with a 60 foot long flatbed trailer. There are rectangular crates piled 5 high on the flatbed.
There are 4 other guys waiting outside the barn. No one is talking. An older gentleman, clearly the owner, comes out of his house and leads everyone through a side door in the barn. You climb up the narrow, steep stairs until you reach the fourth floor. It is pitch dark for the exception of tiny red lights located at the ends of the room. The floor is solid white. You notice that it moves here and there. Now and then, you hear a soft clucking sound. The whole scene brings back sweet memories of childhood; Christmas morning and looking out of the living room window onto untouched rolling fields of freshly fallen snow from the night before.
“Ok boys – let’s go.”
You are returned to the present, bending down, putting three chicken legs in your left hand, then four in your right hand. Gently, you lift up the 7 chickens in their upside down position, walk with your load held slightly apart from your waist to an open hatch at the side of the barn. There, you hand over your 7 chickens to the truck driver. He puts them in one of the rectangular crates, adds 7 more from the fellow behind you, then closes the lid and stacks the crate.
This procedure is then repeated until all the chickens from the 4th floor are loaded on the truck. Then the crew moves to the second floor and repeats the process. You continue this throughout the wee hours of the morning until you load all 4 floors of chickens onto the truck. You have eight chicken catchers for twelve thousand chickens. It will take 4 to 5 hours depending on the experience of your crew.
From an exercise point of view, you have been working your arms and shoulders, knees, waist and back with weights between 18 and 24 lbs for quite an extended period of time. Certainly longer than your average gym trip.
I was in the best shape of my life that summer.
And only ate red meat come to think of it.
Next week: Fall Gardening and Even More Fresh Air
Have a week of good health,
Rick
