Cécile Stelzer Johnson

Coming from "the old world", my mindset has always been on "setting money aside". I thank my parents for teaching me to be a squirrel. Perhaps it's because when they lived under the Occupation in France, they had to make do with not much, so my mentality has always been that of a miser: I can live on "not much", so I've been able to manage fairly easily and never feel deprived:
Maybe that's what happiness is...
My tastes are not extravagant, especially now that I'm retired and in my late 70s.
I hate numbers, so I've never made a budget, but except for my first car, I never bought on layaway or installments. I think of layaway as a scam: It is a luxury, a convenience that we pay dearly for
Perhaps it's a cultural glitch in this country where we are constantly tempted to buy this or buy that: these commercials are a veritable assault on us (and on our wallets).
You know the "Never a lender or a borrower be"? Well, that's my mentality, and it has served me very well. I'm almost physically ill at the idea of owing money.
Not every decision of mine was good: I remember my twenties and how I felt it was "cool" to smoke cigarettes. For a couple of years, there, I smoked close to a pack a day. When I learned that the tobacco companies had been aware of the connection between cigarettes and lung cancer, I got really upset and felt that the only way to "punish" them was to not purchase their products. I quit cold turkey. (Well, in all honesty, my fiancé at the time helped. He said he really loved me, but kissing a chimney stack did not appeal to him..) That was an easy decision.
The most important expenses go to my health: fixing my teeth, my knees etc., that's priority #1.
I've bought cars and motorcycles, (maybe just shy of a dozen of each over the years) never on credit. As soon as I bought one, I'd start a fund for the next one, and I didn't buy until I could just buy cash.
Even for my homes, I was parsimonious in how I used credit: I put up front all the money I could and made sure I repaid the principal first. The home I bought in between 2 marriages all by myself cost $120,000. I put $60,000 up front, which lowered my payments (a lot) and paid the other $60,000 in 2.5 years. It was work, (don't buy much, no restaurants or cinemas, no travel). But for those couple of years, I worried. "What ifs" were on my mind constantly. I celebrated with cake the month after I paid my final installment.
I made mistakes too. I was young and in love when I bought my first timeshare. I tried to cancel it. It was very hard. but the second time I fell in love, I did it again. I ended up getting rid of the second one but I was hooked pretty hard on that first one and they didn't make it easy to cancel that share (It's a real sinecure for these crooks!). I ended up walking away from it. I still get bills and I throw them regularly in the circular file: I told them I felt hoodwinked and I gave it all back to them (They refused to hear me, so now, I refuse to hear them).
My advice, if you can call it that , is to examine what you are getting for all these "conveniences". You may be appalled at what you pay for it

Juan Roble wrote:Hi!.
I’ve also been thinking about protecting the hive in winter from the outside, using insulating panels like an outer shell or box around the hive. I’m not sure whether this would actually make things more comfortable for the bees, but I suspect that reducing some of the cold exposure might lower their winter stress.
Where my land is, the cold is usually not too extreme, but temperatures can still drop to -12°C (around 10.4°F).

You are correct that reducing stress from the cold will help your bees be more comfortable. You mention "insulating panels". Be careful to maintain adequate ventilation as these panels do not let any air in or out when they are tight: even though bees do not have lungs, they do have "spiracles" through which they absorb the oxygen from the air. They also need to fly out, even in the deep of winter to "cleanse"/ get rid of feces.
I live in Central Wisconsin, and we have severe winters, with temps that can reach -40F (=-40C) exceptionally, and they do survive those winters.
More important is to make sure that they have enough "stores", that they have made enough honey, (so don't take too much for yourself). To insure the bees survive, some beekeepers let them have all their honey and do not plunder their stores until dandelions come back.
Unlike  some mammals, bees do not hibernate, in the sense of going into a torpor. They cluster around their queen to keep her warm. They eat the honey they gathered during the summer for energy, and with that energy, they shiver.

Gordon Longfoot stated: "The problem with the existing pond is ducks and chickens, it's fine for other birds but I want dragonflys laying eggs in an undisturbed area".

Depending on the agility of your ducks and chickens, you can create a smaller pond that's too high for them to clamber over. I've had meat ducks and they never bothered to climb up into that big container that I set up on a sturdy support. I'd love to have dragonflies, so I inquired about what they like and don't like:
Key Tips for Undisturbed Dragonfly Habitats:
Avoid Fish: Fish prey on dragonfly larvae (nymphs), making them the primary reason for low dragonfly populations in small ponds. (But if you don't place fish in the smaller pond, you could use it for dragonflies)
Pesticide-Free Zone: Chemicals harm both adults and larvae. Instead, encourage a natural, balanced ecosystem.
Water Management: Avoid heavy water agitation, such as powerful fountains. Use subtle aeration if necessary, as dragonflies need still or slow-moving water to lay eggs.
Vertical Structure: Provide native emergent plants (reeds, sedges) for larvae to climb out of the water to emerge as adults, and vertical perches (bamboo, tall sticks) for adults to hunt and bask.
Let It Go Wild: Do not mow the grass immediately surrounding the pond; leave this for shelter and protection from wind.
Natural Edges: Create shallow, sloping banks with mud or sand, which allow females to lay eggs safely.
Mosquito Dunks are safe for dragonflies, but if you have frogs or toads, you won't need them. I liked this vid.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gk3z-9vsOkM&t=198s

Fish decomposition is supposed to smell, so there's no getting around that. There may be things we can do to lessen the stench if we understand the process of decomposition better.
I was curious as to how long we can expect the stench and what makes it worse (or better for our garden), so I asked:
A decomposing fish typically smells bad for a few days to several weeks, depending on temperature, size, and location. In hot, humid conditions, a fish can decompose and smell for only a few days to a week, while in cooler or enclosed areas, the odor can persist for several weeks.

Key factors affecting the duration of the odor include:
Temperature and Humidity: Warmth and moisture accelerate decomposition and the release of odor-causing bacteria, shortening the overall duration of the stench, USDA (.gov).
Size: Larger fish create more organic matter to decompose, resulting in a longer-lasting, more intense odor than smaller fish.
Location: If a fish dies in an area with low airflow, the smell can linger longer.
Final Decomposition: The smell persists until the fish is entirely decomposed or dried out.  

So if the weather is hot and humid, it will decompose faster, but the stench will be pretty strong. If not, the stench will last... and last... and last!
The size and amount seems to be the factor that's easiest to influence : chop it finely and mix it with other stuff and it will decomp faster. The airflow can be influenced too. If you have a fan on, you won't suffer as long, or conversely, you can bury the fish pretty deep where you won't smell it, but if and when you turn that pile, that fish may still reminds itself to you!
Mention was made of critters visiting. That's where a bin is useful as it can prevent them from 'investigating'. A tight wire fence (1") is probably the best as it will keep critters (racoons) out while not restricting airflow too much. Buried in the garden, it can be unearthed by critters. Having cats around may prevent rats and mice, even our field mice, although they typically don't have rotting fish on their diet. But if cats to the investigating, we may not be better off.
If only the fishmeal they sell in stores wasn't so expensive!...

Jay Angler wrote:

Cécile Stelzer Johnson wrote: I heard that Native Americans used to bury fish under corn. I don't know how that turned out, but it should add *some* fertilizer.

I heard the Native Americans learned to do that from the European settlers. Prior to that, if soil fertility dropped, the Natives moved to a new location. Since they grew corn as a polyculture, it was less of an issue. Usually, easy firewood was getting scarce by that point also, so moving allowed trees to recover also.

I was curious about that, so I asked which cultures have used fish as fertilizer, and then, immediately, I knew: to use fish as fertilizer, fish has to be abundant and close. This is what I got:
Various cultures throughout history have used fish as fertilizer to improve soil health, most notably Indigenous North Americans, who buried fish to nourish crops like corn. Other cultures include ancient Egyptians (using Nile fish), ancient Romans, and traditional Indonesian farmers (rice-fish culture).
Key Historical Uses of Fish Fertilizer:
Indigenous North American Peoples: Often cited in lore (e.g., Squanto teaching settlers), they used fish, such as menhaden, to fertilize corn, beans, and squash by burying them under mounds.
Ancient Egyptians: Utilized fish carcasses and liquids from the Nile River.
Ancient Romans: Used fish waste to fertilize crops.
Japanese (Edo Period): Used commercial fish-based fertilizers derived from by-products of oil extraction.
Indonesian Farmers: Employed "rice-fish culture," where fish in flooded rice fields acted as both pest control and fertilizer.
Modern Applications: Fish emulsion is used today, developed from techniques dating back centuries.
Fish are used as fertilizer because they are rich in nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, providing necessary nutrients for plant growth.

Timothy Norton wrote:The spring melt is on and my chicken run is a giant sloshy mud pit. My poor hens!

Observing the run area, the farthest end is holding a small amount of water as the ground is semi-frozen/semi-thawed. The woodchip that has lasted much of the winter is at its water handling capacity and gives a bit of a squishy slosh underfoot. The lovely odor of avian livestock can be smelt if you are in the run so I need to do something.

I'm running low on on-hand carbon materials outside of some straw but that doesn't do much when it comes to water handling. I've thinking of getting my hands on some sawdust for the especially wet areas and then obtaining a bale or two of pine shavings to spread through the run. While the coop functions a a dry safe area, I'd feel better giving them a dry spot in their run.

I'm going to have to look at getting  roof established because that will help mitigate future water away from the run.

How do you deal with muddy runs?

1/If you have yet lower land nearby, you could trace a narrow channel (With a hoe) so it runs even lower. It doesn't need to be very deep, just so it removes a good part of the moisture.
2/ In an area that is constantly wet as soon as it run, I'd consider making a deep hole (Like a 55 gallon drum) and install a submersible pump. (Yeah, I know. If the ground is frozen, that's quite a chore... and it assumes that you could run a pump and the electric that far from the plug in).
3/ Yet another option is to plant thirsty trees. Those suckers drink! and for the oaks, you will (eventually) get mast!) but they will take a while to get established...
The river birch tree needs a lot of water, like 100 gal/day for an established tree.
Willow Oak Tree needs 50-100 gallons/day in the summer
Swamp White Oak Tree over 100 gal/day
Weeping Willow Tree. 10 gal per diameter inch/week
4/ Depending how long you expect the crisis to last, you may want to keep them locked for a day or two?
5/I don't suppose you have the option of running your chickens on higher ground...
6/ If that's not an option, you may have to go to Tractor supply and get some bales/ sacs of chips. I can cover the inside of my coop and also most of their winter run with 5 of those .At $5-6 a pop, it adds to the cost of eggs, but the health of your hens may be more important. That, and the fact that if their feet are full of mud, they'll track it in and their eggs may all have to be washed.
Day after tomorrow, we are expecting 2ft of snow in Central WI. ,so I'm looking at something similar.
Good luck with your project.  The roof is a great idea too: you can use a water barrel to keep them watered when summer arrives...

Gray Henon wrote:We've had good luck composting mammal butchering scraps in 55 gal drums using wood chips to absorb the stink.  Gave it a try with some carp carcasses.  Holy stink!  Anyone else compost fish?  How do you do it?

If you can bury it (deep!) immediately, there is a plus. If not, hope racoon, rats etc. don't come at night to unbury it... Or cross your fingers they won't come and deal with the stench as best you can.
Odors, a putrid as can be, do not hurt. I heard that Native Americans used to bury fish under corn. I don't know how that turned out, but it should add *some* fertilizer.

Ahmet Oguz Akyuz wrote:Hi there! I have two Layen's style beehives, which I built mostly by following the instructions at https://horizontalhive.com/. This was the second winter for one of the hives, and it was the first one for the other. At the end of October, I thought I was winterizing my hives by putting several layers of fabric on top of the frames including clean undershirts and towels. In one of the hives, I even put a small cushion. All of these materials were placed above the frames and underneath the lid. The lid has two side ventilations and the hive has a screened hole at the bottom to allow airflow. After collecting the honey and making sure to leave the bees a generous amount, I removed the empty frames and put an insulation board to tuck the bees in to one side of the hive (to the side where the entrance is). Finally, I reduced the size of the size of the entrance slit to prevent unnecessary heat loss.

When I arrived at the side today, I was faced with a catastrophe. All bees in both hives were dead. The fabrics in one of the hives were clearly wet. Perhaps rain found a way to get in it couldn't dry out. The top of the frames were all moldy. Even the left-over honey looked quite dark and unusable. The second hive appeared to be dry, but nonetheless the bees were all dead.

Now, a number of things could have gone wrong of course including some kind of infestation. But I was wondering if it was a mistake to use fabric as an insulation. I wonder if it got wet because of rain finding a way in or because of the condensation from within the hive. I would be very happy to hear your advice on this matter -- in particular whether I was doing something bad for the bees in an attempt to keep them warm.

As an extra information, I want to keep bees naturally by providing them good conditions and leaving generous amounts of honey for their consumption, which they make for themselves anyways. I don't want to feed sugar or spray any kind of chemicals. I am not in it for profit, but simply for the joy of keeping bees. My climate is a continental one, with relatively cold winters (can go below 0 degrees Celcius but daytime temperatures are usually around 0-10 degrees Celcius in winter).

As a related question, how can I clean the hive and the frames which got moldy? I hope I don't have to throw them away and start anew -- especially for the hive. My frames are also custom build as the hive dimensions are non-standard. Looking forward to your advice.

Oguz

The fact that you had mold shows that moisture was the culprit. You will have to figure out how that happened. In very cold weather, Layen hives may not perform as well because as heat rises, there is not as much room  for the bees to congregate. Did the workers become separated from the queen? Is pesticide pressure high near you? (I gave up trying to purchase pricey queens and equipment because although people will tell you that a queen can last 2 years, in practice around here (Central WI. zone 4b), Commercial beekeepers replace them in the fall and in the spring. We have problems with not enough drones and drones that are not virile enough, so instead of being properly mated, the queen doesn't have enough to last 2 years.
Maybe it's not a good practice to put those green frames in the hive [They have larger cells, so they accommodate drones better. The queen lays drone eggs in them and when the beekeeper wants to, he can kill all the drones in one fell swoop. Well, then, there are not enough drones in the area to mate with the queens!]
I make sure I have one hive ready to capture a swarm as well as culture that favor pollinators. Sometimes, I get lucky.
To clean your equipment, scrape it as best you can, pressure wash if you must and keep it in the sun or bake it.
We didn't use to have waxworms wintering over because it gets quite cold, but wax worm appeared in 2020 around here. They make tunnels through the wood even. For those, you may want to pick them off if possible. If not, freeze the frames. the bees will clean them up. (But it's a pity to have the bees work on that when they should be making honey). If discovered in the fall, you would have to feed them heavy!

Gordon Longfoot wrote:

We're an hour or two from the NM border depending on which way we go. It's a little over 5,000 ft elevation, but there's pine forest within a 20 minute drive. The soil is red clay and sand, so water runs off. But there's a pond that collected some of that water. I'm somewhat concerned with water rights and grazing my livestock, so swales aren't going to be happening. I built a few half moons out in the field and have been adding manure filled bedding to the small wash that runs across the 40 acres. It's mostly experimental right now. My main goal is to get better soil that holds water instead of trying to block water from leaving the property.

It sounds like you have your work cut out for you. You have a lot or irons in the fire. Be careful  to not tackle too many things at a time. Getting better soil will also happen in blocking water from leaving the property.
Those half moons you dug are, in fact swales. You could make more, or make them deeper? I don't know your laws in AZ, but if the pond is entirely on your property, there shouldn't be problems with your water rights, although reading that you have "a small wash that runs through the property" could cause problems if you prevent *that* water from going to your neighbors. You should also be able to make a few more swales and keep doing what you are doing: Putting spent litter and manure will make them really fertile, so good job, and good luck, Gordon.

Gordon Longfoot wrote:This year I'd like to grow strawberries and raspberries to sell. The problem is we get big wind storms that blow dust around. We're planning to start planting wind blocking trees but that will take a few years to be effective. What are my options for a temporary wind block around a 1/2 acre berry patch?
For the tree's I'm planning to start with 40 low thorn Honey Locusts around the 40 acre perimeter. These will be 2-3' trees and more will be propagated as time goes on. I was also thinking of using a hedge but this is a dry climate with sand and clay in the soil. The monsoon season dumps a good amount of rain on the land then it all drains off. There's been destructive sheep ranching out here since the 19th century. The land is over grazed but I have six months worth of goat, pig, chicken, and rabbit manure piled up.
There's already established Juniper trees. One cluster seems to block the brunt of wind, you still feel a breeze but it's not blowing you around. Long term I want to thin them out but as a temporary wind block I could plant berries around them, if they don't interfere with growth.
The birds and other critters can be a problem. Last year we had all our tomatoes robbed by something. I was thinking a scare crow, because bird netting over 1/2 acre would be expensive and time consuming.
I'm willing to experiment and maybe loose this years crop if it means later on down the road I can make it work.

You have been wise in collecting manure from all your critters. Jay is 100% correct about not *blocking* the wind, just slowing it down. You will get a plus from that : My neighbor doesn't believe in winter crops, so when a strong wind blows, we get an inch or two of his topsoil! If I could block it completely, the wind would go around my property.
You do not indicate how many inches of precipitation you get, but I will assume it's dry. Can you make swales? This way, you would make the most of whatever rain you get.. Your clay would keep that moisture high enough and long enough for your plants to use it, perhaps. You may want to put manure & animal bedding in them to help even more to retain moisture.
As far as birds, have you thought about a sacrificial crop? I was thinking of Sea berry  (Hippophae Rahmnoides) 3-10 ft high, zones 3-8, full of thorns. The fruit are extremely high in vitamin C, A & E. In Europe, the fruit is cultivated. Around here, not so much They come in male and female. Here, they want too much money for them. (Maybe that's why you are thinking of the thorny honey locust)
What is the Ph of your soil?. You may want to think of a bush that grows really well in AZ for the bulk of your perimeter, and will fit your zone and precipitation...
I asked AI about your situation. Here is the answer:
Best bushes for Arizona include drought-tolerant, heat-loving options like Texas Sage, Bougainvillea, Yellow Bells, Hopbush, and Baja Fairy Duster. These, along with Arizona Rosewood and Red Yucca, thrive in full sun, require little water once established, and are excellent for privacy screens or colorful accents.
Top Performing Bushes for Arizona
Evergreen/Screening: Arizona Rosewood (non-poisonous alternative to Oleander), Hopbush (very fast-growing), Creosote (drought-tolerant native), and Jojoba.
Flowering/Color: Texas Sage (blooms after rain), Yellow Bells (trumpet-shaped flowers), Red Bird of Paradise (vibrant summer color), Bougainvillea (vines/shrubs for heat), and Baja Fairy Duster.
Small/Accent: Autumn Sage, Chuparosa (hummingbird favorite), Desert Marigold, and Valentine Bush.
Succulents/Structural: Agave, Yucca, and Ocotillo.
Tips for Success
Planting Season: Fall and winter are the best times to plant to allow roots to establish before summer heat.
Watering: While drought-tolerant, these plants need regular water during their first year and occasional deep watering during summer for maximum growth.
Soil: Ensure well-draining soil to prevent root rot.
Reflected Heat: Choose plants that can handle intense, reflected heat from walls or pavement, such as Natal Plum or Bougainvillea".
(Oh, you can grow agave and Bougainvillea. I'm jealous!). I hope this helps to give you a few ideas