K Kaba

They're often repairable, but if you go that route and want to use it for fish I advise using it as a temporary tank for things like quarantine or hatching. Repaired tanks are just iffy for holding water over long periods.

But there are lots of smaller lizards, amphibians, and arthropods that would be just fine in a leaky tank. Pets, or raising bird snacks or bone-cleaning beetles maybe?

You could also disassemble it and use the glass plates.

For the ptsd, I very much recommend a people-focused dog. They'll show you if what you heard was outside yourself. They'll help you stabilize heartbeat and breathing when you're trying to calm back down. You'll sleep better with them around.

At first I was going to say take cottagecore, make it messy, and add a couple decades? But the way active permaculture "looks" runs a lot deeper than that.

It needs meaningfully repaired things (not just some cute lacy heart patch where your clothes never rip!) and pockets and layers. Tools that don't look fresh from the shop. Boots that have seen some use, or maybe surprisingly nice sandals made from old tires. Bags and apron pockets and other carry-able storage in useful places. And often, somewhere in the outfit, there's something unexpected. A pretty pendant, maybe a belt buckle or hat that makes you smile.

The landscapes have mixed plantings. At first it looks like cottagecore in a blender.  But then, if you know your plants, you can see what they are and what purposes they may be serving. Hugels and spiral gardens. Gardens where the hardscape materials vary. Things sort of appear wherever they fit, like a bird perch, a small bench, or a "random" pile of debris that's actually lizard housing. Buildings and gates and other structures have been repaired, often several different ways. The fences are real world fences that keep real world critters in and out. "Waste" and "trash" aren't hidden away, they're a part of things. As you look over the space, you start to see the pathways and systems. Sunlight and shade, warmer and cooler areas. Water management. And again, the humor. There's often figurines, hand painted signs, a metal sculpture or something else whimsical.

The whole other people thing is a big part of why if I'm out in public I stick with pencils or quick drying ink. I don't want to use my brushes as drumsticks on poorly behaved strangers! I don't mind people watching, and maybe a question or two, but I'm trying to draw, not there to give free child-sitting or be a trapped audience for some bored drunk's life story.

Going in small groups helps, especially if at least one of the team is willing to be the people wrangler. When I've talked with others in a class trying it, women alone did get bothered more often, and we did notice more people trying to touch us, our work, and our supplies. If there's street entertainment (like at a festival) it's easier, people are usually more interested in that.

If you haven't come across https://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com he does a lot of public painting (mostly in gouache) and talks about things that have worked for him.

The baited zap fence idea makes me wonder...

So, with white tail deer, when they experience something unpleasant (like a zap or being chased by a dog) the adventure is associated with the place, not the bait or the dog. A handful of baited zap sticks can keep deer avoiding a decent sized space if you move the sticks around often enough. As long as they're not starving, they'll usually avoid the scary places.

Do burros approach things the same way?

Any chance you can add a picture?

It sounds like you have a 40x60x2 pile of dumped wood bits. I'm concerned it might turn into a rodent and wasp laden disaster if you just throw dirt or compost on it.

Do you have more growing space around it? What's the water situation like? Does it have a wind break, or was it intended to be the windbreak? Are you planning on growing with it this year, or do you have time to build up the soil?

I saw the first honey bees of the year today. It won't be long.

The crocus and snowstars and other tiny early bulbs blooming are the pre-spring event?

Spring for me starts when when the first daffodils show off their trumpets.

Spring is a whole spread of colors over time. Yellow mostly, with some pink and indigo and white. There's the forsythia, the redbud and dogwood trees, the heavy spring burst from the wild violets, the chickweed, speedwell, and so on. The irises don't usually bloom until late May here, that's when spring is "done" for me.

There's add-ons to a smaller vehicle. Trailers, roof racks. A tarp to drag things around or keep them off your car's soft inner surfaces. If you go with a roof solution, keep in mind weight limits, accidental convertibles aren't much fun.

There's part-time trucks. Rentals, maybe borrowing one belonging to a friend. Burns up your cash or social capital, you have to weigh in each time you'd use one whether it's worth the expense.

Me, I got a truck.

Depending on his age, it might be worth a quick check to be sure he isn't drinking/toking/smoking out there and using his compost time to cover it? But otherwise? He might just enjoy the physical activity, or using those particular tools, or having some time in his own thoughts, or being able to actively watch the changes in things as they break down.

I have a friend who absolutely loves every chance she gets to use a chainsaw. Several who love burning things. More than a few who grab at every chance to do demo with a sledgehammer. I actually really enjoy shoveling snow. His thing might just be turning the compost.