Beth Bauer

Ooo, cool ideas here.
Put me in the kiddie pool column, though. Much as I would love a beautiful landscaped water feature with ducks merrily adorning the surface, oh, the muck.
So the kiddie pool is in the dedicated bird area of the yard that has been thoroughly stripped of any plants less hardy than oak trees. I tip the pool to change it out and currently the water runs down a rather grassy slope and may or may not reach the hugel at the bottom depending on how enthusiastic the ducks have been in the water. Since killing non-existent grass isn’t a concern, the kiddie pool stays in pretty much the same area constantly.  I’ve been thinking about various ways to channel the water to plants that could use it, but I’m still in the info gathering process. I’m thinking a gutter or a large diameter hose for catching and channeling and smaller diameter offshoots as I decide what needs to be watered where.

Can’t remember if I got this link from elsewhere on the forum, but it seems directly appropriate. I’ve been thinking through ways to build this in.  I grew some winter barley and wheat in my backyard to make my backyard savannah edible.  Harvested 90% of it and let the chickens help with the last 10%. Looking at repeating with summer barley and oats, although right at the moment, the challenge is the gap between spring and fall harvest.  If I’d gotten my corn growing earlier, that might be a good bridge. My area is mild year round, so I’m blessed with such options.

https://abundantpermaculture.com/how-to-feed-chickens-without-grain/

On avocados:
My kids love sprouting the seed with toothpicks over water, but that’s as far as any I’ve ever started got. Then I read somewhere on the Internet (so you know it’s true) that most seeds from grocery store avocados will never produce a plant that bears fruit.  Has anyone had any luck ever sprouting their own fruitful avocado tree?

I think the grocery store parking lot petitioner analogy to online restrictions of speech is problematic in that stores that bar petitioners usually ban ALL or NONE, depending on their company policies.  The major issue with online throttling is that they tend to throttle those with whom they disagree while allowing causes to which they are sympathetic free range.  

I also call BS on the “hate speech” and “inciting violence” labels, as those also seem to look the other way as honored voices and supporters of approved causes can say pretty hateful things with impunity while comments of those who defy the agenda are scrutinized for “dog whistles”.

One of the more horrifying trends along this line that I have witnessed has been among the LGBTQ+ community.  I have many dear friends of the community that have been shunned by family and friends— if not outright hatefully trolled and cyber bullied for posting their (not hateful) views.  

There have been a number of social media platforms that claim to uphold the soapbox in the park model.  I find the offerings on Rumble and Locals to be pretty non partisan, but I confess that I haven’t dug too deeply—mostly because having largely broken my social media addiction, I’m wary of reinstating it.  When I feel my finger assuming the position for efficient scrolling, I drop the phone like a hot potato and get out and find something to do in the yard.

Agree with the idea that if your pet’s purpose is nothing more than to be an Instagram model for store bought pet Halloween costumes, then ya, that’s a pretty wasteful lifestyle.  But the animal (genus) that are pets are so because they have proved useful in their capacities to learn and perform helpful tasks.  Every breed of dog was developed for a purpose. Match the purpose with the dog—make a sheepdog herd, or a terrier chase vermin, and pets are not wasteful, they’re functional members of a household. Cram a lab in a city apartment with a Kong all day, and yes, expect some trouble. My kitties remind me regularly how useful they are by bringing me mice, and I reward them for it to encourage useful behavior. Dogs (especially) have jobs; they need to be allowed to do them.  The hard part for some may be acquiring an animal with a purpose in mind, not being suckered in by big eyes and cute noses.

Bought a house with a *yuuuuge* lavender bush out front. Neglect has done it just fine.  Just gave it the first haircut in at least a decade, I’m sure. I’ve likely killed it. 😬 but I’m building a hugelkultur out back and throwing the cuttings in the heap. Also sweeping the collected blossom detritus that was hiding under the bush into the garden soil across the pathway.  Anyone want to lay bets?  Woody + hydrophilic = good hugel? Antibacterial = bad hugel? Will it kill all the microbes in the garden soil? Help regenerate it with organic material (the native soil is VERY clay)?  Does anyone actually know?  I know this thread was from a long time ago (and I’m more than a little confused about the Israel rabbit hole, so I’ll just stick to the lavender).

Thanks for anyone who knows anything about this.