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Comment by Dallas the Phallus on March 21, 2013 at 8:00pm

I'm behind on comments.

@SB, sorry to hear about the stomach cancer. I really hope you are going to be okay. And I mean that this time.

@Joan: Texas weather is wonky. Don't forget though that we get all that cold air that moves down from the northwest and comes around through North Texas and on down to the Gulf. So we have some really bad cold spells, too. 

@amer: I'll post some of the bad cacti pics when I can. 

Comment by Joan Denoo on March 21, 2013 at 7:54pm

Water, sanitation, hygiene and women in Sindh

These lovely women have so many burdens, carrying water being only one. 

"These women spend six hours daily fetching water for their families.

"Over 80 per cent of rural households do not have water supply on their premises. Malnutrition in common among rural women. There is a strong link between diarrhoea and malnutrition.

"A Stanford University research paper (Pickering and Davis, 2012) shows that a 15 minutes’ decrease in one-way walk time to water source is associated with a 41 per cent average relative reduction in diarrhoea prevalence, improved anthropometric indicators of child nutritional status, and a 11 per cent relative reduction in under-five child mortality.

"Another related study undertaken in four countries (Morocco, Nepal, Pakistan, and Yemen), estimated that reducing the time it takes to fetch water by just one hour could increase girls’ enrollment in schools by over 30 per cent.

"A WHO report says that almost one-tenth of the global disease burden could be prevented by improving water supply, sanitation, hygiene and management of water resources. Another estimate reports that four per cent of all deaths can be attributed to water, sanitation, and hygiene.

"Interesting findings were reported in the WHO bulletin (Esrey et al, 1985). The authors studied impact of various interventions on average reductions in diarrhoeal diseases. They found that water and sanitation achieved 30 per cent reduction in diarrhoeal diseases; sanitation achieved 36 per cent; water quality 15 per cent; water quantity 20 per cent and hygiene 33 per cent.

"Based on this study, the authors concluded that sanitation and hygiene are major causes of diarrhoeal diseases. A recent survey conducted by the British Medical Journal identified sanitation as the greatest medical invention in the last 150 years.

"Poor water, sanitation and hygiene have a strong connection with women’s health. When these sectors fail, women and girls are disproportionately affected. An issue, which is neglected in Sindh is the menstrual hygiene management (MHM). The issue has reached high on the international agenda during the last five years. The MHM requires access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene sectors, in order for the women and girls in rural Sindh to live healthy, productive and dignified lives.

"Women in rural Sindh have the right to safe water and sanitation. The UN Assembly “declares the right to safe and clean drinking water and sanitation as a human right that is essential for the full enjoyment of life and all human rights.”

F. H. MUGHAL
Karachi

Comment by amer chohan on March 21, 2013 at 7:40am

Joan, you are right. Illnesses serve us too. My job becomes tougher in the winter. No day off even a sunday for log four to five months. Two years ago I contracted dengue virus. Doctors orderd me complete bed rest for a week. I spent my days sitting on an easy chair between my beloved cactus watching bees and flies polinating their flowers. Everybody in the neighbourhood knew how happy the patient was but they couldn't do anything about it because it was the doctor's order. It was most wonderful time I had for some years. After that unfortunatly I couldn't manage an illness in 2 years time.

I am already feeling jealous on the prospect of wonderful time Sentient is going to have next month. And that too in the best month of the year. Pleasant spring air, his plants flowering, bees buzing arround him. Boy its a luxury.

Comment by Idaho Spud on March 21, 2013 at 7:16am

Sentient, I was going to ask if your roof was copper.  That's my favorite metal.  I like it's color better than silver, and silver better than gold.

Are you giving the copper a protective coating, or letting it turn green?

Comment by Chris Breman on March 21, 2013 at 2:31am

A beautiful beehive, Sentient! I hope you'll have lots of success - and honey!

I like your picture very much, Amer! That woman must be a lot hardier than city dwellers like me, who can always choose between the stairs and the elevator.

Comment by Joan Denoo on March 20, 2013 at 9:53pm

Amer, I like the way that tree gives way to wires. Because of the heavy snow fall and sometimes wet snow, we have to get wires above the trees; the result is terrible pruning jobs that look awful and weaken even the best of trees.

Comment by Joan Denoo on March 20, 2013 at 9:51pm

Sentient, your bee hive is so beautiful, it is a piece of yard art. The bees will turn it into an enchanted place, especially with your lovely planting ideas.

Comment by Sentient Biped on March 20, 2013 at 9:38pm

Amer, what an unusual pruning job!  I guess they have to keep the wires free from branches, so it's either cut down the tree or prune as in the photo.  

Joan, the roof is copper.  It's supposed to prevent rot from our long rainy season.

I love powerful storms.  Enjoy!

Comment by Joan Denoo on March 20, 2013 at 7:59pm

Sentient, your bee hive looks wonderful. What is the roof? I am really curious about that hive and hope it feels like a palace to the bees. What a treat for you to come home to. I can see you now, sitting under the shade of one of your lovely trees, watching and listening to all those workers going about their business. With all the clover and wonderful blossoms coming they will feel like it is paradise. 

We are in the midst of furious wind, lightning and thunder storm with black black clouds with streaks of silver. A beautiful sight and sound. 

Comment by amer chohan on March 20, 2013 at 7:46pm

Sentinent nice bee box, last year one of my relative entered into patnership with some professional bee-keeper. Recently he was telling details of their growth, how their boxes dioubled, their diseases and bee-eaters etc. Whole of the story seemed very intresting to me. Hope your experience with the bees works well.

In the picture a multi-purpose activity of tree pruning and goat feeding is in the progress. It is usually done in the begning of the winters. Intresting thing is that woman doing it didn't compromised on her routine clothing outfit inspite of the hight of the tree which makes it very dangerious. Your question ignited my mind and here I came across a very intresting example of tree pruning.

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