Nica Ingenuity #2

One thing that is amazing when you visit a third world country is the creativity of the people since they have little if any money to spend on items other than food and shelter. Here in Nica you do not see farms fenced with field fencing like -- hog wire, goat/ sheep wire and especially not horse wire. All of those field fencing rolls would be impossible to use without a tractor. Not to mention the cost of the wire being so much more that a small roll of barbed wire. In addition to that wood is very expensive here. Any wood they collect they use for their oven since cooking is still mainly done by wood stoves and kiln type ovens. For that reason they use a tree lined fence where possible and supplement in spaces needed with small vertically cut tree trunks or limbs. No metal T posts in this country that I have seen. Further more since wood is so expensive your privacy fence for your home will consist of any material you have available -- metal, plastic, even an old box spring from a bed.  Lighting -- wow -- we have seen lots of creative light fixture ideas. I will post more in my " artsy" Nica blog series. Photo 1-- what do you do when Barbed wire is your only fencing option??? Plus you can only afford to put up 3 strands and no more -- so how do you keep your livestock inside your fence??? You put a stick upside down triangle on their necks. They can not stick their head through the fence and wiggle their way through. You will see this on Pelebuey ( a type of sheep that can live here), any goats you see ( which are very very few because of the rainy season they do not survive well here), pigs ( which are all over), and even the cattle. The only animal I have not seen one on is a horse. Photo 2 and 3 -- these are two photos of the way to use your box springs. You can turn them horizontally and make a gate or just use it with a solid barrier for your privacy fence. I love it!! I think it makes a really neat looking gate with lots of dimension. I may have to run to Robinson Salvage in LaGrange and make a gate for the art farm. Photo 4 -- these are the light fixtures from an awesome surf and turf restaurant we went to on the Island of Ometepe. The light fixtures are 5 gallon plastic buckets. Haha. Awesome-- but boy would they be bug catchers. So I will pass on reusing this idea.  Happy day. Love Ruth