Front Door and Back Door Framing...

The Front Door is framed in!

And the Back Door is Framed in. There is a window above the door! Now we can build the last Straw bale wall. All walls will be in some sort of semblance of semi-completion...

Halloween 2009

I was gone. At work. But we were happy to have a nice visit from the girls' Mom. Jazzy was a Faerie for Halloween. Kylie chose to be a rather whimsical "dead Hannah Montana".

When I got home, the girls' already had my yearly "Halloween Allan Tax" of Halloween candy put aside for me. I feel it is good that they learn to share... and I was pleased that they even included candy that I like in the "Allan Tax".

Getting Ready to Frame in Doors...

We did some mortar work today, getting ready to frame in the Front Door! Snail's pace.

And the Back Door--mortared and ready to go:

Tomorrow, we just might have some doors all framed in. Maybe. With luck. And if all goes well.

Survived the Storm...

The worst is over.

We endured the worst October storm since 1962. Came out better than I expected. The mud on the house stayed put. No damage to the walls. Everything is intact.

School is out today. Electrical service is out in Concow. But we remain happilly connected to the outside world because of our "off grid" system.

It is still raining off and on. The winds have died down. All is well...

Riders In The Storm...

This is exciting!

I'm sitting here, typing, in my warm snug little cabin. Outside the wind is howling. We have had almost two inches of rain in the last twelve hours. It feels like I am in a little toy boat, being batted about by an angry sea.

So far (keep your fingers crossed)...the mud is holding fine. Just a few problems from design mistakes we made (and have yet to correct--gotta get around to that before the daily rains come).

But the "scratch coat", thus far, is not getting wet.

I should have built the foundation up another six inches. The rain is getting the scratch coat a little wet where the foundation meets the bales. Hopefully, a water impermeable layer will correct this problem. It should be okay...

And with major gusts happening, I was a little worried that the roof would blow off! Seems to be holding fine (again, keep your fingers crossed)...

This storm is a major test for this oddly designed (and built) strawbale addition. The roof isn't leaking! It is still attached to the cabin (even with some major gusts). Everything seems solid.

Thrilling! Adrenaline flows!

A feeling of accomplishment rushes over me--not taking my warmth and security for granted. Is this what the Native Folk felt when they rode out a storm? Or other pre-industrial people who survived the elements? Does a person living in Suburban Drab Housing feel the same way I do right now?

This experience (a ferocious storm) connects me with Mother Nature. I feel a part of Her, like listening to Her heart beating as the wind blows and the rain falls.

A Storm Approaches...

A phone call this morning alerted us to the danger: A storm is coming!

This storm out of the Southeast is supposed to bring 3 to 7 inches of rain. Wind gusts up to 55 mph! The storm should roll in this evening. It will be gone on Wednesday.

We quickly tarped the most vulnerable wall.

The house only has the "scratch coat" on the straw bales. It won't be impermeable to water until we do the third coat. So what to do? Let it be, we decided. If too much of the mud is washed off, we will quickly attempt to wrap the house in plastic.

A cloudy sky. We haven't seen that in months...

We moved the chickens inside the addition. An old kennel will do for now...

So we wait. Anxiously. This will be a real test for this homemade addition. Will it be able to handle the 50 plus mile an hour wind gusts? Will it topple over? Will all the mud wash off? Will all our work be ruined? A cliff hanger, for sure....

Mudding From On High...

Little by little we are making progress on putting the "scratch" coat of mud on:

We take turns putting the mud on. I mix the mud...

Just a wee bit of straw bale left to cover..

Done! On to another side...

A Girl and Her Chicken