Today, at last, we began applying the plaster to our straw bale cabin. Never mind that it is nearly October 1-we are getting there. The work has been grueling, but we continue to push on and it feels like we turned a corner today. We bought an old stucco spraying machine for $300 and we just weren’t sure whether we could get all the crap cleaned out of it enough for it to do the job. Today, my brother Jeff came over with a magical machine that he called an air chisel and he banged the old cement out of that machine. Later, with a few false starts (pulling tiny plugs of cement out of it) we were able to put the clay slip on one whole side. It was a sweet moment! I also mixed my first batch of plaster and plugged the spaces around the earth bags on two sides. We are not quite baled in but will be within a few days. The work is slow but so satisfying. And I can’t tell you how great it is to watch that open space become a home. I love it. Even though my hands ache and my body is more tired than I thought possible at this age (I will be 56 in Oct.), I would not choose to be anywhere else doing anything else.
My little $20 cement mixer is doing an amazing job of turning sand, clay, water and straw into a durable material for plastering. It becomes this giant doughy lump inside of the machine until the only thing I can do is grab it out with my hands in big clumps.
Milt and I have dreamed about building a home just like this for 20 years. We had children, bills, jobs, etc., but we never let go of the dream. Now, it I amazing to really be doing it. Although we are probably two to three weeks out, we are already thinking about lighting a pretty fire and cooking a nice meal in our new home. I am dreaming about my garden next summer and the summer kitchen I will build to process all of the garden goodies. We have in mind chickens and Cornish hens to deal with the bugs and further enhance our diet. I think winter will come and go in an eye blink and we will be refreshed and ready for phase two. Next summer we plan to build the summer kitchen and small studios, one for Milt and one for me.
So many things have come together to help us put this dream together. I don’t know how I will ever thank my brothers especially. You cannot imagine how nice it has been to have a metal shop just across the field. Today I walked over to the shop and asked if they could make me a mixing paddle to attach to a drill-fifteen minutes later I was walking home with two varieties. They are magicians with metal.
For those of you who have been reading my blog for awhile, you may have noticed a dramatic shift between my concerns for students in Pine Ridge and my current concern for whether mud and straw will stick to a wall of straw or earth bags. My love for teaching and writing is still alive and well-it is just that with Mother Nature pulling inward again toward winter, I have to keep my priorities straight. My choices are to push forward and hope for the best-or go back to Rapid City. We are pushing forward.
Blessing to all. May all the forces of nature converge and give you exactly what you want! Like my guru says, Grace and Self-Effort are the two wings of progress.
Jamie
I haven’t posted much lately-too busy getting our house built before the snow flies. At last the work on roof, foundation, and floor is completed and we laid the first straw bales last night. Today we made great progress and have two partial walls built. Working with the bales is half art and half trial and error. We slowly made our way around the logs and the windows, connecting one corner. I am happy with the size of the front window-huge. There will be light in this little house. I think we will be “baled in” within 3-4 more days with additional work progressing on spraying the finished walls with clay slip and beginning to plaster. I think we were both relieved to see the first bales go in. It has seemed as if the other work would never be done. There is still much to do but each day Milt and I get stronger and stronger (from working longer and longer).
Today after we finished working I went to the lake and stuck my feet in to see if it was still warm enough to swim. The nights are beginning to cool dramatically, but the water felt fine so I put my suit on and went in. The surface was glassy and the sun low in the sky. It was cold but still more refreshing than painful. I floated on my back and watched the fishing boats. A heron flew overhead and two seagulls went winging by in tandem. What better? I still can’t believe it is nearing the end of September and the lake is still not as cold as Rapid Creek in July.
I wish I could turn my mind back to a more introspective inquiry, but the building is taking all we have to offer right now. I am not so worried about the cold-I just want to know that the plaster will dry and set up once it goes on. Then I will breathe a sigh of relief and begin to fashion this construction site into a home site. Today I left for a few minutes and when I got back Milt was practically knee-deep in loose straw. A couple of the bales had burst on him-I thought he looked like a kid on a hayride.
One thing that continues to amaze me is how little stuff we need around us in order to be comfortable and happy. On our recent trip back to Rapid City we brought more of that “stuff” with us and I found myself feeling annoyed with the extra burden of material gods. I spent part of yesterday thinning out other stuff to make room for the new.
I am so looking forward to having this heavy physical workload behind us, so we can begin to dream forward into this new life. In my mind the house is finished, the fire is burning, and I am planning next spring’s garden plot. I am also finally turning my attention to some new writing project. Onward.
Jamie
This project, building a straw bale cabin, is teaching me patience. I watched in utter shock as Vern came with his giant machine and dug a “trench” to lay down our water line, our electic line, and our graywater system. I imagine a tidy little trench, pop in the hardware, rake it over. Not so. The canyon was eight feet down, ten feet across and there were mountains of sugar sand everywhere. I found myself apologizing to Mother Earth for taking such liberties. We had a scary moment when part of the sand wall collapsed on Vern but luckily only his legs were caught. I think it shook him up, too because shortly after he hit the edge of our roof with the bucket and bruised it. Fixable, but quite the day. I’d rather lose a roof than a person.
Today I finally worked with the earth bags for the foundation. We have a plan and tomorrow I’ll begin laying that. The floor joists are in and the windows are all here and waiting for their wood frames. We also have a pretty Hearthstone woodstove waiting for its new home. The other day we got to go out to Mike and Marina’s house, a straw bale south of town a ways. They also have an organic garden and they do Community Supported Agriculture with about 28 customers. It was great to be with a couple of people who don’t think we are crazy. I guess we are garnering a lot of curious interest in town.
The weather is holding and actually the most beautiful weather we have had all summer. Steady sun, cool nights. The other night we walked into our “house” to see how the nearly full moon looked from our bedroom window. It was just above the trees and glowing against the dark sky. Beautiful. I continue to be amazed at how right this feels for me. I am stronger and leaner than I was three months ago. I am also feeling ready to see what the next direction for me is in terms of my work. For a few more weeks, the house will continue to take all that I have to give, but then . . . maybe a little writing, maybe a little love affair with the pen and paper?
All is well in my world. I really will try to figure out how to post pictures. We have been filming all and will have quite a record of this adventure. Onward.
Jamie