First and foremost I noticed the end to consistent and overnight frosts. I could lift my head and see clearly out the window, free as it were of frozen condensation. And I could get up and go to the kitchen without a sinking feeling that the water pipes had frozen. Most importantly I could get out of bed earlier with a desire to do something other than sit by the stove and eat. Like plant the first crops of the Spring, peas and fava beans. And build a little box to plant Tomatos in, because they need to be inside still to guard from the occasional frost, like the one that came on the one night I forgot to bring them inside. And they died. But its ok because I'll just buy little plants this year and do better next time.
Nature's waking up and getting in gear is mirrored in my life. I got my first paid job here, working on an extension to the house I was taking care of this winter. The extension will be a large "winter garden" eating and sitting area. I'm working with a great carpenter who runs in the same natural construction circle as I do. We are doing the structure with round timber and will be installing a "living" roof covered in grass. I am getting great first-hand construction experience and have been invited to work on coming jobs this summer which will include work with various forms of adobe walls and natural, clay-based finishes.
I have also resolved for the time being my living situation and been given the chance to realize my dream of building my house. A friend of mine is lending me use of his land on the farm where I lived last summer. The idea is that I will build a small house and have the right to make my home there at least for the next several years, but that in some future the house will remain for his use. It's an unwritten arrangement between friends and is convenient for both of us. I'm finalizing the designs, but it will be a circle about 15 feet in diameter with some combination of straw bale and adobe walls, a mini greenhouse built into one wall, a high-efficiency wood stove that heats an adobe bed, and a living, "reciprocal" roof. While I'll have limited access to internet this summer, I plan to write extensively about the whole process, which in reality already began when we marked the site and start clearing out the invasive rose-hip bushes.
My plan is to set up camp on the building site in a yurt. Yurts are the tents of mongolian nomads, but mine will be made by these guys. I'm in the process of building an octagonal deck on which to put the yurt so it stays off wet ground and to give it a more homey feel inside. The yurt will be about 17 ft in diameter with a wooden door and a chimney to allow for a wood-stove, so although it is easily transportable it's more like a cabin than a tent. Having this base will allow me to approach the house-building with more comfort and less anxiety. After living for almost two years in other people's homes, this private refuge will be welcome.
In addition to building my house and building other people's houses, I'll be working with a group of friends to host a huge sustainable living workshop called "Bioconstruyendo" in February of 2011. In the months leading up to the workshop we'll be preparing to host an estimated 200 people for a week of courses on building, farming, and alternative energy.
The other exciting project in my life is my violin. I'm taking a course on instrument making with a local instrument maker and building my own violin. So far I have glued together the boards for the top, cut out the form and begun to carve out the inside. It looks kinda like a violin. My plan is to chronicle the process, which I expect to take several more months, quite thoroughly, so I'll write about it another time.
That's the skinny for now. If you are reading this I'd love to hear from you.
Posts
