Stone Masonry!

little bench for observing, and tea drinking :)

It's been a wild WILD few weeks here. A great neighbour borrowed us his bobcat, which is such an extraordinary gift that we stopped everything else to take full advantage.

The first task was to dig an irrigation trench. By the end of that dig, the garden looked more like Viet Nam in the early 70's. Rock work and earth work have really kept me from the will to blog at night, as there have been a few deliriously hot days here on the hillside. I MUST get on the 'before-picture-bandwagon,' as the after pictures are quite thrilling in the comparison.

I was putting down some black bags to keep the (ever immortal) Kooch Grass at bay, and, in pinning it down with some rocks, built a little bench.

central staircase

Weeding was on the agenda, but the big rocks seemed to just want to go into place instead ;)
D, myself, and D's dad (also D... D2?) started up on some staircases, which really got the creative juices flowing.

Next we needed better wheelbarrow access to the upper gardens we created. See this blog for the story of creating that(!) So much work is getting done here. Many things have lost the obstruction from the winter snow-over. I happened to be reading on "Obstruction" in the I Ching a few weeks ago (I keep an I Ching blog, too) and the way through it was to have "subordinates" play their position. I've found I have lots of creative energy for this kind of work: The decisions, though, at this time, are for D&S to make.

We've built a new chicken coop, a second yurt, tidied the garden shed, tilled for new fields, and now we're into landscaping. We're looking forward to getting the shop spaces in order so that the house-building can begin next summer.

wheelbarrow ramp: wish I had the before picture!

left side of ramp

side view

top view: a steeper, slower staircase

this rock wasn't nearly as heavy as some of the others

right side of the ramp

close up - more work/fun! waiting up hill :)

I just been loving the character and colour of the stones as they wash up!

While we were digging out the hole for the stairs, we came across some old old chicken wire. It was at least three feet under the ground. I was totally amazed how the earth and trees were reclaiming this!

The old hillside has clearly had many generations of effort take place here. It is wonderful to be bringing my friends forward into their permaculture dream. It is also great to be learning of permaculture, hands-on: it is simply so congruent with all other matters in my life. I've been calling it "organizing common sense."

Yurt Construction - Part III - "Cheap Labour"

Permaculture is a great way to exchange skill, time, expertise, and friendship. The deck is in place now, and pretty much level! There is a slight slant, but it goes toward the downhill, which is actually an advantage, should any moisture actually get inside some day. It is great to see things come together so quickly.

My new sunhat also works great in the rain. It doesn't do so well for carrying plywood, but it is great when one is hot, as the shape creates a funnel for the heat. It is like working with a gentle breeze throughout the day.

The Little Yurt That Could..

curious pups

adding bracing

starting the deck with a 4'x4' hole
for a 20' deck

a good days work

beautiful geometry, for building on the fly

Yurt Construction - Part II - FOAM HENGE

The concrete pilings unfortunately did not work out well for us. I think we needed more concrete mix in general, as when we 'rolled' them... they crumbled instead. Some of them are alright still, and we'll perhaps use them to weight down/tie down the frame from underneath.

Instead, we made our own "Foam-Henge." ... Which quickly lead to "ET, foam home..."  Little styro obelisks for monkeys smaller than ourselves to both worship and fear. A quick 'sani-wrap' and we had instant pilings - again using junk/salvage material - and these ones will have zero chance of rotting.

D secured literally hundreds - if not a few thousand - of these foam blocks from a nearby tree nursery. They are otherwise being shipped back to China to be reused there... for stuff. The nursery is grateful for anyone who wants to come grab them, saving them on shipping.

Levelling them up was fun.

And we finished a good chunk of the decking frame. Tomorrow we'll most likely get the deck complete.

We put the plywood on top, so that we can toe-nail into them once the deck frame is built.

small footprint made: remove duff, and dig into clay

the level-er

centre framing

octagonal frame, 90' facings @ 22.5 degree cuts

not too bad a level, considering the hillside, and that its not tacked down yet.

Yurt Construction

Onto the next project! 


Using some old tires, scrap plywood, and old crappy chicken wire we began making the footings for the upcoming Yurt!


I gave myself a good chuckle trying to fit this square peg into a round hole... It's so much harder to get things done while laughing...


We got some crush from a nearby gravel yard, some cement mix from the new Home Hardware, and mixed in some cedar mulch that we made with the chipper last week... A little bit of rebar, and we were off to the races...

 What was most appealing in this design (aside from incorporating things which would have otherwise gone to the dump) is that the footings are now rather mobile, should the yurt need to be moved in the future.

The warmer days are great, too!

Chicken Coop Complete!

Chicken Palace!

Wow! What a week. S, D, and I put our minds together to get the chicken coop in place last week. The first two days we had the sun in full cooperation, it snowed Wednesday (which was depressing - even for me, who never complains on the weather!) and then we had mostly sunny days to finish out the week. It is truly REMARKABLE just how much a factor the weather is on this hillside - for morale, energy, inspiration, physical exhaustion... I blew out yesterday with a fever. I was in bed by 3pm yesterday, stoked the fire hot and high in the yurt, bundled up and sweated it out until 11am today! Certainly it cannot be over-or-under-stated, that the patience of a saint should be on every person's tool list when taking on any building project.

We were so inspired with the sunlight that I didn't even carry my camera, and missed documenting how we build the platform. Six palettes and three 2x6 - and Dylan's new giganto-nail-gun - had us a platform in about half and hour. A few rocks along the bottom edge had us level, and then we were off to the races putting the structure together.

I enjoyed how S called the wooden palettes "a waste product," and they are certainly something I wish to gather for keeping supplies off of the forest floor. Pressure treated ones would make a good shop floor surface with some sort of sand/salt barrier below. And this brings us to the coop itself. S & D picked this up second hand for $200 (regular $1000 at Canadian Tire). D enjoyed bashing the retail cost of this pile of plastic. It is certainly not hurricane proof, let alone whoops-I-slipped-in-the-mud-and-had-to-hold-onto-something... proof. ... It is, however, chicken proof, which counts the most.

Repurposing: Less plastic in the landfill :)

We snapped this puppy together in about two hours of Kootenay time. Which is to say, it felt like two hours passed, but it probably took longer.... or lesser. ... No one knows. It was easy, and inspired by M's lego palaces inside, the three adults took to it like, say, adults cooped up in a trailer by inclement weather. It was so good to get something off the ground and together in a pinch. The reuse of this building was the "convenience we didn't pay for" but welcomed all the same.

Next, we traced the pole lines, and dug fence posts. Certainly a fence auger is manna from heaven for the task. It's actually very satisfying to use because the progress is so measurable.

the folks of  rBrand - click here to see their blog :)

When it snowed on Wednesday, we eventually got moving on using some new found lumber for building the roosting boxes. The coop kept us reasonably dry.

Last came the fencing, which needed "base boards," just to make sure the little chicks don't get away, and hopefully add another layer of defence against predators... which unfortunately includes the family pup, Oden! He's been super "bad," as his "inner wolf" gets the best of him, especially when the chickens give a little dart. Like pinball, the energy increases, and they bring out the worst case scenario in each other.

 

The back side needed some extra attention, what with the slope, and to have the option of an extra exit/entrance. The backside levels up closer to the road, and the quad can be better pulled into place to ship in wood chips or heavy bags of feed.

Shortly after came the moving of the chickens themselves, which was so exciting. It was a relief to get them out of the former coop which they had clearly outgrown by number some time ago. Catching them would certainly have put my mother in stitches. I took a good slide on the "chicken shit slide of death."

I had the better part of Friday afternoon to solve the back gate issue, and had a lot of fun doing so. The birch on the left had several curves to accommodate: I built up the ground with some clay and rock to make a step, stapled the fencing into place, and filed in the gaps by lashing a pole along the bottom.

The real gem is the found handle. Character wood pieces always set ablaze the creative heart. As one  unhooks the gate, the little rounded piece makes a perfect handle to lift the gate through. I may need to put a similar handle on the other side too. It's very functional, and there are no gaps!!

Haggard and Happy!

Splitting Wood

I set out to do some work today on D&S's house site. They have a daughter M, but if I type in DS&M too much, I may get the wrong kind of internet traffic. So do forgive me, M... Please know that when I type D&S... I have M in mind too. :)

I am considering a cordwood home and will be testing my metal for the task with some upcoming log peeling. Every natural building method has at least one massive labour bottleneck, and certainly in Cordwood design, this is it. Today though, I got warmed up with splitting some birch for S&D's firewood stockpile.


I made some pretty tidy stacks, and began imagining my own cordwood walls. A person building with Cordwood has the choice of using round ends or split end logs. I anticipate using split ends, as this dramatically decreases the drying time needed. Also, the finished result looks closer to stonework in my opinion.

I made sure the base of the stack had some lift, so that the wood was not directly on the ground. Some logs were still way to wet for chopping, so I kept them for future chopping blocks, putting cedar bows below them.

I covered the logs with some cedar bows to better the drying time. Today was super snowy!! And I also stacked the poles D has fallen, keeping them layered as best I could with shorter logs in between for air circulation. 

I am thinking that the cedar bows may have an acidic effect to assist the drying wood. Can anyone confirm this for me?





D&S... have these foam blocks salvaged from the nearby tree nursery, and are discovering all kinds of building applications for them. There is a chemical coating, however, so this would not be ideal for a dwelling, but rather an outdoor shop. I used them for a base and cover today. The little holes for the trees are ideal to capture cement. Strapping layers of these together would basically be like building with lego.

I hope you have a wonderful day.

www.sta-sis-arts.com

Arrival

I have long had a 'thing' about mobile homes. I've billeted in a couple before, and they really heighten my need for good air quality. However, S & D have done a really good and practical job on their mobile to make the living space amenable as they work their way through the home building process. In years to come, this mobile will certainly be a valuable place for woofers, guests, and even a potential revenue stream.

We had some home-made red wine last night to accompany the great conversation. It is always great to connect with S & D, as crossing paths with fellow minds on this quest for self-sufficientcy is most welcome amid the twists and turns it inevitably brings. Even today, sitting beside the mellowing fire, amid bird calls and deep silence, the allure of convention sings to me: "It's easier!" it cries out... To which there is only one rational reply within me: "It's no fun!"

For all the gloss and (feelings of) glamour, the city life is, for me, simply the vaneer of a life well lived. The air stinks, and so it follows that many social interactions stink too. People are pitted against each other, for the most part. Communities like Noorish, are truly a welcome oasis for many, and that the business is flooded with joyous activity is, for me, a testament to the need of connection.

I am looking forward greatly to my stay here. I'm looking forward to trying out new skills, enriching friendships, and meeting new people. As per my want, I am certain the resonant silence will get my poet's motor churning in no time - so long as I keep the home-made wine in check!!

Thanks D&S (and M!) Glad to be here.

Kootenay Ride Share

Yesterday launched me into a new round of exploration into the BC interior, and though I have made the trip over a dozen times, this time, I put out a listing on the Kootenay Ride Share to help along with the cost of gas. I met B, a young Vancouver native, ex-rock-and-roller, livin' it to the max, who, coincidentally, is also interesting in natural building methods.

B was in the Edmonton area staying on with his aunt testing out his ability at survival shelters. The man is full of funny stories and good humour, and while constructing his string-and-bow fire tools had hit his thumb with the axe. To extend the situation, he quickly discovered he had locked himself out of the house while his aunt was at work(!) 

Being a survivalist at heart he devised a way to use snow to assist with the bleeding, and eventually got the wound dressed. During the several hour long car trip we covered a lot of ground conversationally: natural building, ethical diet, libertarianism, education, work & wages, girlfriends & psychology, and had a great time.

I will definitely be using the Kootenay Ride Share again, as I believe I've made a friend for life. B & I have way too many pursuits in common that I'm sure our paths will cross again, and that we will be able to assist each other further. Thank you B! and Thank You Kootenay Ride Share!