Moving in…sort of
Christmas drew near, and our goal of being in the home before Christmas, make that last Christmas, is almost realized.  Unfortunately, we didn’t have Ann’s Mom in before Christmas… as nature played the Harper card and prorogued completion, as well as froze 18 buckets of floor mix together, under a blanket of 26 inches of snow.

Imagine what 18 buckets of useless frozen horse manure plaster look like at this time of year in Ottawa?  Probably a topic we should all elect to stay clear of.   Truth be told - we realized in this cold snap it was best to have someone looking after the trailer to ensure the pipes froze and the outside composting toilet seat stayed dangerously chilly exactly like they had in the prior two winters.

How does cob do in -15 C weather you may wonder?  Cob is not ideal for a sub zero climate, but this said it performed amazingly well.  When the sun is out, for the five useful hours on a winter day, the solar thermal collectors provide the entire top up heat needed, with input off the roof at 120-140 degrees F.  With 70 km/h winds and a temperature of -15 BEFORE WINDCHILL, we needed to use the wood boiler once a day.  Read the rest of this entry »

Inspection

Yes, we passed final electrical inspection, by default because the inspector didn’t show up in the two day window. Apparently a group of inspectors will be coming shortly… this presents yet another educational opportunity. So officially all we need to get final occupancy is the completion of the railing on Merrily and Howie’s deck.

We had purchased used fishing net material to fill in under the railing but apparently this does not meet code. So plan B was to use a bit of our left over deer fencing as this is very strong and UV stable…but no go as well as the 1.5 inch toe holds may allow for a child to climb. So once we solve this we can move in…that is after we move a few residents out.

With doors being open and all the traffic, our home has had a few guests, which have become long term… perhaps, even a generation or four. There is nothing to eat in the house (clay and sand have no food value) but the squatters like to sleep inside…who could blame them. For months we have been live trapping and releasing outside…they have had peanut butter and oatmeal for months. Read the rest of this entry »

Update

As the house is coming very near completion we continue to discover more things to inspire us, and our passions are expanding if you can believe it. Wow looking back over the past three years it is interesting to see where passion has led. From our first date three years ago, to marriage 6 months later, buying our land with mom and dad joining in the fun, completion of our cob wood working shop, building our sustainable earthen home, education programs, tours, publicity, policy, politics, and gardens. All while weaving much learning into each of these phases. Passions outside of our manufactured culture has provided us more personal reward in such a short period than either of us had known throughout all our previous years. We hear the stories about following your passions, or the importance to choose a job that fulfills your passion, but at every step of our lives we are veered away from them, towards… earning an income. Read the rest of this entry »

Update

As the house is coming very near completion we continue to discover more things to inspire us, and our passions are expanding if you can believe it. Wow looking back over the past three years it is interesting to see where passion has led. From our first date three years ago, to marriage 6 months later, buying our land with mom and dad joining in the fun, completion of our cob wood working shop, building our sustainable earthen home, education programs, tours, publicity, policy, politics, and gardens. All while weaving much learning into each of these phases. Passions outside of our manufactured culture has provided us more personal reward in such a short period than either of us had known throughout all our previous years. We hear the stories about following your passions, or the importance to choose a job that fulfills your passion, but at every step of our lives we are veered away from them, towards… earning an income. Read the rest of this entry »

The human species has this ego that they must know everything about everything. What good is this if it increasingly wrecks havoc on everything else. Ann and I have come to understand, the more we learn the more we realize what we don’t care to know. This makes us stand out a little as we prefer to look to nature for ideas, and accomplish tasks with some basic observations paired with on the spot solution creation (not problem solving). The solutions are not as complex as many may think they are. Whether it is gardening, house building or making appropriate climate friendly decisions, we think the less complex you make the task the more sense it makes in the bigger picture.

Gardening is a prime example of where the common sense and instinct from observing your surroundings provides plenty insight on how plants like to grow. We equate it to our compost system, where lots of different life forms keep everything in balance, and anything that gets too great in numbers always has a predator to knock it down. Nature does the complicated stuff and we can enjoy these simple tasty fruits from a garden that has lots of variety, insects, snakes, lizards, frogs, spiders and the list goes on. Our only rule is don’t worry, if it grows it will grow… if not then it won’t, just watch and observe and work with nature. Read the rest of this entry »