With summer subsiding
and fall tempuratures finally here, we are back in the swing of
things. Our internship is underway and so there is lots of activity
going on.
After leaving the
garden unbothered and growing during the peak of summer, it turned
itself into giant jungle madness! Taller-than-human-sized flowers,
peppers popping and poking out of the beds, long-necked super squash
hanging in the trees, and lots of other fantastic surprises!
But now we are back to
the garden, taming her in just a bit, and planting our fall and
winter crops.
Lettuce seeds
sprouting:
Sheet mulch garden
additions.
And we're back to the mud-stomping:
We are currently
working on two earthen building projects simultaneously: The first is
resurrrecting the castle bathroom and remodeling it into a fabulous
luxury dry composting bathhouse.
Working with tight wall
curves, a free standing structure, and integrating earthen walls, new
and old.
A
Earthbag bench making.
Stomping the bags into
place with our heavy pounder.
Laying adobe bricks for
the front wall, prepping for a window with a good jungle view from the "throne."
And trying not to have
too much fun.
Prepping the bottles
for adding into our earthen walls, a friend came along to check our
progress.
Speaking of creatures,
our duck family (totalling 7 now!) and chicken commune (countless and
growing) are all thriving and happy.
The other building
project is an adobe and cob extention to the community bathrooms,
complete with sink and vanity/shelf area.
Building with delicious mud takes
some self-control...
...and clean up too.
Putting up adobes over the sink area, prepping a flat surface for our soon-to-be-created mirror mosaic.
Other happenings:
Tincture making with wild medicinal plants:
Apertif and liqueur
making (for medicincal use of course.)
And if you lose a
late-night game, you might just have to bathe Rambo! (He loves
it, as you can see.)
In the extra time (as
if there's much of that), we are also working on putting in the wood
floor of the House on the Hill's bedrooms. Mud walls and local
hardwood floors-- gorgeous combination.
Bonus Photo:
Beetle Balls! Check
out all the special ingredients.
