The Mudpuppy

Since our house will eventually be a hybrid of natural building styles (cob walls, timber framing,earth bags, living roof and straw-bale walls) we decided to "practice" each of the techniques before we committed  any of them to a permanent house. One thing we both have learned about DIY projects is that they are almost always better the 2nd or 3rd time around. We decided that since we have plenty of land, but will only have a tiny 200sq ft house, why not develop a usable outdoor living area.

It will include a rubble trench foundation with an earth bag stem wall topped with cob walls. The living roof will be supported by a timber frame structure (trees felled and peeled from our land). Just for fun, my husband is building a Rumford fireplace and beautiful rock wall:) It will eventually be fenced off with downed trees so that we have a comfy place to relax with the dogs day and night.

Tree Peeling

Since our 2 Boston Terriers are already supervisors on the site we decided to name it after them--hence, The Mudpuppy! Lovely coincidence that it is also the name of my new favorite beer;)

Rubble trench dug for The Mudpuppy

A High-Strung Raccoon & A Road-Side Eagle

Before we settled on Midwest country life, we fell in love with the Colorado Rockies in all her magnificence. The magnitude of the landscape coupled with the regular appearance of graceful deer, massive elk, black bears, & mountain lions both humbled and invigorated me. Unfortunately, the lack of rain, clay, and soil out weighed the excitement of mountain wildlife. Back to the Midwest we went...

But, lately, I have found that I just didn't give country animals the respect they deserve. Take for example the country critter who decided last week to stage a rebellion to promote his belief in renewable energy.To the horror of many residents, a rogue raccoon demonstrated the fragility of our municipal power supply when he chewed through the cable and prevented all of us from getting our morning locally roasted, fair-trade, sustainably grown coffee from the co-op. People were hoping that furry beast would have just shut-down our big box store and chain fast-food establishments--but no luck. Our sweet local-owned businesses in all their socially responsible glory were victims as well. He wanted to show us that NO ONE connected to the grid is secure! Elk may sound intimidating during mating season, but let's see them take a stand against fossil fuels once in a while.

Lady Slipper Native Plant

Just yesterday we had another (truly) amazing encounter on the rural road about a mile from our land--this time with a bird of prey that must be seen in person to totally appreciate. As we rounded the bend on a 55mph farm road--an EAGLE sat on the side and displayed her impressive wing-span as she rose up about 15 feet so as to give us a full demonstration of her abilities. Just as exquisityly as she took to flight; she landed in a field about a 100 yards away and allowed us to stare in amazement. It was as if she had been reading my mind all week & needed to prove to me that nature is astonishing beautiful wherever you are living!

"200 square feet--You must really love your husband!"

Surprisingly, this is most people's first reaction when I reveal our dream of building a tiny earthen off-grid home. They are not shocked by the fact that we are literally using our own 4 hands to dig the trench foundation and using the clay from under our feet to build the walls. They are not (totally) appalled by the thought of using an outhouse. They can even over look the fact that we may not have indoor running water. The thing that really gets their goat (sorry--we're in the country now) is that we are choosing to live and work together in such close confines.

The popularity of this observation has lead me to believe that this little eco-adventure will be much more of a social experiment than I ever thought. So I figured--what the heck--since I'm going to share all the exciting events that go into hand building a home and growing our own food and providing our own electricity; why not also share the juicy pieces of what a home really is--personal, intimate relationships.

Hope you enjoy the show!

By the way--I do really love my husband;)