A Little Nest Egg

Straw Bale Update: Plastering continues for the extended future. The second or "brown coat" is well under way for the interior. The window returns are looking great. Working my way counter-clockwise around the house, I'm now plastering in the living-room... the most visible room in the house..... so I'm hoping the plaster learning curve is complete.

The Humanure Compost has been sub-let to a master builder in her own right. This is a high-rise nest by any standard. She took advantage of the abundant hay resource directly below the nest. I can just squeeze the camera into the space between the roof and the nest.... and she has been a busy bird.

Mikki arrived, has made himself at home and is ruling the ranch, so to speak. He has turned out to be as friendly as the breeder claimed and is happy to follow you around the paddock whilst you scoop the poop. (he has also perfected the full barrow flip by grasping one handle and lifting) He has been ridden lightly so far and it's obvious that he loves to work. Kari has been kept very busy with the riding and feeding schedule... I think it's love.

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You may notice that the rants are few and far between lately.... yes, I've been busy. I Checked the news today to see that Mr. Spock as endorsed Captain Kirk for the position of Canada's Governor General and Barack wants to land on an asteroid... I can't begin to compete with that.

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On a sad note, our Auzzie Shepperd, Sienna died last week. She was a lovely dog and my work buddy for the last few years. The only dog I've known to have a sense of humour.... those that knew her, know what I'm talking about.

I'll Be Back..... Plastering

Straw House Bale House Update:

The drywall boarding is all done including priming. We have the interior back and the plastering is one week in. Plastering is highly labour intensive. By the time it's all done I'll be sporting Arnold bicepts. I'm guessing that I'm plastering 1200-1500 lbs per day.

A new addition to our family arrives on Denman in a couple of weeks.... "Mikolas" (Mikki) is a Peruvian Paso Gelding.... (He's the one on the bottom).

sun-rain-snow... oh no

Straw Bale House Update: The Humanure Hacienda is all done. We got a load of off-cuts of cedar to use as rot resistant walls. It worked out well and gave it a Daniel Boone log cabin look.
The drywall has taken a little longer than expected, but should be all primed and ready for paint next week. Quotes for doors and kitchen cabinets are in the works. The baseboards for the bale walls have been ripped and can be stained next week. The nice weather has dried things up enough to use the tractor for earth moving to establish the final grade. Our drainage is so good that traditional perimeter drainage around the house and garage are not necessary. We'll be directing water from the roof to either cistern water storage or into gravel trenches. Tyler was up for the week to give a hand setting up some perimeter deer fencing. Kari bought a few fruit trees, which have to be protected from the four-legged mooches that maraud the local gardens.
She bought Cherry (with five varietals grafted on a single root stock), apple, Asian apple and nectarine.
A small snow storm ended the week, but was washed away by the end of the day.
Curt and friends came up from Victoria to camp at Fillongley Park last week and lucked out with some great weather. They also got to experience the herring spawn and all the wild-life racket that comes with it. Between the sea lions, gulls and eagles it's beyond noisy.

Inflatable Beavers? Now that's Canadian!

Straw Bale House Update: The construction stairs have been ripped out and replaced with the framework of the permanent stairs. The finish treads and risers will be built after all the construction traffic. Drywallers have taken over and forced anyone that does not want to breathe white powder outside. Luckily there are a few things that can be finished up under the three foot overhangs. The Humanure Hacienda project is underway. We're using up the rest of the posts that we had milled on-site two years ago. I'm using the same plan format outlined in the "Humanure Handbook" (free online).

After extensive research and Internet finagling, I ordered a new entry level digital SLR camera. Internet shopping is great for guys that have an aversion to mall shopping. I selected the Canon Xsi. The cats were handy and willing subjects for the first couple of shots.

Things that the Olympics can do without:

1- Two-man Luge. Who thought this up? Men don the tightest possible spray-on spandex, then lay atop one-another and careen down an icy half-pipe. (quick switch to sportsnet)

2- Giant inflatable beavers. Yikes, what was that? Flying moose and lumberjacks, I think I know where some cost-cutting could have been considered. I'll be watching eBay for one of them beavers... Or perhaps they could be used for a new Olympic event... the beaver luge.

Best Olympic moment: Jon Montgomery's Beer Sid who?

Finally some Oly action

Well, the Ad-lympics are finally underway. The coca cola torch relay blew though Courtenay weeks ago leaving no school age child without a bottle of the real thing in hand. The same diabetic substance banned from the school vending machine. Steve was nice and dropped by the legislature.... a first I'm told. But hey, he had a good speech and nowhere to present it... either that or he just wanted to get a look at what a working government looked like. Personally, I think he was here to join Gordo for the little publicized semi-annual meeting of Egotistical Liars Anonymous. Mike Campbell, an economic analyst that I used to like, was on a rant the other day about people that are always critical. What the hell was he thinking and who knows anybody like that? Back to the couch to watch some biathlon, I say.

It's been awhile since the last big fire on the island... so we were due for a doosey. Lots of propane tanks and other unknown sources of explosions highlighted a garage fire that consumed several vehicles, (one a newer Lexus I'm told). Source of fire is unknown, but a few people had theories.

Straw Bale House Update: A few loose ends to tie up in the plumbing and electrical departments along with a major clean-up.... and we're officially (almost) ready for drywall for the interior-interior walls... as opposed the interior exterior walls, (which will be plastered). Drywall labour is expensive, but it's one of the few things that I don't have an inclination to attempt.

I bit the bullet and invested in a new digital SLR camera.... evidence that I've learned how to turn it on will be posted here at a later date.

Under Pressure

I try not to listen to talk radio, but it can be addictive. So, I was listening to an interview with a federal politician the other day, (it could have easily been any politician I guess), and he made a comment that still makes me shake my head in bewilderment. "Canadians have higher expectations from their elected representatives than other countries". I think Canadians (and I could be wrong) want only three things from their elected representatives. Honesty, Integrity, and Common Sense. Apparently, three elusive characteristics. I really should stick to blasting the tunes from the Ipod while at work.

Straw Bale House Update:My camera is broken. No pictures to show, so will have to catch up on those another time.... I've been thinking though... of buying a digital SLR as a replacement. The House is nearly ready for interior wall finishing. We've been working on the balance of the plumbing rough-in. Pressure testing has been done with air and water... and with only a few small hick-ups I think we're almost ready to cover. The house has been left for the weekend under 40 lbs of water pressure.... we'll see Monday how she did.

Floored!

Straw Bale House Update: The concrete staining is complete. I'm pleased with the results so far. The final look won't be known until the acrylic finish has been applied. That will be done after the walls have been plastered.

Stain being applied with a garden sprayer.

Some of the results.... starting to look like stone.

A small amount of clearing is being done to let in some additional light and allow some space for a future paddock (if required)

The sills, window trims and returns are done. Everyone loves the deep window returns in straw bale houses.