Friday, November 12, 2010

Days 312-316: Earthcrete..


Been busy lately. I worked an extra day at work (the money is tight right now). And I've been making a plaster mix of clay, straw, sand and cement mix. Trying to mud the house with a water impermeable layer. It seems to be working well.

But there is always a problem with this damned clay. During the summer you need a pick axe to dig it out of the ground. Now that we've had 8 inches of rain over the last couple of weeks, the clay digs up nicely. The hard part is sifting it through some fine mesh to make it workable for plaster. Always a problem; always something to slow you down.

Yet I am lucky to spend these grand warmish November days outside. I saw a family of raccoons the other night. Today I watched a pair of Stellar jays as I mixed the mud. These gorgeous, loud, boisterous birds that mate for life and have a sense of humor (I wonder if the latter is a prerequisite for the former?). I love them.

No comments: