I'm typing one-handed as Matilda continues her afternoon snooze on my lap. We've had a great time today putting blocks into buckets, practicing standing up, and getting dirty in the garden. She is at the most perfect age. We are beginning to see who she is. Everything in the world pleases her. The cats, the dogs, OSSIE, her daddy. She eats like crazy (a refreshing change, I have to admit, from our other child, whose diet consists of milk, peanut butter, fish sticks, turkey kielbasa, and, sometimes, hummus. Trying to get that kid interested in vegetables has been...well..it just hasn't happened) and she loves intense flavors. She loves new people and never minds who holds her. She's got this wacky handful of hair that hangs down in her eyes. She's tough and laid-back. In other words, she's perfect.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Saturday, April 26, 2008
april 26 089
We finally got our footers for the deck poured today. I used (18) 80lb bags for 5 footers with 12" sonotubes. Though it wasn't easy, it wasn't too bad. The digging was the hardest part. I worked around a few tree roots on trees I wanted to save and cut others. The deck will encompass one tree entirely--a white oak and just about bump against two others--a poplar and red oak. I could smell the poplar roots if I cut them. If I had more time I think I'd of looked into procuring fly ash to mix with the concrete in order to reduce the initial energy output concrete requires. If the rain holds I may start some carpentry tomorrow, bolting together girders.
We're going with Forest Stewardship Council pressure treated wood for all of the structural members on the deck. The deck itself, however, will be dressed out in cedar puchased just up the road not two miles from here. It'll require periodic oiling but in terms of safety for the kids and sustainability, cedar'd be hard to beat.
We're going with Forest Stewardship Council pressure treated wood for all of the structural members on the deck. The deck itself, however, will be dressed out in cedar puchased just up the road not two miles from here. It'll require periodic oiling but in terms of safety for the kids and sustainability, cedar'd be hard to beat.
Bear Creek
The kids and I made peanut butter sandwiches for breakfast and took them along with us on a quick early morning hike to the creek this morning. I love these cool spring dawns. I know the heat will be here soon enough.
For those who don't know, we bought 10 acres of woods on Bear Creek in southern Chatham County, NC a couple of years ago.
We like the idea of raising our kids in a place where they can run around in the woods, build forts, look at bugs and flowers, grow vegetables, have pigs and chickens (well...if Jeff gets his way, that is).
Jeff has long held the dream of building his own house and this place seemed the perfect location to finally realize that dream. We knew we wanted to try out some green building techniques (passive solar, for instance) and materials (we used SIPS panels for the house, along with locally and sustainably harvested wood). The house design has been evolving since its conception. We are nearing the finish line in phase one of the building. We have already decided on several changes we'll need to make before next winter, but for now, we are almost content to relax just a bit. Jeff has been splitting his time between being stay-at-home dad and building this house (and teaching, and doing other odd jobs) for a long time.
I hope Jeff will have a chance to get on here and post pictures of the house along with some commentary about the building process soon. But that, my pretties, is a post for another day.
Until then, let's all just enjoy the last drops of April.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
garden!
We spent Sunday making our kid-sized garden. Small ambitions this year. Here's one of the three raised beds:
Two of the beds are chock full 'o tomatoes and peppers and basil--the heroes of summertime gardens.
We reserved the third bed for Ossie's strawberries, which Jeff got today, along with a pretty blueberry bush.
It's nice to turn our attention to growing things.
Jeff and Ossie's homemade bird feeders:
During the winter we filled these almost every day. This one has been half full for a month. The birds are happy with their new springtime provisions.
We are too.
Two of the beds are chock full 'o tomatoes and peppers and basil--the heroes of summertime gardens.
We reserved the third bed for Ossie's strawberries, which Jeff got today, along with a pretty blueberry bush.
It's nice to turn our attention to growing things.
Jeff and Ossie's homemade bird feeders:
During the winter we filled these almost every day. This one has been half full for a month. The birds are happy with their new springtime provisions.
We are too.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
blogging family style
Jeff and I have been talking aimlessly about doing a family blog for ages. Two things happened this Sunday morning to make me actually make a move:
1. Watching Ossie garden this morning. Springtime, cute vegetables in their cute raised beds, NOT being pregnant, and Chatham county NC all conspired to get me documenting their wonderfulness. I am unusually terrible at documenting. In fact, I am often opposed to documenting life things. I like the strange patchwork and leaps of memory. And yet...
2. Jeff drew the short straw and I got to sleep in.
1. Watching Ossie garden this morning. Springtime, cute vegetables in their cute raised beds, NOT being pregnant, and Chatham county NC all conspired to get me documenting their wonderfulness. I am unusually terrible at documenting. In fact, I am often opposed to documenting life things. I like the strange patchwork and leaps of memory. And yet...
2. Jeff drew the short straw and I got to sleep in.
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