Mary's Greened House Building Adventure

Shelves- a statement of support

2008-11-19T22:33:00.010-05:00

So this is the deal. I have always wanted built in bookshelves. I have worked for years to earn my degrees (BA, MA, PhD) and have loved doing them. Books were the foundation of my education and my books have been in storage for 2 years. I have wanted to have my books, for reference, for review, for support, for comfort.

But the challenge is that I don't want to spend any more money on the office for now, and the walls are not straight. If you look at this picture you can see where they come in at angle towards the top. (It is because the bales are pressed up against the 2x8s that are the band around the main support post)

The light is so gorgeous this time of year in the office too...

So, to start with I needed sturdy posts that would go from the yes, ANGLED ceiling to the floor to serve as the main support.

I have big 4x4s, but they are pressure treated and I didn't want them in the office. (Icky fumes)

I didn't think I had anything, until I realized I had a huge pallet that some of the lumber for my deck came on. When I moved it, it was really heavy, but the rails were definitely long enough.

So I cut and braced those.

I also had the wooden natural post from Barbaritoes, I wanted to use... I didn't know how to cut them since they are big and round... but I figured someone could do it, (obviously) and I'd figure it out when I get to it.

But first things first:

Getting the shelves built.
Lots of little challenges - and a lot of little things to figure out. That always feels good.
The first two shelves are about 16 inches deep. The others are only about 5-8 inches deep.

Once I got them up (which FELT WONDERFUL!) It was time to get my books!!
They are buried in the garage with a bunch of other things blocking the way, so I got what I could.
and the ones from around the house
And a few other goodies. The black and white 4 sided star is something James made when he was about 13. I've always had it near my desk.

I'll probably put another picture in there, but at the moment, that will do.

It got dark as I was hauling books out to my office, so I had to stop, but it was great to have them there behind me. I love it!!

And I moved my desk into my office! It's real and official and MINE!!

I'm so proud of myself for this one!

What's next?

2008-11-19T22:23:00.002-05:00

The floor in - working so good so far. There was a bit of a gap between the wall and the floor, so I got to play with stucco again - it was fun! And then...

I decided it was time to put in book shelves...

I mean not to brag or anything... but this is the view from my office....

2008-11-19T22:19:00.000-05:00

I love my office

2008-11-19T22:15:00.002-05:00

such good energy!

What a view!

2008-11-19T22:09:00.002-05:00

Working on a lovely day

2008-11-19T22:03:00.001-05:00

Sometimes there are not words...

2008-11-19T21:57:00.000-05:00

My Mother being lovely

2008-11-19T21:55:00.001-05:00

Isn't she pretty?

Floor in!!

2008-11-19T21:54:00.000-05:00

That was the easy part...

Ceiling up!

2008-11-19T21:44:00.002-05:00

I got the ceiling up. The tongue and groove was a bit challenging at first, but then I finally got it.

You have to put the tongue up before you get your groove on.

The wood is from the walls at Barberitoes.

Aged and weathered, by leaving it out side for a year. PERFECT!

tongue and groovy

2008-11-19T21:38:00.002-05:00

2008-11-09T13:16:00.000-05:00

Misc. and a Johnny Cash Pick-up truck

2008-11-09T13:03:00.002-05:00

Bird feeder hung out at the office - VERY POPULAR with our winged neighbors...

and below, due to some rather challenging situations - including a car getting totaled, (no one hurt, thank heavens!) insurance none sense, and the need for short term (-ish) reliable transportation... I am now the proud owner of a 1982, 1986, 1989, 1992 $400 Pick-up truck.
The truck "runs good", needed some attention and a tune up but my awesome mechanic called to say he was having trouble ordering parts. It turns out it's had some things done to it and he wasn't quite sure what year it was. He said "It runs, and I'll get it fixed up for you, but you need to know it's been put together kind of funny" To which I had to reply "Gary, are you telling me I bought a Franken-truck?" He laughed and then it hit me! "I bought me a Johnny Cash Pick-up truck!!" (See the wonderful song One piece at a time) Gary and I have bonded over this!

Suffice to say, it is just sort of ironic that AT THE END of the building project I buy a truck?

Oh well... I'm sure I'll still have plenty of stuff to haul for a while!
And there will always be more projects...

Next - ceiling prep

2008-11-09T12:29:00.002-05:00

Can you see the dog who knows that she's next to get a bath? Seriously impressive camo there Lucy!
Separated out the tongue and groove yellow pine that was from Barberitoes walls.

But it sat outside for a year - and needed some cleaning up first...

Mrs. Leah Gulnaria

2008-11-09T12:00:00.002-05:00

Leah is one of our oldest family friends - she and my mother were very close when my parents were with the Friend's Mission Board in Kenya (and I was born there). Leah is from Madioli Kenya, a family and community matriarch. She has 10 children and is an amazing 82 year old woman. She and my mother came to visit in September - They are working together to raise money for a clinic and an orphanage in Madioli where the HIV/AIDS pandemic is wreaking havoc on the community. Leah has lost 3 children to AIDS, and is raising grandchildren herself.

It's a big challenge but one that needs to happen.

Leah's comment about my office was "It is cement, but it looks like mud!" She's impressed but understandably puzzled by the appearance. It's okay. I'm proud of it and very proud of her too!

DOORS!!

2008-11-09T11:48:00.002-05:00

Getting ready for Doors up....

2008-11-09T11:44:00.004-05:00

Been away...

2008-08-25T15:02:00.002-04:00

Dear Gentle Readers,

So sorry for my longish silence. I was off to Ontario for a dear friends wedding. It was on the beautiful Lake Bob, and was a delightful adventure in unwinding. The photo above is of the sunrise my first morning there... so lovely!

And my favorite laborer is off doing some new labor of his own. James has started his freshman year at Earlham College. It's a wonderful place and I hope he'll thrive there. It's my own alma mater and I know what a special place it is. I know what a special kid James is. I think it could be a good match once he adjusts.

I'm working in the office now, having swept the floor a bit and re-rigged my tarp. It's just started to rain and is quite lovely out here at the moment. I have a good bit of work yet to do on the office, but other things to tend to as well... I'll keep you all posted!

Take care, be well, do good!

Getting there...

2008-08-13T23:44:00.002-04:00

Getting there. The floors will go in nicely (yeah!)

The Georgia situation is a mess. So much for the optimism from yesterday.

It's protracted. It's going to get more so.

The line of the day had to be the Russian response to Bush's announcement that he's sending troops in to Georgia for "humanitarian" aid due to the crisis there. The Russian Foreign Minister simply said: We see Mr. Bush needs a new speech writer.

I'm heading out of town for a bit.

Progress may or may not continue in my absence.

We'll see....

Update

2008-08-13T00:21:00.002-04:00

I'll post photos tomorrow.

The office is coming along and we've got the floor figured out. It looks SOOOOO AWESOME!!!

Briefly, this morning I woke up to the news that Russia had issued a cease fire. It's calming down in Georgia and (fingers crossed) the worst is over. Russia's willingness to cooperate is encouraging.

It was a perfect birthday present for me to hear and I'm ever thankful.

Tim sounded great and I'm glad for it.

More soon.

Worse cases...

2008-08-11T23:55:00.002-04:00

As a professor, I've taken a perverse delight in spinning out the worst case scenario for a situation with international conflicts in order to drive home the importance of knowing what is going on in the world for my students. Normally, it doesn't come to pass, we breath a deep sigh of relief.

It gets their attention. It makes it relevant and it makes an impact.

But today as I was frantically reading through the news on line and watching CNN International, I looked at James, and said "for all the years I've studied the Caucasus, and as much as I love this region, watching this is like the worst case scenario come to life."

He nodded solemnly and said "yeah. . . it really sucks."

Or as I said to my mother, it reminds me of watching the 9/11 attacks, but no one else really aware of why this is so tragic.

Perhaps I'm over dramatizing. It would be nice to know I am.

Georgia situation:

2008-08-11T15:20:00.002-04:00

OH (EXPLETIVE!!!)

For back ground for anyone keeping up with the news:

Briefly, my MA thesis was an in-depth analysis of Russia's decision to use force against Chechen and Tartar secessionist movements, my PhD dissertation was on incentives for domestic policy makers to agree to join the Black Sea and Caspian Sea Environment Programmes, focusing on the Caucasus. And of course, I've been studying the social and economic influences region for more than 15 years and working there as a consultant since 2001, with the UNDP Kura Project(s), Black Sea Environment Programme, Caspian Environment Programme, IFC Stakeholder Analysis for the BTC Pipeline, etc. I also have now become certified in "mediation and alternative dispute resolution". Suffice to say, this situation is ringing all sorts of bells for me.

Let us all hope and pray for peace to come soon.

STUCCO!!

2008-08-10T23:18:00.010-04:00

Hi Folks!

First, news from Georgia is that the family is safely stowed in the mountains at a lovely place, and there is a sense that all is well - or as well as it can be in a small country being invaded by Russia...

Upon hearing the good-ish news I dashed outside to happily slap stucco upon the walls. This is the finish coat and I have to admit, I'm lovin' it!!

Here it is on the first day - actually Friday.

I'm groovin' with the wabi-sabi - it looks so organic.

Like the forms inside are looking forward to emerging and moving in!
Oddly the second bag was a very different hue - See below:
I decided to use the more gray bag on the lower back wall. The bookshelf will cover it mostly, so it won't be so evident. Interestingly, it was marked as "white" like all the other bags...
Once it went up, it looked bluer, and the next day the three bags had some definite differences in shades... But still I really like the organic shapes of it.
So now I am done with the stuccoing. It was actually a lot of fun and sort of inspiring. I'd love to do more and when I DO finish the outside later, I'll get to do more.

But as is stands now, I'll working on the insides next - getting it to functional-

coming next, doors and floors!!

Problems in Georgia.

2008-08-09T23:07:00.002-04:00

Dear Readers,

I'll post more pictures soon. I've been working.

But at the moment I am watching the news about the situation in former Soviet Georgia and the Russian attacks into South Ossetia and beyond.

This is an area very dear to my heart - I've spent a great deal of time in Georgia, and I've grown to love to people, the culture and the country. My partner's wonderful wife is from Georgia and her family is so dear, every time I visit I feel like I've come home again. And their two children are in Georgia visiting their grandparents right now. I've heard some disturbing reports about the bombings. I'm very worried. Please keep this family and all of the people in the Caucasus in your prayers. I'll update as I can.

I think I'm in love...n

2008-08-08T21:26:00.002-04:00

Today I started putting on the final "finish coat" of stucco. It's white. It's real pretty.

I did the first wall, just like I did earlier when putting on the second "brown" coat. The consistency is a bit different and I like working with it. Once it was up, and it went up easily, and started to dry I took a straw bristle broom and gently brushed the surface - this smoothed out the surface just a bit.

The whole day was busy with lots of running around, mowing the lawn, not having TB, and getting stuff at Lowe's (AGAIN!)

But it looks great now. Granted, it's only 1 wall but the surface just glows, and the organic forms are so evident now.

I ended up sitting in my office for about 30 minutes after I was done just admiring it.

As tired as I've gotten working on this project, and frustrated and worn out, I realized that the more I work on it, the more I love it. It's my own special space, and each of the million small steps it has taken to bring it into reality is filled with the thoughts, challenges, and inspirations of the day I did it.

It's a special place - and truly a labor of love.

Photos tomorrow. Stay tuned!

Things I love about building my own office space: (cont'd)

2008-08-08T00:09:00.003-04:00

(21 or so)

Looking back through photos charting the progress and realizing that this project really has been a lot of work, and that I'm so happy I'm doing it.

I've learned how not to do it - because I should have done other things first and instead had to go back to fix it, but still, it has been a learning experience.

And having my son, husband, mother, friends and family in on it makes it that much more special.

I can never move out of this house. :-)

Ends in rubble? Or the next phase?

2008-08-07T23:28:00.006-04:00

We finally managed to get the last of the brown coat up - it's the term for the second coat of stucco - The rubble above was scrapped off the floor etc. It will be used for the pathway or something - definitely not thrown away.

Below James put on the last coat - we're using the scaffolding setting for those who are uncomfortable with heights.
This is the inside after we finished - you can get the feeling for the smoothness wabi-sabi nature of the brown coat. Definitely starting to look much more organic
So organic in fact that I've been inspired by that Florentine sculpture to set the spirits free with in the straw and stucco:
It shows up better when the flash is off and there is less dust in the air. No worries. It's coming.

And speaking of beauty - after stuccoing and cleaning the office floor, we started on the floor boards. These have been sitting outside for about a year - and are in surprisingly good condition. (Thanks to Barbaritoes for the high quality durable finish on the wood!) It just glows and will be SO PRETTY on my floors!!

Stay tuned! More soon!

Heat WAVE 2

2008-08-06T21:51:00.002-04:00

Last weekend was busy busy - Bill worked both days because of the tax holiday, and so I put in the time on the office.

Above was what I got to by Saturday night - the second coat of stucco went up well. It allowed me a lot more freedom other than just trying to get all the straw covered. It was the part of putting on stucco that felt really fun with a lot opportunity to be more expressive of how I want my space to feel.

Sunday I pushed the full first wall and the second side wall. It was difficult, but great fun and I like the way it turned out. (photos coming soon) The back wall is currently half done. I had to stop because my hands were wet for 3 days and with the stucco grit in my gloves wore away the skin on my fingertips. So I've taken a few days off. James will finish the last of the brown coat on the back wall for me. Then we get to do the finish coat which will be sleeker and white. I think I may only do it on the inside.

Today we had record heat - outside of my kitchen window, in the shade on the north side of the house it was 102 degrees. I went out to check the thermometer in office. It was 87 degrees !!!

This was at about 3:00, with sun coming into the office and the open side facing south. SWEET!!

More to come!! Stayed tuned!!

Progress... bit by bit... by bit... all Wabi-Sabi

2008-08-01T22:23:00.009-04:00

Another brutally hot day today - heat index of 106 , but it work in the office was comfortable with a fan and the shade.

James worked on the ceiling. Impressive multi-limb talents were on display.

I, on the other hand, put up 3 bags of stucco. Not a whole lot, but I'm working on it. And honestly, I'm sore after that much.

This was the first bit:

This shelf is here for me to put my computer and other stuff on as I climb into the loft. It's just something I decided I needed to optimize my loft usage.
I left on of the braces exposed. I sort of like it that way. The wood is pretty.

The shelf and the one across from it were the second bag. . .
The third - with scaffolding, did me in. It's getting there, but it's taking a while. Still, I'm having fun.

Thanks to our neighbor, local school principal, and friend, Dr. Schmitt, we have a new term for the design style for this wonderful undertaking. It's wabi-sabi - The aesthetic is sometimes described as one of beauty that is "imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete" . . . Characteristics of the wabi-sabi aesthetic include asymmetry, asperity, simplicity, modesty, intimacy, and suggest a natural process.

That's so TOTALLY MY OFFICE!!!

I LOVE IT!!

More to come. . . stay tuned!!

New Camera, and some progress

2008-07-30T22:12:00.007-04:00

The ceiling is coming nicely. James has been working on it, and should finish up soon. He really has gotten to the point he HATES stucco, so I'm taking on a lot more of that, and he's doing the other work. (Plus hauling the 80 lb bags for me and helping mix sometime.) He heads off to school in 3 weeks (WHHAAAA!!!!) So we really need to get a move on out here.

On the other hand, I wasn't feeling great yesterday, so we stayed in and played scrabble.

By the end of the last game we were giggling so much we got 3 triple word score and then some with "Sir Cod I say I am El Quackie" (Yes, I know we'd broken every rule, but it's only a game, and if the objective was to have a good time, we absolutely accomplished that!)

Now back to the office. This lovely . . . is the east side of the office. Definitely getting the organic lines there.

This is the dried stucco inside from Saturday. . .

This is the first 80 lbs of stucco up today.

This is the second and third bags up.

The black PVC is for ventilation. The exposed square in the dry section is the "truth widow" which will be covered with a small door and framed. So that I can show folks - yes it is really made of straw.

It was a long haul but I enjoyed it today. I even mowed part of the back yard and did some good stretching afterwards. It's slow, but it's progress!

Moving to the inside and some great help!!

2008-07-27T17:42:00.009-04:00

Gentle Readers,

Please don't worry, I will be getting a new camera soon. It's absolutely necessary.

In the meantime this weekend we had a visit from my mother.

Bless her heart, she came down to get her computer worked on, and offered to pitch in on the office build! For a 74 year old woman she did some pretty amazing work! Actually she's in great shape, and I'm proud of her!

Here she is in the loft with James.

(Kudos to Mom for climbing in the loft!!) Over James's left shoulder, you can see the top wall he's put in. We're thinking of building in book shelves up there - with the books as insulation.

Friday, James and I put the ceiling up inside. Miraculously 2 4 ft x 8 ft particle board pieces fit there perfectly. We'll get the top (over the loft) done this week. I'm planning on putting yellow pine tongue and groove from Barberitoes on the ceiling to finish it. It will be SOOOO pretty!

This is what the office looked like Saturday morning...
This is what I do. I haul, lift, and mix 80 lb bags of stucco.
This is what James does :

Hangs out of a window about 12 ft. up. and screws in plywood. The ab work out he got from doing this was excellent he said! Mom held his feet while he did this.

It was insane!
This is the stuccoing that Mom and I got done. It's 3 bags worth. It's not a HUGE amount, but we were working in fits and starts. AND Mom was most comfortable doing the area that was roughly between her waist and her shoulders. I didn't want her to over do it. She did a GREAT job! Yeah Mom!
Oh, and this shelf - which will be under the loft next to the ladder so I have a place to put things as I'm climbing up... has one of the most important things - the speakers. James plays DJ - with his iPod, and it's great!! The music keeps up moving, and James has introduced me to lots of music. How cool is that?

This thing has been going on forever now. I'm glad I am enjoying it so much.

Honestly, I'm looking forward to being done.

James goes to school in a month. We need to have a lot more done by then. Tim has gone to Bishkek, so I am ramping it up a notch to do more. And of course, you'll be kept posted as it develops!!

Camera on the 31st (Tax holiday!) if not sooner!

And Thanks to Mom for this posts photos!!

Unintended Bonus?

2008-07-23T21:49:00.002-04:00

Well, Gentle Readers, it turns out that one of unanticipated benefits of using stucco and getting covered in it on a regular basis is that when you take a shower, you already have your exfoliant pre-applied!!

Who'd a thunk?

Haiku?

2008-07-22T19:01:00.001-04:00

Maybe it's the heat that's getting to me?

Today after writing pithy project prose, I found myself dabbling in Haiku's about work.

This is what I sent off to Tim:

River water flows

summer aquifers run dry

toxins eat parched earth

New frogs croak in spring

singing praises for the year

climate changes that

Tired consultant

writes more words with other words

It's that time of year

Oops. Too late.

Heat Wave

2008-07-22T17:06:00.003-04:00

At 5:00 it's 94 degrees outside, with a 104 heat index

In my office the temperature is the low 80's. With a fan, it's quite comfortable.

And I haven't even finished the insulation, walls etc. Having a tarp up over the porch keeps it quite comfortable here.

Also last night we had a WICKED storm - with hail, very strong winds and harsh downpours.

My office is fine.

I'm a happy camper. :-)

Wow!

2008-07-21T17:56:00.002-04:00

Hello All!

First, don't despair, we're still here working away.

After a weekend of family reunions, it was great to see everyone and great to get back to the construction. Some of my cousins are thrilled with this, proving that insanity may in fact be hereditary. :-)

Speaking of kin folk, my darling nephew Joe got carried away with my camera (or rather it got carried away with him!) yesterday. He took loads of photos, but now I am getting the dreaded E18 error message which is akin to the canon sureshot Blue screen of death. Bill thinks he can fix it. Now worries, Gentle Readers, if it is not beyond repair I think I can justify buying another on my business account. Maybe. And No, Joe is not in hot water, the camera was gitchy before it got into his little paws.

Today, James wanted a break from stucco. So he fastened down decking and did a super job getting insulation up in the ceiling. I'm so impressed.

And I, well, noting the insanity remark above, carried mixed and applied 2 80 lb bags of stucco. In 98 degree heat, in the middle of the day, alone, on a ladder, on top of the scaffolding, on uneven ground. Let's just say, I've found my zen.

I'm now ready to take a hot shower so that my skin will be able to breathe, and figure out what to make for dinner tonight.

Loving the work. Trying not to push it too hard so that I can't do it again tomorrow.

I think I'll get some aspirin on my way.

Be well, do good. "til then.

WAY UP THERE

2008-07-19T18:34:00.002-04:00

We're on the last section of the exterior wall. It's on a fairly steep hillside and the scaffolding still doesn't quite enable us to reach the top section we need to be able to reach. I think we'll actually end up with one of us holding up a hawk (the tray) full of stucco while the other climbs up into the loft, leans way out the window and schmers the stucco on to the straw like heavy cream cheese onto a vertical bagel.

BUT this weekend is absorbed by family reunions and such. So next week.

And that video about skooshing the stucco on the wall for the Lowe's guys. . . that'll be done then too.

Until then,

Take care Dear Readers, and remember your comments are always welcome!

Still at it. . .

2008-07-17T23:57:00.002-04:00

Dear Friends,

No worries! we are still at it, though the going is slow.

A few things. . . the guys at Lowe's were getting some serious belly laughs when I describe my method for applying stucco. They've asked for a video. I'll see what I can do.

All I have to say is the Quikrete Stucco guy makes it look WAY easier than it really is!! I need to have a word with him.

More photos soon!

But for tonight, I'm out!

Moving forward with room for creativity

2008-07-06T20:50:00.005-04:00

One of the interesting lessons in building my own office is that I'm getting to figure things out for myself for the very first time. A professional, by virtue of experience, should know these things.

For example, I have some lovely glass blocks. They were my brother's and he didn't want them

(evidently his son was putting them in the drive way and they were getting run over...?)

So I have a space for them over the windows - like this:

I think it looks pretty cool - especially now that the tarp is down. (THE TARP IS DOWN!!)

See, really quite pretty.... and they bring more light into the space.

But I'm not sure how to seal them in there.

And of course, in putting on the second coat of stucco, I was stranded on top of the scaffolding while the boys mixed another bag. The whole thing taking on a very organic form. Coating the bales with the stucco makes curves and forms fill out.

I found it needed a little something. . .

It's like my own Easter Island statue!!

how cool is that?

This will be the view from where my desk will be:
With the tarp off the West side (it's sealed up enough now) it looks oddly smaller than before. . .

But I like it!!
And from the house, if one looks closely, one can see the office watching!

(look for it!)

It's not fast work and we do get tired, but I'm learning to appreciate the limits of what can realistically be done in a day.

But more on that another day. I'm tired. . .

A good Day's work - and PROGRESS!!!

2008-07-04T21:24:00.019-04:00

This morning we started out with a straw building, good weather and the help of a good friend!

Edwige is awesome! Here she's donning a pair of vintage coveralls. Love those!
We got the stucco mixed and got started...
Ed and James were very good with the trowels...

I found that the contours of the building were more organic and decided to use my hands to smear it on...
James got innovative and put on goggles to deal with splatter...
Ed was well camouflaged while mixing the stucco...
She got the camera and got all artsy on us...

I ended up wearing the stucco. That was fun.

more mixing...
and more mixing
And then we got scaffolding!!

And voila (Eds French)

WE HAVE A WALL!!

Remember this is the only the first coat....

And the day was done...

Article of interest....

2008-07-04T00:17:00.003-04:00

Click here

For a nice article on Straw Bale homes as an affordable green means to have a house!!

More coming soon!

Plastering party starts tomorrow morning!! All welcome!!

Hiring it out...

2008-07-03T00:06:00.003-04:00

Of course, there was the question of "wouldn't it just make sense to hire the stuccoing out to a professional crew?" from the husband and mother.

It sort of ruins the whole "do it yourself" vibe of the place.

Doesn't it?

Besides, where would the fun be in that?

Not gonna happen.

Gearing up for the next phase...

2008-07-02T23:42:00.003-04:00

It's been a week filled with busy things that did not include working on my office. Such is life.

I did spend some very productive and peaceful time out there Sunday. It's been the impetus for everything else I've been up to. No worries, it's all good.

And now we're gearing up for what is ominously known as . . .

"The Next Phase"

I've been getting the proverbial ducks in a proverbial row.

Tomorrow James and I go to Lowes to see my buddy Mr. Smith for a Stucco Lesson.

Mr. Smith knows a lot about stucco and the fine techniques needed to do a good job of getting stucco onto a surface. I spent some time there today chatting with him about how exactly to do this. Mr. Smith was so very patient and helpful, as always. He and I agreed that using a stucco sprayer would be our best bet, especially since I'm a complete novice at working with stucco (or plaster). But alas, after calling ALL equipment rental agencies in the phone book, no one had a stucco sprayer for rent.

He suggested our next option would be using a shovel to sling stucco at the wall!

Having spent my youth cleaning out horse stalls, let me tell you, I am an accomplished slinger of stuff with a shover. Seriously.

But then I realized he didn't quite mean it so literally. We can sling it up there, but then we'll need to smear it on the surface. Hence the lessons tomorrow.

And we have stucco. Granted at the moment we only have 7 of the estimated 48 80lb bags we'll need to put a 3/4 inch base coat on 600 square feet - but I didn't want to get too carried away - and since Dad's stuff is taking up the garage, I'm limited on dry storage space.

This Friday we'll start on it!! (and likely buy much more stucco too!) We've got some friends who have volunteered to join us for the "plaster party .01" If anyone else would like to join, please let me know!!

Also, Thanks to the wisdom of Mr. Smith, We'll be building some sort of scaffolding around the outside, because in the wise words of Mr. Smith, "This isn't just climbing a ladder with a power drill."

So stand by for photos, observations, and probably a whole list of really dumb mistakes I'll make, but those will be fewer thanks to Mr. Smith. So maybe there will be something impressive?

STAY TUNED!

Oh yeah...

2008-06-26T23:52:00.001-04:00

Our seats were THAT good!

The show was too!!

Thanks Guys!!

Working out in my office...

2008-06-26T21:49:00.000-04:00

Could it be any sweeter?

Plastering on July 4th... I hope.

I guess I come by it naturally...?

2008-06-26T21:41:00.002-04:00

We were up at my mother's house this weekend. It is a 100+ year old farm house in north Georgia. It is really lovely, though the roof is needing a bit of work. There was an addition put on about 15 years ago. . . . No air conditioning, heating with wood burning stoves, well water, septic tank. It is a great place. I'm glad she has it...

and this....

is her "shed" actually it is a little house my grandfather built about 40 years ago. When my mom had the kitchen extended, she move the "dog house" up the hill. she also put in a Jacuzzi. She uses the little house as a bedroom. It's quite lovely...

Except for the Bear.

My mother and Stephen Colbert have at least one thing in common. They are both troubled by bears. . . Though really Mom is less afraid than Colbert. And it only eats bird seed and stuff... so far...

8:00 pm Wednesday Night

2008-06-25T19:59:00.002-04:00

I'm out in my office. Yes, that office. I've been out here all day, drafting the project document for the Kura Aras project. It's one of my all time favorite projects, for so many reasons.

But it is starting to get dark.

I'm surrounded by green. It's been warm out here today - walking into the house, the temp has to be near 97. But in my little elevated cave, it stays comfortable. I did bring the fan out today - just to get the air moving at the peak of the heat this afternoon.

Now, I know there is activity in the house. The boys are getting hungary. But I don't really want to go in. I want to linger. It occurs to me I could actually live out here if I needed to. I've escaped the ringing phone, the piles of mail on the table, the raucous chatter of the television in the next room. Out here is the whirring of the fans (computer and oscillating) and the lone call of a cardinal getting ready to go to sleep. Somewhere far away an airplane engine drones.

It is so utterly peaceful. I don't really want to go in yet. . .

And I find myself asking: how often do other "shed workers" find themselves treasuring the last moments of solitude in the day before they stumble back into the house for life as we know it?

Working IN MY OFFICE!!

2008-06-23T22:51:00.003-04:00

As promised last week, today I actually was able to work in my office for the first time in months - really since it was a lovely little tarp tent - and I LOVED IT!!

There were a few glitches - the internet connection wasn't as strong as it used to be, and I haven't moved my desk out there yet. A wise friend once said to me "when building your own place, don't start using it until it's done, or you'll never finish it." I'm not quite in danger of that, but I will work from a camp chair and in various yoga like positions rather than a formal desk until it's good to go.

Really, the biggest glitch was that I had a meeting at the coffee shop at 3:00 AND I HAD TO LEAVE!!

When I got back and went back to work, I put in some good time.

IT WAS AWESOME!!!

And while it is a shed with an Azeri carpet, it is MY SHED with an Azeri carpet.

I LOVE IT!!!

More soon!

:-)

Distractions - both good and good

2008-06-22T10:24:00.002-04:00

Yesterday was quiet around here. No one got moving too quickly, not much got done. About 6:00 we headed to Atlanta. We had front section and after show party tickets (complimentary) for the R.E.M. concert. It was a great show as usual. Bill had to go back stage at one point to fix a computer. We don't know the band members particularly well, but the HQ staff are great folks. It was so nice to see them all again. Anyway, the show was excellent, and going with Bill and James was awesome too!

Suffice to say we're all a little subdued this morning...

And we'll head up to my mother's for her 74th Birthday!! (HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!)

No building this weekend. Oh well....

But I did find this interesting article in the New York Times about distraction. It's something that I have been struggling with for a while- hence building my shed at the bottom of the garden. And so... here we are.

By the way, the office/straw bale thing is remarkably sound proof!!

Fighting a War Against Distraction

The subject of focus comes up a lot in my discussions with people about work. We talk about the constant interruptions of working in the digital age, of the mistakes we make while multitasking and the efforts to find quiet places to think.

Maggie Jackson has been paying attention to these questions for quite some time, and the result is a thoughtful new book, “Distracted: The Erosion of Attention and the Coming Dark Age” (Prometheus).

The book promises to help us understand how we all became so distracted and how we can arrive at what she calls a “renaissance of attention.” I asked Ms. Jackson to write about this important issue for my blog. Following is what she said. MARCI ALBOHER

DISTRACTED? And how. Beeped and pinged, interrupted and inundated, overloaded and hurried — that’s how we live today. We prize knowledge work — work that relies on our intellectual abilities — and yet increasingly feel that we have no time to think. For all our connectivity, we often catch little more than snippets and glimpses of one another.

The greatest casualty of our mobile, high-tech age is attention. By fragmenting and diffusing our powers of attention, we are undermining our capacity to thrive in a complex, ever-shifting world. Consider the mounting costs of this widespread distraction:

•

The average knowledge worker switches tasks every three minutes, and, once distracted, a worker takes nearly a half-hour to resume the original task, according to Gloria Mark, a leader in the new field of “interruption science.”

•

Interruptions and the requisite recovery time now consume 28 percent of a worker’s day, the business research firm Basex estimates. The risks are clear. As one top executive told me, “Knowledge work can’t be done in sound bites.”

•

Employees who are routinely interrupted and lack time to focus are more apt to feel frustrated, pressured and stressed, according to separate studies by Ms. Mark and the Families and Work Institute, a nonprofit group.

•

Under deadline pressure, workers produce creative work on days when they are focused, not when they are scattered and interrupted, a study published in the Harvard Business Review found.

•

In meetings where everyone is checking e-mail, opportunities for collective creative energy and critical thinking are lost, argues Nathan Zeldes, a senior engineer at Intel and a leader of the nonprofit Information Overload Research Group. At home as well, split-focus gives a clear message: “You aren’t worth my time.”

Should we blame the BlackBerry and other devices? No. The P.D.A., the cellphone and the computer did not usher in our hypermobile, split-focus, cybercentric culture. Instead, the first high-tech revolutions more than a century ago created new experiences of time and space that have intensified. Inventions like the telegraph, cinema, railroad and airplane shattered distance and upended ancient temporal rhythms. Our age of speed and overload has been building for generations.

But just as we are working toward a green earth, so we can find ways to create what I like to call “planet focus.” What’s needed is a renaissance of attention — a revaluing and cultivating of the art of attention, to help us achieve depth of thought and relations in this complex, high-tech time.

The first step is to learn to speak a language of attention. The exciting news is that the enigma of attention has just begun to be mapped, tracked and decoded by neuroscientists who now consider attention to be a trio of skills: focus, awareness and so-called executive attention. Think of it this way: You can be “aware” that you’re in a beautiful garden and then you can “focus” on an individual flower. The last piece, “executive attention,” is the ability to plan and make decisions.

Learning about the nature and mechanisms of attention has been life-changing for me. Sometimes I hopscotch distractedly through the Net. It’s fun. But now, if I’m wrestling with a problem or really want to connect with someone, I turn off the ringers, collect my racing mind and find the time and space to focus.

We are born interruption-driven — that’s how humans stay tuned to their environment. But if we jump on every e-mail message or ping, we’ll have trouble pursuing our long-term goals. To make inroads on the deep, messy work of life, we need to stay focused, bringing the spotlight of our attention back again and again to the work at hand.

Practice may help. Scientists are discovering that attention can be bolstered through training, including meditation. One study, for instance, showed that eight weeks of meditation significantly boosted focus in a group of 17 novices. Six-year-olds given computer-based attention training by the scientist Michael Posner showed a marked gain in executive attention.

TO combat overload, we also need to look to our environments. That’s why a few pioneering companies are creating places or times for uninterrupted, focused creative thought. I.B.M. employees practice “Think Fridays” worldwide, avoiding or cutting back on e-mail, meetings and interruptions. Other firms are setting aside unwired, quiet rooms.

“Wisdom is the art of knowing what to overlook,” wrote William James, the father of American psychology research. Long ago, he identified the foremost challenge of our time: how to allocate our attention. And now, we’re beginning to discover what he foretold: that living distracted just isn’t smart.

(Shifting Careers, a blog by Marci Alboher, is at nytimes.com/shiftingcareers.)

PROGRESS!!

2008-06-21T00:35:00.002-04:00

So, I finally got outside today. It took some doing in that my hands were hurting pretty badly this morning. I don't know if it is arthritis or just over doing, it, but it's not comfortable feeling like my fingers won't move in the right direction for several hours when I first get going.

Nonetheless, James and I got out there and got to securing the chicken wire to the bales. He left after a while to do some other things, so I had time to listen to an ALL ARETHA afternoon, and finish up. I am now done with CHICKEN WIRE!!! You have no idea how happy I am.

For securing the chicken wire to the bales, after a lot of trial and error, I finally ended up doing a reverse staple method where I would make about a 10 inch piece of 16 gauge wire into a "C" shape, and then push it through the bale. When both ends were protruding, I would then grab each with pliers and fold them inwards. It seems to do the trick.

After finishing that task, I did my Friday afternoon clean-up - swept the floor to get all the straw out, also got the loft cleaned out, and hauled everything to the deck that didn't need to be inside. A short 20 minute rest in the loft was a nice perk too. I had about 7 big burlap sacks of straw left over - so my plants have been mulched, and a bag saved in case I need it for something? I swept off the deck and got all the garbage ready to haul out. I'm proud to say that after a YEAR of working on this, I have. . .

wait for it . . .

ONE large bag of garbage to haul out!!

YES.

SERIOUSLY!!!

It's mostly bags from insulation, cement and a few odds and ends. This girl KNOWS how to recycle!!

Of course, you have to really admire the clever use of spare bits to build my little shelve at the back of the office in the photo. Coffee cans, extra glass bricks, spare wood. Hey, Ikea has NOTHING on me!!

And the office is ready for work next week!! I'm so excited!!

Yes, yes yes, I will be working in a cave of stacked and chicken wired straw bales, sitting on the floor, and using an extension cord for power, but HEY! It finally feels like PROGRESS!!!

I am very excited.

By the way, Get Smart is a very cute movie. Steve Corell is perfect. Go see it.

It's late.

Thanks for reading.

Good night.

Slow going and chicken wire is a bitch

2008-06-20T13:04:00.006-04:00

So yesterday, after taking some good natured ribbing from a colleague in Bratislava who could tell my heart was torn between getting out to the office to work and staying in and watching the Portugal v. Germany match, I finally got outside. James was otherwise occupied so I was on my own. (To his credit, he did the grocery shopping, so I was glad to be on my own)

We've finally cleaned out the straw on the floor. It's starting to look like a REAL office!! So exciting!!

Next week is a full work week so I'm planning on working out in the office!!

I haven't done this before because I was concerned I'd sit out there feeling like I'd rather be working on the office. But I think I'm making enough (slow) progress that I can start taking advantage of the "focused productivity vibe" that is out there. Plus I'm working on a project I love so that will be good too.

Anyway, yesterday was a nice bit of solitude. I could listen to the music I liked - the stuff that makes James cringe because, well, I'm old and I'm his mother.

The play list did include: Fine Young Cannibals, The Stones, Turkish Percussion Group, Aretha Franklin, Mary J. Blige, Akon, Patsy Cline, George Michael, Madonna, The Clash, Aerosmith, Pete Townsend, and of course our home town boys R.E.M. Admittedly, James likes some of these, but not with his mother listening. Or dancing... ;-)

In the working, I was getting the chicken wire fixed to the inside. It's harder than I thought it would be because it's fastened at the top and bottom, and then to the sides in places (windows etc.) I haven't tied it down yet, and James and I will do it today.

The chicken wire got it's revenge on me... but fortunately, it was solved with a band aid.

The gaps are still there, but I think I have figured out a way to secure the chicken wire to the bales using the baling twine on the bales, and then using the pins/spikes as additional support.

I'll get it going, and see how it works. And let you know.

I may not get as much done as I'd like, but I have to accept that I am just not as young as I once was. Hopefully I'm a little smarter though...

Really, could he be any more beautiful?

2008-06-19T11:16:00.001-04:00

Update on the build

2008-06-19T10:36:00.007-04:00

Yesterday morning, I got an e-mail from the future... it was someone asking if I have finished my office build already. It was AWESOME!!

Actually, my response was that we were doing a lot of work, but it didn't really "look like it" and how many photos of chicken wire on straw bales could one paste. This devoted reader told me that it was actually interesting to know these details, and in retrospect, it seems to make sense. After all, I've been hunting all over creation trying to find this too... so maybe this will be helpful to someone.

I went to Lowe's to talk to my building guru, Mr. Smith. He's a wealth of information and extremely helpful. He's the one who helped me figure out my deck, and a lot of other things. He's very smart. He has looked at me like I was crazy when I talk about my straw bale house... but he said he saw a program on building straw bale houses on cable and was really impressed. He said the one he saw was in Arizona and that once it was finished the folks living there did not need any heating or cooling. He GOT IT!!

In Mr. Smith's words "It looks like a really good idea, and the insulation has to be incredible. The only thing I can say is 'It looks like A LOT of work!'"

Yes, indeed. He's special ordering the posts for mounting my mall doors (see, I knew we should have gotten the hardware when we salvaged those doors!!!!) and pricing stucco and plaster options for our building!!

I love to hang out at Lowe's. There is an air of productivity about the place. At least ours on the East Side...

Anyway, they were busier than I'd seen them on a week day in a long time. It turns out a couple of other suppliers have closed so Lowe's is picking up the slack.

Back at the office... James and I got busy. He was in the loft. It is so cool!! I know I'll get some good use out of it.

This is one of my build in shelves. We couldn't get a bale to fit with this cross bracing, so I am using my recycled coffee bags (from Joe's!) stuffed with straw. In a couple places, we had big gaps but could not fill them with loose straw, so we filled burlap bags with straw and then put chicken wire over it.

The chicken wire is stapled to the frame and the ply wood shelves will be plastered and then proper wood boards placed above them... I think.
Getting the chicken wire fixed to the inside a bit more difficult, because it gaps out, and that won't take plaster well... so we are making pins out of 16 and 20 gauge wire that are U shaped with hooks on the ends. We push those into the bales to anchor the chicken wire to the straw.

James is much better at this than I am. We'll spend the rest of today on that too...

It takes FOREVER, but it's a good way to spend time with a kid on his way off to college.

And working outside has it's advantages... like when our water main in the front yard burst, James heard it. We found the spot where the tree roots had cracked the pipe. We dug it up. This is the second time it happened. Last time was in the winter about 5 years ago and it was wicked cold. This time, it was sort of fun. James wielded the shovel. I got to find the burst pipe.

Red Georgia clay is just that.

At least I don't mind getting dirty once in a while...

Okay, back to work.

Keep those comments coming!

Thanks!

Mary

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!

2008-06-17T22:49:00.004-04:00

Wow!! I just realized that on 15 June 2007, This blog got started... Ahhh.... such hope! such promise! So many thoughts about how quickly I'd get done.

I was just starting out with plans this time last year. Today while sitting on on my deck I realize it had been about this long... And while I was temporarily annoyed that it felt so far away, I feel so thankful for the space that is emerging.

The house is quieter now. Fewer dogs and in another few months I'll be down to just one man around here too. I could reclaim the room that was my office before Dad moved in. He's with my brother now - but it doesn't feel right.

And honestly, the sweat and tears and laughter and challenge that has gone into building this office makes feel so thankful for the experience of doing it. I've learned more about myself, and I love that even though I could have had this done by professionals, I've found a certain joy in doing it on my own, for the first time.

Plus, the laughter and smiles and frustrations and challenges and solutions I've found in building this are my own and I can't imagine feeling more attached to a place or a space.

And sitting on my deck yesterday as the sun was setting, I found the sweet solitude I've been craving in such a spectacular nook in the woods. It's been tough, and there is more to do, of course, but I'm glad I've done it.

Also, I found photos of my old office space while going through some photos for the new Tethys web page. It reminded me how much I love to have my own space for productive thinking that is mine and mine alone.

I am looking forward to working out there tomorrow, and the next day and honestly, for many many years into the future.

Of course the old office was pretty special - the new one will be a whole new level of cool! It's nice to be looking forward to it!

Things I love about building my own office space: (cont'd)

2008-06-17T22:35:00.002-04:00

6. Arbitrarily deciding to put shelves in at shoulder height and being able to use spare scraps of wood to make it at no extra charge.

7. Knowing that when I look at the front east wall, I'll remember who I was thinking about when I built it that way.

8. Finding myself perched on top of a wobbly ladder in some position worthy of some yoga guru with a drill in my outstretched hand, and getting the peepee giggles about something my 18 year-old and I have been joking about all afternoon.

Things I love about building my own office space:

2008-06-12T23:21:00.003-04:00

2. REALLY appreciating when the heat wave breaks

3. The truly refreshing feel of a summer breeze while working hard

4. The beautiful color of glowing green and the smell of the woods before an evening thunderstorm

5. Spending time with a kid about to leave for college, and knowing the time together is just that much more precious because you're building it together

On that (ongoing) Heat Wave:

2008-06-09T17:39:00.001-04:00

Another annotated thermometer

(Fahrenheit, because it is too hot to convert!)

40 F. Siberians melt.
50 F. Scandinavians sweat.
70 F. Alaskans declare record heatwave. Californians rise from hibernation.
80 F. Canadians turn on the air conditioning full blast. Arizona residents stop shivering.
90 F. Death Valley residents awaken. Scandinavians go underground.
100 F. British start sacrificing goats to make the sun go away. Californians finally turn off the heaters.
105 F [40 C!]. Texans drink coffee. Alaskans melt.
110 F. Arabians awaken and thaw. Canadians weep. New Yorkers burst open street fire hydrants.
120 F. Australians notice the sun is out. All Europeans and Canadians spontaneously combust.
130 F. Too hot to think. Texans and Californians undo top button. Antarctica is gone, polar bears extinct.
150 F. Miami residents put on sunglasses. Texans turn on the fan.
200 F. Arizona children amuse themselves by dropping eggs on sidewalk and giggle while they fry.
212 F. [100 C!] Water boils. Death Valley residents put on deodorant.
327 F. Lead boils. Okies notice it is warm out.
345 F. Saharans comment that the sand is a little stingy today.
400 F. Camels die.
2000 F. Nuclear blast nominal yield.

Thanks to:

http://onceuponasmile.blogspot.com/

HEAT WAVE

2008-06-08T21:17:00.003-04:00

It was hot yesterday.

Today it topped 100 F and I decided that working outside in this heat is a good recipe for me to really over- do it.

It's after 9:30 pm and it is still in the upper 80's here.

It WILL cool off in a few days, but I'm really eager not to kill myself with this.

On the other hand, I want to get this place to functional in a month.

So this is the deal. I'm going to work on working on it earlier in the day. Not 5:00 am. I don't want to alienate my neighbors if I can help it. But earlier.

Tomorrow I have a routine appointment at early in the morning. But after that... I think it's what've I've got to do... and it's what I want to do.

Any suggestions on how to do it?

DID IT!!!

2008-06-07T23:20:00.005-04:00

And it sizzled!!

This is the thermostat outside the kitchen window - on the cooler north side of our house...

This is the late afternoon look - you wouldn't know it was quite so hot out there...
and, honesty, it looks even cooler from down here...

The office was cooler, honestly, and there was a breeze.

I'm likin' it!

Getting out the door...

2008-06-07T12:29:00.004-04:00

It's 12:30 Saturday afternoon.

It is 91 Degrees F (33 C) outside, and feels like 95 (35 C).

I have committed to working on the office today.

One of my students from Italy is dropping by to help out (Bless her HEART!!)

And Hillary Clinton is 30 minutes late to make her endorsement speech for BARACK OBAMA!!! That is my excuse for not being outside yet.

Update:

I am wearing a very big grin at the moment. It's good to see things moving into the next stage!!

(I'm not gloating, I'm just very pleased to see this happening... It's been a good race! SO FAR)

I am going out there. I am going out there. I am going out there....

And In the meantime, I just read a great article on getting motivated by Leo over at Zen Habits.

Updates on my progress forthcoming...

It's getting green out there:

2008-06-05T18:45:00.001-04:00

How cool is this?

Green is going mainstream . . . ish

Go Arianna!

Now if Stephen Colbert would just hug a bear, I'd feel all better.

Quote of the Day:

2008-06-05T17:11:00.001-04:00

If people never did silly things, nothing intelligent would ever get done.

- Ludwig Wittgenstein

LOVE IT!!!

Back at it... soon!

2008-06-05T11:36:00.003-04:00

Hi Folks!

For those of you who want more photos and updates on the miracle that is my office, they are coming. I am finishing off one short report for work, and then my plan is to put a lot of time getting my office up to speed and actually workable.

Yes, I know I can "work" out there now, sitting amidst the loose straw and scattered tools. And I can "work" out there getting ever closer to plastering.

But the purpose of this office is to be able to work - productively in my own space. There is a lot yet to do out there, and I'm eager to get it done.

As soon as I get this report out, my office is mine!! (and I am my office)

thanks for your patience. It will be a day or two.

In the meantime, check out America At Home

There are some nifty shed-working spots in there too!

NOW I get it...

2008-06-05T11:27:00.004-04:00

As I kid I remember watching TV ads and seeing normal, healthy looking people cringing and needing some sort of pain relief. These poor souls were not "old" but were definitely grown ups. And they felt SOOO much better after they took that little pill.

Now, I'm savy to the advertising messages, and all that, but the other day I was e-mailing a friend of mine I've known for about 20 years. He's about 15 years older than I am and is just taking up running. He's been walking a 9 minute mile for a year now, so running isn't a huge move. But there are new kinds of soreness associated with it.

I mentioned that I'd put in a long hard, HOT day on the office build and was feeling tender. My muscles ached, my hands felt bruised, every time I moved I was reminded of what I'd done...

This morning I woke up on the dreaded "Second Day". For folks who are weekend warriors or occasional athletes, you know the first day after strenuous exercise you're tender. The second day it all settles and that's where hurting happens.

My joints across my body were a symphony of percussion as I got out of bed today.

I have become that lady in the aspirin commercial.

God help me. I'm old.

Or at least I'm feeling it.

I think I'll go take an aspirin.

Manicures? Me?

2008-06-04T09:54:00.002-04:00

Okay, For those of you who know me personally, you know I'm not really a girly girl. I'm not a HUGE fan of doing my hair and make-up - at least not be the standards of a lot of Southern Women.

I love nothing more than working really hard and getting so into the work that I don't realize how filthy I am until I see the mud rinsing down the shower drain. It comes from years with horses, playing outside as a kid and a general interest in what I'm doing.

BUT I also have finger nails that break with a strong breeze. Lately, they've gotten longer, and I was loath to chop them off. So I decided to do an experiment - I put on Sally Hansen's Diamond Strength Base and Top Coat, as well as the color du jour (It looks less garish without the heavy duty stapler) AND....

This is what my nails looked like after a full 8 hours of construction time with hammers, staplers, chicken wire shaping, ladder scaling, and all sorts of other things.

I have to give Sally credit - This stuff works!! Hey, maybe there is some clever use for it in my construction? coat the floors and NEVER have scratches on the wood again? I wonder if I could get volume discounts? . . . I'd only need a few gallons....

Oh, on a short note...

2008-06-03T21:59:00.001-04:00

GOOOOOOO!!!! 'BAMA!!!

Wired!

2008-06-03T21:02:00.006-04:00

This morning, I got out to work on the office.

The chicken wire which we hung last week was a bit on the saggy side. Sort of like a teenage boys jeans with his boxers peeking out. . .

So I decided to tighten it up. Afterall, whether plaster or stucco, it needs to be secured to the bales and the frame of the building...
sooo with my trusted tools - a heavy duty staple gun, and a hammer, I climbed all over the building securing that wire mesh down,... It's ready for a hurricane!
I admit, I'm exhausted, and had a bad case of the poor-little-old-me's, working by myself. But I realize that once I get it done, I can plaster, and once I can plaster, I can take down the tarps, and really start using the space!! (She says optimistically)

Below is a view into the office proper from the east window. I LOVE MY LOFT!!!
See the windows up top are the all of the loft!

And while my office looks like a cave at the moment, I was able to work out there in 95 degree heat (@ 36 Celsius). My poplar tree, that I didn't want to cut down last year is very happy and providing great shade and beautiful color over the office deck.

It is a work in progress. . .

And though it feels like it beats me sometime...

I love it.

Round Up....

2008-06-03T20:36:00.005-04:00

There are two things I really hate.

1. Round Up - an herbicide that the previous owner of this house used with abandon and killed all sorts of wonderful things... It's been 10 years and it's still devastating. The house was originally owned by someone in the botany department at UGA.

2. Poison Ivy - a weedy indigenous perennial plant that has oils in the leaves which when in contact with human skin results in really bad itchy rashes that break out in little clusters of boils which spread when scratched.

Of the two, and while it pains me to admit it, I dislike being incapacitated by poison ivy rashes which I have a REALLY BAD allergic reaction to... the poison ivy growing near my office got it.

Monday Monday

2008-06-02T23:53:00.003-04:00

This morning I got to work on the office.

For all sorts of reasons I didn't do much over the past week - not with regards to the office at least. It was a reasonably good week, but getting back out to the office was great.

I stuffed straw.

But really, it was pushing straw into small gaps so that there won't be any holes.

And I wrestled chickenwire. I'm glad I have a recent tetanus shot... I think.

More soon. And pictures. I promise.

I'm such a political geek!

2008-05-31T18:02:00.003-04:00

Okay, get this...

It's the weekend. It's how out, but nice. Both Bill and James are home. And what have I spent the whole day today doing?

Sitting in front of the TV watching CNN.

The Democratic Party Rules Committee is meeting, and it is ABSOLUTELY FASCINATING!!

(again, yes, I am such a geek)

How will the delegates from Florida and Michigan be divided at the DNC Convention in August? Who who be the nominee? HOW LONG will this Primary drag on?

I've got a PhD in Political Science, have worked with some amazingly talented professors, including Dr. Paul-Henri Gurian, who is my hero and (almost) lives for Presidential Primary Campaign Politics. I've taught American Government at the university level 17 times...

They've just come back... from a 2 hour lunch...

THE TENSION IS KILLING ME!!

I LOVE THIS STUFF!!!

(again, I am SUCH A GEEK!! - and PROUD OF IT!!)

stay tuned...

The office will get built... under someone's administration... :-)

. . .

update:

FASCINATING!!

My Grandfather, Samuel A. Wells was a Democrat back in the days when being a southern Democrat meant all sorts of things. He stuck with the party through the challenges of desegregation, and through the Carter era. He always wrote to his representatives, and they knew him. Many many years ago, I had the privilege of attending the Georgia State "Jefferson Jackson Dinner". It was a who's who of politics in the South, and he proudly introduced me to Senator Sam Nunn, Zel Miller (who really was a Democrat long ago), and even the handsome Senator Al Gore. While I was young, and an idealists, I knew that I was with someone special. GrandDaddy obviously had the respect of these powerful men. I was so proud of him too.

When I introduced him to Bill (my husband) his question for me was not: Is he a good man? or Can he provide for you? Nope. GrandDaddy asked "Is he registered to vote? and is he a Democrat?" That's what mattered to him.

But GrandDaddy wasn't just a politico, he was a man who genuinely believed that government had the duty to serve the people, and people have to duty to participate in their government. He could organize people and pull them together to work on something that would benefit them all, even when they wouldn't do it on their own. He was tough and had the highest standards for himself and everyone else, but he was always fair and always pushed me to do better, not just for myself but for my world.

One day, he paid my son the highest compliment he ever granted anyone. James was 4 years old, and insisted on holding the door open for everyone going into a coffee shop with us. GrandDaddy watched him thoughtfully and said with a mist in his eyes "That boy will make a fine citizen." My heart swelled and I could not have agreed more.

Watching the Democratic Party today work together towards finding a fair compromise, towards avoiding further division, and taking steps that could bring someone who wants to unite this badly divided country to a position that could help heal this country has been amazing. It makes me wish my Grandfather could be here to see it. I think he's agree the compromised they reached was the right thing to do.

And watching something this historic with my son, who is a fine citizen, indeed, gives me hope that Granddaddy was right, and that in his own way, he is also with us.

That is a very special gift.

Good work DNC Rules Committee! Good work!

(at least now you know why I'm such a political geek)

Sad News... a memorial of sorts...

2008-05-30T22:46:00.006-04:00

Yesterday, we got some sad news...

Harvey Korman died.

I grew up watching Harvey Korman on both the Carol Burnett Show and in all of my favorite Mel Brooks
movies.

He was absolutely brilliant in all of his roles, and tonight we're watching "Blazing Saddles".
I first saw this movie when I was 8. My father took me to see it. I didn't get most of it, but I loved it. And I still do. And all the other movies, lik
e History of the World,Part I and Dead and Loving It.
Harvey Korman has always been a constant in my life, like a funny uncle I looked forward to seeing at reunions.
Whether it is Hedey Laman (HEDLEY!), Count De Money (DE MONET!) or Harvey Kormam (KORMAN), I'm glad that he was in this world, and could made it a lighter, funnier place.

Thank you, Harvey Korman!

Reasons construction work is not good for your manicure...

2008-05-30T12:15:00.003-04:00

The chicken wire is now up... And it's wet and rainy today.

So I'm taking Flash (my scooter) to the coffee shop and out to a doctors appointment instead.

I have a Sea World poncho I wear when I'm on my bike. Nothing like having Shamu on your back in the rain puttering down the road.

I've had some good inputs from folks about the next steps. For some reason stucco vs plaster is really catching me. A couple of neat places www.yestermorrow.org and www.expertvillage.com

But my building guru at Lowe's is on vacation for the week. (Good for hiM!!) So I'm waiting. . .

or stalling. . .

Okay, Time to go!!

Wish me luck!

A good days work...

2008-05-25T20:48:00.007-04:00

Today we got out there later than I would have liked, but it was fun.

I have to say having someone to work on this with is really a boost.
Bill helped get the two top side windows framed in, and that additional braces for the top bales...

This is the view from my loft. I love my loft. I spend lots of time up there already.... and the boards are all the seats from the Barbaritoes ... It's yummy up there.
Of course, when someone wrote that it took them 6 months to build their shed, I remember despairing that I could NEVER wait that long... now it seems like a journey that may never end...

Bill seemed to feel the same way....

But we got to work, putting up that Proposition 65 Chicken wire. It was a good thing we weren't using it in California. Evidently it is trouble there...
We did have a visitor trying to move in...

You know, I never thought that chicken wire and 2x4s could be so lovely...
I think that is a definite sign it's time to stop for the night...

Until tomorrow.

Known to the State of California...?

2008-05-25T19:53:00.003-04:00

Sometimes, there are things you just don't want to understand....

I thought Proposition 65 was something completely different ...

Oh well....

Does this mean that in the State of Georgia we don't know what it does? Are we in the State of Denial? State of Confusion? State of Grace....?

2008-05-25T10:52:00.003-04:00

I had the funniest dream last night that there were several contract workers who were pilfering materials from my building site. They agreed to bring them back but were concerned it wasn't getting used. (Now my subconscious is feeling the need to work)

Yesterday at Lowe's I got chicken wire and insulation for the roof. The chicken wire will be to hem in the bales a little more and give some more stability. Plus I have some gaps that I can't fill with full bales and want to make sure it holds. The insulation is for the roof. I've been trying to figure out if I need to vent it. . .

I could write a book on the things I just don't know about building.

It's holiday weekend. I plan to use it.

I'm looking forward to seeing some real progress in the next few weeks. I will keep you all posted.... watch this space....

Things I love about building my own office space:

2008-05-24T16:52:00.003-04:00

1. I can walk into Lowe's (Home improvement store) in my nastiest jeans, grungiest T-shirt, with my hair looking it's messiest, go to the exact part of the exact isle where I know the precise type of bits I'm looking for, and as Aerosmith blares on my iPod, I can carry myself with some seriously bad ass confidence in what I'm doing. Nice.

Cha-cha-cha-changes....

2008-05-24T16:34:00.007-04:00

When I left in early March - the office walls were up, but other than that, my "office" looked like this. See. Nice, open, airy...

BUT... while I was gone...

It rained...

A LOT...

And got warmer...

A LOT....

And now it looks like ...

THIS!!

The blue tarp is keeping the bales dry, and there has been a little more done on it... but I tell you... Spring done Sprung while I was gone!!!

The view from the front doors looked like this last fall, during the drought...

Now it looks like this!!

LUSH LUSH LUSH!!

And of course, the real reason I came back:

It's amazing how fast time flies. I could not be more proud of this kid.

Now, I'm off to work on my shed.

Happy Memorial Day folks!

I'm BACK!!

2008-05-21T23:06:00.002-04:00

This is where I've been:

No, I haven't been in prison. I've been in Namibia.

More people think it looks like this:
Honestly, I can understand it. It's prettier out here. This guy was very kind to pose for us.

But really, this is more of what I was doing. This is a community group up near the border with Angola. We help a bunch of meetings to ask them what they thought about a potential fence being built on the border to keep cows from going across.

We also saw a lot of really neat sights. Like this Oshana - it's flooded because of well... the floods. This kid caught the fish that washed into the Oshanas with the floods. They are eating a LOT of fish there these days.
We also visited Ruacana Falls. It was impressive and definitely worth seeing. That's Angola on the other side.
Also we were meeting with indigenous folks like this Himba woman. The guy, Penda, is not Himba, but he knows their language. He's a nice guy, but evidently she was ready to smack him.

Actually though, these ladies rub a paste of ochre and cow fat into their skin, and coat their hair with it. They are one of the most "traditional" societies left in Africa. They are lovely people, though a bit slow to trust outsiders. I could understand that. After all, we had no clue how to survive in this climate as well as they did.
This is Epupa Falls - also on the border. They were going to build a dam here and flood this. But the Himba and a lot of international indigenous rights groups protested. So they didn't. It is genuinely beautiful. I'm glad it's not flooded... yet?
These are the folks I had the honor of traveling with. Penda, you've met. He was our translator and assistant. He works with the Ministry of Environment and Tourism as a Warden for 2 National Parks. He hangs out with folks like us on his off time for fun. The lovely lady next to him is Debbie. She's AWESOME! She's a PhD biologist who grew up in Zimbabwe. She's worked in Botswana and Namibia and specializes in elephants. She was a bush pilot, has a horse named Moose, and a really wonderful sense of humor. I could not have hoped for better traveling companions. I miss them both a lot.
Speaking of elephants. We were on our way to Grootberg Lodge . How often do you see an ELEPHANTS CROSSING sign? I mean really... No, we didn't see any.
These are the rooms at Grootberg. They are built using local supplies and are part of a community owned nature conservancy. It's amazing. It's really really amazing.

I'll post some more pictures later on.

Being home is nice. It's good to spend time with my boys and to pick up on the work on my office... But that will come tomorrow...

Good night, y'all!!

Cairo Bound!

2008-04-06T08:16:00.001-04:00

Hi Kids!

I just wanted to touch base with you all, thank you for a really fun couple of weeks and all your good work in class.

I made it to Cairo, which was a lot of fun and very educational. If you look over my left shoulder in the photo, you can see the big challenges faced for environmental work there!! (No!! THE OTHER Shoulder!!! I'm talking about the smog and airpollution that is behind me, not the Pyramids!) Yes, really that is Cairo and this was a relatively clear day there!

Also, I wanted to remind you to please send me your Power Point presentations from class if you haven't. I think I am still missing a few.
And regarding the plaster party for my office, it will be delayed a bit. I think I won't be home until sometime in mid May at this point.

I'm currently in Namibia and should have fairly reliable e-mail access for the trip. It's been good to be here and this project has a lot of very interesting components. And as always, Namibia is a lovely place.

I hope you all enjoyed Rome, Naples and Florence. Enjoy Italy, give my best to everyone there and stay in touch!!

VERY BEST,
Mary

This is actually a mispost for my students from Verona... but it does give an idea of what's going on with me!

By the way, I thought building my office was tough... these Pyramids were really humbling when it came to thinking about how and why someone would do something like this!! But they've definitely lasted!!

As it stands now...

2008-03-21T16:22:00.002-04:00

I've been dreaming about my office lately.

I'm not really one to do the whole "sacred spaces" stuff, but I do have a real affinity for this little nitch in the woods. Yesterday I was talking to my students here in Italy about it, and ended up showing them photos. They said it looks like a "REALLY COOL treehouse!" WHAT A COMPLIMENT!!

Seriously, it's such an amazing place. In my dream this morning, my husband told me he'd sold the house and was moving to Arizona. I refused to go. I didn't want to leave my shed. And the worse thing was the buyer wanted to tear it down. Ugh. Anyway, It's fun to realize, it was ONLY a dream.

I've gotten good news. I'll have some time in May that I may be available to work on it. I'm really looking forward to that! I just read back through my full blog - what one does in Italy when exhausted and listening to Grace Jones. It was so neat to see everything from the very earliest starts, the "tent office" to this.

It's been good to see the progress, and I smile ruefully to know how much more I have yet to do. And the funny thing is, even though I am working again, I still want to be the one to do the work on it myself. I don't want to hire out the work. I've really come to love the time working on it.

I'm glad I did it. I'm glad I'm doing it.

I'll post the Plastering Party dates when we get closer to them. One thing about Italy is they do some fun stuff with plaster. It's inspirational. Maybe I'll put angels above the windows or gargoyles on the roof. Or, um, oh yeah. Maybe not.

We'll see.

I'm looking forward to getting back to it!!

Not completely gone

2008-03-12T05:49:00.003-04:00

Hi Folks!

Sorry to be in absentia for so long. Dad's health took a bad turn - and he needed to be tended to more closely than would allow me to be out working on the "shed". He's with my beloved brother right now, giving me a break.

I did have a magnificent time with the local county permitting office. They finally decided I needed on.

To clarify - when I called last summer, they said "come by when you have your plans together, and we'll get you taken care of."

Well, okay, it's now spring, so what's my excuse?

My plans keep changing.

BUT they wanted something on record, so I went in (3 times) and got the requisit building permits. I had a most wonderful time finding out that my county officials take their jobs seriously and do everything they can to protect the ecology of our area. They had to inspect the site to be sure that I was not building in the riparian zone of the stream that borders our property (I wasn't). Then ANOTHER guy had to come out to check that my building was not impacting the stream with erosion. (It isn't)

When I thanked them for doing this they looked at me like I'd just grown another head. But when I explained that my job is going all over the world helping governments protect their waterways, and that I was so THRILLED to have it in my own back yard. (They nodded, smiled and looked marginally relieved.)

Anyway, I'm now in Italy. (*yeah, life is tough) and I don't quite know when I'll be home.

But that will be saved for another post.

Take care!
M

Things I learned today:

2008-01-27T21:49:00.001-05:00

When pushed, unsecured bales of straw will fall down. A lot. I've now put in 2x4's all the way around and lashed the baled to them. How's that for structural stability!!

Maybe Mary is learning!

update

2008-01-26T17:01:00.001-05:00

Hi Folks!

Dad is home again! JiggidyJig.
His humor is good, his balance is not.
The home health care nurse just came to teach me how to switch out his IV antibiotics, flush the IV line and all sorts of other handy things. I wonder if I should add that to my CV?

Anyway, my beloved shed is sitting out there staring at me through the window, waiting for me to come play. Maybe tomorrow...?

Hiding behind the bales....

2008-01-26T09:02:00.000-05:00

This just came in from Alex over at Shedworking...

Castle hidden behind bales of strawBy Lucy Cockcroft
Last Updated: 6:42pm GMT 25/01/2008
A farmer has been ordered to tear down a castle he had hidden behind an enormous stack of straw for four years.
Before and after: the castle built behind a wall of straw
Councillors had no idea the building, complete with ramparts, turrets and a cannon, existed until the barricade of several hundred 8ft by 4ft bales was torn down.
Robert Fidler, 59, spent two years constructing his dream home behind the straw shield before moving in his wife Linda and their son Harry, 7, in 2002.
The father-of-six says he built the structure out of despair after applications to construct a home on his farm in Salfords, Surrey, were repeatedly turned down by council planners.
He hid it from view hoping it would be considered legal after standing for four years.
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Shocked neighbours reported Mr Fidler as soon as they saw the structure, which cost £50,000 to build.
Now council officials have insisted it must be bulldozed.
Mr Fidler, who lives in the castle with wife Linda, 39, and son Harry, seven, was issued with a planning enforcement notice in March 2007 by Reigate and Banstead Borough Council and ordered to demolish the building and return the land to its former use.
The 59-year-old argues that the castle is now legally allowed to exist because it has been "substantially completed" for four years, and says he is determined to protect it.
The farmer has applied to the council for a Certificate of Lawfulness which can be sought after a development has been in place for at least four years without planning permission.
Making a splash in the world's largest pool
Vicar faces the sack over church lavatories
Mr Fidler said: "I can't believe they want to demolish this beautiful house. To me it [the council] is no different from vandals who just want to smash it down.
"But I'm not worried because I don't believe I've done anything wrong.
"We moved into the house on Harry's first birthday, so for the first few years of his life he grew up looking at straw out of the windows.
"We thought it would be a boring view, but, in fact, many birds nested in the straw and feasted on the worms.We had several families of robins and even a duck made a nest and hatched 13 ducklings on top of the bales.
"What we had anticipated being a very uninteresting view out of our windows turned out to be a fascinating garden with all sorts of natural visitors."
Construction of the covert castle, which took two years to build around two disused grain silos, began in 2000 after Mr Fidler had built walls out of hundreds of bales of straw and covered the top with blue tarpaulin.
Neighbours were dumbfounded after Mr Fidler,who had lived in the castle for four years with his wife and son, unveiled his home by removing the straw in the spring of 2006.
Council bosses issued a planning contravention notice in March 2007, ordering the building to be demolished and the land returned to its former use.
Mr Fidler,who has appealed the enforcement notice, started fighting the order at a public inquiry which began at Reigate Town Hall on Wednesday.
Mr Fidler is fighting the borough council over 12 enforcement notices in total, which include the construction of a go-kart track on his 195 acres of land.
A Reigate and Banstead Borough Council spokes-woman said: "The site is located on the Green Belt and the developments constitute inappropriate development, which is harmful to the openness of the Green Belt."
After the inquiry, if the Secretary of State grants permission for the development, all enforcement notices issued by the borough council will be quashed.
However, should the ruling favour the borough council, Mr Fidler and family would have six months to move out and demolish their "dream" castle.

And then...

2008-01-24T11:36:00.000-05:00

So a week ago, my father went to the doctor for a foot infection - and ended up in the hospital. As his primary care-taker I was glad the foot would be getting better, because well, honestly, I have this phobia of old man feet. If he were a horse, I could handle it.

Lots of IV antibotics, Dear Old Dad (DOD) is looking better. Ready to go home.

They have to put a line in so he can get IV treatment later and take him off his blood thinner.
That night, just before he goes him in the morning, he fell. We think. He doesn't remember, and no one saw it happen, but he's got a bit bump on his head.

He ends up in intensive care, with a bleed on the brain.

The neurosurgeon comes in and wants him evaluated for a bunch of things that make sense.

His balance is terrible. And he's getting more forgetful.

So what does this have to do with my office?

Well, ONCE I can get back to working on it, finish it and get to work in it... I'll have to set up a monitoring system to keep an ear out for him, so he doesn't fall or something when we're home alone.

somehow... I am trying to find the ironic humor in this.

If you see it, please let me know.

More on the shed later.

I MISS IT!!!

Winter Weather Forecast!!!

2008-01-20T13:26:00.000-05:00

Twice this week, we have had all sorts of winter weather warnings.
Ice, snows, sleet, freezing rain, school closings, the DoT and Governor asking everyone to stay home because the weather conditions are so hazardous. Not once, but twice!! This usually is a once a year occurance, so twice in a week is unusual.

It makes getting mentally geared up to go work outside sort of difficult.

Of course, the wicked winter weather didn't do much more than throw a few frozen spit balls our way. It hit Atlanta, and north of here, but missed us all together. Nothing. Zero. Zilch. (the photo is from 3 years ago)
But suffice to say folks, the challenge of building one's own shed is that the weather is not always cooperative, and you have to decide what sort of conditions you are willing to work in...

Happy Winter Folks!

(oh, and I'll be back at it in a day or two)

My view

2008-01-12T23:18:00.000-05:00

This will be my view out of the office when I get done. See, even on a grey winter day, it's still lovely.

When Straw bales explode...

2008-01-12T23:17:00.000-05:00

Coffee anyone?

2008-01-12T23:16:00.000-05:00

Yes, we'll make that somewhat more symetrical. Right now, it's doing the job of add some weight to the higher bales.

Another perspective

2008-01-12T23:15:00.000-05:00

See from further out, it doesn't look quite so small... And you can see my AWESOME loft!! I know I will get a lot of use out of it.

Bales and then some

2008-01-12T23:13:00.000-05:00

The light on the back wall is coming through the windows on the loft. The stacked bales in the room are extras. The big burlap bags once brought coffee here from all over the world to my FAVORITE Roasters - Jittery Joe's. Now they are being recycled, filled with straw and used for filler. They also make great dog beds.

I lost my glasses somewhere in there, I think. That sort of sucks. Oh well...

Rigging the tarp

2008-01-12T23:11:00.000-05:00

Bill decided to create a rigging for the tarps so that we can raise and lower them. Guess who go the job of hanging the rigging?

The Office Innards

2008-01-12T23:09:00.000-05:00

The straw bales are in, and settling. Essentiall the weight of them in compressing the bales for a few days before we put the plaster on... A few extra based in the back, may need to be added. Yes, itwill be cozy.... but that was the plan. And the ladder (made by me, thank you very much) goes up to the loft. LOVE IT!

Office Sheathed in plastic

2008-01-12T23:07:00.000-05:00

I can't say why, but it reminds me of a character from the movie Amadeus....

Edge of the earth?

2008-01-12T14:09:00.000-05:00

Hi Folks!

Sorry for being in absentia for so long. I have been dealing with a lot of miscellaneous stuff, so I haven't posted like a good girl. (No one makes snide comments about me being a good girl, okay?)

Right now the office/shed is sheathed in tarps while I wait for the bales to settle. (It sort of looks like it's wearing a big blue condom with a metal roof ...)

I'm about to head out to do some more work and will take the requisit photos.

But I haven't fallen off the edge of the earth, it just feels like it. I've been pushing hard to get set up to work again, because, um... I HAVE TO. I didn't get a contract I really really hoping for, and that sucks. So I've revamped my CV, sent out some over due invoices, and spent a lot of time strategizing about what's next.
The (almost) funny thing is that it is possible that upon finishing my beautiful office, I may end up taking an assignment that will having me living on the other side of the planet more than half the year. How ironic is that?

Okay, outside to work. Burning day light here.

Back with photos tonight.

2008-01-04T19:11:00.000-05:00

Believe it or not, THIS feels much closer thanl I ever imagined it could.

Stairs done!

2008-01-04T19:04:00.000-05:00

I started the day determined to get the stairs done... And finished it pressy quickly.

There is still a lot of cosmetic work to do yet, but at the moment, I'm trying to focus on getting the office functional, and then I'll come back to do the touch-ups once the office is workable.

A good friend of mine once said "Never move into a house until it's finished..." And of course he's right, but I keep coming up with more and more ideas of things I want to do, and I can't put off returning to work quite that long.

But keep me honest here folks - help me get back to it!!

2008-01-04T18:58:00.000-05:00

Some times, you just capture the perfect moment...

Still a lot to do... BUT It's PROGRESS!!

2008-01-03T22:48:00.000-05:00

Just looking at this picture I can find about 20 things I need to do yet... It's like Where's Waldo, but at least now I know what needs doing. And that counts for a lot.

Mall doors

2008-01-03T22:45:00.000-05:00

Testing the mall doors...

For your protection...

2008-01-03T22:43:00.000-05:00

Okay, really, would having sweaty contractors come in and build it from prefabbed bits EVER BE THIS MUCH FUN???