Plastered, but more

A productive long weekend for the Stonehouse straw house. Dave and I were a draggy pair, with little energy to spare on Saturday after our work week to prepare for the weekend. My folks arrived, with twice the energy of this pathetic pair, and put us in gear. Food was prepared for the plaster party, tools and materials were set up, and some beautiful finish work was completed in the loft.




At 10am sharp on Sunday, my god parents arrived with gloves and food for an army in hand. Carolyn & Erroll are like a foundation beneath my family - supporting us through all the tough times and buoying us further through the fun times. Likewise, Carol Taylor followed only a few minutes behind and the threesome worked like dogs through out the day, while the others came and went with young family affairs.

My folks returned late in the day to help us wrap up a plaster party supper! Thanks to all for helping us make excellent progress on our bedrooms, including Jeff, Kim and Liam, Dave Y., Tom, Ali, her sister and sister's boyfriend, Carol T., Carolyn & Erroll and Ma & Pa.

Monday, I finished up some of the plaster in the bedrooms and unveiled the south side of the house. Removing the blue tarps that have covered the outside of the house for the winter is truly dramatic! All the natural light in the house is startling. The morning after, I actually thought I'd set my alarm wrong because there was so much light in the house from unwrapping two more windows. We'll hold off on "unveiling" the gable ends until the weather is warmer and we've made more progress indoors.



We ventured up to my Mom & Dad's to help them set up a new computer (the smallest favour they can cash in on given how much we owe them! How do we ever pay either of our parents back? impossible!) Dad toured me through his gardens to show me the trees he's been saving us for the property. He hoards seedlings that pop up on his property and coaxes them along for each of us. It's a fantastic treat! We've now got four new maples, two oaks, a yellow birch and a cinnamon bush! Mom also slipped in about five kinds of hostas, some creeping sedum, creeping jenny and ajuga. Fabulous!

We're reeling from the shock of the property next door having sold and a three-week house being built. We can see the roofline through the trees, so we're suddenly feeling a bit exposed and attacked by development! Now we know how our neighbours must have felt last fall.

Plaster Party!

At last, we're ready to party...

This Sunday, from 10am onward, we are hosting a plaster party. Come learn to mix and apply natural earth plaster to a straw bale wall.

...Yep, you guessed it. We're looking for free labourers. But, we're willing to take the time needed to teach newby straw balers who want to walk away with some new skills. We promise we'll offer good food and drink!


Interested? Call me...

Kara

PS: Here's Laurie Mills from the Hampton Area Environment Group trying his hand at plastering sb for the first time last week. He looks like he might be doing a little praying there to keep it on the wall...