It’s been a while since I had any time to post anything despite the so many (mostly good) things happening. First, it’s interesting how change as scary as it can seem to be at first, it can push us in the right direction. With paid work slowing down to an alarming low level, I took the opportunity and kept working on our permaculture playground that is our Earth’Song Farm and prep the ground for the future in a more sustainable manner. From paying attention to the perennials that were once suffocated by weeds, coming through and blossom again, to the new life established in our pond. It’s such a splendor to watch how much life is happening around there. Baby fish growing and having more babies, the ongoing change and the dynamics of their behavior, new water plants and beings finding their way to the water etc, it’s all-s-exciting. I am wondering how long is gonna take for the first turtle to claim the pond as home. Time for planting the next crop of garlic coming soon, I am looking forward to prep the beds. All this might not bring us the financial situation back to “normal” but it surely bring us lots of joy and the feeling that we are stepping on the right path. If we will only achieve our goal of growing most of our food needs, It would make us so happy. But things are starting to improve in the paid work zone as well, mostly work that I prayed for like improving the energy efficiency in buildings and animal shelter projects. If I could manifest few glass greenhouses as well, it would be really nice.

Moving toward what I have always wanted: implementing the other half in what constitutes a home and create a forest garden. And “getting lost” in doing so. I wanted to move slow with this one and really take my time, mostly as an antidote to my workaholic  tendencies. However, things are starting to happen rather quick.

Bringing in the blood of all things: the WATER!

Beside “saving” most of the old and existing perennials and discouraging some other, the weeds, we have got to the point of establishing some new garden beds. They all have to be raised a bit, since the whole area is rather wet most of the times; transforming a “problem” into an asset and voila: there comes the existence of our fish pond.

Looking at the world through the reflection of the water.

Paying attention to the rather central question: what best goes with what! I hope this will help me become a better builder and person by listening to nature and finding the “right note” that will be in harmony with everything around.

Our first new orchard.

I had the chance of giving a help-hand to my fellow builder and friend, Sadie in building and finishing her truly green project: a small house featuring a high-thermal-mass basement, compost toilet with a gray water greenhouse system and lots of custom features and accents. It includes high-efficiency recycled glass panels, hot water an PV solar panels. Most of the wood used being milled from the timber harvested from the site or local. I hope the owner truly appreciates all the work and love put into this.

Eco cabin

A rather unique bathtub with local hardwood and accent stone

A rather unique handrail post and bathroom sink.

I particularly loved the way this little deck came about, to the point that I think I will do something similar in our home.

Fewer but better? That’s what’s been for me as a builder in 2010. My biggest projects being: Sunrooms. Yeah, bring ‘em on. Mostly when it comes with such nice words attached to the thank you note:

“Julian is a true artist. He is able to combine the beauty found in natural materials with the strength and functionality of timber frame construction. His attention to detail is one of his greatest qualities.Truly, Julian has found his calling. It is clear this work is not “just a job” to him. He was more than eager to collaborate with us throughout the planning and construction phases of our project. He has put his heart and soul into this project and we could not be more pleased with the results. We have now a lovely new room filled with sunlight, the clean, free air flow in our place, and the beauty of the great trees that have gone into the building of what has become a sanctuary. You have captured our imagination Julian and just gained some new friends.

Thank you, thank you, thank you. Fondly Erin & Danny Matica                                                                                                                       Worthington, MA.”

Needless to say that this is by far the biggest reward we can get.

This is what it was before. A simple deck, usable mostly in the summer with lots of snow to shovel in the winter.

Before

a new SunRoom

and after

And after

It’s been an interesting, long summer over here. First I managed to literally demolish my website by pushing the wrong button so I had to start pretty much from scratch and so I might say about my building operation. It’s been slow which is good for the planet. However, I managed to put up two projects, the kind that I love the most: sunrooms. From all the different projects that I did so far, the ones that gets used most are the sunrooms.

The house before

And after.

interior view