So much is happening, I can't even keep everyone informed of all of the changes, it's hard to remember everything...so here are just a sample...

Windows are installed! Not all of them, not just yet, we still have some trombe wall work to do, but there are no more breezes blowing through the house! Yeah!

Plumbers, electricians, and the well folk have been hard at work...with the focus of getting heated water running through the pipes in the floor (Aaaahhh Heat!)...and again, we are not quite there yet. There a lot of intricate parts including the propane tank, pumps, a water filter, a water softener, and a water heater. But Don tells me we're almost ready to light it all up.

Pictured below is some of Bill's handiwork, 3 pumps, one for each heat zone (garage, work room, and house):

This weekend, we were visited by my family (sister Lisa from California, my Dad from Lake Orion, my bro Jon and his wife Diane from Sterling Heights) and by Curt and Kathy Hofer from Novi. Thanks for their help and moral support! Here's a shot of Jon getting into mudding the corner of the garage:

And lastly, a shot of Don's catalog find...these are fancy rain chains...they are installed in lieu of downspouts which would have to follow the large overhang on the house, and would not be quite as attractive. Water will run down the rain chains into rain barrels in the front, or drain down into the pond at the back of the house.

Oh, the bad news...my digital camera has bit the dust...so no more pictures for awhile...you'll just have to make the trip out to the farm to see our progress with your own eyes! We will be working again this weekend and everyone is welcome to join us...if they are so inclined...with maybe a time-out to watch MSU beat Minnesota on Saturday night.

First, I must right a wrong...in the last article, when there wasn't much to say, and no pictures...I failed to thank Jeannie St. John who came out and mudded one Saturday in the cold, and Lynda Waldecker who has come out the last two Sundays after her soccer games. Thanks to both of them and of course, to Jerry Reid, who is always around, and whom we couldn't live without!

There have been a lot of changes, both big and little...watch for gutters in the following pictures...they're new...but they match so perfectly to the roof that you can hardly tell they're there!

The first noticeable change is that we now have a propane tank installed. The folks from Swan Propane came out and hooked us up...

Next came the Serious Windows...arriving in a huge truck. I had to direct the driver as he backed the truck onto our drive WITHOUT hitting the mailbox or the Green and White street sign. With only the driver to help us unload, I can tell you, from experience, that some of those windows are VERY heavy!

Three windows didn't make the first shipment but Don tells me that they are now, all delivered. And Keith Gipfert and company have already been there and installed many of them...can't hardly wait to see them installed!

In preparation for the windows, Jerry and I worked on attaching the metal foil to all of the trombe walls. The contact cement needed to hold the foil to the brick is cold sensitive...so we had to use the opportunity on Monday, while the temperature was higher, to attach the foil. The foil will absorb heat from the sun, low in the south during winter months, and transfer it to the brick walls, and eventually through to the rooms beyond.

Don is still hard at getting as much mud on the walls as he can before things freeze. And we're now well on our way to hooking up the radiant floor heat...at which point, we will be able to move inside even if the weather outside is too cold!

We'll be working on Sunday, with a little break when sister Lisa from California arrives for a 'look-see'. Maybe we can persuade her to get some mud under her nails!

Sorry no pictures today, but the windows are on their way...yeah! Don and I will be there on Sunday if anyone wants to come out...bring your long johns!

Thanks so much to Dennis Propst and 4 MSU students from his class on "Environmental Attitudes and Concepts". They came by on Friday and helped on the interior of the garage. In order to give them a broad experience in a short time, we had them stuff with dry straw, then stuff with straw clay, then we sprayed the wall with clay slip, and finally, they put on the first coat of clay. Pictured below are Alex, Kelby, Jeff, and Ben.

Hurrah for the MSU win over UofM in the Saturday squeaker....

Janet Kiley came by for a while on Sunday and helped mud the west wall...she says the blue suits do help to keep you warm!

And Don and I worked Monday on the east wall of the garage under thunderous skies...note that the roof is completely finished thanks to Keith Gipfert and his brothers who attached the roof vent in that short window of sunshine (really non-rain) on Monday.

And lastly, we had a visit from a fellow who 's supposed to bring good luck...

We'll be working both Saturday and Sunday this weekend, with maybe a little time off to watch MSU beat Illinois. If you can join us, I'm thinking about making Pear Pie from the pears harvested off of our pear trees.

Hello, it's now October 1, and we're still working on the house...and a few brave souls showed up last weekend to get muddy! Nancy (Don's sister) came out to help. Janet Kiley came, even though she had a bloody finger (an accident with a knife) and Lynda stopped by after her soccer game. They worked with trowels to finish a portion of the outside wall...

My friend and co-worker, Julie Zhu and her son Jonathon came to help on the inside walls. They came later in the day with the hopes of using Jonathon's telescope to see the stars...but although we had a perfectly clear day, by nightfall, the clouds had moved in, making star gazing impossible. Besides the help on the wall, they brought Chinese dumplings and some sort of steamed vegetable buns which greatly improved our dinner menu! Thanks Julie and Jonathon!

In other news, Bill the plumber has installed the gas line for our future stove ...

And Keith Gipfert and crew came and installed the two sets of French doors to the...

Work room...

And Living room...

And drumroll... (not the greatest picture...but it's sure a lovely door)...the front door...

We are anxiously awaiting the windows (brrrr...the doors helped but the wind is still blowing in throught the open window bucks!) which are not expected until Oct. 14th...two weeks away...yikes!

And, I just know you were wondering about what's happening this weekend...well, on Friday, we are expecting a group of MSU students who were given the option of working on a selection of worthwhile projects in lieu of taking an exam. We will let you know next week how many students chose to 'get muddy'. Then we're taking Saturday off to cheer on the Spartans to a hoped-for victory over the Wolverines. But rain or shine, we will be there on Sunday, with my famous Southwest Stew planned for a hot and hearty finish to the day. Hope to see you there!

PS. Don has requested that anyone who has access to cattails, gather a few and save them for us...the cattails are opened and the shredded fluff inside is collected and added to the finish coat. It's similar to adding straw to the first and second coat, the fiber helps to strengthen the plaster but the cattail fluff is much more pleasant than straw in a finish coat.