It’s time for an update on building our house because things have been moving along swiftly this winter. Last summer we went over our 44 acres with Roald Gundersen and Della Hansmann from Whole Trees Architecture, selecting specific trees to be part of the house based on both their suitability […]
If a bouquet and a box of chocolate are part of your valentine vocabulary, you may be telling someone you love them with toxins and trafficking in children. Those flowers and candy didn’t cost you much, but like many other materials we take for granted, someone else may be paying […]
Climate Progress is a blog I follow to keep informed about what is being said and done regarding global climate disruption, and in the past several days, I have read two interesting articles there that are both accompanied by maps. My older daughter got her bachelor’s degree in social geography, […]
Last night I ventured out for the first public event I’ve attended since my surgery — Blue Mounds Area Project’s presentation in Mount Horeb, A Geologic Romp through the Driftless Area by Dr. Richard Slaughter, UW Geology Museum Director. I’m always ready to learn more about the geology of the […]
I did not post last week because I am recovering from abdominal surgery. The colonoscopist spied something he did not like the looks of, so my appendix and about a fist-sized portion of colon have been removed before they could make trouble. After surgery, I was released without the hospitalization […]
Guest post by Doug Hansmann In our new house, we intend to maximize our use of solar energy with both a comprehensive passive solar design and an array of four solar hot water panels installed in the back yard. A couple of months ago we migrated away from a deep […]
Whole Tree Architecture and Construction, the organization that is designing and building our house, received a major honor last November. They participated in a competition called Cleantech Open. Because our world runs on business, Clean Tech is looking for those businesses where creativity is being applied to the standard business […]
As Doug and I start to build our house, I find myself thinking about my parents first building project. When my parents married, my father built their first house out of two Sears pre-fab garage kits. His father and uncle helped him, and they did every bit of the work […]
When ever I drive past the new building on the edge of every town, I wonder — why aren’t they building straw bale? But the word is spreading, and staw bale buildings are becoming a more common sight around the world. What to take a little tour? JAPAN Learn about […]
I do! I just learned about the Bioneers, and realized that is what I have been trying to be for many years. My grandparents were my pioneer role models. In middle age, a country school teacher and a rural mailman moved from their house in town to an abandoned farm […]
Digging in the Driftless 