Starting out the Christmas season at the Zilker Tree lighting

Shredded Paper The exterior plaster work is drawing to a close. Well, for now at least. We'll see how it looks after the rain storm next week. But for now, it's looking pretty good. I'm still struggling a bit with cracking. I've been playing with different ratios of sand clay and straw over the past month. My newest experiment uses shredded paper rather than straw. The paper fibers are significantly smaller and seem to blend more evenly. With some mixing the paper disappears and the plaster ends up smooth and creamy. Also, the plaster dries slower which should help prevent cracking. I'm not sure if the slower dry time is a result of the paper or cooler temperatures. I let the shredded paper soak for a few minutes before adding it the clay-sand mixture. With a little mixing it dissolves completely. In this close up of the plaster you can see the tiny paper fibers. Part of the reason cow manure was a component of traditional cob is all the little plant...

Homestead Heritage is an agrarian and craft based intentional Christian community located in Waco, Texas (about 100 miles north of Austin). For over 25 years they've hosted a craft fair the weekend of Thanksgiving. In addition to selling wares the community residents lead a plethora of crafting, gardening, building and animal husbandry demonstrations and lectures. We learned about sheepdogs and sheep herding, making herb-infused skin & lip balms, relief wood carving, throwing and firing Raku pottery, barn raising, lacto-fermentation, soil restoration, composting and soap making. It was busy day. Sheep herding demonstration. This dog is corralling the sheep in the pen.  Wood relief carving of a pumpkin. Turning pottery on a wheel. Raku pottery fired with horse hair. Barn raising demonstration Raising the first section of the barn. Jean and a calf! Making cold-process soap

Starting the day with a round of disc golf at Mary Moore Searight Park A fraternal coaching moment Lining up for the overlook shot on hole #15 Man basket love Thanksgiving meal prep Thanksgiving meal Post meal gaming

I planted a Tabasco, cayenne and poblano pepper plant on our balcony back in June. They quickly got big and bushy and took over a good swath of the balcony. However, only recently have they started producing peppers. Good thing central Texas has such a late freeze date.

I've become a regular at the Community Table project. This Saturday I was able to rope in Jean and some friends to volunteer with me. We're close to wrapping up carving all the floor timbers which puts us close to 50% complete overall. Jean boring out a mortise on a floor sill plate. Currell and Regan cleaning up the sill plate. Chiseling out a lap joint in the sill plate.   

Wall plastered a week before Work goes on in the plastering department. Sifting out the bigger lumps makes a huge difference. The plaster applies well and looks good. When it dries it you can run your hand along the wall and nothing sloughs/dusts off like it did before plastering. However, some hairline cracks are still forming. Some possible causes and solutions I'm considering: 1) Wall sucks moister out of plaster Solution: As I work I constantly mist the wall before applying plaster. I don't think this is the issue. 2) Plaster drying too quickly Solution : Throughout the work day I'll return to recently completed sections and mist them. Perhaps I could cover the wall with a damp blanket overnight. I might get some help from the weather if it ever cools down. Cooler temperatures will slow down the drying process. Crack Detail 3) Not enough aggregate(sand) in the mix . The binder(clay) will swell when it absorbs water and then shrink back as it dries out...