We had our two month anniversary of house building on the fourth. We have made some great progress. I did not think we would be at this point after only two months. We have half the wall of our kitchen finished. We have even put in our first water pipe.

This is where our water will come in from the cistern outside. It will "gravity feed" into our house. Meaning, that we will not need a pump to get the water from the outside of the house, to the inside of the house. Once it enters the house, it will be pumped through a series of filters. After three filters, it will be usable for cooking and cleaning. Our drinking water will run through a forth filter, a charcoal filter. The reason this filter doesn't get used for all the water is that is slows down the water flow a great deal. This will all happen during the winter. Right now we're concerned with the walls, the roof, and we don't even have a cistern to collect the water in yet ($).

From the outside/back of the house: from the "inside" of the house: We have dug air vent trenches. Or, rather, we're in the process of digging them. These trenches are one of the hardest things we've dug so far. This week we will be putting a twenty foot long, by ten inch in diameter metal culvert into these trenches. This is our air conditioning system. How does it work, how does it work. Well, I have not yet seen them work, but I am hoping that they will work the way they are supposed to. The vent is to remain sealed off until your house is too hot. Then, you open the vent to the culvert, and a window in the front of the room as well. (All the rooms are sealed off with glass walls on the front face). Cold air coming from the buried culvert will blast through the room. The air is the temperature of the ground, 58 degrees. The air will want to escape through the front vent which will be located at the top of the front wall. The cold air will want to heat up, and rise. Thus, creating a cold airflow.

Cross your fingers that this works. These culverts are costing us a pretty penny, we bought six of them today. Two for the kitchen and living room, one each for the two bedrooms. The process has been tried and true at the earthship community. This is at least a tad bit comforting ($). ($). Send money: p.o.box 443 Medanales, NM 87548.

Gigantic 200 lb. 20 feet long culverts (In our "backyard", need to drag up the hill): Our awesome local library was giving away free local squash! This, and our post office has a free box, filled with cloths, kitchen stuff, etc. And, not to mention our wonderful librarian who gives us farm fresh produce. We really lucked out with the community we have moved to.

New Mexico is a tourist state. There are festivals and fiestas, art walks, gallery openings, and happenings going on constantly, all summer long. Unfortunately we've been nearly too busy to go to any of it. This is a little depressing. Next year. We have to get this house done. Well, this room at least. We work at least 3-4 hours a day, and that's a half day. A full day is 6-8 hours long. Hot, hard labor. I can't wait until the day I can be bored again.

The lizards are fighting back, thank god. I really think our cat has an unfair advantage over them. And she also doesn't bother killing them. Just injures them badly.

The cat goes on walks with us now. We're ridiculous, the three of us. Almost every evening. She'll follow us anywhere. It's great. But then we saw our first rattle snake. This is a western rattle snake. Deadly of course. We attempted a prompt removal of it. And failed. That story is for another time. And of course:

From Shack Living