Pregnant with an Earthship
This past week has been trying without a doubt. The weather has been less than desirable this past month for Zac to get out to our land to work on prepping everything for our earthship build. However, he was able to get out there this past weekend, only to have the generator die on him just when he was beginning to make some serious progress! So much of what we have left to do feels out of our control and so we've been struggling to stay positive the past couple of days.
And yet, after returning from work a bit earlier than I expected last night, we were able to sit together and talk for the first time in what seems a week or so... like really talk... like, my eyes were looking at his eyes and our torsos were facing one another. This was monumental, because we have been running around like decapitated chickens on fire and hadn't had a chance to do this in a long while. We have been like sprinters; passing the baton to one another each time we reach a marker and then tearing off toward the next goal. As we were talking, we were reminded of one very critical thing: We are chasing our dream and are actually going to be building an earthship home!!!
For me, this process is not unlike when I was pregnant with our son, Elliot. Throughout the pregnancy, I had a grand time searching and scouring the local thrift stores, garage sales and Craigslist ads for the perfect secondhand items for our Little Bean. I had researched, practiced, read and prepared for a natural birth, considered parenting techniques and ideals we wanted to embody when he came into this world. I was so wrapped up in the process of becoming a mother that it was hard for me to imagine that one day, he would actually escape my body and be in my arms for me to love and take care of in real time!
The process of working toward building our home feels very similar and there is a disconnect present that isn't allowing me to truly feel like we are going to building our dream home with our own hands in just 65 days! So, it is like I'm 7 months pregnant with our earthship home... and I'm feeling a bit stir-crazy and uncomfortable for sure.
I was watching a documentary called YERT: Your Environmental Road Trip and when they reached Taos, NM, interviewed Michael Reynolds (the architect who designed, constructed, and popularized the "Earthship"), and toured some of the earthships there, I found myself feeling envious thinking "I wish I could do that!" Now, this was fleeting mind you (so I've not completely jumped off the deep end) and I quickly caught myself and said (not out loud... I swear) "Fool! You are building an Earthship. Look around you at the evidence (books scattered about on root cellaring, organic farming, raising chickens, lists of local tire dealers, etc.)!" And at that moment, and again last night when Zac and I were talking, a big smile spread across my face because WE ARE DOING THIS!!!
It is easy to get lost in all the to-dos and lose sight of the bigger picture so I'm happy we were able to come together last night and revel in the fact that we are indeed chasing our dream. Our building consultants, Jay and Annie, reminded me a couple weeks ago that feeling maniacal and overwhelmed was indeed part of the process. They told me that it was likely that many to-dos would remain hanging in the balance until the last possible second and then would fall into place; allowing us to breathe easy for a split second before beginning to pound tires and get dirty!
I like the following quote and have been repeating it over and over again in my head: "So when things overwhelm, think carrot stick, not carrot cake. What can I nibble at today?" This quote came from Farmstead Chef which is a great sustainable living guide but mostly a great cookbook.
So here are the carrot sticks we plan on nibbling at this week:
And yet, after returning from work a bit earlier than I expected last night, we were able to sit together and talk for the first time in what seems a week or so... like really talk... like, my eyes were looking at his eyes and our torsos were facing one another. This was monumental, because we have been running around like decapitated chickens on fire and hadn't had a chance to do this in a long while. We have been like sprinters; passing the baton to one another each time we reach a marker and then tearing off toward the next goal. As we were talking, we were reminded of one very critical thing: We are chasing our dream and are actually going to be building an earthship home!!!
For me, this process is not unlike when I was pregnant with our son, Elliot. Throughout the pregnancy, I had a grand time searching and scouring the local thrift stores, garage sales and Craigslist ads for the perfect secondhand items for our Little Bean. I had researched, practiced, read and prepared for a natural birth, considered parenting techniques and ideals we wanted to embody when he came into this world. I was so wrapped up in the process of becoming a mother that it was hard for me to imagine that one day, he would actually escape my body and be in my arms for me to love and take care of in real time!
The process of working toward building our home feels very similar and there is a disconnect present that isn't allowing me to truly feel like we are going to building our dream home with our own hands in just 65 days! So, it is like I'm 7 months pregnant with our earthship home... and I'm feeling a bit stir-crazy and uncomfortable for sure.
I was watching a documentary called YERT: Your Environmental Road Trip and when they reached Taos, NM, interviewed Michael Reynolds (the architect who designed, constructed, and popularized the "Earthship"), and toured some of the earthships there, I found myself feeling envious thinking "I wish I could do that!" Now, this was fleeting mind you (so I've not completely jumped off the deep end) and I quickly caught myself and said (not out loud... I swear) "Fool! You are building an Earthship. Look around you at the evidence (books scattered about on root cellaring, organic farming, raising chickens, lists of local tire dealers, etc.)!" And at that moment, and again last night when Zac and I were talking, a big smile spread across my face because WE ARE DOING THIS!!!
It is easy to get lost in all the to-dos and lose sight of the bigger picture so I'm happy we were able to come together last night and revel in the fact that we are indeed chasing our dream. Our building consultants, Jay and Annie, reminded me a couple weeks ago that feeling maniacal and overwhelmed was indeed part of the process. They told me that it was likely that many to-dos would remain hanging in the balance until the last possible second and then would fall into place; allowing us to breathe easy for a split second before beginning to pound tires and get dirty!
I like the following quote and have been repeating it over and over again in my head: "So when things overwhelm, think carrot stick, not carrot cake. What can I nibble at today?" This quote came from Farmstead Chef which is a great sustainable living guide but mostly a great cookbook.
So here are the carrot sticks we plan on nibbling at this week:
- Cut the rest of the 300-400 glass bottles we have and turn them into bottle bricks (my task)
- Call more local tire stores to try to secure enough tires for the build (me)
- Have our earthship drawings reviewed by a local architect before we send them to the county (me)
- Reorganize our shipping container where all of our building materials are housed and build shelves to create more storage space (Zac's task... but he will be accompanied by friends and family who have offered to help out... thanks guys!)
- Prep the micro cabin for more storage space as well as to make it "liveable" as a space to relax in between pounding tires in April (Zac and friends' task)
- Order the cisterns for the Earthship and for the build (me)
I know that we will be pounding tires before we know it and that this awkward, overwhelming in-between time is limited so I'm going to do my best to continue to push forward with a smile on my face; knowing that we are incredibly fortunate to be able to chase our dream and turn it into reality.
And thank yous are in order for everyone who has signed up for the Earthship workshops already! We so look forward to meeting all of you in April. If you are interested in learning sustainable building techniques (building with tires, straw bale construction, bottle wall construction, earthen plastering, etc.), you can sign up for the workshops here. The cost ($35) basically just covers the expense of providing food for the weekend (breakfast and lunch both days) and you are more than welcome to camp out as well (just email me to secure camping details).
Oh, and we created a flyer for the earthship build workshops and it can be found below. Please feel free to print it out and affix it anywhere and everywhere to pass on the word! Thanks so much friends!
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