Yesterday the walls of Cob Haven grew another foot or two, a notable outcome given the seasonably warm and somewhat muggy early July weather. Cob Haven itself provided some respite with the growing amount of thermal mass and now complete roof. Greg, Matt, Geri, Chris, Randy, Anika, Amy (#2), and Joe all chipped in (apologies if I missed anyone during the little buzzes of activity). Matt hit a vein of really nice clay in the future root cellar which contributed to what was generally regarded as the best cob yet, and no doubt to what appeared to be the most cob applied in a single day so far-even surpassing the day with mortar mixer assistance. Headers were put in over the windows and door, along with wine bottle windows.
Good news: the moist spot in the straw bale wall (a remnant from when the tarp rain protection failed before the roof was up) seems to have dried out and should be good to go for the long haul. Another, and possibly/hopefully last day of cob wall work (possibly some living roof work, too) is scheduled for July 15th (all welcome, RSVP appreciated but not essential). After this there will be a lull to let the cob dry and for me to take an August vacation).
After that, a work/play weekend is tentatively scheduled for September 2nd and 3rd (maybe 4th, too?) to plaster the exterior and interior walls and paint the windows and door, maybe more depending on who shows up and what wants to happen. If this sounds appealing, pencil it in; more details forthcoming in a few weeks.
The home stretch approacheth!
Anyone who has been to visit the Hart’s Mill property has surely been struck by the wondrous white oak near our pavilion. Estimated to be 80-85 years old, she has a beautiful symmetry that begs to be photographed. Recently she has acquired a bluebird box and a swing.
It does not seem wise to build our community around a giant that could lose its crown within five years. The Land Stewardship Circle has accepted Jake’s diagnosis and agrees to be proactive, though the time-line and details have yet to be decided upon. Hart’s Mill-ers have proven to be a resilient and creative bunch and have come up with some ideas for moving forward. One plan is to have the wood evaluated at take-down to see if it has enough sale value to defray some of the removal costs. We all would like at least some of the salvaged wood to be made into memorial sculptures, benches, counter-tops, and the like. There are quite a few young white oak scions around that could be dug and replanted–the tree’s children, so to speak. The 
cutting can also be accompanied by some sort of commemoration ceremony. Other ideas are welcome!
The Second Annual Memorial Day Weekend Work Camp had a lovely mix of good work — trail maintenance and building, and cobbing, mostly — with lots of great 4-year-old energy (Gaius), thunderstorms going right over our intrepid Saturday night campers, shared food (watermelon! cherry pie!), our very first on-site Farm Market, and to top it all off, a community tour of soon-to-be Hart’s Nest, now linked to the rest of the land by our first “Hartery” (artery between two Harts, Hart’s 
Mill and Hart’s Nest. Jeffry and Margret flayed buckwheat, harvested new potatoes and Yukon Golds, and planted 300 sweet potatoes while Paul mowed and others tended to their raised beds.
post entitled “Good Boots and a Hat), a partially marked and mowed route for the planned main village path (this will continue), lots of excitement for Hart’s Nest, and overall a still stronger sense of shared commitment to and enjoyment of each other and the land. Many thanks to everyone! 
The whirlwind of April activity has resulted in the little cob and straw bale building emerging from the ground. 
To date, 16 people have helped out with a total of 296 hours of on the land effort. HUGE SHOUT OUT!!!!
A lovely mid-Spring afternoon welcomed an even more lovely and energetic group of workers and tour-ers for our April workday. After a potluck lunch at the Cedar Pavilion, a crew led by Paul and Donna and anchored by six (!) Witchgers with partners, along with others, pulled out the piping to the garden, got it un-kinked and into place, as well as helping clear better tractor access to the shed.
again at the garden as well as Jeffry’s and Margret’s new field. Meanwhile, with a strong head start from Jeffrey and then Anthony on Big Red, and with Margret, Debby, and others clearing at the edges, we got nearly the whole West Meadow mowed in anticipation of producing a good crop of hay as we bring the land into agricultural use.
Rita and Mir began marking trail hazards in preparation for clearing work and to make them safer for walkers and runners. Charles and Christina got a lovely swing mounted on our grand central tree. Some of us ended the day with a cooking fire and camp out, with Jupiter and even Saturn and Moon viewing at 3:00am! (Sunset photo by Joe Cole)
ce), Amantha (special thanks for traveling the farthest), Steve, Geri, Abraham (special thanks for supplying 500 watt solar generator, and amazing baked goods), Chris, Jeremy, Paul (special thanks for hauling straw bales), and Ginny. 
Our first Hart’s Mill farming effort for the season is underway! Earlier this spring a quarter acre of ground was plowed and harrowed, limed and fertilized. Our first crop will be potatoes because they are a good introductory crop on new ground with acidic soil, are not bothered by deer and other critters, and take minimal care. Gratitude goes to Mark Ellenbogen who donated 100 pounds of organic seed potatoes!
a furrow plow and shoveled compost into each furrow. Then on Sunday, March 26, Anthony Weston, Jeffry Goodrum, Margret Mueller, and Catherine Dibble gathered to plant our first crop – 50 lbs each of organic Dark Red Norland, and Yukon Gold potatoes. We cut the potatoes into sections, each with at least one eye, and then placed these pieces into the prepared furrows. The potatoes were then covered with a disc bedder.
If all goes well, we will harvest potatoes in June!
