I wish we still had this...

... rediscovered while unearthing another post...repost from April, 2007... And I think I have even reposted before, but wtf...

We would have died

My eldest lamblet has always been interested in history. Since both Grizzled and I are as well, we've always been happy to help her explore the past. A number of years ago she was really curious about pioneers. I had a couple of good books, with lots of photos that showed the bizarre meshing of lifestyles that was part of the pioneer life. It was not uncommon to see men and women in full dress standing next to their sod house which may or may not have had something grazing on it.

My eldest lamblet was having a hard time grasping the concept of the sod house. Yes, she saw pictures, yes we explained, but it was apparent she was going to need more. It was just the beginning of the gardening season and we were enlarging a couple of beds so we figured we'd build a sod house replica! How hard could it be???

Oh. My. God.

Our little sod house (as you can see in progress) was only about 36 inches wide and 22 inches deep. I think it only reached a height of about 18-20 inches. The digging up and cutting of the sod, the hauling and arranging of the *bricks* was brutal and it wasn't like Grizzled or I were wimps.

And... this wasn't even virgin, prairie sod. When I had mentioned in passing to my father that we were going to build a mini-sod house, he went off on the lack of integrity of our root structure... blah, blah, blah. Yes, Dad, I know, but like I said, it's a MINI-sod house. Geeze!

We were lucky it wasn't virgin, prairie sod. We were lucky it wasn't a full-size house. It became glaringly apparent to Grizzled and me (eldest lamblet quit early in the day, I can't blame her) that had we had to build a true sod house, we would have died. Either the building of it would have killed us or the elements, whichever got to us first.

I have to say though, I loved that little sod house.We tossed a makeshift roof on it and it stayed with us through the season. I had had intentions of putting some oiled newsprint on the window frame that Grizzled and the eldest lamblet made and whitewashing the inside, but decided it was fabulous just the say it was. Besides, I was exhausted and didn't feel up to a lesson in crushing down lime...

All summer long, that house looked like it was waiting for someone. My eldest lamblet thought maybe some prairie fairies would show up. I kind of expected to see a little horse and wagon rig going across the backyard, but I never did. If I had, I don't think I would have owned up to it anyhow. Our neighbors were curious enough as to why we were wasting precious time making a sod house. It was fun, but I'm glad we didn't have to make a real one.

We would have died.

 

 

Comments

[ifthethunderdontgetya™³²®©]

Looks like the dogs liked it!
~

[Jennifer]

They were sentries. :) And they've both gone the way of the sod house. :( Wish we still had them as well.

[zombie rotten mcdonald]

http://www.homedesign-details.info/images/earth-sheltered-home-designs.jpg

It is an option.

[zombie rotten mcdonald]

In another life, I spent some time reviewing an alternative type who built his own earth shelter. He and his brother used chainsaws to cut the primary structural elements, and the rest of it was built on a kind of ad-hoc basis, and overall it would have appalled most normal home inspectors, but in the end it was a great house that cost almost nothing to keep temperate and sometimes there were cows on the roof and fuck me if that doesn't sound like a helluva way to live.

[Jennifer]

I've seen photos of the old dug-ins or whatever they were called that had cows on the roof. I would have liked mini cows on the roof to our sod house, but none ever showed up.

[ifthethunderdontgetya™³²®©]

Mini cows!

That's where Mini Moos come from, right?
~

[Another Kiwi]

Oh sure, upsidedownies want to keep their animal friends on the roof! Here, Mrs. Woolly has her own room!!