Raederle

At twenty-two (in 2011) I learned about the magical properties of building with cob – a mixture of clay, sand, and straw. Cob allows for better passive heating while being insect-proof and fire-proof. It’s better for insulating against inclement weather, sound, and unwanted electromagnetic waves. It is fully-moldable, allowing for creative, curved structures. Shelves can be inset directly into cob walls, and heated cob couches can be a natural offshoot of having a wood stove (or rocket stove) flu running through the cob couch. My dreams of cob construction readily added onto my dreams of a community which had been born when I was sixteen. But my vision of a raw foodist* community living in a giant cob home began to fall apart in my late twenties as I pieced together the real, major challenges in founding a community. The dream seemed to fade into a pale background idea as I moved into an eco village to be with my new love (Greg) at the age of twenty-six. (*Today if I founded a com

May 20th 2014, I wrote: “I have a ton of associates , and acquaintances , in my life, but for years I’ve wondered: How does one move from acquaintance to deep friendship ?” Three years later, July 4th 2017, I wrote, “Now I understand the reasons why I don’t have deep friendships quite keenly. I understand it so well that I begin to wonder if I’ll ever bother to form deep friendships. Confused yet? Give me a minute – or twenty – to explain.” A year-and-a-half later, February 21st 2019, I wrote, “I find that friendship is still the area of my life where I’m the least satisfied. I filled out a form that asked me about my satisfaction in life in eight areas: Finances, Inner Growth, Family, Fun & Leisure, Friends & Community, Learning, Home, and Career. On a scale of one to ten I found myself rating each area of my life with an eight, nine or ten! . . . Except for Friends & Community. There, I put a four .” Nearly four years later, in November 2022, I find that I fi