GypsyFarm

Current Status

Pat at Habitat

As I re-read the entry from the last current status, one of the things I realize is that I have to report: the walls and floors are not finished. There is basically 1 ˝ walls left to build, and most of the walls still require a finish plaster but even so I'm on the downhill side of the task. The floors remain unfinished, as I want the walls completed and plastered before laying the floor.

Well the storm that blew thru my life last year is past. The calm waters of the present have arrived. After being laid off my job and with lots of spiritual type of questions bouncing around in my head, I finally relaxed a bit. Funny but I am reminded of a scene from the movie "Enter the Dragon" with Bruce Lee. The scene I am reminded of has Bruce fighting his way thru this building. He ends up in this room and suddenly every opening is closed so that escape from the room is impossible, even for Bruce. He carefully examines the situation and realizes the futility of panic. He centers himself in the room and relaxes in a meditation pose and waits.

I guess a similar thing occurred in my life. A friend of mine from Koinonia Partners turned me on to Lady called Peace Pilgrim . Peace Pilgrim walked more than 25,000 miles spreading her message of the way of Peace. This encouraged me to participated in the 85-mile freedom walk with the prison and jail project here in Americus, a project that fights for the poor and forgotten in our judicial system today. A system that now houses over 2 million people ( November coalition and Idaho Observer ). During that weeklong walk I had a lots of time to reflect and I found I had a lot more spiritual peace inside me than I realized. Perhaps, too often, we already have, what we are looking for but fail to see it. After the walk, I volunteered to help out at Koinonia Partners and began to learn more about their history and participation in the civil rights movement. I learned about Clarence Jordan and his courage continues to inspire me today. This courage that has manifested itself over and over in so many people and so many stories most of which are untold.

I also learned that Habitat for Humanity was born at Koinonia Farm. I further learned that the international headquarters of Habitat for Humanity is located here in Americus Georgia. I mean I knew that Habitat is located here but I had no idea of the scope of their work. Well guess what? I now work for Habitat as a programmer in their Information Systems Department. After 20 years of working in the For Profit world of Corporations, I have found the world of Non-Profits. Thus between Gypsyfarm, Koinonia and Habitat I've found my place on earth; A place that blends my personal, spiritual and professional life together. You won't find me knocking on any Corporation's door! Of course we each need to find our own path and the world of Corporate America might be right for some folks, but it ain't me babe, it ain't me they looking for…babe

This is a really great place to work and I can't say enough wonderful things about it or the people with whom I have the honor of working. I found that working for something you believe in is worth more than all the gold and silver in the world. But don't you worry you Cobbers and supper adobe builders and strawbalers, ferro-cementers and other alternative building folks, I'll not change my love for building with earth, not for all the stick homes in world! I do however share with these wonderful people the goal of eliminating poverty housing in the world or as Millard Fuller would say, I share the theology of the Hammer.

Ok so now that I've found peace, happiness etc, what about the house you ask? Well It's been a cold cold winter and I will tell you this: it's awful hard to build with cob when it drops below freezing and don't let anyone tell you otherwise! I've got what I think will be my last batch of clay delivered a couple of weeks ago and now each weekend when the weather is nice and I'm not volunteering for something, I work on the house. I anticipate the last wall will be complete by the 1st of May. But course if you look at my previous record on estimating completion times you'd realize real quick not to bet the farm on my numbers or as my wife would say: "Which May?" Still it's a conservative estimate and do-able and I'm enjoying the ride. I'm going to put a finish plaster on the inside walls first and leave the outside walls for later. I figure having dusty outside walls can wait a year if need be, but the inside needs to be done first. The lime finish plasters are important as level of dust is reasonably high with out it or at least with the clay and sand mixture I'm using.

Well sit on back, check out the pictures and enjoy another Newberry Adventure.

Love and Light

Pat and Carroll Newberry

Mauk Ga,

Welcome to the southside	Chickens in the Kitchen	Knock, Knock, it' the front door.
Electric service entrance:	Cob wall close up	Inside the family room
Inside the Kitchen	Close up of a window	Chickens in the Chicken Tractor
Inside the Dome	And back again to the sunny side of the tracks

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