A Roof on our Soddy

Today is roof building day!

To keep out the rain, we will roof our house with a lattice of willow poles, brush, long grass, a layer of clay from the nearest creek bank, and a final dressing of sod with the grass side up.

We have heard stories of soddies that leak, dripping into the kitchen, over beds, creating muds piles in the quilts. Our neighbors have called it the "overloaded sponge" when it leaks.

We also know that even with our best construction, various bits and pieces of dirt and debris will sift down from the roof. My wife suggested tacking cheescloth to the rafters to try to prevent this, which I will do and also I will plaster the walls with a mixture of lime and sand.

Tight construction is imperative to our comfort, to keep our the winter snow, the spring rain and the dust in the summer. Hopefully it will also defer mice and snakes which are common out here on the prairie. Of course, we have no defense against the bedbug which invadea soddies like long term guests. Fleas will be another problem in the dirt floor this summer.

My wife is putting potted herbs and geraniums on the sunny windows and it helps to make it our cozy home here in the prairie.

Next time we head outside to begin work on our farm...