My wonderful truck, loaded with straw bales
Here's a photo of the north and west sides of the house with the straw in place. I'd like to get a couple more bales to place down where the trash can is. Also, around the corner of the house to the left is a porch area that also faces north that I've never insulated before. This is where my living room is, and I'd like to try a couple straw bales along that wall. It's a bargain, especially when I can use the straw next summer and fall for mulch.
One year I laid the bales on edge, and they got very saturated with water. Then another year I encased the whole mess with plastic and duct taped it in place. This year I'm feeling very simplistic about the whole process... just happy to get them out there. I'll say that my daddy used to do this, also employing tar paper that he tacked to the side of the house using furring strips. The tar paper extended from several inches above the level of the bales down to ground level and then laid upon the ground so the straw bales could be placed on top of the extended tar paper. This prevented water from leaching down behind the bales and making the siding of the house (wood) soggy. One year our geese crawled up and ate all the tar paper off of the side of the house.... Hmmm.
He also made his own storm windows using rolls of plastic sheeting and furring strips. The plastic was only semi-transparent. My mother always insisted on one west facing and one north facing window to be uncovered so she could see outside. I so love my mommy. I totally get it now.
These straw bales are not very heavy right now because they're dry. I had no trouble unloading the truck and placing them around. Next spring, when I'm ready to move them, I may not be able to pick them up at all. If they get water logged with snow and spring rain, I'll have to take them apart where they lay and haul them to the garden in pieces in my little trailer or the back of the truck.
I'm also going to get an extra bale to insulate the discharge line for my basement sump pump. I already placed one out there, but an extra bale won't hurt. And I'll be a miserable country widow if my sump pump discharge line freezes, as it did a couple winters ago, and the water being pumped from my leaky basement cannot get out. Then my basement starts to fill with water and threatens my furnace and freezer. So... yeah... worth an extra straw bale at $2.50.
I'm very pleased I got this done today. I was planning on cutting grass one more time this fall, but it's been too wet and foggy and today was no better. My goal is to do one more cutting either this week or next, so I still have time. I like to do a cutting in late fall to help chop up the leaves that have fallen and also to make for an easier first cutting the next spring. Some people like to leave the grass a little longer in the fall because they believe it will help protect against the roots dying off during the winter and forming dead spots. I don't really care about dead spots, but I do care about trying to get that first cutting in the spring done without choking out the lawn mower.
The straw man just called me back, and I'm meeting him at 4:30 to pick up 7 more bales. Which means I can get over there and pick up the straw and finish my project this evening. This is another advantage to having my own truck, rather than having to make delivery arrangements. It will only take him about 10 minutes to load 7 bales of straw, but if he had to haul it to me, it would take greater time and greater planning and I'd have to pay a delivery charge.
It'll be a little on the dark-ish side when I finish, but I won't mind.So I'm a happy country widow today!
Blessings,
Katrinka
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