Well, I've got a site picked out, I think. Purely for Wendy's benefit, it's along the path back by the goat house, the one that goes down and then up the hill again, which I think was used for sledding. (Going by how close those trees are on either side of it, I think kids had a lot more guts thirty years ago than they do now.) It's about halfway up the slope on the other side, right on the left of the trail. Here's what the spot looks like:

Some specs:

exposure: southeast

sunlight: full morning sun, dappled afternoon shade thanks to two big poplars

stuff I need to clear out: mostly hazel brush, which is the recommended material for anchoring straw bale walls anyway, one young poplar, which I can use somewhere, and a couple of small dogwood clumps.Oh, and a big old hunk of log that's still standing. If it isn't as rotten as it looks I may be able to use it for a bench or something.

proximity to house: creeping distance

proximity to neighbours: screaming distance

proximity to anti-hobbit-house things: 30 feet up from the (mostly) dry stream bed, so no danger of mushy floors from that. I may temporarily forget my eco-friendly attitude if it starts breeding mosquitoes, though. Safe distance from spruce trees as well, so the roots shouldn't be too invasive.

proximity to pro-hobbit-house things: lots of poplars for building in the area, and other useful plants I've already found within about ten steps - dogwood, birch, and spruce. Lots more to come when the snow goes, I'm sure.

Not very far from Grandpa's old garden behind the garage, either - maybe 100m, tops? This is what it looks like at the moment:

Anybody know if clay is any good for making retaining walls? Or if straw is still good to use for insulation if it's sat outside all winter and is currently damp? I'll see Uncle Allan again on Friday - he's going to be a gold mine of help and advice - but brownie points if you can answer before then. Oh, and lime mortar, I need to ask about that too - ie where to buy, how expensive, how dangerous to use, how long to set, etc.

I've also made a few purchases (already). I bought a mattock yesterday (three cheers for you if you know what that is without looking it up - Uncle Allan is the only one I've found so far) but ended up taking it back after I found an old pick buried in the garage. Instead, I bought a small sheath knife, which I'm very pleased about - swiss made, fits on my belt perfectly, 12 bucks. :) Apparently the forestry students come to buy them all the time ever since they discovered they can hammer them into tree trunks and stand on them. Kind of tells you something about their work ethic. Time management and TLC must not be biggies in forestry.

Apart from that, I've started my anti-chemical-product campaign by making my own deodorant and toothpaste today (If you're curious, the deodorant recipe can be found here - essentially coconut oil, baking soda, and corn starch. The lady's website looks like it's worth exploring too). Benita gave me that look that says 'I can't believe we're related' when I told her the deodorant tasted awful. The toothpaste was worse, but I didn't think she'd appreciate hearing about it. She's kind of close-minded that way. I wonder what she'll do when she finds the deodorant in the fridge.