HUG & HDT Play it Safe

On Wednesday, the HUG campus was allowed to participate in CPR and 1st Aid training at Old Main. We learned the proper ways to administer CPR to adults and to children.

We also were able to learn different methods of first aid. We learned how to dress wounds, treat burns, and even how to splint a broken arm.

Lucky for those that come to campus in the future, we were taking the class seriously.

SPARC is ready for tenants!

The main bedroom

Dining Room

Full Kitchen

Bathroom

Large Windows

Entryway

The SPARC has finally been decorated and is ready for its first tenants. The 1,300 sq ft. home has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a large attached greenhouse. For more information on the specs and features of this unique home check out our site. SPARC Features.

SPARC Almost Ready

With the SPARC being used this fishing opener weekend, the last finishing touches have been put into place. The refrigerator, stove, and over-the-range microwave were installed last week.

Mike and Dug are dropping off the refrigerator.

Dug is preparing the stove for installation.

The kitchen just needs some cookies baking to be complete.

The bathroom has been giving the finishing touches.

Curtains, bedding, bathroom supplies, and dishes have been brought in this week. Furniture picked from Thrifty Living of downtown Pine River completes the initial staging.

SPARC Nears Completion

With the May 1st as the deadline for the SPARC to reach completion, a flurry of activity has surrounded the new house for the last several weeks.

The greenhouse has been added. Windows have been added to the south, west, and east walls to allow for maximum sunlight and a good aesthetic look. A wood floor was installed to give the greenhouse a patio/deck look.

Siding was added to the north, east, and west walls to add protection and to give the house a sharp look.

Water has been hooked up and (despite only a few leaks that were dealt with handily) works perfectly.

Carpet has been installed on the stairs and second level and gives it a nice warm feel.

Finally, a last blower door test was ensure of the passive nature of the house. Doug is using a thermal camera in the pic to scan for any leaks that may still be present.

Final touches and a cleaning are all that remains before the SPARC will be open for use.

The first fresh greens from our hoophouse.

Yum! We are starting the salad season early thanks to our hoophouse gardeners.

Polyester can do what?

On Thursday, Hug hosted regional builder Dan Anderson for a campus tour and meet & greet. Mr. Anderson was asked to visit the campus because of his work on a multi-layered window that would allow higher energy and heat retention. The basic design is to place several layers of a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film that would automatically raise or lower inside the window pane. This would effectively allow sunshine in while retaining heat during cloud cover or at night.
With the HUG shop working on a “pocket window” that will have an automated system similar to the design Anderson is working on, a possible future collaboration is in the works.

Our Little Ladies Rebellion

For the past several weeks, our little ladies have begun to explore around their coop. This wasn't too much of a problem since snow was covering the ground, they would roost back inside their coop at night, and they wouldn't do too much damage to the neighboring plants.

However, now that garlic and rhubarb have been planted in the area, having our little ladies scratch up any insulation or seedlings was not allowed. Hay was used as an insulation to

prevent frost from creeping down to the seedlings.

Here we can see the damage the hungry ladies were causing.

Therefore we did our best to round up the rebels, gave them a little clipping, and set them back into the coop (which was a small ordeal with the raspberry bushes prickly, red and bare!)

Who knew that catching chickens was a two person activity?