We have completed the first section of our house. Now we have about 10 times more to go. The frame (studs and sills) need replacing due to severe termite damage we have uncovered. It is slow work as we are raising money as we go and doing the tedious work ourselves. But we are making good progress.   

Yesterday we tilled the land for several of our gardens. The herbs garden, vegetable garden and tulsi garden. Moreinformation about the herb garden and tulsi garden can be found in previous posts. We are making good progress in the field.  

We have recently finished the hardscaping for the first of several formal gardens planed for the property. Formal gardens will help beauty the property for visitors and provide a place to grow and teach about herbs. We plan to plant 108 healing herbs in the garden and to create hedges around and inside the garden. We have planted many herbs seeds and will post updates as to our progress. Please donate to help us buy plants for hedges. 

We got a large riding mower to help us maintain the 5 acre field on the property. Here is a photo of Swamiji operating the mower. Yard maintenance is a massive task.  Please contact us if you are interested in helping. info@somamatha.org   

Moisture had been seeping into the basement through the foundation of the house. In addition to having modern gutters added to the rear of the house, we have cleared the ground-level, brick gutters in the front. We hope we may be able to use these gutters and preserve the historic look of the facade. We intend to remove soil mounded around the house to cause the grading to slope away from the house. We may also install French drains in several spots.  

At first we did not realize that there was a path in front of the big house. Once we spotted the first few bricks under the grass, we started to excavate. To our delight, we revealed this beautiful old brick walkway. We have studded the walkway with Yaupon Hollies (a dwarf variety), and we are continuing to landscape the front yard, to increase the appearance of the house and to improve accessibility.   

Roof replacement is in progress on the main house. Many thanks to those who have donated to make this possible. We still have much work to accomplish. We need donations and volunteers in the next few weeks to finish by the time we must move in, March 8th.