"Hello? Is this thing on?" and other thoughts

[Becky Myton]

MJ,

Got your message fine. Hope the house is going well!

Now for other miscellanea:

I was reading a few months ago in a library book about historic building 
techniques in England (17th century time period). The question often comes 
up on the strawbale list about why and whether to put animal blood in adobe 
floors. My gut reaction was always "ICK!", but this book said the English 
used to do that, also, because it created a very hard surface on the floor. 
So the people who talk of glazing with linseed oil probably have a good 
alternative.

Those English builders also used to lay fresh reeds over the support beams 
for the second story floors before the boards were laid down, and then 
plaster both sides of the reeds (as with wattle boards). The reeds held the 
plaster on nicely, and apparently functioned well as a sound barrier 
between floors, too! Anyone think cattails might work?

Becky Myton