1.   A model of the barn was used in court to explain to the jury how all five had climbed onto straw bales.

2.   A few lines of straw bales stanch the loss.

3.   By nightfall roping enthusiasts would abandon the plastic steer heads anchored in straw bales.

4.   Five years ago, when they first published the guide for building a home out of straw bales, they expected to sell a few thousand copies.

5.   Ms. Blackmer says there are now contractors in California who deal exclusively in straw bale houses.

6.   Some gardeners actually build compost bins out of straw bales.

7.   Some pioneers in straw bale construction have experimented with using juice from the cactus as an ingredient in the plaster that seals the walls.

8.   The attic was originally insulated with a double layer of straw bales until the mouse population went on a feeding frenzy and Shaw became allergic to the dust.

9.   The downside of building a straw bale house?

10.   The straw bale house, about half finished, is really an amazing building, of post and beam construction, with straw bales set in the walls.