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Back when mortar mixing was a full day's work
I think about the old foundation jobs where we mixed everything by hand. You'd start early with a pile of sand and cement, adding water bit by bit with a hoe. On a big project, that could take all morning just to get enough for a few hours of laying. The heat would dry it out fast, so you were always going back to tweak the mix. Now, with a power mixer, you're done in no time and moving bricks. But there was a rhythm to the slow pace, watching the wall grow day by day. It felt like you earned each course, and the wait made the finish more satisfying. I don't miss the sore arms, but I do miss that kind of patience in the work.
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wendy7303mo ago
Hand mixing mortar sounds like a tough way to spend a day. But calling it a 'rhythm' might be giving it too much credit. It was just slow, hard labor. Now we have mixers that get the job done in minutes. That means less tired workers and more houses built. Missing the old pace seems like forgetting the pain.
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aaron_cooper3mo ago
Ugh, tell me about it! I did hand mixing on a job and it wiped me out. Using a mixer cut the time and effort in half.
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