Blockheads Everlasting

The second stage of my foundation wall is complete! This morning, I filled in the cinder block holes with a smaller batch of concrete that I mixed up (all by myself!) as Bob is gone to NorthWest CT to help out at an estate sale. I'm pleased that Bob trusted me to shake and bake and mix and match that concrete mix!
So you learn all kinds of useful stuff. F'rinstance: concrete is a 1-2-3 mix. That is, three units (a small bucket in this case) of gravel, two units of sand and one unit of Portland cement. You mix these dry ingredients together in a wheel barrow (or trough) add water, and hey presto! you've got concrete. (Bob also made a sticky mix of Portland cement and hydrated lime and sand. This he used to fill in around the bolts that will hold the sill in place. I guess there's a concrete/mortar mix for every application).
What's scary is that you do have to work somewhat quickly as it sets up and gets hard- mostly to clean off tools. Bob and I went in the house the other day, thinking that we were taking a brief break but then it rained and we ate lunch and the next thing we discovered was concrete enclosed trowel and hoe and wheel barrow... nice. I'm not as precise about clean up as I should be. It's one (of the many reasons) I don't paint with those blasted oil paints. Just plain hated the clean up. Don't get me started about print making...
I remarked to Bob that we're at the stage with the foundation that I think it's all we have ever done, or all we ever will do. I realize that two days from now, we'll be done and onto the sill and framing and whatever. But right now? Seems like my entire life has been concrete and blocks.
Anyway, in between a million things, the studio is progressing. I also took time to shoot the below beautiful and disgusting photo:

I was out cleaning up Maggie's pasture and there are three(!!) butterflies chewing and flapping and engaging in some sort of butterfly menage-a-trois on a fresh, steaming pile of horse manure. (I've seen this before. A fresh pile of our previous dog's shit with a truly marvelous huge swallowtail butterfly astride it.) While I crouched down to take my picture, there was suddenly a powerful, warm and mysterious breeze on my shoulder. Maggie had snuck up and me and was wondering about my sudden interest in her poop.
Enough fun and games!  I have to get back to the homemade version of labor camp.