It's a Treat to Beat Your Feet on Mud-Oven Mud
This past week and weekend we kept our progress going steady with a session that included finishing the foundation, laying out the hearth bricks, and mixing up a first batch of mud!
It's a profound mystery why none of us thought to sing the most appropriate of all tunes for this occasion, but now we can all rehearse for next time. "Just happy as a cow chewing on a cud..."
The pieces of mud and clay were very dry and hard, so a shovel and boots were required - not to mention water. It took quite a while, but eventually it all got broken down, nice and evenly muckified. And slippery. There were close-calls, but (somewhat unfortunately, photographically-speaking) no one fell completely in.
We can't help but include this photo to show-off the new wheelbarrow donated by Gloria which will eventually have its home in the "future Toronto-area Park of Study and Reflection"!
While Danny, Daniel, Sigrid and Orsi had fun in the mud, I took the less-sensuous task of finishing the insulated layer beneath the brick base. Right below the bricks is a layer of mud and sand, and around the brick area there's more of that mud and sawdust mix from last time. It all has to be very even and smooth so the bricks will lie flat, so there are no bumps when you're sliding your bread/pizza in or out, or no places for ashes to build up along.
We took a break for coffee and delicious pogácsa that Orsi made - a very aptly named thing to bring when you look at the etymology! -- "Pogácsa derives ultimately from the Latin panis focacius, i.e. bread (panis) baked on the hearth or fireplace (focus), via the Italian focaccia" -- and then we finished laying the brick hearth, the floor of the oven.
Earlier in the week I set off to the neighbourhood building-supply-rock-crushing-place to buy the bricks and wheel them home in this cart that I was going to attach to my bike. It was a noble idea, because I didn't even get the cart attached to the bike before the back split right open from the weight. So I wheeled it home very slowly and all was well.
Next up: shaping the void (with sand)
It's a profound mystery why none of us thought to sing the most appropriate of all tunes for this occasion, but now we can all rehearse for next time. "Just happy as a cow chewing on a cud..."
The pieces of mud and clay were very dry and hard, so a shovel and boots were required - not to mention water. It took quite a while, but eventually it all got broken down, nice and evenly muckified. And slippery. There were close-calls, but (somewhat unfortunately, photographically-speaking) no one fell completely in.
 |  |
We can't help but include this photo to show-off the new wheelbarrow donated by Gloria which will eventually have its home in the "future Toronto-area Park of Study and Reflection"!
While Danny, Daniel, Sigrid and Orsi had fun in the mud, I took the less-sensuous task of finishing the insulated layer beneath the brick base. Right below the bricks is a layer of mud and sand, and around the brick area there's more of that mud and sawdust mix from last time. It all has to be very even and smooth so the bricks will lie flat, so there are no bumps when you're sliding your bread/pizza in or out, or no places for ashes to build up along.
We took a break for coffee and delicious pogácsa that Orsi made - a very aptly named thing to bring when you look at the etymology! -- "Pogácsa derives ultimately from the Latin panis focacius, i.e. bread (panis) baked on the hearth or fireplace (focus), via the Italian focaccia" -- and then we finished laying the brick hearth, the floor of the oven.
 |  |  |
Earlier in the week I set off to the neighbourhood building-supply-rock-crushing-place to buy the bricks and wheel them home in this cart that I was going to attach to my bike. It was a noble idea, because I didn't even get the cart attached to the bike before the back split right open from the weight. So I wheeled it home very slowly and all was well.
  |
Next up: shaping the void (with sand)
What is that chimney next to the green wheel barrow?
ReplyDeletehaha, that's no chimney (unfortunately). It's an old concrete pillar and post for a gigantic satellite dish, probably from the 1970 or 80s. We inherited it when we moved in.
ReplyDelete