Hi, ladies. Just taking a break from painting.

I've been meaning to post this for a couple of weeks. I re-read "One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich," a story about life in one of Stalin's forced-labor camps in the late 1940s. Ladies, I don't enjoy grouting; I put it off and put it off and then I am forced to do too much at the last minute. Now, after reading this book I have a different attitude. These prisoners were working in sub-zero weather in rags. Here is an excerpt about the men laying a concrete block wall with mortar:

"Now the mortar was being brought up the ramp. Tiurin decided not to have any of it dumped beside the masons  it would only freeze while being shifted onto the hods. The men were to put down their barrows; the masons would take the mortar straight from them and get on with the laying. Meanwhile the carriers, not to waste time, would bring on the blocks that other prisoners were heaving up from below. As soon as the mortar had been scooped up from one pair of barrows, another pair would be coming and the first would go down. At the stove in the machine room, the carriers would thaw out any mortar that had frozen to their barrows  and themselves too, while they were at it.

The barrows came up two at a time  one for KilgasÂs wall, one for ShukhovÂs. The mortar steamed in the frost but held no real warmth in it. You slapped it on the wall with your trowel and if you slowed down it would freeze, and then youÂd have to hit it with the side of a hammer  you couldnÂt scrape it off with a trowel. And if you laid a block a bit out of true, it would immediately freeze too and set crooked; then you need the back of your ax to knock it off and chip away the mortar."

Now, I will try to have a whole different attitude toward grouting!!!