Mixing concrete is just like making a cake

How many times have you emptied an 80 pound sack of concrete into your wheelbarrow and grabbed the hose to start adding water? Mix mix, add more water, mix mix mix, add more water...you get the idea. It occured to me one day that if the bag is exactly 80 pounds then I ought to be able to develop a recipe for the perfect mix. That way I can just fill up the bucket and dump it in and start mixing. Perfect I thought! No thinking, just filling of the bucket and mixing. I started out by measuring up a few inches from the bottom of the 5 gallon bucket and stuck a piece of tape there to see if that was the right amount of water. After moving the tape a few times I got the mix just right. The nice thing is that the bucket is translucent so you can see the dark tape through the bucket when you are filling it up. Eventually I just painted a dark stripe around the whole bucket so it was easy to see and more permanent. I couldn't tell you how much water it is but all I know if my mixing bucket serves as a large measuring spoon. No more adding a little water at a time. What a time saver and it ensures consistently mixed concrete for our deck footings.