Chimney Treatment (part 1)

Mortar comes in itty-bitty pails or 60 lbs bags, (the 60 lbs bags are ½ the cost of the pails). I was very nervous to buy a 60 lbs bag (I was worried about getting it into the house), but I did, and then I realized that other things feel close to 60 lbs.  Like a box of tile or a 5 gallon bucket of paint. So I got the mortar into the house and I started the patch on the chimney. 

Here it is when we uncovered it (and plugged it with a 'rag'):

And the first layer of patch with a rock in it: