When we first moved in, my walkway to the front door was a slightly crooked 30-inch strip of concrete that ran dead straight from the driveway and stopped about a foot short of the steps. Delivery drivers used it as a suggestion. My sister, who has opinions about everything, stood at the bottom on the…
For the first four years in my house, the side yard was where I stored things I didn’t want to think about: a broken wheelbarrow, two recycling bins, and a hose that had given up. Every trip to the backyard meant squeezing through a muddy gap between the siding and the fence, and I once…
The first walkway I ever installed myself was a row of cheap concrete stepping stones I bought on sale for $2.49 each. I spaced them by eye, skipped the base layer entirely, and felt very proud of myself for about six weeks. Then the spring rains came, half the stones tilted like bad teeth, and…