Description
HAPPY 4th of JULY!
After positioning nine 2-foot square porcelain flagstone pavers to visualize the small patio that Diane and I wanted to form, it was obvious that the soil was not level enough at this location and that we needed three more pavers to make a usable patio. The first step was to remove more sod going past the circular garden bordered with large rocks, then level the sandy, dusty soil, lay weed block fabric over the soft, bare earth and check my leveling work. Given the challenges of the soil being mostly glacial era sand deposits, it is difficult to work with for making a permanently flat surface. Adjustments and re-leveling will be necessary over time.
We were in the middle of a heat wave with the temperature reaching the low 90s, which for Sequim is uncomfortably hot! So, I decided to stop work and resume work adding three more flagstone pavers in a day or two during the cooler morning hours.
Background:
The lawn in our backyard is a mixture of several types of grass, including undesirable orchard grass and crabgrass. And the turf is a heavy mat that it is often difficult to penetrate even with a shovel. Continuing to fertilize and reseed some of the worst areas was no longer sustainable. And we are trying to reduce our yardwork burden as we get older in our retirement. While we still have the strength, we are on a mission to change some of the problem lawn and landscaping areas so that they are more attractive and easier for us to maintain.