A few years ago, my husband and I were the proud new inhabitants of our new addition/house, that was attached to our smaller house. As we were spreading the pile of loam up next to the foundation and out several yards, I commented to my husband that someday, I'd like to have a patio here. "Ah-ha," he grunted.
So, this spring came the time I decided to follow through with my patio-plans. With my back support on, I skimmed off the top layer of loam and shoveled it into the wheel barrel. I dumped it into the second, small vegetable garden 20 yards away. I made about 50 trips.
I then turned the soil to mix in the gravel beneath, and tapped it down. For the areas that didn't have gravel under the loam, I had to haul it in a wheel barrel from our gravel stockpile 100 yards away. I made about 12 trips.
With the ground ready, but unfortunately not level (due to a slightly sloping yard), I took my empty wheel barrel over to the extra 3/4" crushed rock pile that was left over after my husband spread the crushed rocks over our new parking area.
So I loaded the crushed rock, about 20 shovels full, and ran to keep up as the wheel barrel gained speed down a little hill and then began up the other little hill leading to the patio. Before the momentum of the hill-speed vanished, I ran and pushed that sucker up the increasing slope.
I dumped my load, spread it, and went back for more. In all probably 50 trips back and forth, down and up the two hills, until voila!
MY NEW, LONG AWAITED, OFTEN DREAMED OF PATIO IS COMPLETE!
(I splurged for $350 worth of patio furniture and placed other old favorites alongside.)
NOW I'M READY FOR A LITTLE BACKYARD ENTERTAINING!!!
(While the bugs are away...)
(Photo by Lisa (Allen) Kennard)
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