Today the journey stopped being just words and became dirt under my nails.
I decided to start with a circle — a 14-foot diameter — right up against the juniper hedge and the old stacked-stone wall. It catches plenty of sunshine through the day. It felt like the right place to plant the first seed of this whole idea.
This circle is going to be a resting area — a place to pause after walking, close to our deck so it’s easy to reach. I’m planning to put a bench there too, so my mom has somewhere to sit and rest if she gets tired partway through. I decided to build this area first, before the rest of the winding path even exists, because I want my mom to be able to start walking barefoot as soon as possible. She shouldn’t have to wait for the whole project to be finished just to take her first steps.
I pounded a stake into the center and ran a string out to measure the 14-foot circle’s diameter, marking the line as I went with a little pole in hand, like tracing a compass circle the old-fashioned way — just string, a stake, and a stone to guide me. I wanted my mom to be able to walk it slowly, at her own pace, without feeling closed in by a tight space. Once the circle was marked, I picked up the half-moon edger and started cutting the outline into the grass, pressing the blade down step by step around the whole ring.
Then came the real work — pulling that sod up along the edge, using a root-cutting shovel to slice through the tangled grass roots and lift the sod away in strips. I knew going in this would be slow — I’ve removed sod before and know it’s not a quick job. An hour of work this morning got me a rough ring cut into the lawn — you can see the dark, broken soil tracing the outline of what will become the path. The grass inside the circle is still standing for now, but that’s temporary — I’ll be removing all of it once I get to that phase.
Standing at the edge in my muddy garden clogs, looking down at that thin brown line cut into the green, it didn’t look like much yet. But it’s a start. It’s the first mark of something that didn’t exist yesterday — a small circle carved out of the ordinary lawn, set apart for something on purpose.
I looked back at the whole yard when I was done — that long strip of grass running along the stone wall, peaceful and a little overgrown in spots, the same yard I’ve walked past a hundred times without much thought. Somewhere in there, this circle is going to become a place my family gathers, kicks off their shoes, and feels the ground for the first time in years.
One hour down before logging on for work — since I work from home, I was able to fit this in before starting my day. I’ve got an evening session to add to this too, once I’m done for the day — more to come.
— To be continued.
📍 Progress So Far
- ✅ Circle marked and staked (14-foot diameter)
- ✅ Outer and inner edges cut
- 🔄 Removing sod
- ⬜ Digging out larger and medium rocks
- ⬜ Tamping down the soil
- ⬜ First family walk