Went back out after work today and put in another hour before the light disappeared. The circle is really taking shape now. You can see the full outline sitting there in the grass, a proper trench marking where the path will go. There’s a bowl and bucket sitting, slowly filling up with the sod I’ve been pulling out piece by piece.
It’s satisfying to see it coming together. But today also gave me a reality check. Once I got a few inches down, the soil reminded me why we ended up with raised garden beds in the first place. We moved into this house two years ago, and it didn’t take long digging around planting flowers to figure out just how rocky this ground is. This section was no different — not just small pebbles, but some genuinely large rocks mixed into the trench.
My first goal right now is just getting the sod removed, so I’ve been leaving some of the larger rocks in place for the time being rather than stopping to dig each one out — that’s a job for the next phase. And then, digging through one section, I found broken glass buried in the dirt. That stopped me for a minute. I had no idea it was there, and I honestly can’t figure out how it ended up under the sod like that. I went back through that whole area carefully, picking out every piece I could find and dropping them into a small bucket I kept nearby, just to be sure none of it got left behind in the soil.
It was a small reminder that “returning to the ground” isn’t quite as simple as it sounds. This soil has its own history — years of whatever happened in this yard before us, buried under the grass we walk on without a second thought. If we’re serious about my mom, my sisters, and I actually walking barefoot on this ground, it means I can’t rush this part. Every inch of that circle needs to be gone through by hand, checked, and cleared — not just for looks, but for safety.
So today’s lesson: this path isn’t just about clearing grass. It’s about really knowing what’s underneath — root by root, rock by rock, and apparently, glass and all. Ring’s fully outlined now. Next comes the harder part — clearing everything inside it. — To be continued.
📍 Progress So Far
- ✅ Circle marked and staked (14 ft diameter)
- ✅ Outer and inner edges fully cut
- 🔄 Removing sod (larger rocks are being left in place for now — that’s next)
- ⬜ Digging out larger and medium rocks
- ⬜ Tamping down the soil
- ⬜ First family walk