Setting stones, tedious and painful

It’s not a philosophy, it’s a pure and simple deduction called manual labor. The day I decided to set 12 by 12 inch stepping stones down on sand for a patio around my willow tree was supposed to be a no-brainer that I devised.

Then came the day of reckoning, that very first day I started the project would prove a bit more of an undertaking than I had estimated. I poured sand on the ground via a 5-cubic-inch capacity wheelbarrow powered by a grandson. That part was good. Then I had to level two rows worth of sand with scrap of two-by-four wood. The carpenter’s level said all was fine and I could start laying the concrete stones, aligning them against each other symmetrically like a solid-grey checkerboard.

One row later and I was exhausted from lifting the 14 stones that my grandson had brought to me on a hand truck. Okay, time for a break. Boy did I need it.

After a 10 to 15 minute break, sipping iced tea, I was ready to dive in on row two. Now I had experience and it was actually very level according to the carpenter’s device that was left over from building my house.

Row two went quite well and that left 28 stones as a start point back in early March as I worked in between rain storms. I had to cover the whole thing as there was still sand that could wash away and my cat was already eying it.

So in early April when the weather settled down some, I decided to go at it with the remaining 40 stones. That meant building a two-by-three wooden form around the tree so stones could be placed up against it squarely. Inside the stones I decided to put some kind of small river rock. I ended up with Clear Creek rock about 1 to 2 inches in size that is somewhat a salt and pepper mix. It looks pretty good and gives some of my potted plants a nice background.

The best part about this project is that with weed barrier cloth beneath the sand, we are pretty much guaranteed there will be no sprouting of vegetation here and there, at least for a couple years, I hope.

When my birthday came in April, I got 60 more stones to finish two-thirds of the project, where it will remain until probably fall when the weather cools down. Hopefully by then I’ll be back in the mood and have the money to buy stones for completing the final 9 by 14 foot area.

Spreading the sand with a two-by-four left a nice smooth path for stones to rest on. Keeping my fingers out of the way as I dropped each in place wasn’t as easy and I have the blood blisters to prove it.

Also, when you reach that magic age when your heart says, “Yes,” but the rest of you says, “Let’s think about it,” you are probably not going to plow full speed ahead on any project. So, I reached my stopping point with sore knees, blisters and an aching back that lasted about a week.

Looking at my concrete stone pattern that graces the back yard, I am pleased to have sacrificed some body and soul. Is it totally level? Well there is one slight valley and a knoll, but when I get back to work it can be fixed, remembering we have sand beneath the stones that moves however desired. Right now I can sit back and relax and enjoy what is actually a boost to the property. I am pretty satisfied sitting there under that willow tree, trying not to look at the part that is yet to come.

I hate unfinished work. It has always bothered me to stop and leave something undone. I started painting my outbuildings and got it done, but I wanted to continue to paint the house. I said it would be this year, but the stones got in my way.