Yesterday during our evening dog walk, we saw sod piled up at a couple of houses. To me, that was a treasure chest in the making. We made it a point to say we’d have to check to see if there were any leftovers today.
When I went to pick up dinner today, I saw what looked like some sod in the dumpster by the houses we’d passed yesterday. I didn’t know how much would be there, but I was pretty sure there’d be at least a piece or two to grab for the side yard.
Lo and behold, when we went back today, there were some sod leftovers. When we looked in and climbed up on the dumpster, both of us were surprised by the amount of sod just tossed away to go to the landfill. All I could think was how I just knew there was enough usable sod to finish the yard.
The tough part for me, is gauging how much was needed. Spatial measurement is not one of my strong suits. My husband is great at spatial visualization, which is one of the reasons I married him.
When we got home, we climbed in the Pilot and went back to get the sod. I got up in the dumpster and started looking to see what was most salvageable and good sized. When I found one that look good, I tossed it down and the hubby loaded it in the car. After a little while I asked him if he thought it would cover the space. He thought it would and we headed home. (Thanks for helping!!!❤️)
After putting the sod puzzle pieces together, it was probably good enough to say the project was finished. But, I’ve never been good at good enough. There were still a few small gaps along the property line and I knew it would bother me. My husband told me to trust what my gut was saying, so off for a second dive I went.
There were many narrow longer strips to choose from that would work. I grabbed several, came back to situate them, and it looks so much better.
I joked that if we weren’t going to do a butterfly/bee garden on the other side of the house, I would go back and start getting sod scraps to put on that side. There is a pull to continue getting more of the free sod to start on the back yard. The unfortunate thing is I’m sure I’d never find enough to finish the backyard and it would end up looking a little funky.
The one place I may think about getting some would be to fill a low area in the backyard. It is like a swamp when we get rain and the sod, and eventual grass, might help either with draining correctly or “drinking” the water.
It was a nice way to end the day. I feel like I’ve accomplished something and the side yard looks much better than before.
Personal Reflections of a Middle-Aged Man 