Walking On, Walking On Broken...Concrete

Last weekend, we rented a jackhammer and Mike spend a few miserable hours breaking up the concrete on the side of our house. Mike hates jackhammers, and (to be honest) most DIY or construction type jobs. I love him anyway, especially when he takes one for the team and does hateful jobs out of love and adoration. Or at least to make me stop asking :)
 
Jackhammer aren't cheap to rent (I mean it's cheaper than buying for sure, but still...) and I sort of wish the price included some sort of Mary Poppins cleaning snap-your-fingers magic.  

The sad truth is where there is demo, there are giant messes. I'm a fan of recycling whenever possible to minimize the amount of clean up, because picking up demo cramps my impatient style.

I had seen articles online about turning broken concrete into retaining walls in the garden and about recycling it into stepping stone pathways. The second option seemed to be just what we were looking for, as the wooden walkway in our backyard has seen better days.

 (from last Spring, pre-seed sprinkling)

 As much fun as monthly tetanus shots are, it was time for something new!

The entire pathway came apart really easily as it had been sitting in the dirt for years and was nice and rotten in places. I did, unfortunately, come across more slugs than any human should have to endure at once.

I've been working on our new path for the last few days --  we're going away for this weekend so I'm not going to be able to finish it, but I wanted to give you a peek! 

I can't wait to see what it looks like when it's done -- and then to share it with you guys. I'm already loving its potential. Imagine little plants growing in the cracks next year. Imagine stubbed toes instead of stabbed toes. It'll be brilliant!