Repairs in the courtyard

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Now that the weather is finally cooling down a bit, I can get out into the courtyard, and the front yard, which are mostly neglected. The courtyard, which is where I rehab my ailing plants, has never really looked very nice. I need to work on it.

What I just did today was to remove 9 of these square pavers, which had been hefted up by the roots of the olive tree. They were just set dry on sand by some young guy twenty years ago (me!) and so were pretty easy to pull out. I've raked some of the leaf litter and gravel from under the tree in this area, and will go back and tidy up more as it settles. The leaves fall continuously, providing a wonderful free mulch. The sidewalk, and the pavers next to it, I clean with the electric blower. The courtyard itself faces the setting sun so it's brutally hot in the summer, but the tree gives shade to the plants in the pots, which change continuously.

The reason that I removed the pavers is that they had lifted up just enough to be a trip hazard. And they reason that I am not putting them back is that the roots would continue to lift them up. They weren't really needed there, anyway. Maybe I'll plant something there. What do you think?

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