Giving people a place to stand in the sunshine

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It's December 23rd and a friend of mine just stopped by for a few minutes. We walked into the backyard and I watched him immediately walk over to the only area where there was any sunshine. It was also an area that I hadn't maintained for a while, and I discouraged him from going there, as there might be some dog poop that I hadn't cleaned up.

After he left it struck me that, while I don't have enough room for a seating area in the tiny bit of sunshine that peeks in at this time of year in my backyard, I could easily do a standing area. I found some stray pieces of flagstone that I had along the side of the house and set them in. I'll probably add more river rocks, or something, to finish it off. But at the very least there is a place where someone can safely stand in the sunshine.

This little *path to nowhere* will give people a place where they can stand confidently, without fear of stepping in anything. The dog, and the visiting cat, don't poop on flagstone, and even if they did, it would be easy for me to see, and get rid of.

All good design only works well with people. So watch people in your garden, and what they do. I've been redesigning for many years now, and I am pleased with the results, which is combining function with beauty. That's what a garden is all about.

Update: the next day. I added a few more pieces of flagstone today. I thought of it as *the path to nowhere*, but I gotta admit I'm pleased with the effect. I've added a lot of interesting plants this past year, and now people have a safe, and solid, place to stand and look at them, if they want to.

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