Finally, I feel that my quest to become handy has some success. While at the Outer Banks, this summer, I learned to lay patio blocks in the sand to create a stable patio. On returning home I used this new skill on a long-standing problem.

Many winters ago, I put big-box-bought deicing salt on the walkway connecting the sunroom to the garage. It quickly spalled the concrete creating a mess. Several years ago, in preparation for repaving the driveway, we removed the damaged concrete leaving a large trench that filled with water during rainstorms.

My prehandy self put a few concrete blocks at the base of the stairs but didn’t try to restore a walkway. Enter the patio blocks.