Last week, my kindly neighbor asked if I wanted some free sod. He'd just done his backyard and had some extra left over.

We took it, got some topsoil, laid it all out real purty in the empty space right by the patio, and have been watering it like maniacs (when it's not been raining.)

Surprisingly, it didn't immediately shrivel up and turn brown. Nor did it all wash away over to the back corner of the yard. It has also survived the dogs, who politely refrained from stepping on it for the first several days.

I don't think it's exactly the right type of grass for the place it sits, and I don't know we'll integrate it if we ever do more with the backyard, but free is free, and green is green. Anything is better than bare dirt.

Just when I didn't expect it, I became a Guy Who Cares About the Lawn.