As with many projects of mine, this one took much longer than anticipated. I went to dig out a place for an herb garden so that I could place bricks longways [8″ down] around the exterior in an effort to keep oregano contained. I immediately broke an insulated copper wire. After worrying about it incessantly until Greg could take a look at it after work, it was determined that the wire didn’t seem to be connected to anything. So major crisis averted.
And things stayed exactly like that–a shallow trench with a broken wire sticking out of it–for the next two weeks. I went out once while the kid was napping to resume digging, only to discover that my ability to spatially arrange items in a pleasing way is worse than I thought. Even following the string line Greg laid out was a bit beyond my ability to do with any speed. Rather than waste three hours doing what he could do in twenty minutes, I asked for help. Because I’ve gotten better about that.
So Greg dug out my herb patch and laid the bricks, and this week I planted basil, lemon balm, sage, thyme and oregano. The location might get too much shade, but if it does, at least I’ll have a nice shade garden next year.
Cost–nil
Labor–low, but only because I wised up
Impact–medium (low on the look of the yard, high for culinary pursuits)
Caroline Mitchell Carrico 
“only to discover that my ability to spatially arrange items in a pleasing way is worse than I thought.” That made me laugh. I too have this issue. I usually don’t notice until I’ve hung a bunch of art on the wall and need to rearrange it. I’ve gotten good at creating a bunch of holes in the wall, but that’s about it. I imagine they’re like star charts in the dry wall now.