INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Expressions of contempt are statements or nonverbal behaviors that attack someone's sense of self. Contempt is motivated by feelings of disgust and intense dislike. Because of this, it's one of the most serious signs that a marriage is on the rocks. Expressions of contempt might be insulting statements, such as "You're a loser," "You disgust me," or "You never do anything right." Signs of contempt can also be nonverbal. You or your spouse might sneer or scoff when the other enters the room. One partner might ask, "How was your day," and the other responds by rolling their eyes, ignoring the question, or snapping back, "None of your business." If you believe you or your spouse hold strong contempt for the other, it might be time to part ways. If you're both willing to work on your marriage, a marriage counselor could help you create a more respectful environment. All married couples complain about pet peeves, but criticism becomes an issue when it becomes personal. If you and your spouse routinely launch personal attacks and put-downs at each other, it's time to take action to improve your communication. For example, "I feel belittled and ignored when you don't respond after I ask a question," addresses an action. "You always stare into space when I'm talking to you. There's something wrong with you," is a personal attack. When one or both spouses make frequent personal attacks, being together feels like walking on eggshells. Ask yourself if you always feel the need to defend yourself, constantly anticipate being blamed, or automatically assume that your partner is about to insult you. Think about how often your partner seems to act defensively. Try to notice if either of you seem to constantly say things like "It's not my fault," especially without provocation. In order to resolve a conflict, a couple needs to maintain open lines of communication. Stonewalling, or when one or both spouses shut down, walk out, or give the silent treatment, is a sign of a serious breakdown in communication. Keep in mind it's okay to delay resolving a conflict until you've both calmed down. However, a partner should say, "I'd rather not discuss things right now. I think we both need a little time to cool off," instead of just ignoring their spouse. Likewise, if you find that you keep failing to resolve things, that could be a sign of a larger issue. Disagreement can encourage growth if you're able to work through it as a couple, but it can quickly become unhealthy if the same issues persist. It's perfectly normal for spouses in healthy marriages to argue. However, arguments and other negative interactions shouldn't outnumber positive interactions. If you and your spouse fight more often than you show affection, it might be time to work on your marriage's underlying issues. Likewise, it's important to keep track of how much quality time you spend together and whether you make an effort to make time for one another. In the moment, it can be easy to feel like you fight all the time, but that's not always true. As a general rule, there should be five positive interactions for each negative interaction. Positive interactions may include hugging or kissing, paying compliments, having a quality conversation, or having dinner together. Keep in mind an emotionally abusive person might offer expensive gifts or treat their partner like royalty most of the time. Forms of abuse, including physical violence, threats of violence, isolation, attempts to humiliate, and demeaning insults are always unacceptable. No positive interaction justifies abusive behavior. Quality conversations are frequent occurrences in a healthy marriage. Think about the last time you and your spouse had an extended conversation about your feelings, opinions, or curiosities. If you and your spouse don't talk beyond terse conversations solely about necessary matters, it's time to address your situation. It's normal to go through rough, stressful periods during which communication suffers. However, try to distinguish between not wanting to talk after a long day because you're stressed and never wanting to talk to your spouse because you hold contempt for them. Some married couples aren't intimate, and it works for them. However, if you and your spouse experience a steady decline in emotional and physical intimacy, you might be disconnecting from each other. Examples of emotional and physical intimacy include saying "I love you," paying compliments, expressing appreciation, confiding in your spouse, holding hands, hugging, kissing, cuddling, and having sex. Again, dry spells are normal, but there's a difference between not being intimate because you're exhausted or stressed and not being intimate because you don't like your spouse. Other indicators may include selfish behaviors such as one partner spending large amounts of money or making career plans without consulting the other. Breakdowns in communication and intimacy due to contempt or disgust are difficult to overcome, and might be signs that it's time to go your separate ways.

SUMMARY: Spot signs of contempt, such as mocking, sneering, or hostile insults. Treat personal criticism as a red flag. Take note of constant defensiveness. Look out for signs of stonewalling. Keep track of your positive and negative interactions. Think about the quality of your conversations. Evaluate your emotional and physical intimacy.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Using a shovel or hiring someone with a backhoe, remove the top layers of grass and dirt from the marked-off driveway area. You might want to use a tiller to loosen up the soil and make it easier to dig out. The amount of soil you remove depends on how many layers of soil you are planning. You should dig 4-6 inches of soil for every layer of rocks you plan to put down. This doesn't have to be perfect since it will be covered by rocks, but your driveway surface should be pretty levelany areas that are deeper than other areas may lead to water pooling and cause mud puddles that have to be filled in with more gravel later. Use a mechanical compactor, have someone drive over the area with a bulldozer, or drive over the area repeatedly with a heavy vehicle such as a large truck. If you want to prevent grass and weeds from growing through your driveway, you may want to lay a weed barrier underneath your rocks. Weed barrier is a woven landscaping cloth that allows water to pass through it but does not allow weeds to grow through it, and it is available at most landscaping and home improvement stores. Weed barrier usually comes on a roll. You should be able to lay the roll down at one end of your driveway and unroll it until you have reached the other end of your driveway. Most weed barrier rolls are 4 feet wide, so you may need to get several rolls. Be sure the amount of weed barrier you buy matches or exceeds the square footage (length times width) of your driveway. If you are using landscaping timber or bricks to edge your driveway, you may want to place them before the gravel is delivered so that they can hold the rocks in place. If you do not want a border, you can skip this step.

SUMMARY:
Dig out any grass and topsoil. Level the surface of the driveway. Compact the dirt. Lay down a weed barrier. Place your border.