The home, precarious at the sharp corner of a Y junction, exposed itself and playing children to the constant threats of potentially misbehaving traffic. We designed and constructed a protective land island, populated it with mugo pines, laceleaf Japanese maples, viburnums, and a focal Korean dogwood. We rested a stone bench at the corner of the island, placed stepping stone to invite the child within a nearby wanderer to take notice and come to sit awhile.