I was up early to dig out the ground in front of the gas tank and lay in the boxes for the new concrete pads. A pickax helps when reaching rock shelf less than two inches into the ground.
Mike was up to plan the work – hire a mixer for concrete, lay in a gravel base, and embed steel cross pieces so that the concrete will not crumble. I had a piece of galvanized fencing that was precisely 31 inches square that will fit one box comfortably. The plan is to pour concrete, lay in the steel cross piece and cover it with more concrete. I may need to have a plumber redirect the intake pipe to the tank before it can be moved onto the pads.
Mike was carrying a pistol and proudly showed me pictures of a baby rattler he had dispatched from this earth. A baby rattler is more dangerous because its venom is uncontrolled. A baby is also the sign of other snakes nearby on the property.
In the afternoon I made it up to the circle garden to lay down Preen and mulch and water it in. Spot weeding around the garden suffices for now. Delighted to see the first blooms on the oenothera, and it appears to be spreading by roots as is its habit.
A Year at the Snake 