Wasp Jenga

I don't have water, but I do have mulch, clay and rocks, a lot of rocks.

Using all these "locally sourced" items is why I found myself playing a game of "wasp jenga" yesterday morning.

I asked Owen Hablutzel to evaluate my dryland ranch last year. I was looking for someone who understood the techniques used by Geoff Lawton in Greening the Desert.

My reasoning was if these techniques could work with 2" of moisture a year they should work with my 6" a year.

One of the things which Owen suggested was a hugelbed.

His idea was to use these as swales on slope leading up to my house.

I've started on my bottle wall (a future post) and the first thing is to dig a foundation- which means dirt.

I have lots of "punk wood" from patching the deck so I decided to do a small swale with the old wood and the dirt from the dig.

I started dismantling the wood pile for the pieces of the old deck and found that it had become a home for wasps..... yes that's a zoom image- you think I'm getting any closer you're nuts.

Gently gently dismantle woodpile...

 

Okay, probably not the best stuff for a hugelbed- you want some vegetative stuff in there too- but it's what I had... 

 

At least it's the start on a swale.

 

...and the woodpile is back in order...

 

..and the wasps are back, doubtless making another hive, I haven't checked...

... and Duff is extremely pleased since he killed the packrat which was hiding in the woodpile. No, I'm not posting pictures of the dead rat , just Duff searching for more. 

See those little ears perked straight up?

 

Of course when Duff checks something out he has Puli backup...

 

Nope, nothing there... those are the "nothing there" angle ears...

 

confirmed by the Puli backup inspection team...

Killer...