Winter Fun and Fitness: French Drains and Tree Pruning

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Being mostly office bound of late, I've really been missing my weekly cob building workout. And with all the rain we've been receiving Barton Springs pool is probably rife with a bacteria cocktail. Since my disease fighting skills are only imaginary and it's cold I went in pursuit of a bit of productive exercise. I thought to myself, "Self, what better exercise is there than digging a trench in heavy clay." Now, just how to make that trench useful in some way. Hmmm.....

.... My parent's backyard slopes down towards their house. When there's a heavy rain their porch gets flooded. I have shovel. I have a mattock. I have 50' of perforated drainage pipe left over from the rubble trench foundation. The pieces were beginning to come together. Build a french drain. Ha Ha! And as an added bonus I could sneak a little swale and berm in and no one would be the wiser. Ha ha ha! 
Jean joined me on the French drain foray but opted to subjugate the vegetation rather than take up shovel and mattock. It's good thing because we have a growing number of juvenile fruit trees on the property that are in need of some pruning discipline. 

"No Miss Jean! Don't do it, please! I can be a good limb! I really can!"

Beginning of the dig

On the slope up from of the French drain I'm going to shape a very slight berm. 

After committing acts of arborcide, Jean went on a hedge murder spree.

Wrapping up for the day. I'll be back.
  

Comments

MW said…
You two certainly know how to have fun!!
26 January 2017 at 10:51
Colin said…
Where does the French drain outflow to? Doesn't the bund have to be downstream of the drain? Colin
28 January 2017 at 03:54
Colin said…
Where does the French drain outflow to? Doesn't the bund have to be downstream of the drain? Colin
28 January 2017 at 03:54
Colin said…
Where does the French drain outflow to? Doesn't the bund have to be downstream of the drain? Colin
28 January 2017 at 03:54
Aaron said…
It does. I'll show where the outflow is in the next post.
28 January 2017 at 16:29
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