So on a beautiful Sunday morning, I went out in the yard to do some last minute clean-up in preparation for a party we were having that evening. First, I tried to trim the bushes along the path but discovered we know longer had the right tool for bush trimming. Then I tried to move furniture around but discovered this was a two person job, so gave that up.
The next thing I did is still kind of a mystery to me why I did this. I decided to see what was under the drain covers that line our patio. For the past 9 years we've lived here, when a contractor or gardener asks, "Do you have drainage?" I shrug my shoulders and point to the green plastic rectangles lining the patio. But recently, I was asked do we have west side drainage, and it sounded really important so I thought do we? So the week before when I cleaned out the area where the rabbit lived and deposited all his goodies, which believe it or not had not decomposed even after more than a year after the rabbit ran away, I discovered a square drain covered with dirt and cleaned it off. This was very satisfying, and so on this beautiful sunny day, it seemed the perfect time to see what was under the green plastic rectangles.
The first one easily pulled up, despite dirt and mulch filled to the top. But then I was curious, what was underneath. But I couldn't find our spade either (which gives you some idea how often we garden), so grabbed a large kitchen spoon and began to dig out the debris. It was great dirt, packed with earthworms, so I deposited it under some rose bushes that I knew would appreciate it and then spent an hour digging out 12 feet of drainage all the way down to its silver bottom with a kitchen spoon.
I was thrilled when I was finished and decided to test this critical segment of the west side drainage by running water, which unfortunately ran for a second and then sat filling the previously empty channel.
Not to be daunted, I went to the next station in the drainage path, the previously covered with rabbit poop drain, and sure enough that hole was filled with water. Ah ha I thought and shoved my hand in to the murky water and pulled roots out that were clogging the drainage area. There was a slight movement of water forward but that was it. So I sleuthed out the next stop. This drain, an 8X8 green rectangle was screwed shut, clearly installed by someone else at some other time from all the others (by the way all the rectangle drains were installed upside down. It is amazing we have any working drainage at all. Or do we?) I peered through the slats to see if there was water in there and what do I see to my amazement, sitting on top of a bed of leaves, a half dozen speckled birds eggs.
I had never seen a nest with so many intact eggs, but then I had never seen a nest below ground before. I looked at the slats with about a 1/2 inch of clearance between them and thought that is one small momma bird. I peered again, and the thought occurred to me that they just couldn't be bird eggs. Do rats lay eggs? Possums? Snakes? I used to know something about biology so I was pretty sure rats don't lay eggs or possums but snakes, maybe. The possibility of a half-dozen killer snake eggs inches away is unnerving. I had thought about getting a screw driver and taking this to the next step but I am no Croccodile Dundee or that other guy who died probably putting his hand somewhere he shouldn't have like next to a bunch of killer snake eggs when the momma snake is hiding inside the drainage pipe.
So I did what any sensible woman would do. Waited for my man to come home. I proudly showed him my drainage clearing work ( I think his reaction was, "you decided to do this now?") but as I explained the situation he was clearly intrigued and peered down the drain with the eggs. "Wow," he said and with no prompting from "maybe they are snake eggs" (Okay so remember this part). It took a few seconds to unscrew the drain cover, while I stood about 10 feet away offering helpful hints, like "maybe you should poke them with a stick first dear".
There was no need for alarm. The eggs were ping pong balls, and lots of them. So now if someone asks I can say for sure we do have west side drainage. Anyone up for a game of ping pong? Now if I could only find the paddles.
We now have an ample supply of ping pong balls and yes, I do have west side drainage.
