Reading the landscape

So lovely to open my eyes at CMO this morning to the first rays of sunrise outside my window!

My sister found a Thompson's Yucca up the mountain that had a woodpecker hole in it. She brought it to me, thinking I might be able to use it as a nesting box. The hole in it is too shallow for hole nesters, but I mounted it anyway, for decoration or whatever.

The top came off as she was transporting it, which I wired on as good as I was able while standing precariously atop an eight foot ladder. We'll see how long it holds up and if anything uses it.

So, I can pretty well discern how the hole got into the stalk. An infestation of some kind of larvae, like June bugs, ate the pith out of the stalk. A Ladder-backed Woodpecker heard them inside and probably drilled a hole near the base where the larvae had accumulated. And probably made the hole in a matter of minutes.

I worked on the tank awhile yesterday and again today. As much as my body could tolerate. Not doing any more until I get all the water and mud out of it. I worked in the far end cleaning and coating cracks. I don't think that end leaks but I want to be sure it doesn't start to. I coated the whole thing eight years ago. Two coats are supposed to last 10 years, but I did just one coat, a thinned down one at that. I'm just going to keep patching holes and cracks and hope it doesn't leak. I think it's doable. Just have to get serious about it.

To recap, it didn't leak in the summer of 2020, but leaked about 2" or more a day in the summer of 2021. Not acceptable.