True Confessions

Ok – I have a confession to make.  I did try composting once.

It all started about a year ago, right after Jack dug up the Canna lily bulbs for the winter.  As I watched him bundle them up in newspaper, I thought of how excited he would be the following year when my compost transformed his garden into something even his green thumb couldn’t imagine. 

Jack had given the lawn its final mowing earlier in the day in preparation for the winter frost.  I remembered hearing somewhere that yard waste would make a good compost base, so I grabbed the rake and gathered up all the grass clippings. I added them to the pile of leaves we had raked the week before. 

At the end of the first day I looked at the pile of leaves and grass behind our house among the trees and rocks, and it was good.

On the second day, I decided to add our garbage to the pile. I took an old plastic Folgers coffee tub and made room for it under the sink. I started dumping coffee grinds, egg shells, vegetable skins, fruit rinds, and anything else that seemed appropriate. When the tub was full, I stomped out to the pile and emptied the contents on top. The more disgusting my compost looked, the prouder I felt.  As you may remember, I have a “save the Earth” type sister. As I added to my compost pile I thought of Loretta and smiled smugly. This, too, was good.