composting

some things happen fast here. leaves fill the yard, plants grow, food spoils, and refrigerators defrost quickly. today i made a connection with all those things, by starting a compost pile with several science projects we had brewing in the fridge and huge piles of leaves that have fallen in the yard. at the moment, the pile of leaves sitting on top of the now rotting vegetables, mango and banana peels is not nearly as big as the piles i have raked together throughout the yard, but marc left to town to buy bicycle repair tools and took the key to the toolshed, so i can’t get to the wheelbarrow. consolidating the piles will be tomorrow’s project.
composting is not so much an ecological as it is a matter of convenience in the present circumstances. we need to haul trash down to the main street for pickup, and whatever goes onto the compost heap is less to carry. also factoring into the decision to make the pile is the richly diverse population of bugs all too eager to call a trashbag full of fruit rinds and peels their new home and maternity ward. i scrubbed all the cute little maggots out of the bin today after i prepared their new home. i am way more psyched on the buggy-wugs living in the backyard than i am with them hanging out in the kitchen.
we had two big compost bins in LA, and i really enjoyed throwing stuff in there and watching it turn into rich earthy goodness. i’m looking forward to this new pile yielding some compost and serving several purposes.