Composting - and what Not to do..

This is a story of my little obscessive quest to gather leaves and other assorted ingredients for the compost heap. I confess to knocking on strangers doors, taking spent coffee grounds from my several office locations, roaming new neighborhoods and grabbing leaf bags from their driveways, saving llama manure, spent hay and straw, and of course the little storage container of spent kitchen scraps under my kitchen sink. One week ago I landed the bomb. A 40 mile round trip to a friends house to pick up 30 large black plastic bags of Beautifully machine-mulched leaves, put into the back of my van that normally hauls llamas. (call it The Llama-zine) Anyway I was one very happy llama momma. Two strong men loaded up the heavy plastic bags. But back home and Oops I found myself alone to unload all 30 bags. omg. With one hand I could drag a bag across the grass and haul the other bag on my back, not moving fast, definately wobbling, but getting my mulched leaves to their new home was the goal. The compost bins were 175 feet away from the van, on a downhill slope. In the pouring rain. In 15 - 20 mph winds. Huffing and puffing but happy I was determined and crazy to finish dragging and emptying all my bags of future black gold. After a couple of round trips even the walk uphill with empty bags was getting really tough and slow. An hour later I wondered if my beloved Rick might find me laid out for good out by the compost. It's been a week since my little adventure and I have the nastiest sore throat, ear ache and heavy chest cough to show for my rediculous quest!
What Not to do and Lessons Learned: 1-Plan ahead for help. 2- Mid-fifties is not a time to act like mid-twenties, because 3- ambition can bite back. The end

I don't get as much done in a day as I did 30 years ago either.

Say, aren't llamas pack animals?

Well I am about to turn 30 and do not think I could have done all that. Hope you feel better soon. Just think soon all that hard work will pay off

great story!! thanks for posting, you're gonna have some awesome compost!!

yes Boffer they are pack animals! I hear the irony! It was raining and they intelligently went inside the barn, the females in particular don't like the wind at all, always head to the barn on windy days.

Thanks Newstart and Southern Gardener, I am resting and taking meds and with only 64 sf of beds the compost should last for awhile and allow for the spring addition of a tt and arbor. But for now everything needs to be turned over so the manure, water, etc, can be added in. Husband is willing to do it this weekend. I am lucky and blessed.

lavender debs

Oh if I had the room to store them here, I would grab two bags of leaves a day when I drive to New Jersey to work. Some of the neighborhoods I work in are just lined with bagged leaves!

I'm jealous.

Wow! You go girl!

Too Tall Tomatoes wrote:Oh if I had the room to store them here, I would grab two bags of leaves a day when I drive to New Jersey to work. Some of the neighborhoods I work in are just lined with bagged leaves!

I'm jealous.

I know what you mean. I saw 6 big bags of leaves sitting in front of a house today, but the back of my truck was full of hardwood flooring.



Kay

Way to go LM!!

I've got all my own leaves shredded up and I've been pretty tempted by my neighbors leaves but I'm worried about the herds of black walnuts up and down the street...

boffer wrote:I don't get as much done in a day as I did 30 years ago either.

Say, aren't llamas pack animals?

That was exactly my thought, too!