3-28-11 10:30 pm Dirt

I'm exhausted. I've moved a garden bed, filled it, planted another, moved a full compost bin, taken down part of a fence, laid down landscaping fabric, you get the idea. How could I not though, with time off work, the sun shining, and Anne engrossed in a book. It was the perfect day to roll up my sleeves and dig. That compost bin has been a thorn in our sides ever since we started using it four or five years ago. It's so big. And it seems to take a really long time to do its job. In fact, I could still see bits of food long ago dumped in, from the low holes in the side. I thought the stuff at the bottom was supposed to be dirt by now. The prospect of relocating it (we're trying to spiff up the yard a bit so we can enjoy more time outside this summer) was getting grosser by the minute. Armed with black plastic bags (I recently read that one of the easiest ways to compost involves simply filling black plastic bags with yard and kitchen waste, sinching the top, and letting it sit in the sun for about three weeks. Gargage going it, dirt coming out. Sounds good to me, and quick too!) I set to work. The top layer was leaves. No problem. Then came the egg shells. My bad. A few dried out melon rinds. At least the smell was gone. And then I struck GOLD! I mean...dirt. Really. There it was, black, thick, rich, nutrient-filled dirt. So, I switched destinations and started moving from that wonderful, large, round black bin to the raised garden bed with shovels full of good, clean, FREE dirt. I guess the food items closest to the outside of the bin held their shape, but deeper towards the center of the bin held many bags worth of wonderful soil. "Ashes to ashes, and dust to dust", I saw it today. I know I didn't put all that dirt in there. The magic of simply letting nature run its course helped me plant a better garden bed today. And all I had to do was wait. It begs the question,"Why hurry?" I think I'll slow down a little, and wait for more good dirt to come my way.