Composting For Dummies (Me)

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My neighbor had her trees wind-sailed last week and graciously had the contractor dump the wood chips in the driveway for my compost pile (it pays to share my annual bounty with neighbors).
For those not familiar with the term wind-sail, it involves removing 1/3 of the limbs to thin out the tree, allowing the wind to blow through, instead of blowing the tree over.
Many of the tree here in the PNW have shallow root systems, making them prone to toppling in heavy winds.
Her four 60' pines were thick with branches and sorely needed thinning. So I loaded up the Mazda to the top and I'm hauling it out to the farm. I already have a small mountain of leaves piled up and this will make a good start for garden soil come spring of 2024.
I started collecting the leaves a few of months ago (from neighbors) and have already mixed in some composted manure, bonemeal, and some kitchen scraps. I turn the whole pile once every couple of months while adding other ingredients such as coffee grounds I get from the local drive-thru coffee kiosk.
I'm waiting for the annual March smelt run here in the local rivers so I can net a few pounds of them to add to the pile. May have to throw in some lime to balance out the Ph though.
Frost this morning and in the low thirties but clear and little or no rain/snow predicted.
Should be able to host from the farm, although responses may lag a bit.
So the thread is open. What's going on?

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snoopydawg's picture

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Neo-Nazi brotherhood: How American friends of Ukrainian fascists plotted a terror attack in the US and the media ignored the story and the fact Atomwaffen adherents both in the US and abroad carried out increasingly serious crimes while he was jailed, including multiple murders, Russell was released early from prison. Furthermore, he was not subject to any order banning him from contact with other members of his neo-Nazi fraternity.

It is just as remarkable that a federal bust of a domestic terror plot involving leading members of a group – who clearly pose a huge threat to public safety – has basically been completely ignored by the mainstream media and US politicians alike. After all, President Joe Biden's administration has aggressively promoted the threat of far-right, racially-motivated extremism. Officials have even gone to the extent of carrying out secret social media witch-hunts targeting white conservatives to identify - or perhaps fabricate - evidence of this danger.

Meanwhile the dude who sat at Pelosi’s desk and then left the capitol when told to is facing 20 years in prison for domestic terrorism charges.

Carlson showed some of the unseen footage of the capitol riot and in one that shaman guy was escorted around the capitol by 2 cops who even tried to open doors for him. I saw one video way back when that showed him in some room and a cop entered, spoke with him and then left the room. Shaman got 4 years for his actions. Yeah I can definitely read between the lines here.

Oh yeah and today the left media mouthpieces are screaming that Carlson cheery picked the video so he could deny that there was an insurrection. Nea

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Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

earthling1's picture

@snoopydawg
He is definitely not left leaning, and he is a pain in the ass to the Republicans, what cohort does he speak to?
Is he trying to ride the exact middle?
And which middle, far right/corporate left?
Or mainstream right/far left? Or some combination of the two?
None of the above, just going for attention?
Should we even care?
Thanks for the post, Snoop.

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8 users have voted.

Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.

snoopydawg's picture

@earthling1

His commentary usually leans right and he is good at spilling some of the beans, but not all of the information in the beans comes out. I think his job is different than Rachel’s whose job it is to further inflame the left through her deliberate lies and propaganda.

As for cheery picking the facts that is exactly what the democrats did with their 2 year long investigation into the riot. I’ve read that no one was allowed council during their interrogations, but not sure if that is true.

In case you missed this from Hedges that I posted Sunday it’s well worth a read.

Lynching the Deplorables

There is little that unites me with those who occupied the Capitol building on Jan. 6. Their vision for America, Christian nationalism, white supremacy, blind support for Trump and embrace of reactionary fact-free conspiracy theories leaves a very wide chasm between their beliefs and mine. But that does not mean I support the judicial lynching against many of those who participated in the Jan. 6 events, a lynching that is mandating years in pretrial detention and prison for misdemeanors. Once rights become privileges, none of us are safe.

Comment:

Jeff Stantz
March 7, 2023 at 7:29 am

I watched the footage Tucker Carlson released. It is really insane. If anything, Jacob Chansley should be exonerated immediately and let out of jail.

Those cops, about nine of them did nothing, and several were walking right in front of him. How was Jacob supposed to assume what he was doing would land him in jail for four years if the police had no objection to his movements?

The whole think stinks, and as usually, the mentally ill person get screwed and all the cops are free.

If republicans are serious about looking into the events of that day they would get Pelosi and Bowers, the DC mayor to explain why they turned down Trump’s offer of extra security that day including the national guard. And the cops who were seen on the video escorting the shaman around and the other cops who were just as friendly to the protesters.

Plus there is footage of the Trump supporters being peaceful outside and not causing any problems, but some cops started using tear gas and rubber bullets on them. That’s when people got upset. And there is plenty of footage of cops beating people for no reason. 4 Trump supporters were killed and no one has been held accountable for it or as far as I know not even questioned.

I’m with Chris. I don’t like Trump and I think his supporters are just as blind as democrat supporters are to what their party actually does. But I’m very against the way people have been treated and especially the pre trial confinement and long prison sentences for trespassing. And how many of the jurors work for the government and see facts from their prejudicial positions ? I think the trials should be moved out of DC.

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7 users have voted.

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

Sima's picture

@snoopydawg
I read it and just roll my eyes. It's hard to believe how much our media and government try to distract us from these kinds of things!

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3 users have voted.

If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so

earthling1's picture

steam rising off the grass. Maybe 45°.
Opened up the big compost mound yesterday and it was cookin' pretty heavy. The leaves in the middle were black with pirolysis and the steam coming out looked like it was on fire.
But I opened it up wide with the Kubota and emptied two kitchen scrap buckets into it and piled the truckload of wood chips on top of that.
Hope it don't catch fire!
But I did top it with a couple o' buckets of dirt.
Hope everybody is enjoying their day!

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7 users have voted.

Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.

Sima's picture

@earthling1
Wish we could do that with our politicians Smile Errr, not sure if I mean bury them, compost them, or just pile more dirt on them!

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2 users have voted.

If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so

dystopian's picture

Hi all, Hey E1!

Sounds a great compost project! We had a JAVELINA (Collared Peccary) at our mulch pile a couple weeks ago! It was worth it to have one just to see that out the window!

Since an open thread, here is a public service announcement...

Have a great day all!

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7 users have voted.

We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein

laughable scenario. Likely the shitlibs will buy it.

Aaron Mate smells a rat.

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Sima's picture

@humphrey
I nearly spit my drink out all over my monitor in disbelief when I read that headline! Smile

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2 users have voted.

If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so

snoopydawg's picture

Many more videos in the thread.

Shades of Ray Epps who once was on the FBI BOLO, but was quickly removed from it and his testimony to the kabuki court was behind closed doors. He was seen telling people that they should go into the capital tomorrow and then he was seen helping to remove barricades.

I think every bit of footage should be released to the public and let us make up our own minds about what happened then.

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7 users have voted.

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

built from chicken wire and lats. Works pretty good. about 8 ' long by 3' deep and 3' high.
Altering sections allow for decomposition and feeding. Not real good at it yet and the whole
structure needs rebuilding (doors are hard to open), but it does keep the critters out and is
far enough out back to avoid the smells.

Just got a plastic barrel from the town, made in Canada. it has a locking lid, lower door for
scooping out the composted goodies and plenty of side vents for air. Plan to stake it down
somewhere closer to the house, so we can empty the kitchen cuttings when the weather
forbids forays into the woods.

Thanks for the OT!

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@QMS

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4 users have voted.

@humphrey @humphrey

We are in the negotiating phase of placement now. It will sit on the deck unused until
a compromise is reached. Too many possibilities coupled with differing priorities.
Sheesh. Harmonious relationships are a real balancing act.

thanks be to the fates she was not on the planning committee when I built our house
Wink

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enhydra lutris's picture

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2 users have voted.

That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

@enhydra lutris

I am not much of a gardener but I think the flowers on the right side are marigolds

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earthling1's picture

@humphrey
I like to surround my garden with them. They attract pollinators and repel deer and rabbits.

up
4 users have voted.

Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.

enhydra lutris's picture

@humphrey @

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1 user has voted.

That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

Sima's picture

@enhydra lutris
or sage. Sure does look like it. And on the other side is a marigold plant.

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2 users have voted.

If you're poor now, my friend, then you'll stay poor.
These days, only the rich get given more. -- Martial book 5:81, c. AD 100 or so
Nothing ever changes -- Sima, c. AD 2020 or so