What I Want For Mother's Day

[vitugglan]

I want a composter.  I'm tired of bagging up yard refuse that can't be chopped by the lawn mower.  Our soil's crap.  Why not improve it, right?  Of course hubby is more into buying chocolates or orchid plants that will die within a few months.  Any recommendations on composters?  I'm thinking one of those tumble types with good ratings.

[spaniardx]

From what I've read, the ones that tumble the compost take up less space than an actual compost pile. You can put yard clippings in there (I'm not sure if its a good idea to put fallen pine needles in there) as well as any non meat or dairy food scraps. Just a garden variety tumble composter (I looked on the Home Depot website) doesn't look like it cost much more than a fair to middling hand gun (and are ya'll having trouble getting ammo from mainstream sources -- WallyWorld, Cabella's Sports Academy -- like we are here?

 There is also this neat item called a biogas digester. It also takes your yard clippings and non meat/dairy kitchen scraps and gives back liquid fertilizer and fuel for a gas stove. Granted, it takes about 24 hours and you get about a half hours worth of fuel. But, if you can save it, you'd have some way to keep warm and/or cook should we have another weather incident.

[vitugglan]

Oh, man. Ammo? Not just the mainstream sources but online sources, too. The husband keeps his nose to the phone to order any ammo we use the minute it becomes available because if you don't catch it right away you don't catch it at all. Sold out. Not sure why. Various speculations are that people are afraid the current administration will do naughty things to ammo; other speculation is that there are so many new gun owners that they are adding to the push to buy ammo at a time when perhaps ammo manufacturing may have been curtailed due to lockdowns or partial lock-downs. A fringe theory is that the military is a) buying it all up or b) placing large orders that supersede other orders.

Yeah, that's quite a composter/energy generator. I was thinking of something a little less expensive. Wally World is having a sale this week on some of the turning type of composters, one with a very good customer rating, is around $85.00 www.amazon.com/Yimby-Tumbler-Composter-Color-Black/dp/B009378AG2/?th=1. The one with wheels, which would serve my purpose more, is about $110.00 before tax www.amazon.com/Hot-Frog-Dual-Chamber-Compost-Tumbler/dp/B01D1SQQQY/ , same price IIRC as on Amazon. Both need to be delivered. If he doesn't get on the stick I'll have to go and order it myself.

I mean, why spend and spend on lawn and leaf bags and set them out on the street when you could use the refuse to make good compost? We've been here almost 16 years. In all that time I think we've spent a lot more on bags than either of these composters cost, maybe as much as the super-wonderful natural gas creator. What do you bet I get one of those $10 orchid plants? Which I do like, but I think we need a composter more.

[spaniardx]

Some times, to get what you want, ya gotta ask for it.   If you want that composter from him, let him know. Not very romantic, I'll grant you, but some times romance should not require telepathy.

[vitugglan]

Yeah, I learned that about him ages ago. Thing is, he'll argue. This time his argument was, the reviews say it takes four hours to put it together. I can't imagine how it would take four hours to put that together, but if it came completely unassembled I guess that's possible. I know it took us more than five hours to put that kitchen cupboard together(it's a wonderful cupboard, gave me a lot more room in the kitchen) and we were both exhausted by the time it went together.

Next part: What would you do with it? Answer: duh! Fewer bags of yard waste on the street, fewer yard bags to buy, free compost. Next: Why do you want it? Answer: Never mind. I'll just trundle down to Lowe's and order it myself, with cash so even that won't go wrong.