Stumped!

This is the NE corner of my yard. The big ol' twirly composter is from a time when we had money to spend on such foolishness.

Not so foolish, as it turns out. See, granted, it's so hot and humid down here, your yard trimmings and such will decompose in a matter of weeks, not months. (This state of affairs is well known to your CSI types, and much lamented.)

So you don't need a spinning composter that keeps everything well oxygenated and mixed and so forth. You don't need to stack it or layer it any special way, or even water it unless it's unusually dry. Just dump it in a pile, come back a month or two later, and except for a few big sticks, you're good to go.

One problem with compost is rats. And especially since the hurricane, that's been a problem all over South Florida.

So what I have here is a vermin-proof composter I can put my kitchen waste in. Orange peels, eggshells, coffee grounds. The little nasties can't get in there for nothin. heh heh!

The sticks and leaves can go on like usual. Vermin aren't interested in those.

So here was this NE corner of the yard, out by the composter. It's been overrun with Snow on the Mountain plants. Pretty, yes, but they've been getting chewed to death by caterpillars. There were also several stumps from some old shrubby type trees I've been chainsawing away for years now.

And it just seemed to me that it was time to take those stumps out. I'm usually pretty laissez-faire about stumps, but these have been irritating me by getting full of ants and getting in my way. I need more space for plumeria. And for cactuses.

So out they went. Neighbor Peter told me I woke him up yesterday morning, he could feel the earth move as I hacked away.

Getting out stumps can be one of the most satisfying yard activities on offer.