The Art of Letting Things Rot

One of the projects I worked on while Evan was gone this week was a compost bin. I've been wanting to do this for awhile now, but just hadn't had the chance made it a priority. I started researching, and all of the compost bins you can buy are somewhat pricey for basically letting stuff rot inside of it. Luckily I came across this post on how to make a compost bin out of a garbage can. I didn't have a garbage can, but I did have an empty plastic bin that I figured would work just as well. 

 Evan drilled holes through the bottom, top, and sides of the bin for me to let air in; preventing the food from molding in a bad way. Some composting tables make this whole process look super complicated...when really, you are making dirt by letting it hang out. The trick is having a good carbon to nitrogen ratio. Brown things like cardboard, leaves, grass clippings, straw, sawdust, etc. is carbon. Coffee grounds, egg shells, weeds, and other food waste is the green, or nitrogen. Basically you want to have an even portion of both for good compost. I used a thin base of dirt as my first layer. Next, I layered shredded cardboard and newspaper. Then, added lettuce, onions, and leftover soup that was a day too old to eat. I lightly misted the whole thing with water, (enough to make it damp, but not wet) slapped the lid on, and set it on a few brinks hidden away along the side of the house. 

Mmmmmm.....compost!

Last night I cleaned out my fridge before grocery shopping and added more. It felt so much better putting old food to use, rather than throwing it away to be doomed to rot sitting in a pile of plastic somewhere. The only upkeep is to mix it every 3-6 weeks and make sure it stays damp. It wasn't hard at all, and took me a grand total of  maybe15 minutes. 

Instead of having to go buy soil to plant flowers, (like I just had to do 2 weeks ago) I'll have nutritious soil for free! That's already saving me about $5-10 per bag of potting soil I won't need. I can already tell our garbage is going to significantly decrease too. Since there is only 2 of us, we didn't have that much in the first place, but now it will be even less. I'm so pump that I finally did this, I can't believe I waited this long! If you want more information on composting, especially things you shouldn't compost check it out here.

RIP Lucy and Happy Easter

You guys remember Lucy right?

- Scout's brand new $60 dog bed - 

I'm sorry, you might not recognize her since she's in about a BILLION different pieces.

We came home to this lovely sight a few nights ago, after going out to dinner...needless to say, Scout was very proud of himself. He thought he had done us the biggest favor that we could ever ask for! Too bad I can't ever recalling wishing for this kind of favor. As much as I wanted to strangle him, he looked way too happy and impressed with himself to not laugh! I'm sorry we let it end this way Lucy, but I guess it was bound to happen sometime!

It makes me really sad that today doesn't feel like Easter. I wish I had gone to church. For some reason I always chicken out going by myself. That needs to change. Scout and I sunbathed outside while I read the last book of the Hunger Games for most of the day. I ate chicken noodle soup with crackers for dinner. It seemed like I should be doing something bigger, better for today. When I talked to my Dad tonight he said it didn't feel like Easter either, so maybe its not just me this year. 

Voldemort

Spring is here. 

Spring daffodil's on our table

  This morning a grumbling thunderstorm woke me up. I crawled out of bed and grumbled along with it as I walked down the hall and into the living room to let Scout out. As I opened the door a wall of damp, sweet musty spring air floated around me into the house. It immediately changed my dark morning mood. I couldn't help but let a small smile slide over my lips, as though someone had left a sweet surprise on my doorstep. I felt a little lighter, refreshed, new, calm, and clean. On the way home from work this whole week, I've driven home in a blissful state by rolling my windows down. I picked daffodil's from my front yard to enjoy while eating dinner. After dinner on my walk with Scout, the neighborhood was buzzing for the first time. The sun was shining, the skies were blue. Kids were playing basketball and riding bikes, dads were tinkering in the garage, moms were screaming at their kids to not go so far; it was great! People were alive again! They weren't forced to stay holed up in front of the bland living room TV. The grey wash of winter has melted. Blinds of windows were pried open like rusty hinges. I saw a robin for the first time, and noticed small pale green buds dabbing each tree branch. Newborn weeds were starting to push through the cement cracks of the sidewalk. I've shrieked with excitement every evening when the sun seems to stretch out the day, by lingering just a few minutes longer. 

Spring intoxicates people like a good perfume. But seeing as I don't wear perfume, that might be a bad analogy for me to use properly. Spring intoxicates me like the smell of peeling back the sheets and climbing into a freshly made bed, or the smell of when you open a box of black tea for the first time, having a fully clean, and organized house, or Cascade. You always take a moment to inhale deeply and slowly. (Except with Cascade, promise!)

This year I want to have the spring bug. I want to become hopelessly hyper, listen to the birds chirp, and take my shoes off and walk in the cool, damp grass. It's become increasingly difficult to resist it's welcoming charm. I've tried to ignore spring this year and push it away. Because this year spring means nothing good to me.

Spring means pouring over detailed packing lists. Spring means begrudgingly spending money on unwanted boots, bags, knives, and gear. Spring brings training. Spring brings stress. Spring brings tears. Spring brings one less night together. Spring brings silent dinners and melancholy air. Spring brings the unknown. Spring brings worry. Spring brings a simmering panic. Spring means planning to not to plan. Spring means standing in a gravel parking lot alone. Spring brings duty. Spring brings war. Spring brings goodbyes.

 Each sweet songbird chirping sounds like a crow. Blooming trees are tinged with bitter flower buds. Even the soft breeze feels like it might be trying to knock me down. The good feeling of spring is being smothered by the grasp that tightens around my chest. Everyday it slowly clenches tighter and higher. This is how I feel about the "D word." It's like saying You-Know-Who's name out loud...Voldemort...Deployment...they both have the same ring to me, and general feelings of animosity, angst, and affliction.

As much as deployments suck, they don't last for forever. (Although it might seem like it sometimes) Honestly Evan and I are really good at the goodbye thing. Almost too good in my opinion. We love being together and work great together, but we aren't the kind of couple that need each other to function. This summer I'm so excited to be able to visit my family and friends all around the US. What other wife gets the opportunity to live the semi-single life again? I know this might sound like I'm being heartless, but I promise I miss him every single day that he is gone. AND I probably worry enough to poop a cow, but at some point you just have to realize its part of the job, it's going to happen. The day he steps off that plane to come home is unlike any other feeling I will ever experience. So why not just take the bad as bad, the good as great, and remember to be thankful for every single minute you have together while you can.

Family Weekend

This weekend my parents came to visit!

Our weekend consisted of a lot of overeating, doting on Scout, and hanging out. The big stop of the weekend was Antique Archeology in Nashville.

 If you watch American Pickers you will immediately know what I'm talking about. My parents are obsessed with the show. Mike Wolfe (the tall skinny one) opened a store in Nashville to sell his "picks." It was in a pretty cool old building.

The Rents

 There were a lot of unique things, which were pretty cool and definitely one-of-a-kind. The prices were kind of expensive, but if you found something you liked, you know you wouldn't be finding something like it anywhere in your lifetime. The majority of the merchandise was t-shirts, key chains, posters, etc. Overall it was a pretty neat place to see!

 Unfortunetly everything I liked was not for sale. (The clock above and this awesome coffee table) Lame.

To overcome my sadness I smothered bbq sauce on pulled pork at Bar-B-Cutie for dinner. It made up for the lost coffee table and clock. At the end of the weekend we had a fridge full of leftovers, a little more junk in the trunk, one exhausted puppy, and a messy house. But, it was all in the name of time well spent together.