Someone once said there is a fine line between a hobby and a mental illness. That line becomes particularly blurry when your hobby is composting. The concept itself (carefully tending a pile of decaying organic matter) seems squarely outside the realm of normal human behavior, and I find my involvement with this hobby led to some slightly bizarre behavior.
For example, this afternoon I was explaining to Phillip the need to add some dry material to the compost pile to keep it from becoming a slimy mess full of smelly, anaerobic bacteria. My husband politely reminded me that we were having lunch, and asked if we could continue this riveting conversation later.
As for the aforementioned dry material, since I lack a yard to supply fallen leaves or lawn clippings (which you can dry out and then add to the pile), I have to seek alternative sources of dry stuff. I find I’m almost excited to get junk mail these days so I can shred it and add it to the compost pile. If the credit card pushers start slacking off, though, sometimes I have to load Baby into her stroller and pay a visit to a neighbor that doesn’t rake their leaves very often. I’m sure they appreciate the anonymous disposal of their yard waste, but I can only guess at the thoughts of passing motorists who watch me with slightly furrowed brows.
5 comments:
You are awesome. You need to live in the Northwest. You would be so normal here. I know, I know. Define normal.
Don't tempt me - there would be a revolt among the grandparents. Plus, I don't deal well with cold weather.
Funny - it's both delightful and deflating to think that there are whole communities of people who are quirky the same way I am. We all want to be unique, but we also want the companionship of people who understand us.
Humans sure are tough to satisfy. :)
Your hobby is great. You will have delicous organic fruits and vegetables that you grow. Plus your saving money.
I did a play in high school called Pfieffer's People, based on a commic strip by Jules Pfieffer that was popular back in the sixties. Anyway, there is a part where one of the characters is lamenting about how boring he is and how he hasn't really dipped into the cultural revolution. He puts it best when he says, "What I wouldn't give to be a non-conformist just like everyone else." Hee. Hee.
And here is your quote for the day, "A fanatic is someone who redoubles their efforts while losing sight of their goal."
Grin-worthy quotes, both. :)
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