Compost bin(s) out of Pallets

Well, I looked online and found directions for a compost bin made out of pallets; you can find it here: http://www3.uwm.edu/Dept/shwec/publications/cabinet/factsheets/WoodenPalletCompostBin.pdf

Pallets are often given away, so right off, this appealed to me. Also, I'm not much of a carpenter, and neither of the males living here are either, so the simplicity of this design also appealed to me. It looks like something I can actually DO, without a lot of help.

Now, this is NOT saying this is the right composter for you, only that it fills the bill for ME. If I've learned anything by living all these many years, it's that people have different tastes, and what appeals to one will not appeal, even to her close friends, let alone the world in general. (That's one nice thing about good friends--they tell you, in plain language, what appeals to them and what doesn't--they don't use subtleties or beat around the bush, and they're not shy.)
I wanted an easy-to-build compost bin, one that was CHEAP to build, and one that would allow me to turn my compost pile. You might care more about how it looks, etc.

Sooo, I am going to start collecting the minimal hardware I will need for this pallet compost bin, and scout around for one more pallet. ( I intend to put my bin against our chainlink fence, so I will only need three pallets and I have two already.) Our town's City Maintenance Facility has a "free" pile right by their gate, and that is where I got the two pallets I have and probably where I will find the next one. I'll take the truck, though. I had the Impala when I picked up one of them, and it was quite a feat, getting it in the car by myself--I think I finally stuffed it in the trunk after trying, in vain, to wrestle it into the back seat. Not fun.

Spent the morning out in the yard with my dogs. It was warm (60 degrees is a warm spring day here-we're near the coast and on a harbor) and the dogs LOVE a warm day. They slept in the grass and just looked so very happy-watching them revel in the beautiful day reminds ME to revel in it, too. Poki was stretched out on her belly with her two short back legs straight out behind her; part of the time, she slept under my wagon. I guess she has now decided that my little wagon is her friend; she barked like crazy at it when I brought it out yesterday. She has a "thing" about wheeled conveyances, and also all motorized things.

The wagon is just a child's wagon, old, with those wooden slat sides. I bought it at a garage sale after someone stole my John Deere Green metal wagon from our backyard. I actually PREFER this old wagon to the nicer one, because it is the right size for me; the other wagon was really too big, although it had nice rubber tires, etc. However, that said, I would also PREFER that people not steal my things, of course.

My husband asked me what I wanted for Mothers' Day and I said, "Dirt!" I have been waiting for a year and a half for a load of dirt for a flowerbed in the frontyard. I laid several layers of newspaper down where I wanted the bed, sprayed water on it until it was thoroughly wet, and then covered it with a tarp. I'm PRETTY sure the grass is all gone under there by now!!! I never DIG a flower or garden bed; why do that when you can just cover the area and let the worms dig it for you??!! I do the same in the fall, if I decide to make my garden plot bigger for the next year. All it takes is a little planning ahead, and you'll never have to break sod again!!

I have an unhappy little rhodie that wants to be moved to a higher perch, so I'm going to mound up this Mothers' Day dirt, and make a little hill for it. Maybe then it will BLOOM next year!! I don't even remember what color it is, as the only time it had any blooms was the year I bought it. One thing about plants, you either make THEM happy or they make YOU an unhappy gardener!! At least, they make ME unhappy when they don't grow, bloom, live, etc., etc.

I also detached one of the Clemitises (Clemiti ?) from the Butterfly Bush. It was climbing all over it, so I had to detach it's little tendrils, one by one, so I could have it cling to the fence, not this other plant. I failed with several Clemitises, but finally have two that have begun to do well, coming back year after year. I don't know what I did wrong before, but I do know these guys like to be watered if it gets dry. I watered them both today as this is our fourth (!!!!) consecutive dry day.

I mowed the dogyard, too. And then ran out of fuel--not for the mower, it's electric and runs on a battery--for ME. Had to come in and eat. Later, I'll mow the rest of the backyard, as, around here, you have to mow when the sun shines.