In just 4 days the pile has heated up to 120 degrees.

No jokes about this starting to look like a shallow grave for that absentee neighbor. Those are his rotten apples in the pile. They're better here than on my curb though.

onto Day 6

What now?
I couldn't leaf well enough alone (get it?) so my wandering eye turned towards the yard waste bins on our curb. Now I know why the city collects yard waste for free. With a little alchemy, you too can turn waste into garden gold. Does that make me a leaf thief?

And then there is my absentee neighbor who doesn't pick up the fallen apples or leaves from his fruit tree, and they've been rotting in our cul-de-sac since August of 2011. This has attracted the attention of what we've started to call "the compost fairy."

Who is the Compost Fairy?

The compost fairy kindly cleans your french press because she's after the coffeee grounds.
She rakes your backyard and picks up your 6 month mushy, old rotten apples with gloved hands and a smile on her face, because she knows they have a 35:1 Carbon:Nitrogen ratio. She cleans your hairbrushes when you're not looking. She's welcome here.