Another Pile Started

I spent the day with my Aunt mucking horse manure from one of her neighbor's barns.  Boy, was there some manure to harvest.  We are using it to start another pile next to her already large pile that we started a week or so ago. Sadly, I am fresh out of straw for the time being so I will be using shredded  cardboard and paper for my carbon. With that said, that is going to be a bitch to do.  Last year, the ill-informed voters of my beloved State voted out the State run liquor stores in-favor for every Tom, Dick, and Harry establishment with 10,000+ square feet to be able to sell it in their stores.  (Corporate greed, anyone?)
Funny thing is, people are having to pay liquor store prices PLUS the state liquor tax which is about $4.00 for every liter.  Liquor store prices in the past included the tax and you paid a flat rate.   And how does that tie into getting free cardboard?  Because they always had cardboard for the taking at those stores. Always.  Now, it is a pain to find free cardboard since recycling is very much ingrained here and private companies get paid to recycle.  Anyway, I will just have to hunt some down so I can shred it for the pile.

Speaking of piles, I combined all three of my own into one large one.  It will compost faster, but will require a bit more work than I originally was up for.  However, I love to compost.  I call it a gardener's alchemy equivalent of turning lead into gold.  I spent two-hours yesterday scooping, hauling, dumping one pile upon another to make one large pile.  This morning, it was steaming like a stream plant from under its plastic covering. (I like to cover my compost to ensure high-temps.)  Another thing is I live to see is it steaming and gradually turning black.  I will have to turn it again tomorrow, and again two days after that and so on until it is finished.  This morning, it was already at 140-degrees.  Cannot wait!