"My wife now yells at me..."

Well Mike, I think it's time to think 'bout getting a new wife, clearly this one is deranged. Yell at a man for composting?, c'mon that's crossing a line, a bridge too far some might say. Tell her it could be worse you could be a golfer!

Tell her Lloyd Pete says for her to relax about the 'post.

Lloyd

P.S. You live far far away right?

How stupid of me....If the DW doesn't want you "bringing" stuff home, have it delivered!

Problem solved! (although I suspect you'll only get away with this once).

Alternatively, if you fear that tactic might be a tad bit overboard, just show her that picture and say, "See Dear, it could be worse, look at this whacko."

Lloyd

You know, I'm way overly organized too, but I feel the same way you do, Mike. Rescuing a thick cardboard cup holder from the fish place just made my day the other day! And I would LOVE some horse manure. It's hard to come by around here.

And haha, Lloyd! So mischievious!

Lloyd .... I will show that picture to my kids the next time they roll their eyes when I get a dump-truck load of tree mulch dumped in the driveway. [It only took me a week to move it into the yard.]

Mike -- don't get rid of the wife ... help her to mend her ways. Slowly introduce her to the joys of compost on her roses or other favorite plants. Get her hooked on worm composting [that's neater, isn't it?] Before you know it, she will be out there turning piles and haunting Starbucks. There's a composter inside the tidiest most citified person.... just needs a little exposure ....

Mike, you are not a sicko. I feel everyone needs activities that they can share with their DW's but they also need something they can do by themselves. It sounds like you found your thing. My wife hates my compost pile. She hates the 200 bags of leaves piled up in our yard but she knows I like to do it and she leaves me alone.
jim_6b

My wife says Im crazy too but she cant deny the flowers and veggies.

My wife was/is certain I have lost it. I think like you mikemerk. I even used the logic " we can't have horses because it will pollute our well" and then truck horse manure in! But, last week during what I will call an awakening, DW drove home with her PT cruiser FULL of compostables. Big box cardboard, UCG (3bags), and 30 lbs of fresh kelp!!!!! I love that woman.

Ah, the joy of living with someone who understands compost!
My dear husband, who gave up trying to "amend" me about 30 years ago, always asks, "Does this go in the compost bin or the trash?" before he throws anything away. He also brought home a big plastic bag of coffee grounds from the company Christmas party, and is in the process of convincing his fellow engineers that a compost pail in the meeting/lunch room is a good idea. Gotta love that guy!

"she is the most neat and organized person I know"

Well, now, there ya go:

It isn't *you* who needs to control some urges!

If your piles or bins are neat and well maintained, she just needs to lighten up a bit. But if she's not excited about your roadside finds and store discards, just don't tell her. Although my wife loves gardening and compost, I have a similar obsession with bringing home old radios and vintage audio equipment, and sometimes I just take it right to the basement without telling her. :-]

You're asking a person who just today found a bag of celery sticks in the back seat of her car - rescued from the trash bag from the company Christmas party two weeks ago. Luckily it's been cold so they were frozen, so no smell or oozing or anything.

I'm also trying to convince my son to help me out, unsuccessfully. At the practices for his high school hockey team, one of the mothers always sends a box of clementines. When I heard that the first image that popped in my mind was the locker room littered with orange peelings...four days a week. For some reason my son won't collect them for me. He muttered something about his teammates thinking he was weird or something...

:)
Dee

"she is the most neat and organized person I know" ... so surely she should approve of your tidying up after other people, especially the sort who throw rubbish from their cars.

When you hand her a bouquet of flowers or beautiful vegetables from your garden next summer, let her know that your bounty would not have been as nice without all of that nasty, old, stuff that you brought home in the winter. Maybe that will help! Otherwise, we're here for you, man!

Who really is the wacko, the person who thinks it is better to leave usuable trash in a dump or on the roadside, or the person who tries to give it new life? The composting/reuse acceptance cycle is more difficult for some. Your wife is still in step one "Denial". Keep it up. My family thought I was crazy when I set a small bucket (stainless steel...no smell) on the kitchen counter for them to put waste in, but they try to avoid the even crazier woman who sees them throw an apple core in the trash=)

Indeed, much of our society is in denial. They still seem to believe you can throw things away. There is no "away"!

So, Mike, did you ever compost that beehive you asked about the other day? What did the DW say 'bout that? (did you even tell her?)

A wise man I once worked for when I was in high school, once told me that "It is easier to beg for forgiveness than ask for permission". I know he didn't make that up but it stuck with me for over 30 years now.

So, just don't tell her about the composting stuff, you can always come in here and tell us, we understand. ;-)

Lloyd

Yes, there's a difference between the spouse *tolerating* your hobbies and *enjoying* them as much as you do. You might have to keep your enthusiasm to yourself - and us - and settle for tolerance.

Lloyd,

Thank you for reminding me about the beehive. The DW successfully distracted me last weekend asking me to build a loft in the garage. You see every year Christmas is the same. Grandparents shower the kids with gifts. No where to put the gifts. DW gets antsy because things are everywhere. Mike needs to find space to store the stuff before DW break out with "shingles" again. So I built the loft.

Funny though, when I was taking the leftover trash to the dump after cleaning the garage, that's when I found the frozen bag of fruit on the side of the road. It's on that same road that the beehive is on. I'll get it this weekend.

Thanks for the reminder.
-Mike

The idea of having to ask permission to pursue my passion, or be subjected to complaints and interference, makes me bristle. Probably why I never got married! LOL