I've been composting for over 40 years and have taken as a guide the methods used by Sir Albert Howard who composted the manure from his work oxen in India in the 1940's. Howard is considered the father of organic agriculture. Since I was/am a professional horticulturist I've usually required large amounts of finished compost or leaf mold. It has never suited me to chip up anything put into a compost pile and that is one reason I've never used leaves in my composting. Another is that leaves have lots of lignins and waxes in them and while, yes there may be some bacteria involved in the breakdown leaves come from a very different ecology than manures, grasses and forbs and their breakdown is primarily fungal. I remain unimpressed with the Florida compost advice and many others of that ilk calling leaves "browns" instead of leaves. Yes, leaves are great, yes you can chip them or mow them if you have the time and the gasoline, just don't smother your composting manure with unchipped leaves which don't like the bacteria anyway. If the animal is never stabled than how is one going to compost the manure? I assume one would let it lie on the pasture where it does plenty of good along with the urine of course.

Every spring I rake away heavy layers of wet, matted leaves that look awful. Not only do they look bad but they suffocate everything underneath them. I have mostly maple, oak and ash...am I doing something wrong? Yes, you are removing the best natural mulch. ;) It is one that is also far more effective than wood chips at keeping down weeds and it replaces itself every year instead of you having to do all the work of replacing the wood chips every year. But if you don't like its looks just put your wood chips on top of it. To plant annuals just move the leaves aside, plant and put the leaves back in place. Any perennials will come up right through the leaves. Leaf mulch doesn't suffocate anything underneath it - instead it feeds whatever is there, stabilizes the soil moisture levels, and blocks the light that the needs need to sprout. Dave

I've heard a good dose of seafood scraps will do it. Check with your local grocery for the time they cull and if you can have it, then bury it deep in the middle. More coffee grounds- hit your local Starbucks for a good dose. Other greens: check the Produce department while you're at the grocery for their cull, too. If you don't usually rake your lawn when you mow it, that might glean you a good shot of greens, too, for the time being. (Personally, I leave my cuttings on the lawn...nice & lush...but if I NEEDED the greens, you betcha I'd be raking some for the pile). Got a farmer's market stand nearby? Hit them up. Lawn maintenance company around? Maybe they'd be a good source. Or any neighbors that might have a bag-attachment on their lawn mower. Good luck!

I'm really sorry for your trouble. Unfortunately fixing any grout issue is time consuming. Today's commonly available grouts (Custom Polyblend, Mapei Keracolor, TEC AccuColor are actually really good quality products. It is not the grout's fault, it is bad application practice. You might be able to clean off the efflorescence with an acid wash. I'd try using Miracle's Heavy-Duty Acidic Cleaner. If you choose to do so, please carefully read their instructions and follow them. Always wear protective gear. You can definitely try to regrout, but if you just fix the bad spots they will stick out like a sore thumb. Color and texture will not match and you will see the patches. It would make sense to plan on redoing the entire area. I hope it is not too large. If it has been grouted recently and if the grout has been overwatered you might get lucky and it cleans out relatively easily. Either way the old grout will have to come out, the more the better. (Not too much if there is a floor heat system under the tiles.) If you're not comfortable using power tools (that can easily do more damage than good) a utility knife will do. Hold the knife with both hands. Do small sections at a time. Start from the middle of the grout line, as you get deeper, work your way out to the edges. When you get to the tile edge keep the blade at a 90° angle, scrape slowly and very carefully because those edges will chip easily. Always scrape away (direction) from the tile corners as those are the most sensitive. It is a good idea to vacuum regularly so you always have a clear view of the "work area". Once the grout line is clean you can grout. I hope you can find out the brand and the color of the original grout (it should be easy if you picked it). Just like with the acid, grouts have instructions too. Each brand has its own unique mixing ratio. Calculate how many fluid ounces of water they specify per one lb. of powder. If you do a small section only a 1 lb. mix should be plenty. A kitchen scale and a precise measuring cup are needed. Always follow the mixing, wait and 2nd mix times. Once the grout is in, wait for it to firm up, in your case (small area) you can you can wait longer than specified. While waiting, you can clean off the excess grout of the tiles without touching the grout line. Once the grout is firm enough (poke it with the tip of the utility knife's blade to determine) wipe it off very-very gently with an almost dry sponge. It helps to cut the sponge in half, it makes it easier to wring it out. Wiping also gives the grout surface's final texture, so make sure it is nice and smooth. If it doesn't work out the first time and the joints are still not completely filled, scrape it out and start again until you get it right. As I said it is tedious... Good luck!