lilacs of may - I agree w/the "need more greens" opinions above (which is not to say that I disagree w/the "need more water" opinions - I just don't have an opinion about the water thing b/c my bin is in a container & I tend to have too much moisture more often than not). The way you described it - 1 thin green, 1 thick brown of mostly leaves - seems like it would take a real long time to decompose. I've noticed leaves in my bin take a long time, which I didn't expect. But, my bin takes a short time to decompose when I've used mostly garden/kitchen waste, intense greens (such as UCG/dried blood/alfalfa), and some browns such as (leaves/paper towels/napkins/shredded moistened cardboard) - IF I turn it ALOT (again it's in a bin so this might not be as crucial to your formula). Plus, I also find that we each have a preferred "formula" for our individual systems, lifestyles & area of the country. I've added below a link to my list of 201 Compost Ingredients, if you want to brainstorm about more "greens." BTW, we just got our first Starbucks (10 min away) - prior to that the nearest starbucks was 1 hour away & that was just in a bookstore. I am already collecting from a local coffee shop (actually, they were new about 2 yrs ago - pre-local-Starbucks - and I told them about Starbucks' habit of bagging & offering UCG for peoples' gardens & so now they're doing it! yippee!). And, actually, most of the UCG I gather go directly onto soil (under the store-bought pine/other bark/shredded mulch) or onto the grass. So, do it again this year & keep experimenting to see what works! polly in IL - that is BEAUTIFUL! Thanks for the pix! All the Best, Tree Here is a link that might be useful: 201 Compost ingredients

These stories annoy me. On the one hand, yes, if you are immuno-suppressed you should probably pursue hobbies other than 'farming' microbes. Here's a thought - Compare the number of instances of someone getting ill from compost with the number of people who die every year from infections they picked up in the hospital. Hospitals are much more dangerous than compost piles and they are 'sterile' right? Then look at the number of people who fall ill from composting or gardening vs the number of people who fall and either die or are seriously injured from slipping in the shower (OK, I shower more because I compost and garden so maybe that increased showering is a composting risk). Take stories like this in statistical context. Dog bites man does not make the headlines, man bites dog does because it is a rarity. How many ER cases are related to the use of pesticides and herbicides - the inherent risk of a chemical gardening regimen, versus the number of cases from organic methods. 100:1? 1000-1? My best friend has been an ER doc for 30 years, he is a poison expert by training and due to experience in the ER. In the last ten years he has had ONE composting case when some complete idiot got distracted and drove a very dirty tine from his composting fork through his foot and needed it cleaned out and an antibiotic prescribed. Yes, my foot, my stupidity. I'm dumb enough to put a metal spike through my foot but not dumb enough to believe that composting is more dangerous than spraying toxins around the yard.

Follow up - resolution. Per KD the bead board wasn't costly enough to even make a dent - he said for the Shiloh line to do a plain veneer of that size with filler would be more expensive. The bead board can be easily seamed at the groove so easier install also. The corbels however were where he thought we could cut cost and possibly find something elsewhere or through our granite fabricator. A quick call to the fabricator and certainly - much more cost effective! In their view I could easily drop one of the corbels on the short side but will would need 3 supports across the front where the 9' span is. We have a wall built out from the cabs to shorten the overhang (4' deep island) so they can easily mount support braces there. Yay!! So dropping the corbels (which I didn't have strong feelings toward either way, totally was a decision of function not aesthetics for me) was an easy concession. I ended up within $1.41 of my original invoice dropping the corbels and adding the Blum - there was a ~$110.00 adjustment in my favor for the Hickory as well. I couldn't believe it. The supports for the counter top from my fabricator will be much less than the $650ish cost from the cabinet mfg and I won't have to worry about stool and leg banging. Not sure you'd see them much with the stools there anyhow. Thank you to all that contributed for and against the upgrade. I am feeling much better and appreciate all of your comments helping me along my way!

Not hiring an interior decorator to help with the finish selections. Even if only to say "no, no, yes, no, darker, no..." How much would that be? $5k? Less? Worth it, imo. I did ok, but I was a little hesitant, and could be talked into things I didn't want. Not doing the landscaping as part of the total package. I'm now paying for "design services" and the bidding rigamarole all over again. Trying to save a little money *at the end.* I was so determined to hit the budget number that I allowed some compromises. Save money at the front, then give yourself a healthy contingency.