Valyn, do you have a lawn? Finished compost makes a great fertilizer for lawns. A thin layer is all that's needed and it will save on nitrogen fertilizer. For decades all we ever did was throw kitchen scraps in a bin and once a year harvest the bottom layer for rich black gold. I never layered or was concerned with browns or greens. Most of what went into the bin was greens but it decomposes nicely over time. Now I collect all winter (again mostly greens with a few paper towels) and will eventually mix it with wood shavings, pile it up for awhile, then use it as mulch. If I feel energetic I may turn it but I know it's not essential for slow composting. I also dig in my kitchen scraps over the summer as it's easier and works well. It's called sheet composting and it feeds the worms (along with all the other beneficial soil organisms) who quickly turn it into nutrition for my plants. There are many ways to 'compost' or save kitchen trimmings from the landfill and when you find what works for you it will be something that is easy and that you can do for a very long time. Don't let anyone tell you that their way is the only right way. Just isn't so. BTW where we live there is no garbage collection, never mind compostable collection. Even in the nearby towns there is no compostable collection altho there is weekly garbage collection. There are tens of thousands of people in this rural area that have no such collection and I'm sure that is true for many other areas, perhaps even MOST other areas.

Ginny, yes that creamy leaf-roller looks like exactly what is in my roses. Thanks for the link! Barfedy-barf barf! I am so not a squisher, unless it is something little and relatively fluid-free like an aphid. Those worms? No way. I am however a big believer in hand-picking. I just burn them instead of squishing. I'm not against using chemical sprays; a few times in the past they have done the trick and prevented nasty things like spider mites from spreading. BUT. I'm trying much harder to avoid spraying now, 1) because of pregnancy..no matter how calm it is, I always seem to get a bit of spray flavor in my mouth. I'm sure that's healthy... 2) Some of the sprays seem to weaken the plants so much, that I almost always seem to get something even worse that moves in after I spray 3) Sometimes the spray doesn't quite finish the job, the bug repopulates, and then you are truly screwed because your plant is weakened and you got rid of your beneficial bugs. Definitely a last resort for me. So a handpicking I go! Those rose weevils are annoying..at the slightest brush they fall to the ground, making it hard to find them if you didn't have something under the branch to catch them. That, and the roses also have plenty of revolting spiders camped out on the buds, which for a person with arachnophobia like me, makes for some very ginger picking. There also seems to be some black splotches on quite a few of the buds..like at least half. I'm not sure if I should cut them all out, or if some dark spots are normal or caused by water or something else..hmm..I hope I don't have to cut them out, because Prairie Peace is a heavy bloomer and that will take forever!

Gol darn it! Got a whole post written and it's lost now. UHHh! Anyway, Thanks for the nice comments and suggestion eclectic: I love your vintage fridge! That kind of tile backsplash isn't for me, though. I'm WAY too much of a mess and really don't want big grout lines. Your kitchen is very charming, though. This thin brick is a big possibility, though! Mayflowers: I haven't heard back from the tile dude in a couple days so who knows. I do love that kind of tile... artistic with just enough whimsy to make me smile when I look at it. I think I could love it forever (however long THAT is, lol) I did mock it up without the tile... I'll have to look at it awhile to see which I like better. Maybe I don't need the tile after all. DH would be happier if he didn't have to set tile in the middle of a copper sheet, that's for sure... local: you're invited! Come in summer and we'll float or come in winter and show me how to cross country ski :) YA... I can't wait to see the floor installed, either. Piles of boxes just sitting there waiting....September or October for the flooring. November for the kitchen cabinets. Looking to move after Christmas and get our current house on the market and sold by early summer. Ok, getting ahead of myself a bit here... Seems the pale green behind the stove works the best to me, too. I hope the fireclay sample is a good color... EAM44: it is a great fit IF the color works. Gotta get a sample on the way tomorrow. I did an internet search for prices and couldn't even find it that way! 25.00 sq/ft isn't a deal breaker.. If I did a 6" BS around the whole L I'd need maybe 21 sq. feet. I can just hear DH now ... "what happened to the 3.00 a sq. ft white tile from Lowes?". Poor guy, he has a hard time keeping up with the changes :). Anyway, here is the tile or no-tile copper backsplash:

I love this! I've enjoyed reading everyone's responses. After reading "Know Maintenance" by Roy Diblik, I did no fall clean up and left all the perennials to take their winter skeleton forms so I could mulch the trimmings in the spring. I was LONGING for a particular vacuum mulcher with a metal blade and when DH bought it for me for Christmas, I shrieked as though I were being presented with diamonds. When asked what I received from Christmas, I could feel myself beaming while explaining this fabulous mulcher. I could tell by the looks on other people's faces that this would be akin to getting lump a coal, but less work because you don't actually have to shred up yard waste with a lump of coal. But not you folks; you get it. :)