I agree thoroughly...and have done everything possible to GET organic material of ANY kind. Wrote to our Commisioner of Agriculture, TOMMY IRVIN, UGA, and wrote to and visited the Ag. Extension folks...NOTHING. Called the City and the County Solid Waste Mangement folks and drove to the landfills...NO LUCK. Advertised in the Farmers and Consumers Market Bulletin. Called the local Auction Barn. Wrote to various stables. Funny that while folks pay tippage fees to dump organics at the landfills, the leaves and even wood trimmings are taken there by private contractors for the city and county. Drove around countless neighborhoods looking for bags, but vacuums now pick up the leaves. Advertised to the stable owners. and poisted signs at every feed and seed store trying to reach the cattlemen and chicken farmers, most of whom now are locked in to the mega-corps. Drove thirty miles for one pickup load and paid a premium for questionable material. Yes, I have a compost mound in place, vermiculture susytem in place, and even Bokashi ready to start, but have never had trouble in other states getting organic matter to compost...odd with the number of farmers. Even the Whole foods and groceries want give away trimmings anymore. Whoile foods send every bit to make their own 9.00 a bag compost and the grocers see it as a liability...and I have been to Ingles, Publix, and Krogers. Hard to start with the soil when you have to purchase every little bag at huge prices. GEORGIA...I NEED ORGANIC MATERIAL!

what's the catch here ? the same thing was posted before by another person, exact same words. There are NO sleek gadgets to keep you healthy ; but I'm supposing there will be spam of some kind coming up.

Your answer is why I suggested getting into some of the para-professions. It's NOT unusual for people in their 50's and 60's to get into those fields AND GET JOBS. My dd messed around for about 3 years, before settling on opticianry in college, even so, she was the youngest one in her major--by about 30 years! Most of the other students were in their 50's and 60's and yes, they did fine and got jobs in their new fields. I know you don't want to hear this--I wouldn't have at your stage of life--but the 'caring for older parents' situation isn't going to be for forever. I took care of my mom for about 13 years, had a short year 'off' when my aunt's health took a turn and I becaue responsible for her--but only for about 2 years. Now, DH and I are in our early 60's and relatively responsibility-free as all the older generation is now gone. You want to start preparing now for that time, truly. We're lucky, because with the way our finances are set up, we are able to get buy on SS and DH's pension. Do you have pensions at your place of employment? If not, do you have enough savings that you can live off the interest? keeping the principal in case you need it to fund assisted living/nursing home care down the road? At age 50--YOU have enough time to get a job that will give you at least a small pension by the time you're in your mid-60's. Dsis was just about your age when she started working at the Post Office as a mailman--another example of the fact that there are decent jobs out there for older folks. You just have to find one that allows you to be a bit flexible. One thing that leaps to mind is being a CNA--only takes a short time to become qualified, would help you care for your parents, and the hours are VERY flexible.

JESS: Thank you for the pics. & neat info. about Badger .. I really enjoy learning about the animals in South Africa. One cup of chicken manure per bush is TOO MUCH. In a British rose forum, a lady burnt her roses by using chicken manure once a month. In my cold zone, I use chicken manure VERY SMALL amount when the temp is cool & rainy. Folks use Rose-Tone (has chicken manure) once a month for roses in pots. But that has only 1/6 chicken manure. I would use only 1/2 cup, 1 cup would be too salty. I killed a rose by mixing 1/2 cup of chicken manure in the planting hole. When chicken manure touches the root, it kills the root, best to dilute ONLY 1/2 cup with soil before spreading around the bush. I started a new thread, "10/30/15: Bad habits, good habits, rose & health tips, recipes." http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/3473294/m=3/10-30-15-bad-habits-good-habits-rose-and-health-tips-recipes