Check with your local newspaper office to see if they give away their leftover newspapers. We have picked up a lot of newspapers over the years (had one editor that refused to give them to my husband but he's gone now). Since you have lots of wind, don't shred the paper. Put the papers in a tub and add water then layer these with the manure. Wet newspaper does not blow around while you are adding it and manure will hold it down while it composts. You might consider putting a tarp over the pile to hold in moisture and prevent the contents from blowing away. I also put all junk mail, paper sacks, cardboard boxes, used paper towels, paper napkins, cereal boxes, etc. in my compost piles. I keep a paper grocery sack by my kitchen trash can so it is easy to sort then take sack and all to the compost pile when it is full. Don't forget to put the contents of your vacuum cleaner, hairbrush (my long hair generates lots for the pile). Just look around...you will find LOTS of things once you get started. How I envy your free manure! I have one rabbit so not much manure. Good luck! Peggy

My bed is 60% red cedar mulch (not nuggets) and about 40% maple leaf (leaf section is deeper than the mulch). I ran out of mulch a little over half way of covering this bed, so I had to finish with the leaves. The first thing I am gonna do starting tomorrow is pull off equal sections of mulch and leaf at the same time and mix it all up really well on my very large tarp and put back down, so in the end it will be a mixer of mulch and leaves. I won't be planting anything out until this is done. The back filling with potting soil is a great idea, but I don't have much left and I'm very low on funds. Maybe I'll see if I can wait? It may take me longer than anticipated to mix up the bed covering anyway. Melissa1977

I like tops longer then my waist, but not tunic tops. I am short and it is a really unflattering look. I like tops that are about 5-6 inches below my waist with the sides slit a couple of inches. And not too tight, but not baggy either. I absolutely hate the 'maternity' top look. When is it going to change? Don't get me going on the tops young women wear especially the plus size ones. If you got the figure, flaunt it but please don't exposure all those rolls of fat. I saw a young woman at Costco the other day, both DH and I thought we were going to lose lunch. She had on a spaghetti strap tank top. It was about 2 or 3 sizes too small. I don't think she realized how truly bad she looked. Her boobies were falling out of the front AND sides. She had rolls and rolls of fat hanging out all over the low cut jeans. The way she acted I think she thought she was sexy. She had no clue, I felt so sorry for her. Clare

Sounds neat. It seems to me that the easiest solution would be find an old wooden table and either paint a 'chessboard' onto the top -- or mod podge the 'chessboard' from colored paper -- and then overcoat the tabletop with a clear finish that would be suitable for outdoor use.