Oldpaddy saying,"I started a second pile yesterday. This one has three totes of manure and shavings, a bunch of fish guts from a seafood market, two large trash barrels (full) of coffee grounds/filters from a coffee shop, and topped off with four totes of manure and shavings. I'll probably add some seaweed to it this week. I'm really hoping for a great compost! I figure if I can get a huge pile in each corner I'll have enough for my garden. I've got two piles that are composting great and I think the third one is getting hot. Today I added lime, a bunch of seaweed and three totes of horse manure with shavings to the third pile. Maybe I'll remove the pallets for the fourth and fifth piles. Yeah josko, I've been hitting all the shops. I'm enjoying taking the garbage, it's kinda like the community is helping me with my garden. Though, I don't think my wife is quite as happy as I am about it..." You are going to have such a great garden. I remember when I had that much energy --- and not so much private supply of animal manures, as I have subsequently arranged to have. I would steal people's grass clippings!! Those were the days in the '70s when suburban people by the hundreds would rake, bag, and stack their grass clippings in bags by the road for the garbage trucks! I don't think you can do that now....our landfill won't take leafy matter of any kind in regular garbage pickup now. So I would drive around in a Datsun pickup and take the bags. Many interesting interactions occurred; one suspicious homeowner asked me what I was doing and then fell in a ditch. There was simply nothing to be said, so I went away from that place, as Mark Twain would say. I used the grass clippings for mulch between the rows and compost. That was great stuff, actually, it was a good idea. Full of nitrogen, quickly decayed, fine texture. I could think of more uses for it today. I suppose there are people quick to say, Oh, Oh, there might be chemicals on it, horrors! However, I personally was more concerned about the dog droppings raked up with the grass. And my garden liked the chemicals AND the droppings.

It sounds like you have much more sand than I've got; I'm in the outwash plain in Falmouth, and we have a series of layers of sand, silt, and clay. Just turning the soil produces a fine grade of concrete, so I have to add lots of organic material wherever I want to garden. A foundation seems like a great place to garden, and sand's a pretty good base for soil, although it's hard to build it up - it's a constant battle, according to friends who've lived closer to the beach than I do. I think you're smart to keep the material piled up through the winter, so it can heat up in the center, which it wouldn't do if spread out over the sand. It should also dry out faster next spring, when you want to spread it. I've found that seaweed takes forever to break down - something tough about those fibers. I've tried turning it into the soil, years ago, and I was able to see it clearly for years afterwards. Personally, I'd plan to keep some of the seaweed separate - it makes a fantastic mulch. Since it's already mixed in, maybe you should try to get as much more of it as you can over the winter. You're going to need to mulch on top of your compost, because there will certainly be weed seeds sprouting out of the manure and some of the other components - it takes years for those to rot or be exhausted. Good luck - please keep us posted!

Goldgirl, I live about 20 minutes south of Boston and we visit Provincetown every summer. If there is anything I can help you with, please let me know. Most, if not all the nicer B & Bs and hotels in Provincetown have 3-5 night minimums and can be pricey. If you are planning your visit during carnival week (aug. 16th-22nd), things book up very, very quickly. We like the Crowne Point Inn - the standard rooms are very small, we usually book the upgraded rooms. The Carriage House and Carpe Diem are wonderful and a bit less pricey. All have great locations. Front Street (expensive) and Bayside Betsys (moderate) are our favorite places to eat. There are many fabulous restaurants and shops run the gamut from artsy boutiques and galleries to tee shirt shops. In Chatham, the Chatham Bars use to be the place to stay - friends have given it mixed reviews lately. If you want to treat yourself, the Wequassett Inn Resort is top notch. Great shops and restaurants there as well. In Boston, try to get to the North End (little Italy). On summer weekends there's a really fun farmers market. Transit is fairly easy once in town. I can't recommend a particular hotel, but I'd be happy to do some legwork for you - let me know what you're hoping to see and some idea of your budget!

Oops sorry, I did add one more at the top. I'm searching for options. I agree that the lighter one is a good option. I am now even wondering if I should just re-paint the room a more neutral color. I'm more confused than ever now. The (now third) rug, does not come in a larger size which I would prefer as well. :-/ Thank you for all the feed back folks!