I have written before about growing up in a small town. My house sat on 25 acres about 25 miles south of Nashville. It was a great place to grown up. As a kid I sometimes wished I lived in a subdivision so I could be closer to all my buddies. However, looking back I had the opportunity to experience things kids growing up in the suburbs did not. Feeding cows. Raising chickens. Riding horses.

These pictures were taken during a visit home, many years after I’d moved away. I believe they were taken around 2001. They are some of the only ones I have of two very prolific compost piles in our great big backyard. Pictured, my dad, sister and Suzy the dog are feeding and examining the piles. I believe those are tomato plants growing in the bigger pile.

It’s interesting looking back on the who’s and why’s in regards to influences in behavior in the present but you might not be surprised to know that I still compost. It may not be anywhere near as big, but even though I now live in the suburbs, I still have a compost pile.

As summer begins to bloom in the desert I wonder if my compost pile will ever be so pretty. One thing is for certain. It will certainly never be this big or have grubs so fat and green.