Pedestrian View

Earlier this summer, Doug “Fingers” Maguire of Gloria Dei Lutheran in Duluth conceived the idea of a Blues Service during the annual Bayfront Blues Festival in Duluth. Sister Patti Maguire also thought it might be chance to also save the orphanage, whose taxes are long overdue, so Doug decided to get the band back together.

He found bass man Tom “What’s Next Pussy Cat” Jones photographing moss near the lake. Sax player Maia “Mad Reed” Dalager was fishing on Bone Lake. Singer Nancy “Power Serve” Norr was presenting to the board of directors. Drummer Andy “Phantom” Wold was trapped in the orchestra pit at the opera. Guitarist Steve “Blind Dog” Dalager was up to his hips in organic compost. And sound engineer Scott “Trespasser” Norr was trespassing near the West Fork of the Baptism River.

Long story short, Doug got the band together, and here are a few samples.

Stormy Monday. This was the service prelude. The recording is through the sound system here, and since sax and percussion weren’t miked, you aren’t quite hearing the real deal.

You got to move. This was the psalm.

Oh when the saints. This was the sending hymn.

She really really loved me. This was the postlude.

There was more, but that’s a decent sampling. Church blues are the next Corvair (unsafe at any speed), but the band had fun, and we made it to City Hall later, paid the taxes, and saved the orphanage.

That’s a pile of freshly screened compost. Sorry if you were expecting something else.

For about four years now, we’ve been composting yard and kitchen waste, and though you haven’t said it, I know you’ve been begging for a tour. Let’s start at Bin #1.

Bin #1 is where all the fresh stuff goes. You can see a lot of kitchen stuff right now. If the grass is heavy, then you’d see clippings. In the fall, you’d see leaves. In tea season, you’d tea leaves.

Bin #2 takes #1 stuff once or twice a summer. This summer I’ve been lazy, so this is the first time I’m rolling stuff over. It looks pretty much like Bin #3 - not as colorful as #1, and more earthy. Speaking of Bin #3…

Bin #3 is where it finishes cooking. I’m currently moving matter from here through my screening process and into that pile you saw above.

The stuff gets placed on the screen, and…

…I mash it around by hand. It’s a rather slow process, but it really creates some lovely stuff. Below are the leavings - wood, mostly, and a few rocks.

The screened mulch goes into our flower gardens, where if we’re lucky, the lilies survive the deer (that battle is another story)…

or our vegetable garden.

This is the west end in the morning. The fence is to keep the deer out, plus Sherry loves how it makes our house look like the Kettle’s. Right now, the beets are really coming. Got beets?

I’m reminded that I’ve got beets every time I use the facilities. Cucumber are also just starting.

The lettuce, spinach, and peas are done, and Sherry just cleaned out the last of the rhubarb (Hawaii can have its pineapples). Beans are in full force, with zucchinis and tomatoes (started from seed by Keith Brakke, thank you) right on their heels. Potatoes will come much later.

I can’t seem to grow onions, though. The plants grow, but the bulbs never amount to anything. Do I need more water? Advice, please.

Next year I’m getting crazy. Brussels Sprouts (it seems like one of those “S’s” in the middle of Brussels Sprouts is unnecessary waste; think I’ll petition my Senator; waste should be composted, not wasted).

Thanks for taking the tour. Stop by the gift shop in the way out.

Photographic Note: I bragged about our new CyberShot a few posts again, but these were all taken with our old Fuji Finepix. The display no longer works, and sometimes I have to press the power button three times to get it to come on, but it does tolerable. Why aren’t I using the CyberShot? Because my daughters have it, naturally. I’ll probably never see it again.