Today's Feature

Carthage Christmas Parade.

News release

The Carthage chapter of the Skills USA Club will be hosting the 34th annual Carthage Christmas Parade this evening, Monday the 5th beginning at 7 p.m.. The parade route will begin in front of the Carthage High School and will travel around three sides of the Carthage square before ending by the Carthage High School Tennis Courts on Grant. The parade will feature more than 50 entries. Eastern District Commissioner and former R-9 Educator Jim Honey will be the grand marshal for the parade.

Public Works Meets Tomorrow.

The City Council Public Works Committee will meet Tuesday evening at 5:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers of City Hall. There are no items of old business or new business on the agenda.

At the previous City Council meeting Public Works Director Chad Wampler informed Council that the Carthage Public library had received the bids for construction of the new library addition to be added to the existing library building. The original bids for construction were unexpectedly high in price and the library board and engineers reworked the specifications for the project to reduce the cost. Wampler told the Council that the new bids were encouraging and that the library would soon complete a formal bid acceptance.

One of the items that was removed from the specifications in the process of lowering the cost was the limestone exterior which would have matched the current library. According to Wampler the price of limestone was one of the largest factors in the elevated cost of the original bids. The replacement material will be similar to stucco.

Stench Report:
Friday,
12/2/05

No Odor Complaints

I’ve never figured for sure the motive for such actions. I’m sure some just want the gift buyin’ out of the way so they can enjoy the Christmas season. Some I’ve encountered do it ‘cause of the price reductions durin’ the various seasons of the year. Buyin’ gloves and coats in the summer for instance. Others just don’t like the crowds.

These seem like legitimate reasons and they’re hard ta argue with. In fact, it’s prob’ly hard ta argue with any reason. But there are those of us who don’t feel like we’ve been properly exposed to the holiday without the fightin’ traffic, hurryin’ from here to there, makin’ last minute decisions and purchases. Even if we don’t particularly like it, that’s just the way it is.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

Compost Chemistry

Q: I started to compost this summer. All I used was grass clippings. There was a huge pile, now it is half the size and has an odor like cow manure. I have turned it quite a few times, but there seem to be large slabs and not the earth or compost like I thought I would have. Any suggestions? — Real F., via e-mail

A. Too much green stuff! Not enough brown stuff! That’s a cute phrase on a composting Web site hosted by the state of Michigan. It’s also a fast way to describe a good balance for a compost pile.

Because you’re using 100 percent grass clippings, a lot of nitrogen likely is building up in the compost. And even though you’re turning the pile regularly, the matter is not breaking down evenly. There may be too much moisture, and not enough air, reaching the interior of the pile.

To resolve this, add more brown stuff! Meaning mix in wood chips, straw or sawdust, dry leaves or pine needles. Pile up brown stuff to the same height as the current compost pile, and then mix it all in well with a shovel and/or pitchfork. The compost pile will return to about two-thirds or more of its original size. However, the "hot compost action" will take off again, so in a few months you’ll have a smaller pile again — only this time without the funky smell.

What if you’re a composter whose pile is damp and smells sweet? You’re having the opposite problem — not enough nitrogen in the mix. Too much brown, not enough green. Add grass clippings, food scraps — anything still green and alive. Be sure to place the food scraps in a hole in the center of the compost pile and cover them well with completed compost material (or just plain dirt). In a few weeks to a couple of months, the pile should be working along pretty well.

And that leads to another problem: a compost pile that does not heat up, not even a little bit. The composting action is minimal in this case. Make sure the pile is the right size: 3 feet in diameter by 3 feet high is ideal. A too-large or too-small pile won’t compost efficiently. Make sure it is moist, but not too moist. A pile that dries out quickly should be sprayed with a hose and covered with a tarp between turnings. A tarp also protects the pile from animals, which will forage if scraps aren’t properly covered or if meat products are placed in the pile.