It all comes full circle

Compost is a stinky situation.  I certainly despise the amount of waste we produce as a collective being, and I want to do my part to nurture the environment so starting to keep compost seemed a natural and logical step in both reducing the amount of waste I send to the dump as well as feeding my garden good, organic, homemade fuel.  The smell couldn't be any worse than that coming from the giant town distributed garbage tank sitting at the end of everyone's driveway on trash day.  What I wasn't prepared for was the smell and fruit flies in my kitchen from the canister kept on the counter for collecting scraps at mealtimes that would eventually end up in the compost bin.  Walking the scraps out to the bin after each meal seems a mountainous task at times - especially on the nights we are quickly forking down a delicious, slow cooked, local, organic, in season meal and trying to clear the table, clean the pots and pans, scoop up the remains, scraps, and whatever trash was left over all before rushing out to be on time for softball practice, or Tae Kwon Do or some other non-negotiable activity.  Even the simple act of walking the days scraps to the back yard becomes just another groan on the ever lengthy daily list of tasks.  If I could move it to the weekly to do list - that would be ideal but I don't want my kitchen turning as ripe as the lone banana now bark brown in the fruit bin.  Keeping this new routine alive requires reducing the number of tasks I must complete regularly, not adding to them!  My daily mantra of plan, shop, cook, clean, freeze was a good start - but needs some expanding.  The Little House cookbook has it's own organizational mantra (they call it a tradition) of Wash on Monday (I kinda do that instinctively anyway), Iron on Tuesday (ironing's not my thing (just ask my mother) so that opens up Tuesday - maybe I'll plug weeding in there), Mend on Wednesday (mending is sort of obsolete but I need Wednesdays for prepping Brownie meetings), Churn on Thursday (change churn to burn and make that a gym day ), Clean on Friday, Bake on Saturday (traditionally family day for us but I could include my 8 year old in the baking), Rest on Sunday.  Rest on Sunday??? That's it??   -  I need to schedule more downtime than that - and Sunday is the day I've been getting my schedule  and lists organized for the coming week.  I'll amend the Little House list a bit but that still doesn't help my compost dilemma.  As luck would have it, I was making a quick dash through Home Goods for specialty cupcake papers when I spied a nifty little bright green silicone bin labeled Scrap Collector and Freezer Compost Bin by Full Circle Home.  This cute little thing has a handle to hang on your drawer top when working at the counter for sliding scraps in - then fits perfectly on the freezer door for keeping those scraps until ready for the compost pile.  Eureka!  No more yucky, smelly mess - no more fruit flies!  Easy no hands - and I only take it out to the compost when the bin is full.  Best of all - I can put it in the dishwasher too.  Ahhh - ask the universe and you shall receive.  Problem solved - I love that.  Now, what to do with that overripe banana?