We had some unseasonably warm and lovely weather here last week, and it got me out in the yard, cutting back the rest of last year’s ornamental grasses and perennials and pulling up an already burgeoning crop of this year’s weeds. Time to add to the compost pile! There are few things more satisfying to a gardener than taking what would normally just be waste and turning it into something that improves the soil and makes everything grow better. I first became a committed composter several years ago when our enormous lawn and expansive flower beds provided me with a glut of excess vegetable matter, and I had no desire to pay to have it hauled away. The rich, black compost that resulted after just a few months from that mixture of grass clippings, dead leaves, weeds and trimmings boosted the nutrients and water retention of my sandy soil. What a great benefit from what most would consider just garbage and a little effort from me!  As I heaped a new mix of green and brown cuttings into my compost bin last week, I got to thinking about how we can do something similar with the seeming dead matter and excess in our own lives. Rather than just tossing aside the old thoughts, troubles, memories and lessons (good and bad), we can use those experiences to build a healthier, more mature and productive life. Sometimes, rather than just shutting the door and moving on from even the most upsetting or negative moments, pushing them to a back corner of our mental gardens where they can be absorbed along with the gleanings of better times allows them to eventually yield nuggets of “black gold” that enrich our characters and help bring forth new productivity. Here’s hoping that as we slowly move from winter’s cold into the promise and new life of spring, you’ll find some time to turn over last year’s compost and use it to grow into the new year. — Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor