July 5, 2018
Volume 48 - No. 27
By Pete Peterson
Linda Villanova parked her 12-year old Toyota Corolla two blocks from her home in Vista, CA., grabbed her groceries and trudged toward her rented California bungalow. It had been a long, disturbing day. At work, her boss said the rumors that the restaurant was laying off kitchen help could be true, but hoped it wasn’t, still she needed to be alert that change could happen. Later, at the hospital, the young Asian doctor smiled and assured Linda that Abuela, would be released within the week and the The The Paper Paper -- 760.747.7119 760.747.7119
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dentist was pleasant, but insistent when she told Linda that both daughters needed braces, that Lilianna would require expensive oral surgery beforehand.
As Linda prepared supper her fears mounted. What if her car broke down? Again. How would she get to work? What if Carlos lost his landscaping job? What if the landlord raised their rent? We need more money, Linda thought. How could she make that happen? Linda had noticed Carlos’ pickup parked on the grass near the garage
when she came into the house. As usual, it was loaded with large bundles of grass trimmings, scrub cuttings and leaves. He’d empty the truck on his way to work tomorrow morning.
After supper, Linda helped the girls with their homework, saw to their baths and tucked them into bed. She had a nagging feeling about the truck as she did the evening dishes and prepared the table for breakfast. She emptied coffee grounds into the big jar so she could spread it on her roses later. Then it hit her. Suddenly, she knew how to make more income.
Smiling, she called, “Carlos, come join me outside, please.” Perplexed, Carlos followed her to his truck. Linda took his hand. “See my new business?” Carlos shook his head. “What do you mean?”
Linda laughed. “Tonight, we’ll lay cardboard on the grass. Tomorrow morning you’ll un-load your truck on it. We’ll add water and lime and stir it every so often. That way the cuttings will decompose faster. Then, we’ll package the compost
In Your Backyard - See Page 2