The worms are here!

When I got home today, a box was waiting for me by my door of live worms. I wasn't expecting them for several more days.

After I broke the news to my son about composting in our apartment, he said, "You mean we're going to have live worms in our apartment?"

"That's right," I said. His expression was priceless.

Still I had absolutely no idea what I was supposed to do with a composter (The Worm Factory 360) and a pound of worms, so I put the DVD that came with the composter into my computer and watched how to care for my new pets. Then I broke out the worm factory, created "bedding" for my worms, put some (new) lettuce into the composter, and deposited a pound of red wigglers into their new nest. They squirmed around and then quieted down.

I couldn't help but peak in on them a few times during the day. I put some veggie scraps in with the lettuce as I made my lunch. They wiggled a little and then disappeared into their nest. I looked again, but they were quiet. I looked again and a couple were sitting on the lettuce. Right, worms are not that interesting.

Still I felt like a farmer, making soil in my kitchen, slightly deviant, with my worms wriggling in the dark enclosed space.