I've been composting for about 20 years. It's amazing how that stuff changes heavy clay to a nice, friable soil.

Wow, 20 years, well I just started this year. Started off with mulched oak leaves and just recently added horse manure and today I mixed in 5 gallons of coffee grinds. Oh and I have put in some grass clippings. But it seems to be heating up fairly well. I just need to be patient,lol.
Gator

I've been composting, like, forever--my folks composted and got me started right! Used to hang out on the compost forum too, and learned a lot (coffee grounds are a green! and it's there I learned to compost all the paper stuff I was afraid to put in the garbage or recycling for fear of identity theft.) Before we moved here I tried to compost in Nebraska, which is very dry (kinda like here lately, now I think about it!) and I learned how important it is to have the compost near the faucet. After doing piles here for a few years and noticing how wonderful the soil was near the compost pile, I decided to stop wasting it and do mostly sheet composting (a fancy term for mulching!) We discovered after we'd been here for awhile that our house was built in the middle of what used to be cane fields, and not only was the soil hard, hard clay it was totally sterile from all the chemical fertilizers, and pesticides, and herbicides--for awhile I thought maybe I'd left my 'green thumb' behind when we moved. But with lots and lots of bags of grass clippings, and pine straw, and oak leaves, and everything else we could get by whatever method, we have pretty good soil that grows what we want to grow. Haven't been able to keep up with the mulching as much as I'd like the last few years, and without rain it's a problem too, but it sure has made all the difference. I most enthusiastically recommend it!

Yes, im enthusiastic about it, just have to develop a patience,lol. I have two very big piles going now and am hoping in a couple months to be able to use it on my yard. I also want to make compost tea when its finished. I think im going to keep one pile going and use the other on my yard. Thanks for the response.
Gator