Gardening Note to Self Number 425: Do not use too much mulch.

Last spring I had one of those "if a little is good, a lot is BETTER!" moments when figuring out how much mulch to buy for my flower beds. I ended up with a lot left over. The intelligent thing to do would've been store it for later. But no, I just went ahead and put it down anyway.

Beloved took one look at it and said, "That is way too much mulch."

And I completely ignored him.

Fast-forward to last week. I started noticing mushrooms. And the sort of huge black flies that come up from the maws of Hell to announce the sequel to Ghostbusters. And a ... stench. Of rotting things.

Yesterday, I removed all that mulch. I have blisters and aching muscles and the woods behind my neighbor's house are filled with a four-foot pile of half-fermented mulch, mushrooms and one-eighth of my immortal soul.

But it is gone. Lesson learned! I WILL NEVER DO THAT AGAIN.