Times of the Islands Summer 2022

from the editor
MARTA MORTON—WWW.HARBOURCLUBVILLAS.COM
Marta Morton found this version of a TCI “compost pile” at North Beach in Salt Cay, containing shells, bits of shells and coral, and sea glass.
A Compost Pile
My dear father died in April—six months short of 90—and thoughts of him fill my life. We were “pals,” sharing many
adventures over his lifetime, including bicycle and hiking trips, canoeing and kayaking, beekeeping and sausage
making. We didn’t talk much, but because we both valued nature, hard work, organization, persistance and determination,
we understood each other. I spent much time helping him and my mother stay in our family home in Chicago
and I marveled at his knowledge and do-it-yourself skills in maintaining house, yard, and cars.
There is a small garden in their backyard. As I write this, blooming roses, peonies, and iris hide the compost
pile my dad tended for 60 years. Garden waste, fruit and vegetable trimmings, grass clippings, leaves, and anything
else he could think of were thrown on the pile and left in the sun and rain. Spring and fall, dad would use a pitchfork
and “turn over” the pile. Miraculously, all that “stuff” had transformed into rich soil, full of earthworms, ready to be
shoveled into a wheelbarrow and spaded into the once-clay-like soil in his garden.
This magazine is my own form of compost pile. From my first day on the job, I tried to welcome and encourage
everyone who wanted to submit an article or photograph or idea. I would put it all in a folder or on the computer or
in the back of my mind and let it percolate. And lo and behold . . . all those suggestions, prepared by all our beloved
contributors, have made each issue of Times of the Islands a rich, fertile “garden” of material about the Turks & Caicos
Islands. Thank you, Dad, for this and the countless good examples you’ve set for me.
Kathy Borsuk, Editor
timespub@tciway.tc • (649) 431-4788
6 www.timespub.tc