In a backyard corner, a wire bin receives layers of vegetable peels, coffee grounds, grass clippings, and dry leaves. A pitchfork mixes them into a heap about three feet high.
The pile sits there unchanged the next day. Its surface looks the same, with no shift in color or texture.
Weeks go by with occasional rain and sun. The pile stays damp when squeezed but appears unaltered from a distance. Turning it reveals no clear difference inside.
Several months pass. When the pitchfork digs deep, the lower layers have turned into dark, crumbly material that smells like soil.
The heap from months before now holds usable compost, its change hidden during the quiet interval until examined.