The temperature at the top of my last-year’s compost pile has been consistently in the low 80s, but the core of it has been stuck at 70 for the last week or so. I gave it an aggressive turning over yesterday afternoon and the former core of the pile has an unpleasant smell unlike the beautiful humus odor at the top. I’ll leave that pile from the middle up against the sides for a few days while it hopefully dries out a little, then do the same on the other side. I’m hoping that now that the core temperature is in the mid-70s that the evaporation will be sped up a little. It’s not June yet, but I’m keen to have this completely broken down over the course of the summer, ready to empty by fall so I can switch receiving bins.