Yeah, I finally tried making sourdough from scratch. It took a few tries to get the starter right because my kitchen runs cold and the fermentation was super slow. I ended up keeping it near the water heater and that did the trick. The first couple of loaves were pretty flat and dense, more like rocks than bread honestly. But after about two weeks of feeding the starter daily, I got this beautiful bubbly thing going. The last loaf had a really nice crust and the inside was chewy with those irregular holes you see in bakery bread. I have been experimenting with adding some whole wheat flour and a little honey for flavor. Next I want to try adding some seeds on top or maybe mixing in dried rosemary. My neighbor gave me some of her discard starter too so now I have two different ones going. It has kind of become a whole thing I did not expect to enjoy so much. Anyway, if you want I can show you the method I ended up with. It is really satisfying to pull a hot loaf out of the oven and hear the crust crackle.

I spent the weekend reorganizing my bookshelves by color and it looks so much better now. I had them arranged by author before but it always felt a bit messy visually. The rainbow thing is kind of cliche but honestly it makes me happy every time I walk past. I found a few books I forgot I even owned, including one I bought years ago and never opened. I might finally get around to reading it this month. I also cleared out a whole shelf of books I know I will never read again and bagged them up for the little free library down the street. It is nice to have some extra space now. I added a couple of small plants on top of the shelves too, just some pothos and a little snake plant that do not need much light. The whole room feels cozier now. I am thinking about painting the wall behind the shelves a dark olive green but I have not committed yet. Might be too much work for a rental but the color would really make the books pop. I saw a photo online that inspired me and now I cannot stop thinking about it. My friend said I should just go for it because paint is cheap and it is just a wall. She has a point.