I finally tried baking sourdough bread last weekend and honestly, it was quite the adventure. I started the starter from scratch about two weeks ago, feeding it every day, and it felt like caring for a tiny, bubbly pet. The day I decided to bake, I followed the recipe meticulously—or so I thought. After the first rise, I shaped the dough and put it in the fridge for an overnight cold proof. In the morning, I preheated my Dutch oven in the oven, carefully slid the dough onto a piece of parchment paper, and scored the top. It looked beautiful! But when I lifted it into the hot Dutch oven, I accidentally dropped one side of the parchment, and the whole thing folded over on itself. I tried to fix it, but the damage was done. It baked up into a sort of lopsided, rustic blob. It wasn't pretty, but honestly, the crust was incredibly crunchy and the inside was soft and tangy. We ate half of it with butter before it even cooled down completely. I guess the lesson is that even the messy bakes taste pretty great in the end. I am already planning my next loaf, maybe adding some rosemary and sea salt this time. My neighbor said she would trade me some of her homemade jam for a slice, so I am excited about that too.

So the kitchen faucet started dripping last week, a steady, annoying drip that kept me awake at night. I watched a few videos online that made it look incredibly easy—just replace the cartridge, they said. I finally summoned the courage to tackle it this morning. I turned off the water valves under the sink, which, surprisingly, actually worked and did not leak. Then I took apart the faucet handle, which involved wrestling with a stubborn screw that was stripped. Twenty minutes later, I finally got it off. The cartridge was stuck tight, and I ended up using a pair of pliers and a flathead screwdriver to pry it out. It was a battle. I installed the new cartridge, reversed the steps, and turned the water back on. To my absolute shock and delight, the leak was completely gone. No drip at all. I felt like a plumbing wizard for the rest of the day. The whole ordeal took about two hours, but I probably saved a lot of money by not calling a plumber. I am just glad I do not have to listen to that dripping sound anymore. Next weekend I am going to try fixing the squeaky door hinge, wish me luck!