I’ve been having issues with my sourdough starter. Based on everything I’ve read and the braggadocious posts in the sourdough starter Facebook group that I’m in (there’s a group for everything!), my starter’s growth seems slower than it should. On the verge of tossing it all, I shot my sourdough grandmother (the woman who raised and cultivated it and who now sells her excess on Etsy) an email and explained: it’s just not doing a well as I had hoped. She told me to be patient and let me know that “he” (the starter) is likely sluggish because he’s hot, feeling smothered, or is hungry… or a combination of those three things. And that’s when I knew I was more like my sourdough starter than not.
Several times a day I go downstairs to check on Reepicheep (this is the new name of my sourdough starter), but over the last 24 hours, disheartened by his slow growth despite doing everything right, I’ve been reading everything I can about sourdough to try to figure out what’s going on. I think I have three sourdough books coming my way via Amazon. What is happening in that jar? Why isn’t he as he should be? I didn’t do anything wrong, so why is it like this?
If I’m being totally honest, raising this starter is a distraction. During the day, when I’m not reading about microbes and crumb formation, I find myself at the sewing machine, pricking myself with pins and sighing heavily when the bobbin jams. When I lay down at night, I can’t sleep. This week I’ve been bathing in my phone’s glow and rolling around uncomfortably under the weighted blanket of data points and firsthand accounts of those working the frontlines and those who have lost loved ones. My body feels like I’ve had a few cups of coffee; I contemplate a run but hate the thought of taking a shower. I’m mad that the world is like this. I can’t get away from the oppressive news. I want to roam in the world and feed my soul with face-to-face community again. I’m hot, I’m smothered, I’m hungry.
I heave the comforters off and pad downstairs to check on Reepicheep again. It’s 2:30 am but I dole out exactly 4 oz. of water and 4 oz. of flour and mix it in with a prayer. “Please. God. Don’t let this be a waste.”
And this morning? No growth. No bubbles. No sign of life. I throw my hands up, resigned. I dump most of the jar and make a big batch of sourdough pancakes. If we can’t have bread with dinner or an heirloom starter that I’d give my future daughter-in-love one day, we’d at least have a decadent breakfast today.
The pancakes are delicious. And incidentally. It’s the first time I’ve made pancakes if you can believe it. I take the last one, the one closest to perfect, upstairs to Chris who is in the middle of a Zoom call.
As I go to rinse out the jar, I see last night’s bag of flour on the counter. There’s enough remant to try one more time. I dole out exactly 4 oz. of water and 4 oz. of flour and mix it in with a prayer. “You know what, God? Whatever will be, will be.”
And tonight:
Growth. Soon we’ll have bread with dinner. And if the Lord is willing, soon my friends will have bread from this very starter. I’ll hand it to them, wrapped in brown paper and with a hug. This time wasn’t a waste after all.
COMMUNITY SECTION!
THURSDAY MORNING ZOOM TEA // Join me on Zoom in the morning, Thursday, April 9th, at 10 am EST for Thursday morning tea! (Note: new day of the week). Join link is TBTW.IN/tea
FRIDAY NIGHT IG LIVE FACEOFF // Join me and my friend Jessica Quirk on Instagram Live on Friday night at 10 pm EST for Friday Night Faceoff. It was down last Friday so we had to reschedule… but in the chance that happens again, we’ll move to Zoom. (The join link for Friday’s Plan B is TBTW.IN/fnf but Instagram Live is the plan!)
Thursday morning Zoom tea and Friday Night IG Live Faceoff will be recurring through the end of the month!
BOOK CLUB // Don’t forget! Our very first book club selection is Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine. Read by May 1. Details to come in next week’s email!
LINKS SECTION!
Celebrity of the week // Tyler Perry bought groceries for senior citizens at 44 Atlanta area Krogers and at 29 Louisiana Winn-Dixie stores. I’m not crying. I AM SOBBING.
Discovery of the week // I guess technically this could be my favorite IG follow this week, but since it’s new to me, it fits here, too. Check out LeapsMag on IG, which is good news + SCIENCE!
This week’s favorite IG follow // Fun fact: my summer goal is to slowly train a squirrel to come to my back door and knock on the window for almonds. Yes, friends, I am going to train a wild squirrel. How hard could it be (says the woman who trained a cat to pee in a toilet)? Tonight I discovered Jill.
Thing I got this week // We have one hammock. All three of the kids play in it together, but it’s time to get them each their own. I have three of these in my cart as well as some hammock straps by Amazon Basics which makes hanging hammocks so easy a seven-year-old can do it.
Thing I’m thinking about getting (please advise): We think we may get a family tent! Thoughts?
Reminder: I’m trying to sponsor 24 Gather For Good bags for frontline support staff at a local nursing home. I’d love for you to consider donating! More info here (and thank you!).
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