And hey, nothing says "homemade comfort food" like soup that started as a crispy snack. Your brother basically invented cauliflower chowder with extra steps and way more cleanup. At least now he knows the difference between "air frying" and "steaming in oil.

I mean, sanding everything just makes a dusty mess and the paint sticks fine without it anyway.

Named him Eli. The mechanic, I mean. Reminded me of a guy I knew who could fix anything with a paperclip and some duct tape. @pipera50 I actually tried something similar with a scene about a broken air conditioner in July, asked myself what if it was sweating because it was scared of something in the house. Turned into this whole backstory about the building being built on an old cemetery. Did the mechanic in your story get a name right away or did you have to sit with him for a while?

Did your kid ever use it for doodles after that? My buddy went through the same thing with a Moleskine, his cat knocked it in the sink and he switched to a cheap spiral and said it was the best thing that happened to his journaling.

Man I did EXACTLY this last winter and it worked like a charm. Super simple fix that saved me from yanking on a frozen throttle every morning.