Same thing happened to me but with pancakes. I kept dumping the discard until someone mentioned it makes the fluffiest pancakes ever. Now I save every single bit and make a batch every Sunday. Basil and a bit of garlic in the crackers sound amazing, going to try that this week. It honestly feels like finding free money in an old coat pocket. Now I get annoyed when I forget to feed the starter because it means no pancakes.

My rooster does that with every delivery truck now. Dumb but harmless.

Whoa, hold on there. Your uncle is mostly right, but he missed one BIG thing. Those factory finishes on birch blocks are usually a sanding sealer or a light urethane, not just bare wood. If you wipe it with mineral spirits and it beads up or looks splotchy, that's a film, not open grain. You can't stain over a film, it just sits on top and peels. But you did not ruin it, that blotchiness is just the sealer soaking in unevenly after your sanding exposed the raw wood in spots. Gel stain really is the right move for a rescue job, it stays on the surface instead of soaking in. Just remember for next time, a light scuff and a coat of conditioner is all you need, a full strip is only for pieces with a thick old finish or serious damage.

Wait, isn't the whole point of a desert garden to work with what's already there? I grew up around prickly pear and even the scraggliest one gives you fruit and pads if you know what you're doing, plus it's basically free groceries that laugh at the heat. Banning them because they don't feed anyone feels short sighted when tons of native stuff like mesquite beans and even some cactus fruits are straight up edible. And honestly, a few cactus in the corners would shade the soil and give the birds somewhere to perch, which helps the kale anyway. Sounds like the manager has a narrow idea of what a garden should be, and that's a shame when you're literally standing in the middle of one of the most productive desert ecosystems on earth.

Right? @michael_bennett11 that dog is smarter than half the guys on the crew. If he won't touch it, you know something is off with that burlap. Maybe you just discovered a new way to keep critters out of the garden though. Could be worse, at least the dog isn't eating your lunch out of the truck anymore. Now I'm wondering what's actually in those bags if it's safe for concrete but not for a farm dog.