Found a weird fact about old cookbooks in a library in St. Louis

I was looking through some old community cookbooks from the 1930s at the St. Louis Public Library. One of them had a recipe for 'mock apple pie' that used crackers instead of apples because of a fruit shortage. I had no idea that was a real thing people did back then. Has anyone else come across a recipe that was totally shaped by its time like that?

Tried two different grid layouts at the old farmstead dig in Vermont

We started with a basic 2x2 meter grid, just like the textbook said. Then our lead, Dr. Chen, suggested switching to a 1x1 meter grid for the main midden area. The smaller squares let us spot tiny bone fragments and charcoal pieces we would have missed. Anyone else find that smaller grids work better for dense artifact clusters?

I just hit 100 saved receipts in my repair binder and it finally clicked

Appreciation post: My coal forge clinker issue took me a full weekend to sort

I spent two days just trying to get a clean, even heat because the air flow kept getting blocked. Anyone have a better method for managing clinker in a bottom-blast setup?

PSA: I started charging a flat $5 for kids under 10 and it backfired immediately

I figured a simple, cheap rate for little kids would make things easier for parents. The first week, a mom brought in her three boys, all under 8, for trims. It took me 45 minutes just to get the youngest to sit still, and I barely broke even on my time. I learned that a low price doesn't mean a simple job, it just means you're working for less on the hardest cuts. How do you guys handle pricing for really young clients without scaring off the parents?

Switched to a bike for my 3 mile commute to save gas, but my car insurance went up $12 a month.

Found my old notes from a repair job three years back

I was cleaning out my bench drawer last week and found the paper I scribbled on when I fixed a 1908 poetry book for the local library. My notes were just a mess of pencil marks and glue spots. Last month, I redid my whole record system with a proper project log, but seeing that old sheet made me miss how simple things felt back then. What's your method for keeping track of repairs and materials now?

Remembering the week we put up a fence for Mrs. Henderson in the middle of a heat wave

It was July in Phoenix, hitting 112 degrees every day, and her yard was all hard clay. We broke two auger bits just getting the holes started for the cedar posts. What made it stand out was her bringing out a cooler of ice water and lemonade every two hours, saying 'you boys are tougher than the ground.' That kind of care from a client, when you're just baked and beat, really sticks with you. Ever have a small act of kindness turn a brutal job around?

Warning: I almost gave up on air fryer chicken wings because of one mistake

Honestly, I made wings two ways last weekend. I patted them dry and tossed them in cornstarch, like a recipe said. The other batch I just dried and seasoned. The cornstarch batch came out with a weird, tough skin after 20 minutes at 400. The plain batch was perfectly crispy and juicy. The difference was night and day. Has anyone else had a bad experience with using cornstarch on wings in the air fryer?

Vent: A guy in a Tacoma parking lot told me to skip the curing compound on a hot day

This was maybe four years back, finishing a small patio. It was pushing 90 degrees and I was about to spray on the cure and seal. This older guy, a homeowner watching from next door, walks over and says, 'You know, on a day like this, you don't really need that stuff. Just keep it wet with the hose.' I was in a rush and almost listened. Thank goodness I didn't. I sprayed it on anyway, and when I came back the next morning, the slab next door (which he'd done himself) was a spiderweb of cracks. Mine was perfect. He was trying to be helpful, I guess, but it was bad advice that could have cost me the job and a call-back. It stuck with me to always trust the process, not shortcuts from bystanders. Has anyone else gotten some really bad, but well-meaning, advice on a pour?