Hi Friends,

The summer days are long, the mornings warm, and cold brew is on the breakfast menu these days. ☀️ So pour yourself a cup (or grab a glass of something iced), find a shady spot, and settle in.

Here’s what we shared this week on the blog (links near the bottom):

• Art From Prison: Meet Victor the Convict, a sharp and endearing comic that says a lot with a few words and some fine pencil artwork.
• Good, Bad, Change: Two responses from inside: Troy, sharing his observations from a Texas prison, and Reynold, from a super-max prison in Pennsylvania.

Last week I asked what you would do if you spotted a spider in an audience member’s hair during a live symphony performance. Leah and I hadn’t talked since that night until today, but she says she saw the spider too and noticed someone in front of her who started to tell her (twice!) but never did. No one commented, but I’m still wondering what you would have done, and it’s not too late to chime in. Read the post here and weigh in.

Meanwhile, in my own home, we’re living a little closer to cell reality than we expected.

Some of you may recall the mitigation work from our water leaks wrapped up a couple of weeks ago (picture several surprise waterfalls inside the wall), but we’re still waiting on our insurance to decide if the loss is covered. If! Sigh.

That means six weeks (so far) without a kitchen. No stove. No counters. All the lower cabinets and the island? Removed and trashed. The microwave and fridge are holding the fort, but it’s been a long run of reheated meals and takeout tabs.

So, in a moment of weakness (or brilliance), I bought a countertop egg cooker.
I’m normally anti-single-use appliances, but this one is tiny, only needs water, and can steam other things (in small amounts) like single-serving frittatas, dumplings, and veggies.

It made me think of cooking in a prison cell, where a hot pot is your entire kitchen. The constraints are real, and so is the creativity that comes out of them.

We do have an electric kettle, a microwave, and a fridge. The challenge is cleanup: no sink, no disposal, and a strong desire to avoid balancing a greasy pan over the bathroom basin. Because ew.

So here’s your new challenge: What can I make with an egg cooker that isn’t just eggs?
Bonus points if it requires minimal prep and is easy to clean up.

I’ll try your suggestions and report back.

🐣 Read this week’s posts:
Victor the Convict – Art From Prison
Good, Bad, Change – Troy in Texas
Good, Bad, Change – Reynold in Pennsylvania

Quote of the Week: 

Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.
— Theodore Roosevelt

Thanks for reading, sharing, and supporting. Now do tell me your genius ideas for what else we can make in a tiny egg cooker… I’m ready to push it to its limits. (To leave a comment, scroll… keep scrolling… yep, past the “You May Also Like” section… farther… there you go! The comment box is hiding way down at the bottom.)

With gratitude,

—Melissa 🐝