Thanks for your email about the deck renovation. I took a look at the photos you sent and I think the main issue is the support beam on the south side. If you sister it with another 2x8, it should hold the load fine. I ran into a similar problem with my own porch last year and it took me about a weekend to fix. Let me know if you need me to swing by with my nail gun. I am free next Saturday afternoon if that works for you. We can grab a bite afterwards to discuss the next steps.
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Regarding your question about the sourdough starter, it is actually quite resilient. I left mine in the fridge for three weeks and it came back to life after a few feedings. The key is to discard half before feeding it and use a scale for accurate measurements. I use a mix of whole wheat and all-purpose flour. If it smells like acetone, it just needs to be fed more often. Let me know if you want me to share my favorite recipe for the no-knead Dutch oven bread.