Finally-Friday quick hits: Salt-rising bread; guns become garden tools; sticky notes give hope; take home the cheese

Salt-rising bread (Photo from Garden & Gun)

The dough smells akin to gym socks, but it makes excellent toast. What is this Appalachian favorite? Salt-rising bread. After a tough week, it's good to remember from sea to shining sea toast is one of America's simplest, most versatile comfort foods. People in Maine have ideas on how to eat it. The Washington Post has recommendations on how to turn it into a meal. It even has its own song.

Nobody wants to be known for infamy -- or do they? "In the small city of LaGrange, Texas, with a population of just over 4,000 people, huge antique shows and a charitable bike ride draw many visitors every year," reports Keith Roysdon of The Daily Yonder. "But it's possible the infamous Chicken Ranch, reportedly the last brothel in Texas when it closed in 1973, generates more frank curiosity about LaGrange than more mainstream gatherings. . . . Unlike some cities and towns with a 'notorious attraction,' LaGrange leans into the history of the Chicken Ranch." It's just one example of what the Yonder calls "Tourism of Infamy."

Summer is here, and "a host of festivals are producing eclectic work — from Oregon to Appalachia. Want to embrace the summer heat? You'll find plenty of opportunities to take in theater under the stars. Looking to escape it? There are chances to catch world-premiere plays and reimagined revivals in the comforts of air conditioning," reports Thomas Floyd of The Washington Post. "So peruse our picks and consider a summertime venture to a theater near you — or perhaps a pilgrimage to one that's not."

The cheese rolls away. (Photo by Annabel Lee-Ellis, Getty via The Atlantic)

Folks across the pond in Gloucester, England, had a jolly time gathering at a farm "for the annual Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake, continuing a tradition that dates back at least 200 years," reports Alan Taylor of The Atlantic. "Participants chase a nine-pound wheel of Double Gloucester cheese down an extremely steep and uneven hill—with no police or paramedics on site this year. The winner of the race gets to take home the cheese."

Planting a summer garden can be an intentional act of hope. The garden need not be perfect to produce veggies and joy. "Last month, we planted our garden. It's small and kind of awkward, and I'm still not sure if the spot we picked gets enough sun. Nevertheless, it's planted with hopes of big, juicy tomatoes and lush bushes of green beans," writes Betty Haynes of Prairie Farmer. "We've also spent the month planting flowers. . . . Some already look beautiful, and if I'm being honest, some have already withered away and died. Nevertheless, they're planted, and those that do thrive bring a smile to my face."

Turning guns into a garden tools is starting to catch on as one way to combat violence. "In 2016, we were introduced to a group, Raw Tools, which started this concept. It was developed by a Mennonite father and son," recalls retired Bishop Jim Curry for "The Rural We" in Rural Intelligence, a largely online publication in the Hudson River highlands. "After Sandy Hook, they started inviting people to disarm their weapons, then make them into different gardening tools using blacksmithing techniques. We started talking with police departments around Connecticut, and invited leaders in this movement to New Haven. I learned as much as I could about blacksmithing and began raising money to get the equipment and co-created Swords to Plowshares."

Maddy Barnes places notes of encouragement in the
girls' restroom. (Aurora News-Register photo)

Life can be tough, but we can help each other along the way, "Maddy Barnes, a custodian at Aurora High School, is not that many years out of high school herself, so she knows the importance of an encouraging word to teenagers," reports Ron Burtz of the Aurora News-Register. "This past school year, she has found an unconventional way to connect with the students she sees in the halls every day through notes of encouragement written on sticky notes. Her strategy has been so successful that students and staff have not only kept the notes she leaves in places like the restrooms, but have in some cases left similar messages for her and others."