we jammin'...

Today I am making blackberry jam.

I might also be listening to a mix of Bob Marley, Kings of Leon, and Bon Iver.

I could be trying to cheer myself up.

Sometimes you lose someone close to you--and not in the permanent sense--and you start to see them everywhere. Not "them" in their body, walking around, but "them" in the objects you're surrounded with. The vintage purse, the pair of shoes, the pile of pink fabric that will never be sewn into tiny, little-girl clothes.

Sometimes there is absolutely nothing you can do about the situation. You cry and your husband hugs you for a while and then you decide to eat your feelings so you make some jam and slather it on a thick piece of bread with butter.

You have tea.

You're still sad, but not as sad.

Basic Jam Recipe

Ingredients:
- any quantity of any kind of berries you love
- sugar
- water

Put a splash of water in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and turn the heat to med/high. Put your fruit in and bring it to a nice bubble. Cover the fruit with a thin layer of sugar and mix in. Let it bubble away for about 30 minutes, checking on it to make sure it doesn't burn or stick. You can add more sugar or less depending on your taste. Less sugar will make a runnier jam because it's the sugar that thickens the fruits juices into a syrup.

Once you've got it to the consistency and taste you're looking for, turn it off and let cool before putting into jars.

Life always gets better. Eventually.