There’s something special about using the last bit of the content of a glass jar: thoughts about the replacement, either the same or contemplation of something different. I enjoy this. At the moment it is jam that is in question. And the choices available. The brands available at my favourite grocery story where I have been shopping for many years and the staff has remained mostly constant and I could engage in discussion over selection. The homemade jams offered in the Craft Store where the ladies will know the donors and have likely tried the jams and be able to advise on who tends to make a very sweet product and who not. Then there are the craft fairs where jams are also for view and for sale and the opportunity to speak directly to the maker and get a sense of where the fruit came from. The fact of strawberry jam made from berries straight from the garden appeals to me. Sometimes they have samples.
The adventure of selection is before me. For now I had the pleasure of washing out the glass jar with hot soapy water, chasing away lingering bits of jam, rinsing in hot water, drying the jar, still steaming, with a soft old linen cloth, holding the glass up to the light to confirm that it was, indeed, sparkling. It may go into the recycling bin. It may get put on a shelf for future use and my mind trips across what it could house – a food Christmas gift? the rusty square handmade nails still waiting in a bag in the basement on some sort of appreciation? knitting needles? my thoughts for the moment…