MindSpinner

I kissed summer vacation goodbye last Monday and attended faculty-wide literacy training all week, conducted by truly capable grant partners from the City by the River. I am excited about our faculty’s positive response and by how our classrooms will be transformed over the course of the four-year grant.

Writing letters (the old fashioned kind, with stamps) to Catapult Kid is keeping me busy, too. I try to track down and print out news articles I think he’ll be interested in and enclose those along with a short note or a long one, depending on the news or lack thereof. He’s supposed to be able to call this weekend - 2.5 minutes per parent. We’ll just have a chance to hear each other’s voices.

Thank goodness we’ll have the chance to hear each other’s voices.

Yesterday, I picked blackberries from the kitchen garden and embarked on the adventure of making jam. I have never made jam before, though I remember my mother doing this. I’d help with peeling apples or peaches, but not so much with the process. Such big pots. So much steam. And afterward, 18 small jars filled with blackberry essence of July, suitable for consumption in January (or this morning, on a waffle). I started a little after 9:00 p.m. and finished by midnight. My favorite part is taking the jars out of the canner to cool and hearing the little pop that says the jars sealed properly. I have a child’s happiness at learning a new thing, never outgrew it.