Rhapsodies

I have two friends who make jam… and not just any jam, wonderful excellent craft jam made from the fruits of their own trees. It is jam to be coveted. I usually get a chance for about one jar a year… two if I’m lucky.   Sometimes she’ll bring them to parties and I’ve one a few at Christmas White Elephants in ways I’m not particularly proud of.

This year it was a very nice plum jam but the jar was especially hard to open. I did all of the tricks running water tapping the edges… It was like one of those old slapstick routines where the big burly man struggles with the jar and finally hands it to his petite wife in frustration who gets it with one twist. Since I do not have a petite wife it took me nearly fifteen minutes to open.

I had hoped that was the end of it but, the next time I went for the jam, I had the same trouble. It was if I had closed the jar as tight as possible when I was done with it the last time. I couldn’t figure out what the problem was. Had I somehow mangled the thread of the lid with all of my tapping on the lid? I got it open at last but only after giving up and having something else to snack on twice. When I was done I closed it very gently so i wouldn’t have to do this again.

No such luck. The third and last time it was just as hard to open as before. I finally got it open with some struggle by leaving it out with the warmth allowing the metal to expand slightly.

At the moment I am just wresting the lid on the jar but even now I expect difficulty.