On love and rosemary

There are days when I am invisible. This is not a project but a condition, occasionally.

Good friends drive past me without waving. Perhaps they don't recognize my car.

Old chatting acquaintances turn down the aisle in the market before our eyes meet. They are in a hurry most likely. So am I.

People are out when I call them about serious matters. The mail is lifeless.

My children might have started off the day saying something like, did you put lemon zest in these pancakes again? in the sort of accusing tone that implies an active curse in their lives. It is the pitch that resonates, I think, physically, causing my atoms to begin disarranging themselves, falling off of me, going where they go on days like this.

Usually I can feel it coming, then, throughout the morning. The subtle crumbling of my face, sluicing all familiar attributes, decomposing friendly solids into a flat colorless plane that carries on as usual. It is as though nothing terribly odd has occurred except that I have disappeared.

I suspect that others have had this experience. Slipping out somewhere. I don't know. It does seem to me that I have detected absenteeism here and there in otherwise ordinary people.

Volunteers, some of them.

I have studied this propensity with the goal of remedy, naturally, and I have reached some conclusions, one of which is the healing qualities of homemade jellies.

Little shimmering rose and apple hued jewels whose appearance and offering effectively rescues the downtrodden, the wispy, the faint. Add to that notion that a jelly with a sprig of fresh rosemary adding the most lovely and magnetic fragrance and you have revival guaranteed.

Gifts, after all, as the long cold tunnel of winter begins to envelope us, with the weak sun in flowerless yards, icy roads imperiling our loved ones, the wood stove ravenous, and new and ambitious generations of flu trying us out, we have cleverly instituted several holidays to supplant the warmth that is receding.

Now you might wonder if dry herbs will substitute in this recipe for Cran-Rosemary Jelly. They will. The vibrancy and visual allure of just picked herbs will be missing, however. And if you are conveying love with this item, it is worth the extra step of ordering the fresh herb from your produce vendor. Most will do it happily if you are willing to wait.

Luckily, with purchased cranberry-apple or cran-raspberry juice, this recipe is ready to make at any moment.

For short term storage, use random jars and paraffin; for long storage, the two piece canning jar lids are more reliable. In either case, sterilize the jars and lids.

The quality of the juice will determine the base flavor. Also note that there are two quantities of sugar -- the larger is for unsweetened juices.

Combine in a large heavy pot:

6 C. cran-apple or cran-raspberry juice

5 3" sprigs fresh rosemary

Bring to a boil, then cover, remove from the heat and let stand for at least 20 minutes.

Remove the herb sprigs and stir in:

1 box powdered pectin

Bring the juice and pectin to a boil and stir at the boiling point for one minute. Add, all at once:

5-6 C. sugar

Stir well. Bring to a boil that cannot be stirred down and continue to cook at this high rate for one minute.

Remove the jars from the oven and, with mitts or pot holders, turn them over onto a thick layer of clean newspaper which will keep them from cooling too rapidly and make cleanup fast. Scald the lids.

Have a damp towel ready to swab up the rims. Place an herb sprig into each hot jar.

Pour jelly to within 1/2" of the top of each jar, wiping up spills carefully so that the lids will seal. If you are using the two-piece lids, turn the jars upside down for 5 minutes to further insure the seal. Don't forget to right them.

On the random jars, pour a thin layer of paraffin onto the surface of the jelly immediately. When it cools and turns white, add another layer, swirling it gently so that it seals every bit of the jelly in but doesn't slosh over the edge.

Now. Make merry. Serve this with a festive meal whose centerpiece is simple and radiates good fortune. Laugh as much as possible. Coalesce. Delve into your verities.