Mason Jar Monday #1

A Mason canning jar is a curious object to someone like me who can't even figure out how to grow the fruit that might eventually wind up inside of it. Really hoping though, for a notable exception this year - a few sizable pumpkins from the grandkids' first backyard patch. But then wouldn't those be a little big to fit inside of a quart capacity jar? Oh, just kidding! Even I know that! You'd have to cut them up into little chunks or something first.....right? :)

Okay, it's obvious. I have never paid much attention to Mason jars. That is, until my grandma blogger friend, Connie, authored a few ingenious posts that really caught my eye. She demonstrated a little known way to save cooking time and cleaning effort by subbing a Mason jar for the pitcher on a household blender. Enlisting her husband's help, other jars became enchanting solar lights. More of them were commissioned to hold party food or bear gifts to family members. I was amazed. What else can this remarkable woman do? Not surprisingly, I wasn't the only one asking this question. Another talented blogging grandma recognized Connie's skill and acknowledged it publicly with a charming gift. Debra artfully arranged a lovely bouquet of garden flowers in a Mason jar and posted a picture of it on her Homespun blog in tribute to the resourceful home keeper we both admired. That gift was reciprocated by Connie shortly thereafter, followed by a second one posted for me last week. And then a  really cool one from Debra went to Lisa at Grandma's Briefs. With those thoughtful gestures, an alliance of virtual-gift-sending-grandma-bloggers and "Mason Jar Monday" were born!

Connie's home page has a "pantry" that will virtually store the fruit of her lovely idea. Right now it is nearly empty. There is plenty of space on the "shelves" to fill with Mason jar gifts designed for someone special by readers, followers, bloggers, me, and most importantly....you! We are all invited to participate in a celebration of the versatility and potential of these timeless utensils that evoke nostalgic memories of the warmth and emotional safety of steamy kitchens occupied by aproned grandmothers working hard to deftly transform bountiful garden produce into preserved quantities enough to last an entire winter season. Has a Mason canning jar ever suggested an unpleasant memory to anyone? Nope! Didn't think so!

I was delighted to find a vintage canning jar in my basement, long forgotten in a box of kitchen items that belonged to my grandmother. I used it to create a gift to virtually present today to yet another blogging grandma friend. A few weeks ago, I mentioned our mutual attempts at growing pumpkins and sunflowers  for the benefit of our grandchildren. After that fun experience, I don't think I will ever see a sunflower again without thinking of Grandma Kc! In subsequent emails, she related that both she and her granddaughter, Amara, are huge fans of ladybugs. In fact, they collect the little critters! I studied and studied my newly discovered Mason jar, discarding several ideas before the perfect one occurred to me. I would grace the lid with a sunflower, creating an ideal place to store premium seeds for bird feeding. A ladybug button perched atop would allow me to acknowledge how much I enjoy reading Kc's posts from Amaraland, the supportive comments she leaves for me here, her friendly reply emails to my comments and the painstaking tech help she has given me in the past. (How many people do you know who would take step by step pictures of their own computer screens so that "totally clueless" here (me) could learn how to properly link up sites? I only know a few, and one of them is Grandma Kc!)

So, Grandma Kc from Amaraland, with affection for your fun loving and helpful spirit, I present my first ever "Mason Jar Monday" creation to YOU!