Blackberry pie

I spent the morning in the loveliest way: snapping headshots of all the new students at the boys' school. They are all so cute and happy, and again I felt enveloped by the warmth and love that pervades the campus. It's like everyone is getting a big, firm hug all the time. And that's a multipurpose meaning of firm: literally, a good not weak hug, and also in the sense of firmness of expectation and schedule and purpose. Thank you school! A bubbling blackberry pie just emerged from my oven and is making my kitchen awfully fragrant right now. I'm off to pick up the kids but might just bake something more later. Though it's warm out, it was cool this morning, leaves are starting to fall, and you can sense that Fall is on its way. I love it!

Aah!

The boys' first day was smashing in every way. They love their teachers, were thrilled to be back, loved seeing friends, gobbled lunch (Oliver said, "that kale is SOOOOOO good, and I ate the biggest bowl of cantaloupe ever.") and just seemed all-around happy. Amen, in'shallah, mazel tov, auguri, grazie, etc. I realized today, too, just how much I've missed all my own friends at school, other parents, teachers and administrators alike. It was great to see all their faces and to catch up a bit. After school a big bunch of us went for frozen yogurt, and then I took the boys to purchase a new book each. Jack opted for a National Geographic about snakes while Oliver dove headfirst for Make-Believe Bride, a story about Ariel pining so seriously for Prince Eric that she fake-marries the statue of him that sunk to the bottom of the sea. Conveniently right into a secret grotto that she loves to visit and store random people things in. Good god almighty, people, this book is the pits. I couldn't care less about the princess subject matter, but there is a real difference in quality within that genre.

T is now at his annual (why? WHY?) fantasy football draft, so I've opened a lovely bottle of Pinot and am kicking back. What.to.do.for.dinner. Hmm!

Lastly, a few vacuous thoughts for your amusement:

• Diana Nyad: cool though intensity kinda scary, and that's coming from a pretty-intensely goal-oriented gal
• Miley Cyrus: not even a good dancer, and those shoes sucked
• John McCain: when will he just shut up and go home?
• online news channels that give you a video-only option make me mad; I just want to read the damn information
• Dennis Rodman going to N.Korea again? why? WTF?

First day, pepper-plum punchout!

Ah me, the day has come. The kids were bouncing off the walls with excitement this morning and asked, quite seriously, if we could leave the house almost a full hour before we were supposed to. Shockingly we were not the first family at school, but we were on the early side which made for a relaxing drop off and an avoidance of the lengthy queue that had formed not long after we arrived. Everyone seemed happy and excited, and I know I'll hear great reviews at pick-up.

After the gym, I hurried home to make a jam recipe I've been thinking about. I love pepper jelly, but I also really loved a Mexican plum jam I made last summer, so I wanted to combine the two ideas into one: the spice of the former with the ease of the latter.

I candied some habañero slivers and flame-roasted a jalapeño. Then I tossed together some chopped plums, a chopped peach, some sugar and a couple tablespoons of the habañero syrup, the now peeled and diced jalapeño, some toasted and freshly ground coriander and lastly, some of those candied habañeros. This stuff kicks ass! Yee-ha! I love it!