Two batches of strawberry jelly are ready to go on the road on Friday morning. I put most of it in pint jars, some of it in jelly jars - my son likes peanut butter and strawberry jelly A LOT. Though he also likes the mustang grape jelly, he tells me these days he prefers strawberry more. I started making jelly for him about 10 years ago when he complained about the "lumps" in the regular store-bought jars of preserves. Now I make it every year and send a case to the university with him.

Some of both types and a couple of boxes are on the kitchen counter, awaiting his selections and packing. Also a set of Tupperware tumblers that he seems to be the only one who uses - they're attractive - but I prefer glass. A small crock pot (from last year's excursion into crock pot shopping on eBay) for oatmeal, and a little gadget to plug into the car's lighter socket that can play through the radio, has a USB plug on it for a flash drive for other devices or charging. $9 at Fry's several years ago. It's a gadget he has used on previous cross country trips in my truck. Now perhaps it will be useful in his car.

I remember how liberating it was to take my first cross country trip. I'll keep that in mind as he gets ready for this one. I was younger than he at the time.

I've mopped the floor and got up most of the sticky spots - you know the tacky spots you feel under your shoes when you make jelly? The sink is mostly clean now but a few implements will go in the dishwasher. My big job is done for now.

Tomorrow is the first day of the semester, and the first full day of the new job. I have handed over the templates I designed from the former job to people who are just going to have to figure out how to do the rest of it on their own. There is one email to send to the printer in the morning with a file I worked on this evening. That's it.

SRS