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I destroyed my first jam jar this week.  I was making my new batch of strawberry-kiwi, using agave instead of honey, and had just put the first jar in the boiling water to can it when I heard a 'pop' noise similar to the one the lids make when they seal closed.  The entire bottom of the jar had broken off, leaving me with a giant pot of boiling water, broken glass, and sticky jam.  Delicious!  The upside is that I decided that the canning process definitely affects the taste, and was a far more noticeable difference than the honey vs agave.  I prefer the fresh fruit taste to the cooked fruit one, so I may be not canning jars of jam I expect to eat soon.

During one of my grape arbor painting moments, I noticed that the bulkhead door was once the same color as the grape arbor, and took advantage of having the paint already out to give it a fresh coat.  So much better!  It actually resembles a door, instead of a scary thing I don't want to touch.  Since I was willing to touch it, I noticed that there were gaps around the door frame, and used a can of great stuff to seal everything up.  I hope that this will help the basement this winter. 

Also, I am done with the grape arbor!  This is really cool.  No more fighting with grape vines and craning around to funny angles on ladders while holding paintbrushes.