Taping Electrical Switches, More in The Saga...

Yes, more in the saga of taking care of my father, the ultimate challenge to the "sandwich" generation.

As Torah (AKA Orthodox) Jews, we don't "change electric settings" on Shabbat, Sabbath.  Of course we "use" electricity.  Lights can be on, the fridge and heaters, too.  We just don't touch the switch.  Some things, like household lights may be on electric timers, but all that is set up before the sun goes down on a Friday.

My father now lives with us.  He was never religiously observant, even when he "had all his marbles."  Then if he was visiting he could remember not to touch the switches, but now he forgets and he doesn't see well.  Even when turning off the toilet light he could end up turning on the bathroom heater. 

Last week, just after Shabbat began, that's what happened, so the entire Shabbat the bathroom was nice and unnecessarily warm.  I was afraid that the fuse would blow.

I've been trying to tape the hallway and bathroom lights to stay on, so we can benefit in our room.  I guess it was in frustration looking for a "working" switch to turn those lights off, he turned on the heater.

No, I didn't say anything to him about it.  What's the point?

All and all, he's doing great, really.  His blood pressure is lower than ever before.  I changed gears and I'm fine, too.

Just new challenges...

Never dull

Fashion Tichel by Hermes

 

An image from “Play Time With My Scarf” on the site for Hermès. 

This is the fashionable tichel (scarf) on the  head as seen in The New York Times.  This is a very common look in my neighborhood.  Many of the young married women leave a bit of hair, teasingly out of their covering.  Hair covering can be very "in."  And hair coverings can be very glamorous.  There's nothing more sophisticated than a great hat.

Dream for Some, Nightmare for Others

Yesterday we (the movie club) saw the modern operetta, Dreamgirls.  The women loved it, but the men, at least most of them, couldn't stand it.


Actually one walked out before it was over, and my father would have liked to do the same, but he lives here, in my house, where the film was shown.


The women attending had no complaints, just praise.

Honestly, I didn't think Dreamgirls would be so controversial.


Not everyone liked that style of music.  Those of us who loved the movie found everything great, singing, costumes, acting, photography.

I Can't Complain; I Can't Complain; I Can't...

This is not a complaint!

It's a .... weather report.  Just in the middle of heating up dinner, let the truth be known that I do my main cooking only once a week when preparing for Shabbat, I noticed that the flame was off, though the stove was on.

Ahh Hah!  I know what that means.  It's time to play switcheroo with the gas "balloons," canisters.

Can you guess?

Well, thank G-d it was raining.  We desperately need rain, lots of it.  So, the fact that I had to go outside in the rain in the dark rainy night to the side of the merpeset, balcony/terrace, close the open "balloon" and open the closed one.  Then I had to turn the stove on again, so the food would heat up.

I may have gotten chilled to the bone, but I can't complain...

Gevalia Not Gevaldik*

I had heard from coffee maivens in the states that the elite was getting Gevalia coffee delivered to their homes.  I didn't get to drink any, but I was overjoyed when my brother gave me a box to take home to Shiloh.


Par for the course, I saved it and saved it.  OK, only two and a half months.  For whatever reason, I decided that today would be the day and I opened it.  Hmmm, strange, no great coffee odor emerged from the gold wrapping.  Maybe it's my stuffed nose.  But still, it could have been saw dust for all I can tell.  I put a couple of heaping spoons into my filter coffeemaker.  And now I'm finishing my second giant mug. 


Maybe I'd be happier with a different one of their coffees, but this is the one I was given.  Most of my mother's order is decaf, and that's not for me, thank G-d.  I usually drink standard, though quality, Israeli Turkish coffee, made in my filter coffeemaker.  I used to perc it and that was really something.  I've also boiled it up with sugar the way some Russian guys taught me.


The package is now in the freezer, and I'll try it again another time.  Maybe it'll taste better.  Maybe it'll have more taste.


*Gevaldik-super fantastic

Too Bad I Don't Have Stock in Tissues, Because....

... I've been forced to stock up on them.

Our unseasonably warm weather has confused the local flora causing allergic reactions.  At least I hope that the flooding from my nose is allergy and not something more.  I don't "feel sick." I'm just sick and tired of having to keep blowing my nose and/or wiping the flood.

I've gone years without ever having to buy tissues, but now I've bought my second five pack in just a few months.  For us that's a lot and I'm the one using them up.

My sense of smell isn't what is usually is and I cook according to smell.  Do you know what that causes?  Lots of complaints for sure.

We need rain!

Ruby Tuesday Playing Blackjack

I was inspired by Risa's Ruby Tuesday picture and decided to search my most recent CD for something with red.

And so I discovered the deck of cards has just the right red for us.

In this picture my father and our young neighbor are playing Blackjack, but his usual game of choice is Casino.  As a CPA should, he still can calculate quite well, probably better than the youngsters who are much too dependent on electric calculators, whether on their phones, computers or whatever.

On Tuesdays, just post any photo you like (it must be one of your own) that contains the color RED and then link to this blog.

From The Other Side of The Camera

A couple of months ago we were invited to a wedding here in Shiloh.  I was asked to take pictures as our gift, which is just perfect as far as I'm concerned.  A few others took pictures there, too, and I was just sent a few in which I appeared.

OK, maybe my outfit was a bit peculiar, but I wanted to be warm enough without the bulk of a coat, and as photographer I needed something very comfortable.

And, as you can see, my father was also invited.  We sat at a table of native English speakers, so that he felt very comfortable.  Yes, there are quite a few English speakers in Shiloh from all over the world!

7X7=49 Kosher.com 's KCC!

Yes, the 49th Kosher Cooking Carnival is the the kosher.com blog!  G-d willing, I'll host the 50th next month here at me-ander.

Please check it out and see the great professional job done on this December/Tevet KCC.  Now that I think about it, especially after blogging about the Jewish Calendar, maybe we should start using the Jewish Months for the Kosher Cooking Carnival.  It would be more kosher, wouldn't it?

Please send in your links via blog carnival, and let me know if you're interested in hosting an edition.  Thanks!!

"Nachas," Pleasure From the Strangest Things

Our aliyah was long before our youngest was born.  Even our eldest, twelve years his senior, was born here in Israel.  Irony of ironies, you can read of his exploits here on my husband's blog.

How can an Israeli born and bred kid be a tackle football fan and player?  For this we moved to Israel? 

Food On My Mind

I'm still awaiting news about the latest Kosher Cooking Carnival which is scheduled to be posted by kosher.com

In the meantime, I've scheduled the January edition for the end of the month, hosted by yours truly at me-ander.  Please send your kosher food links in immediately after posting.  I collect them as they come in a specially designated "mailbox."

If you'd like to host one of the monthly Kosher Cooking Carnivals, please let me know at shilohmuse at gmail dot com .

KCC isn't just a recipe carnival, because kosher cooking isn't just about food.  Include tradition, Halacha (Jewish Law,) cookbook and restaurant reviews and recipes, of course.

If you've never hosted a blog carnival before, I'll help coach you through it.  It's also a good way to publicize your blog and get more readers.

Dance to Baila's Havel Havelim

All day I've been hopping over to Baila's blog to check if her Havel Havelim had been posted already.  I was hungry, fasting on this Asarah B'Tevet and had been hoping that her Havel Havelim would take my mind off of food.

Well, just as I was eating my dessert, Shabbat's Baked Apples, I found it.  And... my posts got top spot. 

Of course, yes, it was certainly worth waiting for!  There are lots and lots of great posts to check out.  Please do! 

Enjoy! Thanks!

Peppers Stuffed With...

I must admit that I don't usually stuff peppers, but when we found ourselves with too much chopped liver, I decided to try something new and adventurous.

I froze the chopped liver and waited for an auspicious day.

A couple of months later, for no reason at all, I decided to do it. 

There were enough peppers in the fridge to invest some in this grand experiment:

Stuffed Peppers

Peppers Stuffed with

Chopped Liver and Ground Poultry

(Chicken or Turkey)

So, without much fanfare, I did my usual mix of ground poultry with chopped onions, raw egg and spices to supplement the liver.

I also began the sauce, a mix of tomato concentrate, onions, black pepper, garlic etc.

Then I took off the tops and innards of the peppers and literally stuffed them.  Some got liver and the others got the poultry.

I cooked it all up on the stove and covered for over an hour.  And believe it or not, it was a success!

Cooking's easy.  Just be creative!

Please Pray for a Refuah Shleimah (Complete Recovery) for Tal Avitan!

Last night when I requested prayers for Tal bat Sarah Chava, I didn't realize that the family was allowing the name out.

This past year has been very difficult for the Avitan family, ever since Tal's father, Moshe Refael ben Aliza Aisha, was shot by Arab terrorists.  He is now legally blind and recently began using a seeing eye dog.

Last week, her grandfather, Avraham ben Yakut Avitan had heart surgery, and we've been praying for him.

Minor Complaints...

Considering that the beeper went off twice about Tal bat Sarah Chava, a young girl who passed out on Shabbat and is in critical condition, yes, please pray for her רפואה שלימה  refuah shleimah complete recovery, I can't get upset over the fact that both youtube and wejew refuse to upload a short very short little movie.

I've already so mellowed out since my father moved in with us.  I can't get upset when he really can't control all he does.

Life's always full of surprises, not all pleasant.  We must learn to put it all in proper proportion.

Please Pray for A Refuah Shleimah, Complete Recovery

Tal bat Sarah Chava
Please Pray for
A Refuah Shleimah,
Complete Recovery

It's A Good Thing The Store Was Closed!

Saved by the bell for sure!

If that store had been open when I passed it, I would have entered and tried on the dresses.

I don't need more clothes.

I don't have the money to buy more clothes.

I don't have any special event which would make an excuse for new clothes.

But I am very curious about whether I can wear dresses like these.  Before losing weight, they wouldn't have fit nicely.  I'll just have to wait...

Finally, Fruit Salad

I feel rather "debili" stupid as they say in Hebrew, considering that I've been cooking for decades, half a century or more, since I started as a kid.  And would you believe that I don't ever remember making fruit salads? I've made compotes, applesauce, sliced fruit on a plate, melon balls in a scooped out watermelon etc, but not a good all purpose, anything goes, simple as can be, so easy a child can make fruit salad.

The closest I got to it was at one of those community events we used to have.  It was an activity to turn my stomach.  Everyone was given unrinsed fruit in their unwashed hands and told to cut or pull it apart and dump into a communal bowl for a communal meal of fruit, virus and bacteria.  What's a little dirt for flavoring between friends?

I got the local doctor to ban those activities during a jaundice epidemic about twenty years ago.  Actually, I've been told that it's a great vaccination program when started young, but Shiloh is populated with a wide spectrum of Jews from so many backgrounds and some of us don't carry enough immunities to survive these treats.

Yesterday, with well-washed hands, I took the fruit, rinsed it and cut it into irregular-sized (I'm not obsessive compulsive about the aesthetics of food, just cleanliness) pieces. Then I served it to the Movie Club.

Here's a list of the fruit in the order cut:

• apple
• banana
• red grapefruit
• orange
• a tiny bit of fresh ginger
  

Some people even had seconds.  Sorry no pictures.

... And I Gratefully Entered The Ambulance.

Please don't panic!

As much as I walk and love to walk and even find myself doing "speed walking" at night when I can finally get out by myself sans my father for some exercise, when I get off our bus at the stop "down the hill" after some hours in Jerusalem I'm totally exhausted.  A few years ago, the yishuv mazkirut, town council, foolishly (immorally) agreed to cancel the deal we had with Egged bus company to go up to my neighborhood.  This has made life very difficult for us.

I'm always grateful for rides home.

Ambulance drivers on call must have the ambulance with them wherever they are, and that includes going to the grocery store and picking up their kids from school.  When I got back to Shiloh the other day, the driver was taking his kids home from school and invited me in, too.  I was very thankful.  He asked if it was really so hard, since I'm known as "a walker."  Obviously I said "yes."

A couple of hours later, after relaxing and drinking water and coffee, I very energetically went down the hill to a T'hillim Psalms group.  I saw the ambulance driver again (while he was picking his youngest kids up from day care.)  I called out to him, to make sure that he noticed that I'm not always in need of "rescue!"

Perfectly Pictured, Leora's JPIX

The latest JPIX is in HP, that's Leora's blog.

No suprise, that it's a real beauty.  Take a look if you don't believe me, and take a look if you do believe me.  Let's just say:

Take a look! 

Elderly Rights?

Next in the saga of my father's aliyah at 89...

It's time to contact the social worker and begin finding out what rights he and we get for him.  I had thought, originally, that my mother would be here by now, but that part of the aliyah plan isn't quite going as quickly as it should.

She wants to be there for the house-selling, although it would probably be easier to sell it if she was out and here already.

• For sale in Great Neck, LI, NY, 3 bedrooms, den, playroom, 1 and 3/4 (toilet with shower downstairs in playroom) baths.
• Quiet street.
• Great Neck North school district.
• A mile from the Young Israel and a bit more from the Great Neck Synagogue.

I may as well try to sell the house, too!

I DID It! The latest episode in the saga of my father's aliyah at 89

I decided to choose a very patriotic, Israeli Flag, blue for this post.  Those of you keeping tabs on my father's aliyah saga may remember that he never got his Te'udat Zehut, Israeli Identity Card.

My daughter doesn't really have time for it, and I avoid bureaucracy like the plague and the swine flu.  But unfortunately there are all sorts of things for which that little blue plastic folder and what's inside of it is the most necessary prerequisite.

At best I can get out two days a week, and Monday is dedicated to going to the pool.  I'm not about to take documents there, and any how, there's no guarantee I'd have time afterwards.

Today I felt brave and I also see that it's time to get started on the other things...

I got up extra early, so I'd have time for water, coffee, dovening breakfast etc before leaving Shiloh for Jerusalem.  The best time to go to the Ministry of the Interior is mid-morning, after 9am.  By then the super-early (those who want to be first, before the clerks have fully awakened) rush is finished.  And it's also important not to get there too close to closing time.

Honestly, I'm not sure when I arrived; I just trusted in G-d that it was the right time.

I put on lipstick and walked up the stairs.  Oh, I left out that before leaving the house, I had done my nails in a dull pink, rather than the chipped apple green which probably would have made an awful impression.  At the "sorting station," where they tell you which room to got to and give out the appropriate numbers, I whipped out the forms from last time and asked how to find that nasty clerk who had refused us.  We I had to go back to her, since she had seen my father and could finish the process.  A new clerk would mandate bringing him back.

Refuah Shleimah, a complete recovery to the young woman.  She was out sick.  I was told to go to the head of the department.  That woman quickly sent me off to someone else, a bit more my age, who asked if I now had everything.  I said I did, meaning I had everything I could get.  She took all the stuff someplace and then returned:

"You said that you had everything."
"Well, that's everything I have.  This isn't easy for me."

Off she went again and returned saying it was approved.  She gave me my father's picture with all sorts of stamps on the back and sent me to another clerk who used the picture in a brand new Te'udat Zehut. 

So, now my father's a real Israeli!

The Blogger *Balagan

*Balagan is Hebrew for chaotic mess.

Recently, I've discovered unpleasant surprises when my posts are up on blogspot.com, the free blog server host whatever I use.  Various lines, phrases, paragraphs etc are "misplaced."

It makes for awful reading, embarrassing for sure.  I generally go over the post before "publishing."  Everything is fine and then I hit the button, go to my next "project" and much later discover that my post doesn't make sense.  Please don't blame me!  It's not my fault.  I wrote it correctly!!

Does this happen to any other blogspot blogger?  It happens to me on both my blogs, so I can't blame one template over another.

Just curious.

No Snow Here

We're not in New York.

  Today, in Shiloh and Jerusalem it was so warm that you barely needed a jacket.  I went to the dentist, and my husband stayed with my father.  When they took a walk, my husband didn't wear a jacket.  My father did, but he didn't wear one in the house.  Yes, we've been heating the house! It's just that at 89, my father feels chilled even in the summer. 

My father and I just got off the phone with my mother.  She's stuck in the house; it's too cold and snowy to go out.  Maybe the thought of the warmer winter here will help my mother speed up her plans.

In the meantime, tonight's movie is "West Side Story."  That really kept my father's attention.  Now I'll fold laundry to the special features.

Extra Celebration on Chanukah

One of our neighbors celebrated the Bat Mitzvah of a daughter. 

They had a lovely party, not too large, not too small. Besides the family, there was a long table full of the girl's friends and another long table full of the mother's friends.  The mother and some of us neighbors did the cooking.  I was photographer and super-easy vegetable soup cook.  Actually there were a few soups, perfect for a chilly evening.

MAZAL TOV!

Frume Sarah's HH

Check out Frume Sarah's Havel Havelim.. She did a great job.  I'm sure that you'll find lots of tempting posts to visit and read.  There are also lots of jblogs I've never seen before.

Have a great week!

Your Best Chanukah Picture of The Holiday!

I'd like to challenge/invite you to participate in this meme.  I'll list a few bloggers at the end of the post, but everyone who wants can/should join in.  Just link, post and spread the word!

Chanukah is probably the most photogenic of all Jewish holidays.  It has the advantage of not being burdened by any restrictions, and besides lighting the Chanukiya, Chanukah Menorah,  adding the "Al HaNissim,"  "About the Miracles" to some prayers and saying the "Hallel," "Praise," we can go about our usual daily routine.  In Israel the kids are off from school making it both a great family time and complicated logistics when neither parent is a school teacher.  Most people find themselves taking lots of pictures, because unlike the Passover seder, it's permitted.

Now, about my best Chanukah Picture from this year...
Like most great pictures, this wasn't planned at all.  I was rushing down to a neighbor's Bat Mitzvah when I spied this great scene.

I was afraid that the cat would flee before I finished shooting, but it was so comfortable that it didn't move.

I hope that Seraphic Secret, Ricki's Mom, Leora, Ilana-Davita, RivkA, Elder of Zyon, Isramom, Tikkun Olam, Sharon's Voices, Frum Satire and Our Shiputzim will participate in this meme.  And of course, anyone else who wants to.

A Bissel Panic

A bissel, yes, just a little panic.  I was about to turn on the TV-DVD for my father when I couldn't find the remote.  I must admit that I really don't like them.  I think it's much healthier to get up and walk to the set and press the buttons and walk back to wherever or whatever.

So I really did try to turn the TV on by pressing its own buttons, but it stayed dead and dark.  It had last been used on Thursday when the kids were over.  My baby, aka one of Jerusalem's most handsome bachelors, had set it up to play his music via his mp3 via or DVD.  Neither my husband nor I remember turning it off.  The DVD had been left facing uselessly to the side revealing all those little holes which had been used for connecting things beyond my knowledge.  (Notice I wrote "beyond my knowledge," not capabilities.)

So, I started searching, taking things apart, tried calling him up, no answer.  Then, for no reason at all, I walked into the den, and.... there it was.  It was on the bookshelf where I keep some miscellaneous stuff.  Wrong room.  There's no reason it should have been there, but...

...since it was found I could turn on the set and leave my father entertained.

Lots and Lots to Do

Not only is this a "short Friday" with minimal time to get ready for Shabbat, but it's Rosh Chodesh, and I've scheduled Women's Prayers at Tel Shiloh.  In addition I still have lots to clean up from the family Chanukah celebration we did yesterday.  The kids and grandkids all came over.  The house is still a mess; not all the dishes, pots, pans etc were washed.

I haven't yet burned the picture CD for the neighbors after the Bat Mitzvah the night before.

Baruch Hashem it's raining, so nobody may show for the Rosh Chodesh prayer group.  The problem there is that some people were planning on coming from Jerusalem, and I have to check if they are and arrange a ride from the bus stop.

I still have cooking to do for Shabbat.  At least we're invited out for tonight, and I've already made a Potato Kugel.  Did you know that Potato Latkes (pancakes) are made from the same "batter" as kugel?

My sons came early to help me prepare, and somehow I ended up telling them to peel and cut up too much potatoes for the latkes.  I ended up with double the batter we needed.  But have no fear, nothing went to waste.  I quickly whipped out some aluminum pans and filled them, poured oil on top and put them in the oven.  My daughter was overjoyed to bring home a large kugel for Shabbat, and we kept the smaller one. 

Since I didn't catch my son in time to tell him to stop frying latkes, I froze the uneaten ones.  Otherwise we would have had a third kugel.

Unfortunately, I didn't take many pictures.  I don't think I took any at all.  My daughter did grab my camera, since her daughters were using hers.  I don't think we have any pics of the chanukiyot all lit up.

Back to work.

The Kids are Coming Today!

That means that I have to go shopping, clean up, cook and prepare* for the visit.

I also must burn the disk/cd from last night's Bat Mitzvah and pick up my soup pot from the neighbors.

So, if you don't hear too much from me today, you'll know why.

*clear the window sill for more Chanukiyot, make up the pin the candle on the menorah stuff, etc

The Message Is Getting Out

It seems like more people are reading my Shiloh Musings posts than before and I have no idea how many.  The posts appear on facebook, and I allow full access to them.  On fb they're called "notes."

I set things up so that when I post on Shiloh Musings facebook posts them, too.  Since the real goal of my blogging is to get the message across, not "be a blogger," that means that I'm using social media correctly.  My twitter account also gets Shiloh Musings and the posts from me-ander, this blog, too. 

I'm not sure how many people read my posts from twitter, but even though I haven't logged in for weeks, if not longer, I keep getting notices of others friending or following me or whatever it's called.  The automatic posting, which was set up by Soccer Dad, keeps the account very active.

I haven't posted anything new to my youtube or wejew recently.  I'm home more, but I try to avoid the computer.  I am so behind in my email.  Gevalt!

Good Thing I Read Carefully

I almost goofed it bad, risking the computer's good health.

When I came back from a Bat Mitzvah party a short while ago, I turned on the computer to check my mail and saw a note in the spam box allegedly from facebook asking for me to confirm a password change.  Now, I hadn't requested a password change, but I opened the letter to see if there was a shred of legitimacy.  There was an attachment which I obviously didn't touch. 

Then I saw that it mentioned an email I don't use on facebook and then more carefully I saw that it wasn't even my email, similar, but not the same.

So of course I "flushed it away" with all the other undesirable letters.

Saved, bli eyin haraa...

First Israeli Haircut

More from the saga of my father's new life in Israel, after making aliyah at 89.

My father has been in Israel about two months already.  Originally I figured that my mother would be here by now, but she feels she must be in New York to sell the house.

In the meantime, we keep him busy here in Shiloh, occasionally visiting my married daughter in Ofra and her family, my father's great-grandchildren.  This week was only his second trip to Jerusalem.  Even by car it's a big trip for him, so we prefer local entertainment.

Yes, he's very pleased with his haircut.

My Success As Diet Coach

Last year I started coaching, dusting off a training certificate I had gotten after taking a course to be a life coach a few years ago.  Classroom teaching is no longer for me, so I have to find something else to do for a living.

I invited my neighbors to come for free to a diet support group.  One discovered that she was pregnant with her second child right after we started.  We had two goals for her.

1. Keep pregnancy weight gain to a minimum, but without any extreme dieting.
2. To lose weight and to find a healthy way to eat after giving birth.

We experimented to see what worked, and she ate a very basic variety of foods, frequently enough so that she wouldn't get hungry and binge.  We discovered that cheeses caused weight gain, most probably because of the salt.  Actually I also find that my weight goes up temporarily after eating in restaurants, probably because of the salt factor.

Soon we'll start stage two, and I'll reopen the diet support group. 

It Pays To Advertise!

I highly suggest that you read about the fantastically successful result of this Voices ad.  It should be added to any list of legendary advertising success.

MAZAL TOV!

Are There Really 613 Seeds in A Pomegranate?

The basis of Jewish Life is "Taryag Mitzvot," the six hundred and thirteen 613 Mitzvot, G-d given commandments.  There's a tradition that each pomegranate fruit contains six hundred and thirteen 613 seeds.  No, I've never bothered counting them, though others claim that fame.  But one thing I did notice.  Humongously large pomegranates, like those sold at the very end of the season, have a large proportion of inedible white.  Take a look at the fruit I photographed just below.

Now, look at this fruit, photographed in the same size bowl.  It's a smaller fruit, but it has a larger proportion of seeds, and the seeds are what we eat and get juice from.

This makes it pretty obvious to me that there may be the same number of seeds in each pomegranate fruit, six hundred and thirteen 613.

Fourth Night of Chanukah, The Half-Way Mark

My father and I went to a Chanukah Party tonight with the Movie Club.  I brought my lentil version of my famous vegetable soup.  It was very concentrated, on purpose, so I didn't have to carry a super heavy pot of it.  I added water at the party location and then cooked it up.

There was a nice variety of foods and cakes and doughnuts.  I took a tiny piece of doughnut and glad that I did.  It tasted awful, the perfect antidote for sweets cravings.  It looked so yummy, but one bite and yuch!

We saw "Sarah, Plain and Tall."  It stars Glenn Close.  It's a favorite movie of the neighbor who started our movie club, and he was the host.  The acting was great;  there aren't too many surprises in the film plot.  We enjoyed it.

Reversal, Going Back, The Essence

More in the saga of taking care of my very elderly father-

My father has surprised us on Shabbat by joining in the Friday night singing of "Shalom Aleichem."  Actually, he also surprised himself:

"I must have known this when I was a kid."

He didn't grow up in a very religious home from what I understand.  They were strongly Jewish, but not religiously observant.  Here in Shiloh, in my religious home, he's being exposed to a life style, which isn't all that familiar.

But the man who was proud and happy to be called "The Jew" on the enormous United States Navy ships during World War Two, the only Jew who admitted being of that very minority religion, he's amazingly comfortable here.  His essence is Jewish, no doubt.

The HH Situation

Yes, the situation is difficult for any of us involved in blog carnivals. But the intrepid Eric still produced a Havel Hevalim he could be proud of.  Take a look!


Blog Carnival has returned, but not in time for this edition.  Now you can return to sending your posts for HH, KCC and JPIX via their handy service.


And if you'd like to try your hand at hosting a Kosher Cooking Carnival, please let me know: shilohmuse at gmail dot com


I'll coach you through it if it's your first try at hosting a blog carnival.

Laugh For Your Health!

Last night my neighbor called to invite me to a "Lucy Party."  We watched some "I Love Lucy" shows.  Laughter is very healthy, so this was a great health night.  My friend served popcorn and I brought cut fruit.

These "Maxine's" should also bring a smile and get those happy hormones going strong:

Back From The "Dead?"

It appears that blog carnival is back working after two weeks of "near-deadness."  That means that you can send in your posts and expect the blog carnival host to get the link and include you in the carnival.

I managed to host Havel Havelim without their services.  It was not the best carnival I'd ever done, probably the worst.

Welcome back, bc!

Low-Carb, Low-Fat Chanukah, Can it be done?

Last year my kids were so excited that I had started losing weight that they made me special low-fat, low-carb vegetable latkes (pancakes.)

Instead of high glycemic potatoes, they grated carrots, squash and other low carbohydrate vegetables, and to cut down on the fat, they fried them on a tefon pan.  If they had an oven, they would have baked them.

It's already the second night of Chanukah and never too late to find alternatives to the traditionally fattening recipes.

An alternative to sufganiyot would be a better, healthier dessert, like fruit.  It's better to eat more than your usual fruit than start gorging, binging on jelly doughnuts and other fried batter treats.  The worst thing is to try to suppress your cravings while others are eating sweet, delicious, forbidden foods.

Honestly, I've reached the point when I'm happier, really, sincerely happier eating bananas, pomegranates, oranges, kiwis etc than the cake others are eating.

Not Your Usual Chanukah Song

thanks ab-e


And to make up for all the xmas songs written by Jews, like White Christmas written by Irving Berlin,  Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree, Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer and A Holly Jolly Christmas, all written by Johnny Marks, l'll Be Home For Christmas, Walter Kent and Buck Ram.



Here's a Chaunkah song written by a goyish United States Senator!

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Spin your dreidel to this Adam Sandler ditty.





Put that in your eggnog.

Variety For The Movie Club

For a while members of the Movie Club took turns picking out movies, but recently, they've told me to choose which movie to see each week.  So I try to vary things between adventure, comedy and more serious stuff.

The comedies such as Blues Brothers and Dream Team, and some suspenseful true life movies like, Men of Honor have been the greatest successes.

Yesterday we saw Robert J. Avrech's "Within These Walls."  It kept everyone's attention, but they would have preferred a few laughs.  Laughing is healthy. 

I served Apple Compote, no sugar added.  All I did was peel, slice and cook the apples with some water, cinnamon and ginger.  Minimal water and you don't lose the natural sweetness of the fruit.

One Great Thing About The Google Toolbar

First of all, I must admit that I have no idea how it suddenly appeared on my computer screen, the google toolbar that is.  Even though my elderly computer shouldn't be burdened with anything new and extra, I've decided to keep it for one important reason.  It has a spellcheck!  It's not automatic, like the firefox one on our other computer.  After writing any text, letter, blog, comment etc, I just click it and it very efficiently goes on.

Ever since, I've begun using blogger's new compose mode toolbar, I've had to copy/paste into Word to spellcheck.  That's terribly time-consuming and awkward.  I even wrote to blogger complaining, but they never replied.

So, I now, occasionally, miss some typos, but most of the time I thankfully and gratefully click the google toolbar spellcheck and clean up my posts before publishing them.

Very Annoying

My own email is considered "spam" by my own email.  Yahoo is nuts.  It is probablly because some people just throw my letters in teh spam box instead of just deleting or sending me an unsubscribe note.

Recently I sent a lot of emails to help out because I hosted Havel Havelim and had extra problems because blog carnival doesn't work.  That's how they thank me?

Picture the Sky

For sure the sky over Shiloh is the most gorgeous in the world, especially during the winter:

We May Have To Puppysit

When my daughter and family made plans to go away for Shabbat , they had understood that the most handsome bachelors in Jerusalem would be overjoyed willing to puppysit, but their plans have changed.

Well, there's one person glad to be puppysitting, and it's not me!