A couple of hours ago, I took off my wig and put on a tichel. Purim had ended, all two days of it here in Shiloh. I had eaten more than I should have, but less than I could have. I didn't pig-out on cake, cookies or chocolate. My weakness was simple whole wheat bread (homemade,) and I didn't eat as much as I once would have. I had a couple of bites of candy, but I threw them away before I could finish.
My visiting kids were happy to take home all temptation. I feel like I've just scrubbed the kitchen for Passover, but I haven't done that yet. I have three and a half weeks for that job. My married daughter may not like it, but I'd rather not entertain them for a Shabbat until Passover. I must start cleaning the house... room by room. I'm awful and cleaning. I don't do a good job and I rarely get a feeling of joy and satisfaction. The perfect balaboosteh I'm not. I enjoy cooking, but only my sort of simple stuff. Simple can be delicious, too.
Now I must go seriously into emptying the freezer. Who should be our lucky guests next Shabbat? I have to get rid of all sorts of things we won't be eating. Some of them are foods that were bought before my husband began his diet. I haven't bought pasta for over four months. He eats so little of it now. A package lasts for weeks instead of a meal and a half.
A lot of the cleaning we do for Passover is not really Pesach cleaning. It's spring cleaning. Some people always have a nice clean and sparking house. And some of us don't reach their level of "clean" even as we do the Bidikat Chametz, the ritual searach for forbidden chametz the night before the Seder.
I don't know how I got on to the tangent about Passover. All I had planned on writing was that after changing my hair-covering, I took a walk, a well-needed one, a double circuit around the neighborhood, maybe two and a half kilometers, or a mile and a half. I certainly need the exercise. Even though it was already dark and Purim was over, there were a few families still singing and feasting.
Now to do my Al HaPerek preparations for my chevruta, study group.
Shalom!
ReplyDeleteWho doesn't start thinking about Passover as soon as Purim is over? When I clean after Purim it's always specifically for Passover. (I start with the easiest rooms so that I have the satisfaction of finishing SOMETHING.) When I shop I count the weeks until Passover. Everything is a countdown to Passover.
Since we have an empty nest, I've been shopping with Pesach in mind for weeks already. I look at things in the freezer and don't know who's going to eat it. I should have sent more to my kids, but nobody needs that much.
ReplyDeleteI'll contact neighbors.