In The Meantime... Wartime Haikus #6

I still write a haiku almost every morning, except Shabbat and Jewish Holidays. This has been going on for years. It's truly amazing how much can be communicated in just seventeen 17 syllables, 5, 7, 5. Have you tried writing them? You can think of me as "addicted." #morningcoffeehaiku 

Here are some; enjoy. I'm interested in your reactions and opinions, thanks.

Jewish Birthday YES!

thanking Gd for everyday

enjoy to the hilt🎂

Israel's enemies

don't care about history

facts get in their way

strange unsettling time

How will history report?

depends who's writing...

war will resume soon

much worse than ever for sure

deals don't make real peace

finally summer?

forecast for hot days...

dreaming of the pool....

shining sun comforts

Gd's light brings many blessings

thank Him every day...

optimistic sky

message from Gd that He's here

never give up hope

praying for good week

life's very complicated

sun's shining, good sign

despite war, life's great

sounds really impossible

Israel's miracle

barely slept last night

I guess my body didn't need sleep

things just can't control

looking for sunshine

in very difficult times

we must do Gd's will...

uncertainty reigns

true peace definitely far

VICTORY's needed

ceasefire's not true peace

every second's more danger

our enemies laugh

our Independence

must be more than just a word

don't fear to WIN war

remembering friends

more killed by our enemies

true... we're still not safe

busy yesterday

funeral for friend's mother

many said goodbye

being busy's great

I'm thankful to fill my days

friends, travel, study

"Pin The Tail on The Donkey" Genre of Homemade Games

Way back in the middle of the previous century, when I was a kid, "Pin The Tail on The Donkey" was a standard party game. My mother bought us some for my kids and their friends to play, too. It was a regular feature in the birthday parties I organized along with unattractive and unfashionably "healthy" birthday cakes.

As a savta, grandma, I reprised the genre as our traditional Family Chanuka Party Game by taking a large piece of oak-tag and drawing a chanukiya Chanuka Menorah sans candles or flames. Then I'd cut out candles/flames, and get the whole family to join in playing a version of "Pin The Tail on The Donkey."

Recently my daughter created a new version of the famous classic "Pin The Tail on The Donkey" for a birthday by drawing a birthday cake with candles sans flames. I cut out flames, and the children, blindfolded of course, had to try to stick the flame on the candles.

For some strange reason, most likely the result of the "Children Shouldn't Feel Like Failures" culture, instead of laughing at badly placed flames, they coached each other:

"A bit higher"
"To the right"
"To the left"
"Lower"
"That's perfect"

The kids had fun, but they didn't learn to plan and calculate in the dark to develop survival skills, which is the real purpose of the game.

You can take the basic idea and make up a game for children, teens or adults. It could be a lot of fun and very low tech, too.

Surprised Moi, Birthday Fun

I haven't been all that shy about telling friends and family that this year's birthday is to be celebrated. Hard to believe I'm seventy 70 and not seventeen 17. But somehow a bunch of my buddies, the ones in my Walking Anyone👍🏼 whatsapp group, totally surprised me yesterday morning. I really thought we were getting together for a nice morning walk.

All the "Where are we going to meet?" and "Which neighborhood will we walk in?" questions/answers made sense, were perfectly normal. Even when some of us were standing and waiting in front of Merlot, the lovely dairy restaurant across from the supermarket and mailboxes, and I saw two friends approaching, I didn't  think it more than just coincidence.

I really was surprised when they said that we were going to a surprise party for breakfast, rather than take a walk!

We all had Merlot Breakfasts, eggs, salads, spreads, whole wheat rolls and coffee. Totally delicious. Then we shared their special dessert, waffle with ice cream, whipped cream the works! All of this was flavored with friendship, the most heavenly flavoring in the world. Thank Gd, I am truly blessed.

Celebrating at Tereza & Seeing The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

This week some of my friends took me out for a pre-Birthday Lunch at Tereza, Cinema City Jerusalem. Afterwards we saw The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, because we had read the book for our book club.

At first we had trouble choosing a restaurant in Cinema City; there are so many. But despite the fact that Tereza bills itself as a "Pasta Bar," we chose it. It looked more interesting, and was relatively quiet. Apparently it's a chain, and I couldn't find a phone number for the branch itself, 1-700-700-338. 

Tereza offers those popular lunch specials in which for the price of just the main course you get a starter and juice, bottled water or soda. We all chose different menu items, breakfast, fish and pasta.

My first course of grilled eggplant, which included salad and white cheese, was so large and filling, I had them pack it up for me to eat the following day for breakfast. I chose a fish which was delicious. The bones had all been removed, so it was easy to eat. As you can see, there was also a large green salad, which I chose from the side dish options. The others were all carbohydrates.

My friends ordered us a celebratory waffle with ice cream and whipped cream for my upcoming birthday. It was the perfect end to a birthday lunch with close friends. And for me, eating a quarter of such a treat was enough to satisfy my sugar cravings. On that we were split. Half of us said that we were glad to share it, while the other half would have been happier eating an entire portion.

We all agreed that Tereza was a great choice. We loved the food and the atmosphere. Service could have been a bit swifter, but we made it to the movie on time.

Being that it was a Tuesday afternoon, the senior tickets were reduced to NS14, if I remember correctly. We also enjoyed the movie and agreed that the screenwriter did a pretty good job adapting it. With the exception of the non-American actor playing the fiance, who had an awful fake accent, casting was on target. I love the fact that British actors have real faces, unlike Americans who look like they've come off an assembly line in a toy factory.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is a movie suitable for all ages.

Birthday Time!

We've had a custom to stretch out birthdays.  We celebrate from the Jewish date to the goyish date, or vice versa, whichever is first to whichever is last. Sometimes that gives a couple of days, but other years it can be a few weeks.   For instance, my Jewish Birthday was today, from last night until dusk today, the 26th of Iyyar.  But my goyish birthday is May 25.  That gives me a nice long birthday time.

I'm sure many of you also have birthdays this season.  So let's celebrate together!



And just in case you're wondering how old I am, here's a hint.