Sparkling New French Press!

Reflecting on my new French Press, because unlike the others, which were mostly glass and one small plastic one, this new one is stainless steel, yes, UNBREAKABLE. 

Over the years, ole Murphy's Law seems to have a special category for French Presses, which generally have a glass carafe. The more you like that French Press, the better the plunger/filter and more suitable its size, the more quickly the carafe will shatter.

After my 1.5 liter French Press, with the fantastically made plunger/filter shattered, my fault entirely, I pulled out the too small "6 cup" with the awful bent plunger/filter that always allowed coffee grounds to invade my mugs and spoil my mornings. I had no choice. Around once a week, I'd perk Israeli Elite Turkish coffee in my classic stove-top stainless steel peculator.

Rumor got to me that it's possible to buy an unbreakable stainless steel French Press. I asked in some Israeli stores, but nobody sold them. So I went "modern" and checked on the internet. I found a few on Amazon, but I don't buy online.

Now that I had a solution, I patiently awaited my savior. My good friend who has been supplying me with American coffee has an Amazon account. She finally came for a visit.  We put in the order, and I paid her to cover costs. At first we were going to have it delivered to one of my Jerusalem kids, but that would double the price. Instead it was delivered to her home, and last week I was able to pick it up in Jerusalem.

This morning I had my first coffee from my new AMORA stainless steel French Press! What a pleasure to use. And the coffee was great. It'll be such a relief not to worry about breaking, thank Gd.

Unexpected Results From Start Fresh Kosher Weight Loss Diet

I'm finishing week five, the last of my Start Fresh kosher weight loss diet membership. Besides the nine, or G-d willing more, pounds (over four kilogram) lost, I lost, or gained, something else.

I lost the ability to honestly say:

"I have no idea what I weigh."

If I had weighed myself once, or even twice, if the Start Fresh Customer Service hadn't offered me more than the original week, it wouldn't have made as much of an emotional impact.

I've been this approximate weight for close to fifteen years. It seems to me that suddenly my much smaller than average waist disappeared and I needed "extra large" clothes.

My entire body has changed. I've been weighing more than I did before giving birth to my children, after full-term pregnancies.

After looking at the numbers five times on my neighbor's doctor scale and then recording it on the Start Fresh site, I can no longer pretend:

"I'm overweight, but I'm fine."

Nine pounds are a drop in the bucket. To get to a recommended weight for my height, that's hoping that I'm still the height I was--think osteoporosis--it will probably take a year or two. I will not go on any extreme diet, and I know that soon my weight loss will slow from its present rate.

Of course, it's a shame that in recent years I've gotten myself a nicer wardrobe than ever. That's Murphy kicking in.

Murphy's after me!

Usually Murphy visits, most annoyingly, when I've finished work in Beit El and I have to go to Jerusalem, rather than home to Shiloh. It's hard to get a ride to Shiloh, or even to Ofra which is on the way. The vast majority of rides from Beit El are to Jerusalem. But when I need to go to Jerusalem, yes, you guessed it. They're all to Shiloh, Ofra or further north.

Otherwise, bli eyin haraa, Murphy's pretty polite. Of course he only comes, when he does, uninvited, and I didn't invited him to today's family get-together. My Israeli kids and the grandkids, who still aren't the age to travel alone, are coming for candle-lighting, latkes and my famous vegetable soup. I also found a bag of ground fish in the freezer and made my easier than you would expect gefilte fish.

So last night, after I had wrapped all the gifts, for the big kids, too, of course, I suddenly noticed that the ceiling over the front hallway was wet. I've seen those sort of drops before... Yes, it means that the boiler is leaking. It was late at night, so I called the cellphone of our plumber, who doubles as the local synagogue's Ba'al Koreh, and was a childhood friend of my older girls... I figured I'd just let it ring a couple of times, in case he's sleeping... Good news, he answered quickly. Bad news, he's in the army, reserve duty. He promised to send someone over in the morning.

My husband decided to check it out in the attic. He climbed up and reported a small leak from the tank. How long could that have been going on? So he set up a pail underneath, and we went to sleep.

Good news, this morning, just over six hours later, it was only a third full.

And... more news when there is some...

Party's still on. Chanukah Sameach!