Summertime Pool Time

 

One of the wonderful things about living in Shiloh is its swimming pool. The "icing on the cake" is that it's less than five minutes' walk from my house. I just cross the street and walk down a path... and there it is. 

Since Shiloh is a religious community, we only have what's called "separate swimming," different hours for males and females. To make that even better is that we have adult/18+ hours, too. They are the first couple of hours in the morning and the last hour in the evening before it closes for the night. 

The location was really well-planned, besides being a few minutes from my house. It's on the eastern side of the neighborhood, so the strong morning sun is cheerful and warms us up. It's just a summer pool. As you can see, it's in the open, not in a building. Every year we yearningly talk of getting it enclosed... maybe some day... 

I exercise in the pool, hydrotherapy of my own sort. Basically, I dance in the water and do the warmup exercises I learned when younger, including from Alan Wayne.

Summer in Shiloh, Thank Gd A Swimming Pool

 Bli eyin haraa, don't tempt the "evil eye," we don't feel the war directly here... in a way...

Unfortunately, a local boy was killed defending the State of Israel a few months ago, and another was seriously wounded fairly recently. Many local kids of all ages and family members of those of us living in Shiloh have been fighting for our very survival... So I can't say that the war doesn't touch us. It can be said that so far, at least, we haven't been targeted.

So, besides being a gigantic elephant in the room, pressure that is hard to ignore... the war is almost distant. Of course many of my neighbors are doing tons of amazing volunteer work...

But it's summer, and our local swimming pool has opened for a longer than usual season 

Getting my exercise in the pool a few times a week keeps me fit, sane and healthy. Or at least as healthy as I can be at my advanced age...

I exercise in the pool, pretty much the same fun and games -not classic swimming- as I loved to do well over sixty years ago. 

Not only do we have "separate" swimming times, there are hours for "adults only." Thank Gd for this pool, which is only a few minutes' walk from my house.

Swimming's Medicinal, Therapeutic and More, So...

... in recent years our local swimming pool has been open during the 9 Days, though restricted to adults.

The 9 Days, which falls during the heat of the summer (in the northern hemisphere) is a period of mourning in the Jewish Calendar. We mourn the destruction of both the First and Second Holy Temples. The period of annual mourning is actually Three Weeks, from the daytime Fast of the 17th of Tamuz until the 25 hour Fast of the 9th of Av.

Just a few decades ago the idea of swimming, even for health reasons, during the 9 Days would be unthinkable for Torah Observant Jews, but nowadays it's the norm for many of us who regularly swim or do water exercise. Until a few years ago, our local Shiloh swimming pool was closed during that time of the year, but then one of the neighbors explained to the rabbi that, at least for adults, it wasn't a matter of fun and games. He then agreed that the pool could open, but adults only. So now we have special hours each day, separate male/female as is our custom.

Not everyone who normally swims in the pool takes advantage of the new psak/decision, but there are many who are very grateful for the chance to exercise in the water daily. Yes, I'm one of them.

Pool Season Almost Two Thirds Over

 

The good news is that we have a fantastic swimming pool in Shiloh, which is made even better, because it's just a five minutes' walk from my house. 

The bad news is that the season is only three months long, meaning that it's almost two thirds 2/3 over.

I've been going for a swim about four mornings a week, so I can't complain.

For those in the northern hemisphere, how's your summer going? What's the best/worst about it?

Shiloh Pool Season 5781, 2021 has Begun

This morning at 7:30am the Shiloh Pool opened for the season. Within a few minutes a handful of us were already in the water.

Adult pool

Children's wading pool

The water was clear, wonderful and reasonably warm for the opening day.  Lots of women showed up. This was our "women's hours," meaning that swimming was only for the 18+. Then the pool closed until early afternoon when girls, and adult women too, had their swimming time.

This "adult" swim time is one of the great advantages of the Shiloh Pool. We can swim, exercise and talk without young children splashing and screaming. No doubt most of the young mothers who had been in the pool when I was there, returned later with their daughters or infant sons.

Season at the pool is only three months, though we're trying to get it lengthened. Gd willing maybe next year. Our real dream is to have it winterized, covered and then the pool will be open most of the year. I was very encouraged by the amount of younger women who had shown up. Such an investment can't be covered just by the senior citizens. Many of us travel to Ariel to swim when our pool is closed, but the younger women don't have as much free time as we do. So if they enjoy the swimming enough... Gd willing we'll have an all year pool.

FINALLY! The Pool is Open

Totally heavenly.

That's how I felt after 50 minutes activity in the local swimming pool. Our usual summer pool season is three months, but this year we had a late start. That's  because all the government corona COVID-19 restrictions had our local council in a tizzy. They were too afraid of investing money to begin the process of opening the pool. What if the government wouldn't permit pool openings?

The biggest difference is that this year there isn't a kiddy pool, since even in regular, will we ever return to those days, years the kiddy pool is usually an infection problem.

Chlorine is a disinfectant, and the pool is full of it. That's why I'm not afraid to enter the pool. To be extra careful, I'm sticking to the early morning hours.

Our local Shiloh Swimming Pool only has "separate hours," meaning males and females swim at different times. The pool is also fenced in so people can't watch us.

As you can see, I wear a "modest" bathing suit, which doubles as a skin protector.

Actually, the pool opened yesterday, but women's hours were at night. I took a one hour fitness walk, instead of swimming. The water was perfect temperature this morning. I was surprised. It usually takes a few weeks to get so warm.

Thank Gd for the swimming pool. I don't need to go away for a "vacation." My "vacation" is right here in Shiloh.

Love Our Pool, Though Season Over Half Over

Summer in Shiloh... It's great, because we have a swimming pool. And the pool is a short walk from our house.

When we chose the building plot, where we now live, nobody had a clue that it would be such a great location. It's a minute's walk from the shul and in the other direction, about three minutes from the pool, besides being in between two bus stops. I chose it for the sunrise. It faces directly east and doesn't get strong winter winds.

One of the great things about the pool is that not only do we have "separate hours" for males and females, but there are "adult"hours. That means that the opening and closing hours of the pool are for grownups. It's quiet and peaceful, less crowded. We can swim and exercise without distraction and bother. I only go to those adult hours unless my granddaughters are visiting.

I've been taking out membership for years. It encourages me to go, even when I don't have all that much time. When you pay for each time, you end up going much less. I try to go every day, whether hours are in the morning or evening. To be honest, I'm not a "swimmer." I do my own version of water aerobics. Years ago I went to the pool in Neve Yaakov and learned a lot from the teacher there. They had fantastic lessons free once a week. So now add what I learned there with my years studying dance and "movement" to get a lot out of my time in the pool.

Our pool season ends at the end of August unless enough people sign up for September. Gd willing, I'll find a way to get to a pool during the rest of the year. It is so good for my general fitness and wellbeing.

Must get moving, so I can go to the pool.

Last Week of Pool Season

Sad. I really think that this year I must join the one in Ariel.

Rosh Chodesh Ellul Treats

This morning I managed to get to the pool early. Not only was I the first one in, but for at least half my "swim," I had the entire pool to myself.

The swimming pool sparkled in the sunlight, and the water was just perfect, even at 7am in the morning.

After that I quickly made my way home to shower, change and get ready to go down to Shiloh Hakeduma, Tel Shiloh for our Women's Rosh Chodesh Prayers.

It was decided that next Rosh Chodesh, two months from now Rosh Chodesh Cheshvan, will be celebrated on Tuesday, 30th of Tishrei 5779, October 9, 2018, 8:30am, we will have our Women's Prayers. 

תפילת נשים, ראש חודש חשון, ל' תשרי, יום ג',9/10/2019, 8:30, בשילה הקדומה, תל שילה.

Please mark it in your calendar, so you can join us.

Chodesh Tov

חודש טוב

Vacationing at Home

When we chose to live in Shiloh thirty-seven years ago, there weren't too many yishuvim, communities to choose from. And conditions in most, if not all, were pretty difficult. But there was something that drew me to Shiloh, and still keeps me here. I love the people and the spiritual tie I feel with the entire Tanach, Biblical significance...

But please don't forget that Judaism is a synthesis or more exactly a harmony between the body and the soul. And I love the "orchestration" here in Shiloh. Just a kilometer and a half, about a mile from the Biblical site, which is a very well developed and developing archeological park, we have our community swimming pool. The pool is just a couple of minutes' walk from our house. We take out an seasonal membership, so we can come for frequent swims. On rare occasions, like when I'm with one of the granddaughters, I relax in the shade there.

There's no reason to "go on a vacation" in the summer. My "vacation" is here at home in Shiloh.

Finally Feeling Like Summer at The Pool

This year our local Shiloh Swimming Pool opened relatively early on the "goyishe calendar," June 1, 2018, and the water was cold that first full week.

Only this morning did I really enjoy every minute in the water. OK, it was a bit chilly when I first entered, but I quickly got used to the water. Or did the water really heat up? It was probably a combination of the two.

Whatever... I have no complaints, except for the fact that we were all sent out too early for our taste. We would have been much happier if the pool had longer hours for us "women," females 18+.

OK, I guess I could have come a bit earlier, but then the water would have been a bit colder. The pool is on the eastern slope of the neighborhood, and every minute the sun heats the water a bit more. Last week it was bitter cold...

Happy Summer, Everyone

Pool Exercise Fitness

I'm pretty low tech when it comes to my fitness routine. I walk all year round, and during our short three month pool season I exercise in the water. To be perfectly honest, I'm not a swimmer, never was.

Somehow the basic "crawl" stroke was never a success with me. I don't suffer fear of water, and even though I don't "swim" properly, I can go from one end of the pool to the other endlessly using my own "strokes."

In recently years I developed techniques using two of these floating things to exercise my upper body reasonably well. In the water, they are like weights when you hold them and try to push them into the water.  The thicker they are the better, and you should make sure you're using the same length and thickness in each hand for an even workout.

Our Shiloh pool has them available for our use during Women's Hours and Water Aerobics classes.