Instead of Groundhog Day...The Cyclamen, Rakefet

There's no Groundhog Day in Israel. We know that we're having a good winter when we see these flowers blooming.

The Cyclamen (Rakefet) is a hardy root, that spreads easily. The flowers pictured here are from my garden. A number of years ago, someone gave us one as a gift. When it dried out and died, I put it in the garden, and in good winters it blooms.

You can even find these flowers blooming in stone walls or around stairs. In a couple of months, when the rains cease and the air gets warm and dry, they will die... But next winter, Gd willing, if there's sufficient rain, even more cyclamens will bloom.

Not quite what I had planned...

Just as I was getting myself organized to go, I got a call from "the boy from the Bronx" telling me that something else came up. So I didn't go to Jerusalem. G-d willing he'll come for Shabbat, but only if G-d's willing, of course.

So, I had to get out of the house, and I did. I took a walk, not in my usual direction.

Most of winter's over, and we've just had a few very rainy days. Of course I took along my camera. I took the new cellphone, too, but I don't know how to send the pictures to the computer. But I did figure out finally how to correct the date!!! We're making progress! It's only a phone, and I'm not that retarded.

The only thing not great is that when I got back, I saw that somehow the camera was on "portrait" rather than "automatic." So the pictures won't be as good as they could have been. Sue me!

Now I'm waiting for the pictures to load onto flickr. Goooiiinnnnng veeerrrryyyy sllooowwwllyyyyyyy.


This rose bush looked better "in person."


The almonds are startying to bloom!


Winter bulbs blooming.


Winter rains soak the Valley of Shiloh.