blogger's back and...

... I can't fall asleep!

Blogger was under the weather, or under the knife or just "maintanance" as they call it. And for whatever peculiar reason, I just can't sleep. That's rare but a problem, especially when it happens on a Tuesday night, since I get up early on Wednesday to go to the pool. Or at least I hope I'll be up early tomorrow morning--of course, that's if I fall asleep. and it does happen a lot on Tuesday, maybe since I have to get so jazzed up when I teach a full "day" in the afternoon.

So I guess it's time to visit... blog visits, since at 1am, I can't go knocking on doors.

First, we're going to celebrate with Sarah, who's celebrating one year of blogging! Mazal Tov!!

If you want to learn something new about moze, read this!

The Pragmatician shows just the technique needed to get English into my students' heads!

Read this unbeatable Ode to Bloggers from the multi-talented Bagel Blogger. Don't worry bb, I'm still blogging!

The latest from social worker frustrated mom sounds pretty good. You must see those wild illustrations she posted.

Akiva writes about Jewish women and war and female Israeli soldiers. Now, imho, if all able bodied men did their jobs, there would be no room in the army for women!

NYC Educator reports on state of NYC Education; I think it was better when I was a kid.

Baleboosteh tells a very disturbing story.

Marallyn's back home.

Ezzie talks about economics. Rent sounds outrageous, and they only have one kid and aren't paying tuition yet. Nu, when are you joining the blue and whites?

Jameel tells us what he loves about Israel. I'll add one story of my own, which happened on Rosh Chodesh. I was benching after having felafel at "Shalom's" and the guy working there said: "Yaala v'yavo," to remind me to say the special Rosh Chodesh addition to the prayer. It's like when buying kitchen appliances, and you can ask the salesman what can be tovled, dipped in the mikvah, ritual bath.

Here's a wonderful story on Heichal Hanegina.

And westbankmama has some disturbing news.

That's it for now; it is the middle of the night, and I should be half way through my sleep, and my room is cold, and I'll try to fall asleep again.

We're all family

Sorry, I didn't take my camera along, so this won't be illustrated...

Last night we were at a Bar Mitzvah, one of the neighbor's kids, here in Shiloh.

• The food was absolutely delicious.
• The mother and sisters were all dressed beautifully.
• The cake was out of this world.
• Everything was perfectly decorated.

It was a "totzeret Shiloh" event, since

• the professional caterer is a neighbor
• the expert French seamstress/designer is a neighbor
• the baker is a neighbor
• the "set" designer is a neighbor

Yes, Baruch Hashem, we do have every talent here, and more than that. As the mother of the Bar Mitzvah boy said:

"As I say at every joyous occasion, we have very little family here in Israel, and we're so happy to be in Shiloh where you're our family."

Many of us here are in the same situation. One of the great things about Shiloh and similar communities is that we've become family for each other.

We have a debut!

This is awarded to Ya'aqov of Esser Agaroth on his excellent debut Havel Havelim! Of course, if I had the skills of Bagel Blogger, I'd be able to fill it out.

HH#101 is such a feast of posts, you'll need something good to eat while you're reading it, so I suggest taking a look at the latest Carnival of the Recipes, where you're certain to find something tasty.

And since we're talking food, don't forget to get your kosher food links in for the 14th, wow! is it really 14 already? Kosher Cooking Carnival!!! Please send your kosher food links of all sorts to shilohmuse at yahoo dot com or via blog carnival.

Enjoy!!

Avihu Chai!

Avihu Chai, yes, since he's called Avihu Chai! Avihu lives, yes, Avihu lives, since his nephew is called Avihu Chai!

Maybe it sounds better in Hebrew.

The bottom line is that the baby is named after his uncle, with the addition of the name "Chai," life.

For those who don't know the story, here are a few of the posts I've written about the family:
The Night Before Rosh Hashanah
“Aish Zarah—A Strange Fire”
To Feel The Earth Under Our Feet

Our main synagogue here in Shiloh was packed. The entire yishuv was invited to the "Brit Milah." Both sets of grandparents live here, and that is their shul. Avihu Chai's parents both grew up in Shiloh. To say there wasn't a "dry eye" is an understatement.

May he grow up, be healthy, wise and strong, both spiritually and physically, ad me'ah v'esrim shannah, and may his family enjoy good health, smachot, etc.

No Smoking!

When I was young, smoking wasn't considered bad; it was considered "grown up." All the grown ups smoked; at least that's how it seemed. And they smoked any where and everywhere. That was in New York.

Some places had smoking and no smoking sections. Not that it helped much, since the air, smoke-filled, filled the no smoking sections.

Eventually the no smoking laws and places became more common, even here in Israel.

The smoking began to bother me, in principle more than anything else, and I considered it a "challenge" to keep the air around me "smoke free."

During the days when we went to the movies, I used to insist that people stop smoking near me. It was easiest when I was pregnant; I'd just tell them that the smoke made me puke. I admit that I lied, since I didn't have that problem when pregnant, but it really was a great line. Everyone's afraid of pregnant puking ladies.

Other times on buses, once it became illegal to smoke on a bus I would enforce it. Once I was only taking the bus around four stops, so I was really anxious to finish my mission quickly. And I succeeded. I got the guy to stop and put out the cigarette, just before I got off the bus.

When I was recently in the Ben Gurion International Airport, Israel, to meet a Nefesh B'Nefesh flight, I was overjoyed to see a new development, a "smoking box." OK they call it a "Smoking Zone." So of course I took that picture.

Numbers speak

I really ought to stop checking the JBlog Central.

There was a time when I found both Shiloh Musings and me-ander in the top listings. Then me-ander dropped down, and Shiloh Musings was around number 19 or 20. Not long ago I noticed that it was up to 8 or 9. And then it seemed like some sort of campaign to knock it down.

Not all of my posts are super great, and there's no objective criteria for what constitutes a great post. But when one of my political posts, illustrated with a photo (which I took) and then commentary on an article which is then reproduced gets "1 out of 5," you know that it's to knock it down in the standings.

Here's the important, crucial question:

• What constitutes a good post?
• What constitutes a poor post?
• What constitutes a great post?

I've hosted quite a few Havel Havelim's, and I've read more than my share of blog posts. I see a definite agenda in the ratings by some of those who obviously have nothing better to do than to spend their time giving low numbers when they don't like the message.

As an English teacher I have rubrics to help me mark compositions. And yes, they really help. I also use rubrics for project work. I'll make them up according to what I want to "weigh" more. They can include aesthetics, grammar, vocabulary organization etc.

When I blog, I do take all this into account. The other day when I was walking around, I noticed a terribly tattered flag and photographed it. Then I used it to illustrate The Tattered Flag Flies in Sderot. OK, I admit that I slightly "stretched it" by using a flag flying in Shiloh for a post about Sderot, but it's not a bad post. Many high-ranking posts are just copies of articles, and that includes some of mine. As of this moment, it has a phenomenal 131 points total but a 2 out of 5 average on jblog central. That's political, no doubt. A lot of people are using their limited voting power to knock me down.

Bagel Blogger has a voting system set up at the end of each post to get readers to vote, but that's beyond anything I can do, and I don't' think I should.

Enough kvetching. I have to get ready for Shabbat.

Not even a month?

It has been quite a month for us in Shiloh.

Just four weeks ago, I reported on a small local funeral, when the mother of a neighbor passed away. Then just a week later, another neighbor's mother died. When I went to visit her, she wondered about the saying that "bad things come in three's" and maybe we should "break an egg," a custom in many cultures to prevent a third tragedy.

I guess we didn't do it, because a couple of days later two sisters in the community lost their mother.

This coming Sunday is the "shloshim," thirty days after the death of the first "passing." In Judaism mourning is divided into certain "milestones." In short the first being the week of formal mourning, "shiva," then the "shloshim" and then the 12th month and full year. There is a gradual lessening of the Laws and Restrictions on the mourner for a parent until that first year is complete.

Sunday will also be the brit milah (circumcision ceremony) of a great-grandson born to the third mother to have passed away. And on Monday is the Bar Mitzvah of a grandson of the first one. Amazingly, the date was actually decided on before the grandmother's death.

I hate to write cliches, but life does go on.

The secret behind my legendary vegetable soup!

Yes, legendary. I used to make my vegetable soup in such an enormous pot that I just had to give it out to neighbors, since there was no way we could finish it. I have a neighbor who insists that it helped her get through some exhausting times. Others keep hinting that I should resume giving them containers of it.

I developed the recipe when I worked as a cook in a day care center. I must admit that my early attempts at cooking for the kids were rather disastrous. And one thing I kept insisting to my boss:

"I can't cook soup, so don't expect any!"

But I wasn't fired so quickly, and by the time I quit, since it was a difficult job, I had fans, lots of fans.

The technique I developed makes a great soup. I never make the same soup exactly. It's always different, and it's always good. It can be frozen.

my vegetable soup--basic guidelines--

I make it parve (neither meat, nor dairy) in an enormous pot
It's a two pot affair from the lady who doesn't believe in two bowl cakes
It has no set quantities; it stays good for a week and there are always neighbors,
parentheses means optional, and other things can be added

2 pots, because some foods need to be cooked in water and some in oil
I like a good pea soup, but you can use canned beans--then only one pot

1- check (for tiny stones or bugs) and cook split peas (and barley) in the smaller pot,
pour boiling water on it and keep it cooking for at least an hour. If you have a good pot, leave the flame off for some of it, but it must be covered. If you're low on fresh vegetables and have some dehydrated vegetables, cook the dehydrated with the peas
2- In your largest pot, saute in any simple cooking oil--I use plain soy--onions, (fennel, fresh garlic, celery root, parsnip-parsley root, whatever root vegetable except sweet potatoes, which are added later), carrots--cover and cook on low flame, no burning
3- (celery, squash, potatoes, cauliflower, almost any non-green vegetable) slice and add, when carrots begin to soften--(you can use frozen of same description but at a much later part of the process)
4- When the vegetables are cooking, add the peas or beans to them with the addition of boiling water. (Then add the sweet potatoes)
5- Season however you like; try cumin!
(6- when boiling well, add the matzaballs)
cook for about an hour
enjoy

Practice Tests

I should have taken a picture of the little darlings today doing their practice tests. My seniors--12th graders are getting ready to take the "English Bagrut," national final exams.

It's a complicated process since there are three, oops! four tests to the test. Does that make sense? OK, to make it more complicated exact, there are three levels to English testing, and three written tests to each level.

They are known by their old labels, 3 points, 4 points and 5 points. In those days if a graduate wanted to go up a level, they needed to take the entire exam again in the higher level. So the "powers" decided to "go modular." Now there are a slew of tests to be done. A, B, C are 3 points, needed for a minimal high school diploma, C, D, E are 4 points, considered minimal for university application, and E, F, G are 5 points. There's also a required oral interview, and half the points for that are based on how well the student can discuss a "project" they've done in English.

The result is that instead of just testing them in their last year of high school, we spend a good portion of the last two years dealing with testing. I must admit that I only teach English in the 9th and 10th grades. After that my priority is getting the kids ready for "bagrut."

Some of you may be wondering why davka in January? Isn't the end of the year, the prime testing time in June? We are in the northern hemisphere, right? Well, with all the tests we now have the option to use a "winter test time."

So today, I joined my boss, the English co-ordinater, as we gave a shmorgesbord of tests to the seniors in two consecutive testing sessions. We used photocopies of old "bagrut" tests.

Honestly, I had a good time.
One reason--I didn't have to prepare and teach difficult classes.
Two--the kids were great. This is my favorite class. They were serious and well-behaved, especially my students. They've sure improved over the last year. If you would have told me a year ago that I'd be writing this, I would have thought you nuts.

I guess we never should give up on them; one never knows how they will turn out.

From a different perspective

It's funny. Whenever I leave my house for a "walk" I turn left. I think it started during my jogging days well over twenty years ago. My neighborhood is perfect for fitness walks, running and jogging, since it's circular and pretty level. To get up to our neighborhood you have to climb, but once you're here, you're at the top and can enjoy the view. The extended circle (including the newer part of the neighborhood) is over a kilometer, probably just under a mile.

For some peculiar reason, yesterday morning when I left I turned right. Suddenly it all looked so different. I hadn't seen it from this angle before.

Twenty-five years, and it was like a new neighborhood. Some gardens were suddenly open for viewing and others were totally closed, while from the other side, it's the opposite. There's something very refreshing about seeing a familiar place from a different perspective.


Shiloh has a strange climate. I couldn't get over how the date palm tree, which needs a warm desert climate can grow side by side with a pine tree, which thrives in the north. They're common in New York, where palm trees don't grow. It's rather symbolic of my neighbors a real international mix of great people.

The thing that caught me totally unaware was my image in a window as I took pictures.

I must do this more often.

Attacked! The strangest thing

The past couple of days I keep finding ads, as comments, on one particular post. So I have to keep deleting them. I have no idea why they davka keep picking that post to attack. It's not like it's a particularly popular one.

Another strange thing, on a completely different track is that since Sunday's fast, I've had more energy. I'm not as tired at night and have been going to bed later. It happens sometimes after fasting, since fasting is a cleansing of the body. What seems ironic, is that I felt awful that day, freezing cold, and a spot on my back hurt terribly. I just sat around and did nothing. It was rainy, and if felt like night all day, sort of like flying from here to NY on the midnight flight.

My dislocated shoulder is starting to feel better. I can even reach for things without always feeling that sharp pain, Baruch Hashem, bli eyin haraa. My doctor told me to just be patient, since it was healing on its own. My brother-in-law the chiropractor warned that it would take months. Yes, it has. I hope to resume basketball in another month, G-d willing. My basic treatment was just to avoid anything that caused pain, since pain meant strain, and strain means that it's being injured/stressed.

Many, many years ago, when I don't remember who used to send us Prevention Magazine, I remember reading an article about how someone cured him/herself of back problems. The method is very simple:

Do as much as possible, except when the movement causes dangerous sharp pain. With time, movement expands and strength returns. Pain is a warning.

That's how I've handled all sorts of "injuries" ever since. For some people, the hard part is distinguishing between good and bad pain. Forget about no pain no gain; it's not true. When you're really stimulating a muscle, there's a "burning" sensation, which is good, but it's very different from the sharp pain which must be avoided. And it's always important not to overdo it.

I have to get ready to go to the pool. When my shoulder was really sore I couldn't even do a lot of simple movements in the warm water. Yes, very frightening.

Strike out

The striking method isn't working; I found my entire blog struck, like a plague descended.

An old friend found me while googling another old friend, whom I once mentioned in a blog. And thanks to Ezzie for teaching me how to "strike out words." (Only problem is that it made a mess; still working on it.)

Small world, since he's the nephew-in-law of this old friend.

I didn't find anything related on google, but as you probably noticed. It's not working exactly right. It's sort of like the "Sorcerer's Apprentice." I got it going, but I can't control it.

The "striking" and "bold" just can't be controlled.

trying to upgrade

I've noticed for a long time that there are lots of bloggers who know how to "cross things out," as they write. I even copied something which showed up crossed out, but I couldn't remember how it looked in the html. So now, I will experiment.

I just put a comment on meryl yourish, and the comments there have all sorts of "clicks," which offer text "enhancers?," so I'm going to try something....

How's this? OK, it worked, but I don't know the shortcut. What I did was ctrl/b, then in html, I substituted "strike" for "strong." It's a bit convoluted, and I'd greatly appreciate the shortcut. hint! hint!

Another thing I haven't figured out is how to use all those "things" in my post titles, such as links, bold, etc. While I'm at it, I recently saw that another blogger had a colored background under words. I'd love to know how to do that, too.

I'm thanking you all in advance, certain that someone will be willing to help me, please!

great musicians and "trends"

Cosmic X writes about a great guitarist he heard play at a wedding, Dani Maman: Jimi Hendrix With Peot. It reminds me of a great drummer, also a Danny, who was popular about 15 years ago. In his day job he taught "Toshba," Jewish studies, in the Ofra Girls High School. I have no idea where he is now, haven't noticed him playing for a long time. But that could be because I don't see the bands much at weddings.

The trend here even among the "dati," Modern Orthodox, is to make the dancing even more and more separate. That means that not only do we dance separately, (no mixed male/female dancing,) but mechitzot (barriers) are put up, so the men can't see the women dancing. Frequently, the women's dancing is at a far corner of the hall. This is even when the tables are mixed seating.

One of the results is that I'm no longer familiar with the bands and have no idea who the musicians are.

Give me a recipe for those bagels!

I used to work in a bagel place, Beit HaBagel, The Bagel House of Jerusalem. We made real, boiled-first-then baked bagels. They tasted like my memories of bagels from New York.

The latest Carnival of the Recipes is very festive and there are lots of recipes to try, even if you're kosher, but no bagels, of course. I guess it's one of those things better to buy than to make at home.

Now why do I have bagels on my mind? I'll tell you. The one and only Bagel Blogger has hosted the 100th Havel Havelim, and it's as good as those pumpernickel bagels I'm dreaming of. OK, even better--no calories!

So I suggested you try some, it's a jumbo, the biggest bagel--oops! the biggest Havel Havelim, I'm sure!

Not only are there posts from the previous week, but there are some golden oldies, too.

Between those two carnivals, there's plenty to nosh on, food for thought, nu?!

Two weeks a year, or

Empty nests are hard to heat!

Yesterday as my friend and I were shivering by her heater,
we agreed that

we don't function in the cold and
we don't function in the heat
and that leaves us
about a week in between summer and winter and
another week in between winter and summer

So about two weeks a year we function. It seems like along with our "reading vision," our internal thermostat went kapoot!

My house never seemed so cold when the kids were living at home, and it doesn't seem this cold when they're visiting. And strangely it never got as hot in the summer as it does now, even empty, without lots of people.

My toes and fingers are all frozen, and yes it is worse when I'm fasting.

Well, I decided to make some of my famous soup. No recipe right now.

Let's see what some other bloggers are doing. I bet their dens/computer rooms are heated. Ours isn't.


Dry Bones has a "Golden Oldie" about hiding in a warm bed until the old year is over.

Wonderful news from Baleboosteh and family. They are home after Amber's surgery. Refuah Shleimah!

Robin has what to say about the Neturei Carta.

Kibud Av-Part 2 at Heichel Hanegina.

and lastly, since I can't take the cold in here:
Westbankmama writes about character and Saddam Hussein comparing him to other villains.

The bases are...

Baile Rochel Plays Ball!

This little announcement about baseball starting in Israel brings back old memories...

I used to be the girls' Gym Teacher here in Shiloh. Actually that "temporary, just until we get a real gym teacher" job lasted thirteen years!

It's not like I was ever a great athlete or anything, but I had taught Creative Dance in Jerusalem before we moved here, and I also taught a women's exercise class during our first year in Shiloh, so... When they needed a gym teacher for the school, I was the "obvious" choice.

Since we had neither equipment nor a sports facility, even classrooms were hard to come by, and it didn't help that I was totally untrained, I did my "creative thing."

In those days Israeli sports were confined to soccer, meaning ball kicking. The concept of "passing balls," accurately throwing from one to another was an unknown concept. And when I tried teaching them "punchball," a favorite from my school days, I realized that the entire culture of Baseball was as unknown as bacon to my Orthodox Jewish Israeli students.

When I was a kid, we played it in the school yard, PS 46, Bayside, NY. Punchball was a "poor man's baseball." The only equipment was a spaldeen ball and some kids. it was set up like baseball, but instead of a bat, we used our fist, unlike stickball.

I thought that it would be the perfect game for the girls to learn, especially since I had no sports equipment, besides the rare ball. Being so "American" it never occurred to me that my students hadn't grown up with the same sports culture.

Let it suffice to say, that my punchball lesson was a total disaster. And honestly, I can understand why. It's a boring game, too much time waiting around. I had lots more success with dodgeball, but that's another story...

More visiting and some cake

Last night we went visiting. A neighbor's mother has made aliyah, no, not on the Nefesh B'Nefesh flight I greeted. So they invited some of us to wish her a mazal tov. I ended up baking, since I was hosting the "Shiur Nashim," "Shabbat Torah Lesson for Women." I was in the mood for my "Diet Killer--Apple Crisp"; the low-sugar version I make is tasty enough. So I made three. One for us (ok, me and a guest) to eat Friday night, another to take to the neighbors and the third for the "shiur."


I'm still freezing. Waiting an hour in Beit El for a ride Thursday was not good for my health. I get this pain in my upper back. Luckily I remembered that we have this purple thing that you heat up in the microwave and can wear like a shawl. I wish I had socks like that. My feet are still frozen, and it's Saturday night already.

Now for some visits, cyber-visits...
Marallyn is enjoying her brother's visit and thinking of the old country's weather.
Cos' suggests we check out the Walking For Israel Blog. OK!
Smooth writes about Saddam Hussein's hanging. Remember that "G-d is the True Judge."
Soccer Dad writes about the late US President Ford.
Ezzie writes about sexual abuse in the Orthodox community.

This is getting depressing, so let me find something more fun...
Jameel has some "snow pictures," and I see that he also signed up for the ads, and he's designing a new banner for the Muqata.

I think that's it for now. the shawl cooled, must reheat it.
Shavua Tov and Tzom Kal for those who plan of fasting tomorrow.

Simply, delicious vegetables!

Tri-colored Potatoes!

purple, white and orange

pumpkin and round zucchini

These are all examples of super simple and very delicious vegetable dishes. All I did was to dribble with some oil and then bake.

It's easier than broiling a steak! Don't let people tell you that it's too much work to make veggies!

Facing the Future Here in Israel!

Here are faces from the December 27 Nefesh B'Nefesh flight of olim chadashim, new immigrants, to Israel! Good luck to one and all!