It Would Have Been Nice...

From how my husband had explained his plans for today I thought that maybe I could get to Ofra and see the grandkids in the afternoon.  Last year I had helped with them about twice a week, and this year I rarely see them.  Sandwiched me, I'm busy in the other direction caring for my father.

So, I called my daughter and told her that I hoped to be over for a bit of a visit.

Then the group my husband was speaking to was a bit late and his time with them ended up having a late lunch in Ofra, so, of course, I told him that if he's already there, he should see the kids.

And that's what happened.  The kids saw a grandparent, but the grandparent wasn't me.

Another time, G-d willing.

Blogging as A Way of Life

IMHO, a blog can be even more flexible than facebook, twitter, youtube etc.  (All of which I do, too.  Links can be found on my sidebar.)  It has the option to be all of the above plus one's very own newspaper, magazine or public relations brochure.

One of the top Jewish blogs, Benji Lovitt's What War Zone? used hosting this week's Havel Havelim to reflect on changes and the possible cessation of blogging.

In the few years since Benji's aliyah, his blog helped put him on the map of Israeli entertainers stand-up and writers.  He questions if it's worth the time he invests to keep on blogging.

It's a good question.  Even though my life is very different from Benji's sometimes I wonder if I'm not wasting my time.  I never succeeded in promoting my writing into a money-making activity.  Blogging is my vanity press.  It costs me time, not money.  Right now, especially, I'm home taking care of my very elderly father and blogging is a good outlet.  Of course, I did blog before, even when I was working.

I've been blogging for quite a few years; I've lost track of how long.  I never celebrated blogging anniversaries or major post numbers.  Yes, it could be called a way of life.  I generally blog so frequently that I don't need to join those "blog everyday" challenges.  Blogging twice a day on two blogs puts me in a different category.  It's no great challenge to figure out what to write; the hard part is getting up from the chair.

It's that time of the morning.  There are new posts here and on Shiloh Musings.  It's time to start my day, my other life.

Getting a diet back on track

Getting a diet back on track is one of the hardest things to do.  Periodically we must "tweak" to make the diet more effective.  I did gain a couple of kilo from my lowest weight, but considering that I've been pretty housebound taking care of my elderly father, that's not much.

There's another problem that summer fruit is so delicious in Israel, so I eat more than the three I should be limited to.  I've also been noshing on a few nuts every morning.  My breakfast isn't satisfying me anymore.  so, I decided not to replace the nuts when they're gone.  They are left over from passover and what my cousin gave me from her garden.

I'll let you know how it goes.

Schedule Change

Can't complain since we don't pay, being that it's beamed in somehow on the "dish."  Fox series changed the ER schedule.  That's the most important show for me.  Now the "repeat" is 8am, much better than 5am it was for a couple of weeks.  It's weird how sometimes I find myself remembering episodes I saw years ago.  I wonder if their contract will ever graduate past the first six seasons.

We have a bunch of Carol Burnett DVDs.  Some are disappointing.  The Movie Club didn't enjoy the one I showed.  The writers sure stretched boundaries with their extremely risque` double entendres.  There's something immature about it; the shows become tedious the more seen.  I don't gt this feeling watching my Jack Benny and Red Skelton DVDs.

In my pre-caring for my very elderly father mode, I barely saw TV, which was fine, and we didn't have one of those dishes, but now I need it being home so much.  I'm going to have to pay someone to stay with him so I can go to the pool when it opens.  It'll be worth the money.  One hour of help, and I can get 45 minutes of active water exercise.  That's how close the pool is to my house.  I'll have to arrive already capped and slathered, just need to kick off my shoes, pull off my robe and jump into the water, then quickly reverse process and run on home.  I'll just need for someone to tell me the time's up.

KCC Tammuz, Collecting Ingredients

It's one more week until the next Kosher Cooking Carnival, and I'm collecting links of posts about kosher food, kosher cooking, Jewish Law, Jewish/kosher food customs, kosher cookbook and restaurant reviews, and yes, recipes, as long as they're kosher!

Send them in via blog carnival, and if you're interested in hosting an upcoming edition, please let me know.

And How Would You Caption This?

Something happened when I passed this scene.  It was like some art director had prepared it for me.

Community Service

Our regional council provides scholarships to university students in exchange for community service.  I got a call recently that one of the students was assigned a few hours a week to spend time with my very elderly father who has been living with us since October.

Last night the young woman came over and they had a great time together talking.  It's just what he needs.  I'm just not good at it for various reasons.  When she's off from studies, she'll be able to come for a block of time instead of an hour in the evening, but that hour in the evening is also good.  It's very stimulating for him to talk to people. 

She arrived when he was finishing taking in the wash from the clotheslines, and then they sat on the merpeset (terrace/balcony.)  I brought out some nosh.  In this weather, the merpeset is like another room.

The Song of The Week: We Con The World

I woke up to find tons of emails telling me to check out:

Flotilla Choir presents: We Con the World

I'm glad that some of the greatest minds on Israel's Right, like Karni Eldad and Caroline Glick are involved with this production. Also Barry Silverberg!


I don't usually post what everybody else is, but I consider this not only a public service but a piece of art and proof that culture and artistic talent can be found in people with intelligence and common sense.

I need a good night's sleep...

I wonder why.

I hope to be more clever tomorrow.

Thursday, Already?

This week has been speeding by.  I can't believe that it's already Thursday, and I haven't found guests for Shabbat yet.  Maybe I can still catch last week's cancellations.

The chicken is out thawing.  Maybe I'll stuff some peppers again.  That was both easy and impressive when I experimented a few weeks ago.  I'll try to remember to photograph them.

A university student here called the other day saying that she had to spend time with an elderly person as part of her studies and would visit with my father.  She may come over today.  That may be nice.  He needs more company.

This Time It Was Open

Some of you may remember that a few months ago I fell in love.  No, not a baby or older person or pet, but with a shop window.  I saw dresses in the window which I've been dreaming about ever since.  B"H, thank G-d, the store was closed at the time.  It was too early in the morning.

This week I wasn't so lucky, and it was our wedding anniversary, the fortieth, certainly a milestone which I deserve to celebrate in multiple ways.  Nu, so how could I not enter?

Sales items are in the back.  There were dressy tops, nice enough to wear to the most elegant of weddings any place in the world for only NS99.  There were skirts that shimmered and would make a stroll look like a dance and dresses, too, for just a bit more money.

Not to leave you in further suspense... I got myself a top.  Now I just need an excuse to wear it.

And Caption This, Too

Almost a meme, but I'm not appointing anyone publicly to reply.

What does this photo I took of a bride at her wedding make you think of?





If you use it to inspire a post, please link back to me.  Thanks

Caption This!

No prize, but a challenge to the imagination, nu? 

They Were Worth The Calories!

Last night my husband and I, along with my cousin and hers, went to our favorite restaurant, yes, HaGov, the kosher sports bar & grill, to celebrate forty years of marriage.  We got married in the same week, so we're all married forty years.


And in all those forty years I don't remember ever going out together before to celebrate an anniversary.  When we were dating, we used to double date, and we do try to get together when we can with the kids and lots of mutual friends.  This was a treat in more ways than one.


HaGov's management knew that we were going to be there for a special occasion and treated us royally.  We shared one of the chef's specialties a tomato soup, which was fantastic.  We all loved it, so if it's on the menu when you go, have some.


We shared salad, and I had the Italian Steak with Mushrooms, absolutely delicious.  My cousin had the Double-D Chicken Breasts, and the men ate hamburgers.  We also shared a bottle of wine.  The chef kept coming out to check and accept very well deserved compliments.


They surprised us with desserts, full of calories but worth eating them just the same.






Every once in a while even the most dedicated dieter must go off and have something spectacular, and that's what I did last night.

What's A Parent?

With today's medical mysteries, parenthood and conception are no longer simple and straightforward.  This New York Times article about how children conceived via some of the new methods is disturbing, at least to me.

Last night I was at a wedding of the adopted son of friends.  They have two adopted children, and I've spoken to the other one about his biological family.  He's in touch.  So it may be that they're only long-term fostered, but the arrangement is life-long.  These aren't kids thrown out at eighteen or whenever the money stops coming in.

The biological parents were at their son's wedding, but the couple who walked him to the chuppah (wedding canopy) was the one who raised him since he was a baby.

This young man knows from where he came.  I don't know how much contact he has with his biological family, but the other adopted child has a lot and understands that he's lucky to have an extra set of parents and more loving siblings.  He's thankful.

Late Night Call

I quasi-panicked when I saw that it was a call from handsome bachelor #1 that I  had missed as I fumbled getting my phone out of the bag.  It was late at night, past my bedtime, but since I had been at a wedding I was still up.

What could he want?  Could something be wrong?

The panic simmered, since I couldn't get through to him.  Call-waiting.  So I continued with my going to bed routine and called a few more times.  Finally he called back.

"What's happening?"
"I got a new washing machine and don't understand one of the buttons."
"Isn't there an instruction book?"
"Well, it's not that new a machine..."

Apparently, it's very old, but a classic from "Crystal," an excellent company, and I once had the deluxe of that model.  Nu, what do you think "drip" means?  After he read me everything on every dial I guess that it means that the water doesn't go out, so it'll "drip" dry. 

I gave him basic instructions as to which cycles for what type of clothes, which he thanked me for.  It's nice to know that I'm considered an expert at something, even something as simple as washing clothes.  And I was very impressed at how well he now reads English.  He has some sort of dyslexia, so even learning to read Hebrew was a challenge, but like many MLD's they can learn to read and do.  It just takes a little longer and different teaching methods.  Unfortunately school is "one size fits all," but we're not all the same size.

Waiting X2 Plus

A few hours ago, someone called to say they were coming to Shiloh and wanted to know if they could visit.  I said "great."  Then they called that they'd be coming soon.  That was a couple of hours ago.  The chilled water from the fridge is now room temperature, as is the boiled water for tea or coffee.

In the interim I (thankfully) watched E.R. and now I just finished my manicure and as I type this with wet fingernails we finally got the phone call that they're coming up.

Chickens Out For New Zealand

Kosher chickens that is.  In another example of twisted perverse morality the New Zealand government has joined a select group of frigid to Jews European countries and banned Shechita, animal slaughter according to Jewish Law.  Is hunting forbidden in these countries, Switzerland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden?

It's not a simple matter of just importing kosher meat and poultry from abroad instead of local shechita, because according to New Zealand law, unprocessed poultry can't be imported.

The Jewish community in New Zealand is trying to appeal but considering that the Prime Minister is Jewish the chances aren't good.  Successful Jews abroad generally try to downplay their Jewish allegiance.  This is a good time to make aliyah.  I have neighbors from New Zealand who are happy that they are here in Shiloh.

Should I Open the Windows?

Last night I went to bed in a huff after having an argument with the kid across the street who had decided that right across from my living room windows was the ideal place to have a smelly bonfire.  By the time I had discovered it, having been safely in the den hiding out from Eurovision damage was already done.  The house stinks.

Davka this morning there's no breeze to help remove the soot from my house.

Additional damage was that my good clothes quickly absorbed the smell and have to be laundered.  And it also took me a long time to fall asleep.  Not a great way to start the week.

Tonight I'm off to a wedding so G-d willing the week will be good.

Eurovision, Getting Worse Every Year

We've been seeing, not every year, Eurovision since the middle or late 1970's.  It used to be fun, and a lot of music used to be good, or at least bearable to listen to.  Now it isn't.  The whole thing has also gotten so huge it takes three nights, performances, until there's a winner.  Too many countries are considered "Europe."  Decades ago, Israel was probably the furthest, but considering that the Tel Aviv crowd likes to consider themselves just another Mediterranean town, like southern France or Spain...

I must admit that I don't like modern music.  There's too much screaming and not enough rhythm. 

And I didn't quite catch the tune of the Israeli song. The guy has a nice voice, but our winning songs were easy to pick up and sing along.  This one doesn't have a chance.  Compare Harel Skar with Yizhar Cohen's winning song.