This week will be a marathon of shopping and cooking. I cheated and did a lot of the shopping over the past month so that the bill didn't floor me all at once, but there is still a lot to deal with . I hope that if I do most of the shopping tomorrow morning, I'll avoid the crowds that may be flooding the supermarkets later in the week but, on the other hand, 15,000 other housewives in Tzfat may have the same idea. Nothing else to do about it except to take a deep breath and get started.
I took a week of from Shabbat guests and had a quiet Shabbat with my younger two kids, who were the only ones that were home.
Hagai was home from the army so I planned a meat meal. Then thursday night he said that maybe he'd be going back for Shabbat and would be able to come home for Rosh Hashana, so I kept the meat in the freezer and made some veggie delights for myself and my daughter (she's vegetarian and I don't much care). Friday morning, just as he was getting ready to return to base, he got a call from his friend with whom he was supposed to switch who said that, never mind, there would be no switch.
The meat got defrosted (and cooked, about an hour before shabbat) and there will be one less guest at home for Rosh Hashana.
Speaking of Rosh Hashana....i'm not a great shul-goer and prefer to do most of my praying on my own, but I do get annoyed with the kvetchers. This time I actually took a few minutes to respond to one. Don't know why I bother but it got a few "likes" on Facebook so I guess that someone else feels the same way.
Saturday, August 31, 2013
Thursday, August 22, 2013
Healthy Living -- Try, Try Again
I'm
trying to eat healthier (more healthily?) and reduce calories so when my
daughter told me that my new favorite snack, popcorn, was high in calories (not
including the oils used to pop it or the butter that some people smear over it)
I panicked. Luckily we live in the day of the Internet so I googled it and
found that the nutritionist for the Today show gave it a clean bill of
health. Whew. I make popcorn a few times every week and use olive oil to pop it
and then sprinkle brewers yeast over it so it really is pretty yummy and
relatively low-fat (I don't have a microwave so I'm stuck with the
old-fashioned popper method).
I also have to mention that, since I've started to use brewers yeast (just sprinkling it on popcorn...what else is there?) my nails have strengthened and don't tear every time I glance their way. Brewers yeast is supposed to be high in vitamin B12 -- maybe there's something to it?
I also have to mention that, since I've started to use brewers yeast (just sprinkling it on popcorn...what else is there?) my nails have strengthened and don't tear every time I glance their way. Brewers yeast is supposed to be high in vitamin B12 -- maybe there's something to it?
I
also adapted a fruit shake to the seasonal fruits and made myself one this
morning. Aside from the time that it takes to peel the fruit and get everything
in there, it's nice and filling and very energizing.
Since
my daughter said "yuck" and no one else is going to give me any props
for this, I might as well share my hard work
- 2 apples
- 2 mangos
- 3 bananas
- tehina
- yogurt
- low-fat milk
- flax seed
- pomegranate seeds (yes, I spent the time opening a pomegranate and peeling off the seeds, but the combination of sweet fruits and tangy pomegranate seeds was worth it).
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Laurie the Fundraiser
I've taken on a new project, trying to fundraise for a friend who is recovering from cancer. She's actually recovering from the treatment that she's undergone -- chemo -- which, if you asked me, has caused more problems than the cancer itself. if I ever had to make such a decision, I'm not sure that I'd go for the chemo.
anyway, her son and his wife have come from the States to help her and they need some money to get started, so I'm trying to find some funds.
Have learned a few things about fundraising:
1. I'm not very good at it
2. You have to find your leads and contact the people individually and follow up and, most of the time (in this town anyway) actually, physically go and GET the money
3. It's not an easy process
4. If everyone gives a little, you have something to work with
5. As my former boss once said, if you want to get something done, ask someone who's busy. Well, I'm busy and I would so much rather just give some money rather than add this task to my list of things to do.
In other news from the homefront, the cat hadn't come in for a few days...she was laying outside and by the second day it was clear that she wasn't just lounging around. So off to the vet who gave her several shots and handed me some anti-biotic pills to give her each morning. 200 shekels but she is better. Have you ever given a struggling cat anti-biotic pills? Orally? I have the bite on my finger to prove that it's a challenge, and we're only on the 2nd of five pills.
anyway, her son and his wife have come from the States to help her and they need some money to get started, so I'm trying to find some funds.
Have learned a few things about fundraising:
1. I'm not very good at it
2. You have to find your leads and contact the people individually and follow up and, most of the time (in this town anyway) actually, physically go and GET the money
3. It's not an easy process
4. If everyone gives a little, you have something to work with
5. As my former boss once said, if you want to get something done, ask someone who's busy. Well, I'm busy and I would so much rather just give some money rather than add this task to my list of things to do.
In other news from the homefront, the cat hadn't come in for a few days...she was laying outside and by the second day it was clear that she wasn't just lounging around. So off to the vet who gave her several shots and handed me some anti-biotic pills to give her each morning. 200 shekels but she is better. Have you ever given a struggling cat anti-biotic pills? Orally? I have the bite on my finger to prove that it's a challenge, and we're only on the 2nd of five pills.
Sunday, August 18, 2013
Epileptic Dog
Well, the wedding was in August 2009 and Mica has never even been near Kiryat Ono, the small suburb of Tel Aviv where they live now. First of all, they both work crazy hours and secondly, well, we wouldn't be very happy to give her up.
Mica is probably one of the most laid-back, gentle creatures that God ever made but she does have her quirks. For one thing, you can tell that she was abused...every time I get the broom out to sweep the floor she slinks off under a bed or in some other hiding spot.
As mentioned, she's extremely patient and gentle but she DOES NOT LIKE men in black hats. Doesn't matter what kind....there's something about the haredi male population that spooks her and although she'd never bite, she does give a frightening "woof" that would scare just about anyone.
One of her most unusual peculiararities is that she is, evidently, epileptic and prone to periodic epileptic fits. When a fit is coming on she'll huddle in some small corner somewhere or, if she can, snuggle up to someone and wait for the episode to begin. Each episode lasts for about 10-15 minutes during which she completely loses control of her muscles and withers on the floor, scratching madly (which, as you can well imagine, is a drag when you're sleeping and wake to hear the noises under your bed).
Then the episode passes and she shakes her head and goes on with life.
Saturday, August 17, 2013
Friday Night in Safed
I made it to shul this Shabbat. If the truth be told, my attendance was limited because the shul that I like to go to is one of the Carlebach shuls and by the time everyone else is heading home for Friday night dinner, they're just starting to roll....I had guests coming and I didn't want them to come home and find a locked gate. But I did get to go for a little while.
Summary of the congregants -- mostly dati (modern Orthodox), some black hats and wigs (Ultra Orthodox), streimels (Hassidim) and a smattering of shorts and tank tops (secular). Two of the people brought their dogs which sat relatively well-behaved on the sidelines.
Name me one place that you'd see that in New York. Or Detroit. Or....well...anywhere.
Summary of the congregants -- mostly dati (modern Orthodox), some black hats and wigs (Ultra Orthodox), streimels (Hassidim) and a smattering of shorts and tank tops (secular). Two of the people brought their dogs which sat relatively well-behaved on the sidelines.
Name me one place that you'd see that in New York. Or Detroit. Or....well...anywhere.
Friday, August 16, 2013
Props to Safed Peeps
Ah, the wedding. As previous mentioned, a middle-aged Dutch couple stayed at my guestroom last week and mentioned that they had never had a Jewish wedding. Other people in the community got energized and last night I attended one of the most beautiful ceremonies ever.
The bureaucrats whisked through all the paperwork details in four days and by this evening everything was ready.
Don't forget, everything was pretty-much donated. The chuppa took place in the courtyard of the Ari Sepharadi synagogue. Meir Glazer of Shvil HaLev came and played guitar, using the sound equipment of Simply Tsfat. Ya'akov and Miriam Drori of Tzfat's House of Love and Prayer organized the entire chuppa and Ya'akov served as the rabbi. Susan Zehavi of Art Colony Inn prepared the food. Jody Sugar of A Jewish Calendar came to be the official photographer.
Just to give you an idea of the type of effort that went into this event, here's a summary of some of yesterday's Facebook postings
Yes, living in Safed can be trying at time, but sometimes I'm just so proud to be part of this community.
The bureaucrats whisked through all the paperwork details in four days and by this evening everything was ready.
Don't forget, everything was pretty-much donated. The chuppa took place in the courtyard of the Ari Sepharadi synagogue. Meir Glazer of Shvil HaLev came and played guitar, using the sound equipment of Simply Tsfat. Ya'akov and Miriam Drori of Tzfat's House of Love and Prayer organized the entire chuppa and Ya'akov served as the rabbi. Susan Zehavi of Art Colony Inn prepared the food. Jody Sugar of A Jewish Calendar came to be the official photographer.
Just to give you an idea of the type of effort that went into this event, here's a summary of some of yesterday's Facebook postings
- Tzvi Levin likes this.
Menachem Mendel Engel Go to the Chabad store on the midrachov.Im pretty sure they sell kesubahs with the important parts left blank.
Avigayil Yeret-Witt Thx zev. if they were getting married after shkiya shmali would have written it.
Reva Seidel please check what nussach they need, because there are different variations and it's important that it's cool with their rav- i.e. sepahrdi, ashkenazi, ari"zal, etc... MAZAL TOV!!! is the wedding at the house of love and prayer? do you want community help?
Layah Rosenzweig No. In the end were doing the wedding at the ari shpariedi. I think we have most of it under control.. but i also feel like i may be missing something!!- Layah Rosenzweig Actually.. the one thing we have NOT gotten yet is someone to come play the guitar during the chippah and someone to sing.. anyone interested in doing a mitzvah!?
- Reva Seidel i can play violin for her at the women's kabbalat panim- i don't think i'd feel comfortable to play at the chuppah- what about yaakov drori?
- Layah Rosenzweig Yaakov is doing the chuppa so he can't play guitar during it.. is it your violin that we borrowed for the chattan?? And yes.. whenever you would like to play.. that would be lovely
- Layah Rosenzweig A couple rom Holland who i met last week who after many years decided to have a kosher wedding. I told them they should do it in Israel and when they said they had no idea how to go about that.. i offered to do it for them in order to get the married in a halachik way... that was on Friday... and here we are on Thursday with a wedding happening in a few hours!!! Ah lots to do!
- Reva Seidel Is it okay if we come? We can bring food if that helps- If yes, what time? (real time, not shlomo time :-))
- Layah Rosenzweig Reva. Your welcome to come for the chuppa.. the meal itself is a very small group of ppl.. but anyone is invited for the chupah (and we need a few more men anyway).. chuppa is at 6 at the ari separadi
- Layah Rosenzweig Also.. i don't get all the credit here.. Miriam Drori and yaakov have done sooooooooo much .. plus many others!! This community is awesome!
- Reva Seidel i totally figured that would be the case regarding the food- would you like us to bring some cake/dessert?
Jodi Sugar I happen to have two beautiful ketubahs that I was selling in the states. Call me. I also volunteered to photograph this special event. 0504-772-771
Yes, living in Safed can be trying at time, but sometimes I'm just so proud to be part of this community.
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