Lovely Day!

i left my house today and was gone for about nine hours. can't remember the last time i took off like this. i went to sleep really late last night but woke up at 7:00 a.m. and actually got out of bed. i went downstairs and let the new borders out. i decided in the end, that the machson was really cozy and a perfect fit for whiskers and choco. they are able to come in and out as they please and it is dry and pretty warm inside. whiskers, who is blind and partially deaf, is able to manage on her own. choco has the entire backyard and garden to roam, all day long. it is idyllic, so far. i have the downstairs temporarily blocked off from my dogs. i'm waiting for the time when i can referee and interact with all four pooches. today was a lovely and sunny day. i gave each dog a small portion of the dry kibble and let them relieve themselves in the garden. i don't do dog walks! i had my appointment with the social worker this morning for a volunteer course in elder care of demented patients. i asked my daughter-in-law if she wanted a lift into town with the baby. today was shuk day and i guessed that she might want to visit the outdoor market. i left them off in town and i proceeded to the old age center. of course, when i got there i had no idea of whom i was supposed to meet. finally, i made my way into an office and had that person make a couple of calls. eventually, she reached the proper person ,who told me to hang out for a while ,until she came. i was beginning to feel anxious and started thinking about splitting when a lovely, young woman appeared. she was so nice and sincere. she was a breath of fresh air and highly professional. she was definitely from the 'new school' of social workers. she seemed to be impressed with me, too. the course starts in another month and only requires 1 1/2 hours a week of my time. how can i not see it through. after my interview, i went to the expensive baby shop and spent a small fortune on winter fleece sleepers for my darling sahar. i still don't understand why new born sizes are so expensive. why do we pay more money for less fabric and less workmanship? and why are the larger children's sweat suits, 3 for 100 and the teeny weeny ones, 50 a pop? i've been here for 25 years and still don't understand how things work here. after my baby shopping spree, i met an old acquaintance and stopped in to a local cafe for a coffee. we got into some pretty intense conversations that ranged from the new 'gay' siddur and memory loss in menopausal women to internet porn addiction. she also suffered from pop up penis's on her computer. we told each other how much we enjoyed the time spent together and agreed to meet again for coffee. she is a convert to judaism and i think she might have been a nun, back in the day. she used to be a frequent shabbos guest until menopause made her unfit for mixed company. after the coffee date, i walked next store to the bank, and once again, i missed it. my negative balance will just have to wait another day. we are allowed legally, to live in the minus here. we simply pay the inflated interest charges. there is no banking service that is free of charge, here. we pay a fee of 1.35 israeli dollar every time we check our balance with our bank cards. they are trying to do away with the banking fees in israel. i have personally, signed more than one petition. after the bank, i went to the bakery to buy miniature, organic whole wheat pitas. and then i went to visit a good friend, who just lost her dog. we hung out for a while and before i knew it , it was already, 4:00 p.m. i then walked back to my in-laws to see if my daughter-in-law wanted a ride home. i ended up hanging out with the clan until 7:00 p.m. all the kids were hyper and running around the house smacking each other with rolled up woollen scarves. i tried to explain to them that in my day, we whacked each other with wet towels. my son arrived after work and had his dinner there. i was offered the same but somehow, couldn't consider eating a plate of spaghetti with roasted potatoes. i guess i'm just too picky! we finally got home and i realized that i had been gone for 10 hours. it felt surprisingly, good. i checked the downstairs borders and choco barked at me, defending her new turf. i gave her and whiskers a little more food and went upstairs to deal with my dogs. remember the movie, "dog town"? i think i'm living it. i was famished so i opened a small can of tuna fish and stuffed it between two mini pita pockets. i have another action packed day planned for tomorrow. i need to exchange a few of the fleece stretchies for the next size. i keep telling everyone that sahar is a little 'butterball'! and i just might take the plunge and go for the passport photos, certified bank check and prepaid stamped envelope and renew my passport. who know's, maybe i'll have another lovely day!