Still Sick

well it's 9:00 a.m. in the holy city of zefat and i'm still sick. my throat hurts a lot more today and i'm really achy all over. my daughter-in-law came down with a version of this virus and of course, she ran off to the doctor for antibiotics. i made a huge vat of jewish penicillin yesterday, more commonly known as, chicken soup. it seemed to really help gal, but i'm not sure it helped me. perhaps, my caring for the baby all day, is what really helped her. i have to admit that 'safta zelda' was not at her best yesterday. i was so mean. i wasn't really up for playing with him and i had to keep my talking with him to a minimum. every time he yawned, i put him to bed.

i somehow, managed to go for a walk in the sunshine with him. i also, kept him on my lap while we enjoyed the backyard for an hour. i was afraid to kiss him because i'm so infectious. but of course, i couldn't stop myself from nuzzling the back of his neck. while he slept, i made a mad dash downstairs and did at least three jumbo loads of laundry. i also started cooking for tonight's shabbat dinner. as a matter of fact, i had him on the counter next to me, in his baby seat, while i prepared the chicken soup. he was chirping away while i cut up the veggies. we also sat together on the rocking chair and listened to jewish music videos for a while. i guess he didn't suffer all that much.

in the evening, his safta miriam came over. i should say came 'limping' over. she was practically crippled. she's suffering from a back disc problem but that didn't stop her from putting in eight hours of very physical work in the gan's kitchen today. despite her pain, she managed to cuddle and hold and talk to sahar for hours. he was absolutely hyper active. you could see that he had really missed that sort of interaction all day long. look, i did what i could. that included, going down to the back yard at night in the cold, to pick some lemons, tangerines and oranges for gal's family.

i gave miriam some arnica but i'm not sure that she'll use it. i should also take a remedy for my throat. i don't know why i have been so passive this week. the vet did come and give the white pooch a shot and a pill for the worms. she also brought over a bottle of fish oil supplements to add to his food. i probably should take some myself.

the house is absolutely freezing. i'm trying so hard to make due without heat, but on shabbat, i always turn it on. especially now, i must heat for the baby and gal, who is under the weather. i'm also expecting a guest this shabbat. i'm so sorry that i'm not up to par. i hope my voice will come back by the time she arrives. she's on a special diet, similar to my own, so cooking for her isn't that much of a challenge.

I've already cooked the chicken and made the potatoes and boiled eggs. i made a chopped liver from wednesday's liver and i threw in a peppery noodle kugel. i made a small amount of potato salad and i baked a small white flour lemon cake. i have chicken soup left over from last night and it always tastes better the next day. i'll poach the fish fillets and broil some chicken cutlets for my friend. i'll make some mashed guacamole salad and a tossed lettuce salad. i bought a huge bag of frozen strawberries and a ready made graham cracker pie crust. i just have to decide if i want to bake a custard like pie or go with a frozen mousse type dessert. what the heck, i'm not eating it, so i guess i should go for the whipped cream version.

i have been very frustrated all week because i think that the local cable company cancelled my soap, "the days of our lives". i couldn't find it all week long. this just happens to be a 40 year old habit of mine. if any of my israeli readers knows if and when this is on, please send me a comment. thanks and shabbat shalom! and a good new month for all! i'm on my way to the local super to buy the challahs and whipped cream.