Monday, Monday

it's 11:30 p.m. in the holy city of zefat. all in all, it was an uneventful day. zvi and gal and baby sahar left a few hours ago for hadera. zvi has a 3 day wine show in tel aviv so they went to stay at gal's grandmother's house which is close by. i came back from the supermarket just in time to see them leave. i started crying. zvi was a bit annoyed. i was overwhelmed by my emotions, as usual. my first thought was to pack a bag and leave the city. i have been wanting to visit friends in netanya for a while. the only thing stopping me was the three dogs. once again, i'm trapped by the canines.

i sat for sahar at noon today. the poor thing was congested and couldn't drink his bottle and breathe at the same time. he was very hungry and started to cry. he was really miserable. the more i tried to feed him, the more he screamed. he couldn't fall asleep because he was so hungry. i set up the cold air vaporizer and threw in a few drops of eucalyptus oil to help him breathe better. i actually, held his face up to the stream of cold air. he seemed to like it. after a while, i reheated his bottle once again, and he finally could drink it. i helped to burp him and he had a movement which made him feel better. i changed his diaper and by that time, his mom had returned. he was able to nurse and was in a much better mood for her.

i made some lunch for gal and then i went to the supermarket to buy food for shabat. michal called to say that it was freezing outside and not a good day to be out. by the time i left, it was actually, pleasant outside. i walked to the store and was sorry that i couldn't walk home. it was too late to send home a delivery, so i ordered a cab. my very good friend from efrat is coming up for shabbat with her son. he and zvi have been buddies since they were two years old. i want to make a traditional meal because they haven't been here in awhile. that includes: chicken soup, potato kugel, chopped liver, and roasted chicken. i want to make spicy chicken wings too. i'll broil the little drum sticks and use the other part of the wings to make the soup. i'll make a meat cholent for saturday, as well as the standard, mashed eggs and potatoes for gal and zvi.

i want to send over a real meal tomorrow for the family that ends their mourning. i haven't decided what to make. i thought about doing a lasagna but in the end, i didn't buy any cheese. perhaps i'll do a fish and potatoes dish. we'll see how i feel tomorrow. i got a letter from the national insurance agency. it seems that i do, indeed, need to bring a letter from the bank and fill out the forms, once again. i am supposed to volunteer at the senior citizens alzheimer group tomorrow. i'll try to wake up early and get to the bank before i go. i'm a little nervous about waking up on time, being alone in the house, now. my son wakes me up each morning by talking to me while i'm asleep on the t.v. couch. sometimes the dogs and i like to 'sleep in' til late.

it's after midnight and i'm wondering how the kids are doing. it's much too late to call them. my niece and husband are planning to travel to india for pesach. i am just understanding how hard that will be for my sister. her grandson, menachem mendel is nearly a year old now and is beginning to stand up and move about the room. i haven't seen him in awhile. i better make an effort to visit them. i was hoping to invite them for dinner this week to catch up with zvi and gal but that won't be happening now.

i started buying some things to give out on purim. in a certain sense, it's like a jewish halloween. we get dressed up in costumes and hand out a lot of candy. we're supposed to give out a food basket consisting of two different food groups as well as two amounts of charity. but alas, it has turned into a sugar overload. last year we made candy sushi for gal's family, for a joke. they thought it was the real deal until i urged them to try it. we used apple flavored green fruit leather for the seaweed and rice crispies and melted marshmallows for the rice. we placed a candy fish inside each slice. so far, i bought small cans of tuna fish, pineapples, and small bottles of wine. i also bought mini halvah bars. i don't know if i'll make hamentashen this year.

a couple of years ago, when mom could still use her hands, we made hamentashen together. she made the dough and prune and walnut filling by herself. i simply, put a spoon of filling onto each circle of dough and mom folded them into perfectly, shaped triangles. here they fill them with poppy seeds or with chocolate spread. it's just not the same. mom made the best prune filled hamentashen in zefat. her dough was light and rich even though, she used whole wheat flour. i can't make hamentashen without thinking of mom.

i have to pick up the posters for the purim show tomorrow, after i leave the center. i volunteered to hang them all over the city. another woman wants me to mc the women's party this year. i'm becoming in demand. i have to lose more weight before purim. i'm sticking to the south beach diet for the next few weeks. i just read that peas, and chick peas, and white beans help lower the bad cholesterol and help raise the good cholesterol. i'm all for that. i still have to find a new fun halloween wig to wear on purim. i buy one every year. i have quite a collection. i saw one that was grey and curly and had a crown on top. perhaps i'll go as a jewish princess.

it's now 1:00 a.m. and i must finish the blog. my son just called to say goodnight. the baby has a slight fever, but they all arrived in tact, thank goodness. it really is strange to be alone once again. but that's another blog. good night.