All Cooked Out

i never made it out on friday to visit the ancient graveside. it took me the entire day to complete the cooking for the shabbaton. i don't know why it took me so long. i think that i was, simply, emotionally worn out from the family reunion.

i didn't make as many salads as i usually do and i kept the amounts to the minimum. i served egg salad, tuna salad, morracan turkish salad, cole slaw, humus, carrot salad, israeli cucumber and tomato salad, stewed st. peter fish fillets and potatoes, white rice, stewed chicken in tomato sauce, olives, mexican corn salad, canned palm hearts, banana cake with rye flour, and pineapple jello with non dairy whip cream. gal's sister brought over a pareve cholent so we had cheesecake and ice ceam on saturday morning for dessert with sliced cantalope.

the entire sephardi clan came over to visit and after a couple of hours took the baby with them back to their home. we all went down for naps but waking up to an empty house sans baby sahar was really too weird and very unnerving.

we had a third meal together at 7:00 p.m. and gal did the dishes. later on that night they picked up sahar. today he spent the day with his other grandmother. i went to my 9:00 a.m. yoga class and came back and hit the t.v. couch. sahar came back a little while ago and gal took him to town. he waved goodbye to his american grandmother and gave me a lovely smile. i will have the pleasure of his company tomorrow. i might even have him on tuesday, which is a fast day. now i'm on my way to my aroebics class.

the fast begins tomorrow night at sundown and ends after sundown the following night. it is not an easy fast. we are mourning the destruction of the first and second temples. it is not easy reading. i rarely leave my bed. it is not like fasting on yom kippur while i spend the entire day in synagogue. i usually do not watch television either on this sad day. if i do have the baby, i will put on the baby channel for him. i do not see myself chasing after him in this heat while i fast.

i will have to prepare some type of meal before the fast. carbs and watermelon are your best bet. i'm thinking about lentils and rice and maybe soup. you don't want anything too heavy or salty. we aren't allowed meat or fowl during the nine days. fish is too heavy on the system. i think i'll make a light veggie soup.

have an easy fast!