War What Is It Good For

it's 2:30 p.m. in the holy city of zefat and i've been doing, you guessed it, 'sponger'. i woke up this morning to another ant infestation in the kitchen area. the counters and floors were covered with them. the cinnamon and baking soda stopped repelling them. i immediately went into balabusta mode and started scrubbing the counters. i threw about 6-7 buckets of water mixed with dishwashing detergent on the floor. soap is supposed to erase there tracks.

i actually went to sleep yesterday without doing the shabbos dishes. i guess i got used to my daughter in law cleaning up for me. last night she was suffering from a toothe ache. actually, she had her wisdom tooth removed on tuesday. unfortunately, the stiches ripped open and she was in a lot of pain, poor thing. it was also her 20th birthday and what a way to celebrate! i did have my first root canal on my 40th
a 'few' years back.

my son wanted to take gal out for a meal last night but she was, simply, in no condition to go out on the town. they both stayed home from work today and took the baby over to the sephardi clan. what a relief for me. they went to carmiel to see a movie and i got to clean my house. is that really spoken like a true mother and grandma?

i was in my washing the floor reverie when i got a call from a pal. she was hot and she sounded like she was dehydraded. she told me that there was going to be a war next week. she heard it from her friend talia, who heard it from a taxi driver who 'knows' these things. we are having the annual klezmer music festival this week in zefat on tuesday, wednesday and thursday. the town is going to fill up. my friends are coming up from efrat to visit. i am not ready for another war.

the last time we had a war, the ketushas started falling on a thursday afternoon, the day after the klezmer festival ended. it was a miracle that the crowds had fizzled out. that was four years ago. we are still recovering, emotionally, from that trauma. i can't begin to think about another war. this time they are predicting that it will not just be in the north and that there will be no place to run to. we didn't leave zefat during the last war. we were quite comfortable here.

we do have a safe room downstairs and hopefully, we won't have to evacuate from our home. i can't dwell on this right now. i have to get to the store downstairs and buy some party favors, drinks, and junk food for the surprise birthday party we are throwing for gal tonight. it's too hot to make chocolate molds so i might make a fruit platter with melon balls. that ought to wow her. and i better find a token birthday gift, too.

sahar will turn one year's old in another two weeks and we're planning a family barbecue and birthday party. i bought all the paper plates, and cups, and birthday hoopla ages ago. the freezer is also stuffed with franks, hamburgers, kabobs, chicken steaks and lamb chops. we still need to get some chicken wings. zvi wants to buy some steaks.

two weeks after sahar's birthday will be rosh hashana. the jewish new year. i'm just about planning my menu and haven't bought the honey yet. so that's how it is. we are just way too busy too think about war! please pray for the jewish people in israel to have a peaceful new year!!