it is 9:00 p.m. in the holy city of zefat. i just left my son's place. i was babysitting both kids since 3:00 p.m. i couldn't take antoher minute. i needed to see my house and let the dogs out. i left this morning at 8:00 a.m. it has been a really long week.
i spent seven hours cooking on sunday, on monday and on tuesday. i left yesterday at 2:00 p.m. i actually, worked for 4 hours. i couldn't stand any longer. i felt at the verge of a physical collapse. i actually, had a dizzy spell, when i got home. luckily, i got a ride home from the bus stop. i also got an offer for a rental.
my plumber bought a house in the area and was able to sell his house very quickly. the only problem is that he has to vacate in the next two weeks and wants to rent the downstairs for a year. as much as i need the money, i can't see myself giving up my privacy and backyard for an entire year. i love to entertain downstairs and i love to hang out downstairs with my grandson. i'm just not ready for that type of committment, yet.
i spent the entire week baking goodies for the yeshiva. they were finishing up tracts of learning and i wanted to help them celebrate with cookies and cakes. i felt very joyous being part of their simcha. i worked very hard making eggless cookies from tahina and from peanut butter. the menu plan this week was meatless. i fried up fish and served up tons of the dreaded breaded frozen prepared fish sticks, too. today, i made very hot and spicy teriyaki like fish fillets. i made soup all week long, too. i cut up tons of tomatoes and cucumbers. i can hardly bend my fingers in my right hand.
i got cnfirmation today that word of my cooking 'prowess' has spread far and away in the yeshiva world. this is so cute! i had guys lined up today to eat lunch at the yeshiva. the kids were on a break this week but not me. i cooked up a storm. i think i made more food than ever before. there were less kids and they ate more. i stopped saving the peels. the guy in charge of the compost garden, split. i have to admit that it saves a hell of a lot of time throwing the peels directly away into the garbage. i don't even feel guilty.
i got to work at about 8:30 a.m. and made a vat of macaroni. i had wanted to make jam out of sour plums from a friend's tree, but it didn't happen. i went to the supermarket and bought a cheap jam to spread on to my cornbread. it wasn't at all sweet. i made a quick breakfast of boiled eggs, melon, red cabbage salad, chumus, and toast. and then i ran off to the seniors' center. i wanted to blow them off but i couldn't.
as it turned out, i was badly needed to cover during a staff meeting. at 12:30, i made my exit. there were two other helpers and i needed to finish up cooking. i had to babysit at 3:00 p.m. i made lunch which consisted of fish, rice, cole slaw, and veggie soup. i left at 2:00 p.m. i posted instructions about the night meal and wished everyone a good shabbat. i waited for the bus for over 40 minutes.
each day this week, i baked an extra cake for the guys to break the fast on sunday night. i managed to freeze left over rice and chili beans and brown rice with lentils. i made eggless cornbread, chocolate cake and oatmeal bars, too. that is for starts. if they are still hungry they can always order pizza. i did my best. i don't have to come in tomorrow or sunday. i am free!!!!!!
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Cool Again
it is 6:30 p.m. in the holy city of zefat. the unbearable heat wave broke last night. i am sitting in my blog room with the window open. i am enjoying the breeze. last week i couldn't be in my blog room at all. there was no air. it was the hottest room in the house. it was a sauna. the entire house was like a sauna. i don't know why i didn't turn on the a.c, as they call it here. it was nearly 104 degrees in the shade.
i would go to work, come home, and pass out on my couch. i couldn't move, once i got home. the house was a wreck. i was a wreck, too. i didn't maintain contact with anyone. i was simply, too hot to speak. i would see people bopping around in the heat, while i was literally, dragging my body to and from the bus stop. i fell ill last week. i don't know if it was a virus or dehydration, but i felt vile.
i had both grandchildren with me at home, and i couldn't cope. i picked up my grandson from daycare by cab. it was too hot to try and schlepp him to the bus stop. shortly after, my son dropped off the baby. he didn't bother to bring the stroller. i had the pleasure of holding the baby on my lap for hours. she was very crabby and i was even more crabby. i couldn't get her to take a nap because she's used to falling asleep in her stroller.
she spit up all kinds of vile hot liquids on me. i smelled like rotten cheese. i was nauseated by the virus bug and had terible stomach cramps. i wanted to sleep. i called my son, who was at home napping, and begged him to come and pick us up. i knew at his home, i could put both kids down in their own beds and then rest a bit. my son finally came to get us and i was able to get the baby off to sleep. my grandson was a different story. he was up for about another 2 1/2 hours in his bed. he kept on jumping out of his bed, while i was pasing out on the rug in his room. finally, he fell asleep and i did too, on the floor next to his bed.
my son came home around 10:30 p.m. and found me on the floor. i was too sick to walk home. my son drove me home. i don't know how i made it to work the next day. i felt awful. i couldn't get any fluids down. i couldn't eat a thing. i managed to swallow a hard peach, of all things. i did manage to cook for the yeshiva. i even made fried turkey cutlets. i don't know how i did it, when the smell of food was making my stomach turn.
i am feeling better. i finally ate some solid food on shabbat. i basically, drank yogurt shakes all week long. i couldn't get the yogurt down with a spoon, so i added milk. what a week! i never got to say farewell to my niece. they left on tuesday for india. i tried calling but no one there answered. it was a hard farewell for the family. i really feel for my sister. i couldn't take it.
the kids came for shabbat meals. i went shopping on my way home from work on thursday. i got up at 6:00 a.m. on friday and walked the dogs. there were tons of cows coming down from the valley. i got back and began to throw tons of bleachy
water all over the floors. the house was filthy. there was wads of dog hair everywhere. i turned on the air conditioner. i worked for 6 hours straight. and then i took a break and called a friend. i lost my momentum. i was tired. my son called to ask if i could watch my grandson all day while his wife cleaned her apartment. i actually, declined. score one for zelda!
i spent another four hours making the meals. i prepared too much. i threw together a quick chocolate cake but it turned out raw on the bottom. oh well! the kids commented that it looked like i made an effort to make a nice dinner for them. what did i use to serve, garbage? anyway, they were pleased. they ate and left right away. that suited me. i was afraid that my grandson would want to sleep over, but he went home with his parents, very willingly.
the next morning, i couldn't stand up. i couldn't make it to services, either. my body was kaput. my bad eye was half shut from all the bleach that i had used. i managed to get the dogs out and came in and laid down. i read the secular newspaper about the recent terrorist attack in bulgaria. my niece was planning on joining her friends there last week. my sister vetoed the trip. she had a bad feeling about it. the kids had a quick lunch and left with the baby. i was given the pleasure of watching my grandson. i managed to put my grandson to sleep on the couch next to me. we had a momentary blackout and the a.c. turned off.
my grandson slept for a few hours while i reads psalms. i also nodded out for a bit. when he got up, we took the dogs for a walk. he loves holding on to the leash. we got home from our 'nature' walk, had some juice, and i took him back to his home. the kids were going to friends for the third meal and i have an on going class at 7:00 p.m. i carried my grandson all the way home. i am his slave. i then literally, dragged my body to the class. it took a bit longer than a half an hour.
today, i got to work at around 9:15 a.m. i got up at 6:00 a.m. and cleaned up from shabbat. i washed the remaining dishes and pots and i washed the floor with a wet mop. i took my leftover challah with me to make the guys french toast for breafast. i was completely shocked to see what was doing in the kitchen. all the dirty plates and cutlerly and left over food was still on the counter. all of the left over salads plus the empty plastic containers were also left on the work table. there were two large pots full of leftover food. i couldn't ascertain what they were. both garbage cans were overflowing and flooded with flies. there were ants crawling all over my work space. i was totally livid.
i thought about screaming at the guy in charge of the kitchen. i tried calling the head of the yeshiva. i thought about going home. i decided to clean it all up and screw the guys. they could have plain boiled eggs and salad for breakfast. i manically, dumped out all the left over food stuff into the garbage and sink. i quickly washed up all of the pots and dishes. i banged things around. i made a lot of noise. i slammed the plastic dishes around, too. it took a good half an hour until i washed down the counters. i made about 25 boiled eggs. i ended up making some oatmeal, too. i wanted to let them know that they were missing out on some great french toast. i wanted to warn them that if this happens again, they won't get to eat my food. i toasted a package of frozen whole grain bread and i cut up a salad. i was steaming. there were only a few guys around. they are on vacation this week. too bad, no one let me know.
the rabbi came in to let me know that it's 'busy as usual' for me. i am to cook for the guys, as usual. i made a barley veggie soup without mushrooms. the shabbat cook used 'my' mushrooms for some dish that i ended up tossing out. i got all aggravated again. i made a bunch of potatoes. i cooked rice and i cooked up beans and chick peas. i couldn't decide what i was going to serve for lunch. i took out hake fish fillets to thaw out. i thought about making fried fish. i looked at the clock and there was no time to play around with fish. i had little time to get lunch on the table. there were a lot more guys now to feed. the vegan was actually going to eat today, so i wanted to serve something filling.
i ended up using the left over boiled eggs from breakfst to make a tuna salad with pickles and mayonnaise. the anti-mayonnaise guy was out of town. when the cat's away, the mice play with mayo. i also served a platter of oven roasted potatoes, a shredded cabbage salad, and a pot of barley veggie soup. while the guys ate, i ran downstairs to the supermarket and bought a can of crushed tomatoes. i diced up some carrots and onions and added canned corn. i then added a lot of different spices and chili flakes and turned the beans and chick peas into a vegetarian chili. voila!
i didn't leave work until 4:30 p.m. that's another 7 hour day. but who's keeping track? i am!
i would go to work, come home, and pass out on my couch. i couldn't move, once i got home. the house was a wreck. i was a wreck, too. i didn't maintain contact with anyone. i was simply, too hot to speak. i would see people bopping around in the heat, while i was literally, dragging my body to and from the bus stop. i fell ill last week. i don't know if it was a virus or dehydration, but i felt vile.
i had both grandchildren with me at home, and i couldn't cope. i picked up my grandson from daycare by cab. it was too hot to try and schlepp him to the bus stop. shortly after, my son dropped off the baby. he didn't bother to bring the stroller. i had the pleasure of holding the baby on my lap for hours. she was very crabby and i was even more crabby. i couldn't get her to take a nap because she's used to falling asleep in her stroller.
she spit up all kinds of vile hot liquids on me. i smelled like rotten cheese. i was nauseated by the virus bug and had terible stomach cramps. i wanted to sleep. i called my son, who was at home napping, and begged him to come and pick us up. i knew at his home, i could put both kids down in their own beds and then rest a bit. my son finally came to get us and i was able to get the baby off to sleep. my grandson was a different story. he was up for about another 2 1/2 hours in his bed. he kept on jumping out of his bed, while i was pasing out on the rug in his room. finally, he fell asleep and i did too, on the floor next to his bed.
my son came home around 10:30 p.m. and found me on the floor. i was too sick to walk home. my son drove me home. i don't know how i made it to work the next day. i felt awful. i couldn't get any fluids down. i couldn't eat a thing. i managed to swallow a hard peach, of all things. i did manage to cook for the yeshiva. i even made fried turkey cutlets. i don't know how i did it, when the smell of food was making my stomach turn.
i am feeling better. i finally ate some solid food on shabbat. i basically, drank yogurt shakes all week long. i couldn't get the yogurt down with a spoon, so i added milk. what a week! i never got to say farewell to my niece. they left on tuesday for india. i tried calling but no one there answered. it was a hard farewell for the family. i really feel for my sister. i couldn't take it.
the kids came for shabbat meals. i went shopping on my way home from work on thursday. i got up at 6:00 a.m. on friday and walked the dogs. there were tons of cows coming down from the valley. i got back and began to throw tons of bleachy
water all over the floors. the house was filthy. there was wads of dog hair everywhere. i turned on the air conditioner. i worked for 6 hours straight. and then i took a break and called a friend. i lost my momentum. i was tired. my son called to ask if i could watch my grandson all day while his wife cleaned her apartment. i actually, declined. score one for zelda!
i spent another four hours making the meals. i prepared too much. i threw together a quick chocolate cake but it turned out raw on the bottom. oh well! the kids commented that it looked like i made an effort to make a nice dinner for them. what did i use to serve, garbage? anyway, they were pleased. they ate and left right away. that suited me. i was afraid that my grandson would want to sleep over, but he went home with his parents, very willingly.
the next morning, i couldn't stand up. i couldn't make it to services, either. my body was kaput. my bad eye was half shut from all the bleach that i had used. i managed to get the dogs out and came in and laid down. i read the secular newspaper about the recent terrorist attack in bulgaria. my niece was planning on joining her friends there last week. my sister vetoed the trip. she had a bad feeling about it. the kids had a quick lunch and left with the baby. i was given the pleasure of watching my grandson. i managed to put my grandson to sleep on the couch next to me. we had a momentary blackout and the a.c. turned off.
my grandson slept for a few hours while i reads psalms. i also nodded out for a bit. when he got up, we took the dogs for a walk. he loves holding on to the leash. we got home from our 'nature' walk, had some juice, and i took him back to his home. the kids were going to friends for the third meal and i have an on going class at 7:00 p.m. i carried my grandson all the way home. i am his slave. i then literally, dragged my body to the class. it took a bit longer than a half an hour.
today, i got to work at around 9:15 a.m. i got up at 6:00 a.m. and cleaned up from shabbat. i washed the remaining dishes and pots and i washed the floor with a wet mop. i took my leftover challah with me to make the guys french toast for breafast. i was completely shocked to see what was doing in the kitchen. all the dirty plates and cutlerly and left over food was still on the counter. all of the left over salads plus the empty plastic containers were also left on the work table. there were two large pots full of leftover food. i couldn't ascertain what they were. both garbage cans were overflowing and flooded with flies. there were ants crawling all over my work space. i was totally livid.
i thought about screaming at the guy in charge of the kitchen. i tried calling the head of the yeshiva. i thought about going home. i decided to clean it all up and screw the guys. they could have plain boiled eggs and salad for breakfast. i manically, dumped out all the left over food stuff into the garbage and sink. i quickly washed up all of the pots and dishes. i banged things around. i made a lot of noise. i slammed the plastic dishes around, too. it took a good half an hour until i washed down the counters. i made about 25 boiled eggs. i ended up making some oatmeal, too. i wanted to let them know that they were missing out on some great french toast. i wanted to warn them that if this happens again, they won't get to eat my food. i toasted a package of frozen whole grain bread and i cut up a salad. i was steaming. there were only a few guys around. they are on vacation this week. too bad, no one let me know.
the rabbi came in to let me know that it's 'busy as usual' for me. i am to cook for the guys, as usual. i made a barley veggie soup without mushrooms. the shabbat cook used 'my' mushrooms for some dish that i ended up tossing out. i got all aggravated again. i made a bunch of potatoes. i cooked rice and i cooked up beans and chick peas. i couldn't decide what i was going to serve for lunch. i took out hake fish fillets to thaw out. i thought about making fried fish. i looked at the clock and there was no time to play around with fish. i had little time to get lunch on the table. there were a lot more guys now to feed. the vegan was actually going to eat today, so i wanted to serve something filling.
i ended up using the left over boiled eggs from breakfst to make a tuna salad with pickles and mayonnaise. the anti-mayonnaise guy was out of town. when the cat's away, the mice play with mayo. i also served a platter of oven roasted potatoes, a shredded cabbage salad, and a pot of barley veggie soup. while the guys ate, i ran downstairs to the supermarket and bought a can of crushed tomatoes. i diced up some carrots and onions and added canned corn. i then added a lot of different spices and chili flakes and turned the beans and chick peas into a vegetarian chili. voila!
i didn't leave work until 4:30 p.m. that's another 7 hour day. but who's keeping track? i am!
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Cooking With No Gas
it's 7:00 p.m. in the holy city of zefat. left the job at 2:30 p.m. got in at 9:30 a.m. that's another 5 hour day that i put in this week. i can't seem to beat this time. i didn't even want to go in this morning. i was really beat this morning. i didn't even walk the dogs. i simply, opened the front door and went back to bed. i may have fallen back to sleep. i can't remember.
i babysat for the kids for a short while last night. they needed to pick up some shoes that i store for them, in my downstairs apartment. my daughter-in-law tried her luck at selling them at the open air market place, today. it was boiling hot there. i stopped by after work to see how she was doing. as usual, i was made to feel like i didn't belong. i actually, made a sale for her. i chatted up a young american lady and explained that it was like a clearance sale. she ended up buying a pair of sandals. did i get any credit? of course not! my daughter-in-law thinks that i am a total incompetent, because i don't speak fluent hebrew.
why i'm still bothered by this i don't really know. i offered my help and i was rejected, as usual. i stopped off to visit my new friend. she lives on the next street. she actually lives across the street from my post office box. it's pretty convenient to drop in. we shmoozed for a couple of hours and i left.
i got a ride to town this morning. i was kind of, literally 'taken for a ride' if you get my drift. my neighbors down the block, stopped for me. they asked where i wanted to be dropped off and i told them obligingly, that the central bus station was good. they told me that after the husband got to the supermarket at the tail end of town, the wife would take me back up. i was too tired to ask to be let out of the car at the nearest bus stop.
i rode with them all the way to this supermarket and i was freaking out a bit. i should have taken the bus. i would have already been at my cooking staion by now. the wife dropped me off a good bit out of the way for me. i gerded my loins and advanced up to town. i was totally exhausted by the time i got to work. there was no gas. yesterday, the gas stopped and started up a bit, so i thought that we'd be okay today.
it was already too late to bake a kugel or cake for breakfast. luckily, i had some boiled eggs left over from yesterday. i made a huge chunky tomato and cucumber salad and opened up a can of tuna. the kids are not used to such simplicity anymore. i explained that i was out of gas. one of the guys had some natural peanut butter. he was a happy camper. i put out a fresh whole grain bread and cut up a watermelon. it was really a scorcher today. now we have a lovely cool breeze.
i decided to make instant couscous for lunch. all you need to do is pour boiling hot water over the grain and stir. the thing with couscous is that you need a spicy sauce or soup to pour over it. and you need gas to cook and make a sauce. i sliced and spiced up a couple of pumpkin squash and put it in the oven to bake. later on, i added some water to the pan to make a sauce. after that, i added some tomato paste to make it even more saucey. are we having fun yet? i decided in the end, to serve it for supper. the vegan who is fasting all day long, wouldn't go for kugel made with eggs. i am worried about him.
in the meanwhile, i took out the food processor, something, that i never do. i got one of the guys to show me how to use it and i proceeded to grate potatoes, onions, carrots and squash to make a kugel. i also baked up a sheet of fish sticks while the kugel was baking. i'm glad that i don't get bent out of shape in the kitchen when things go awry. the many years of watching julia child and other cook shows paid off. julia child was great about dealing with flopped dishes. she always said that it something fails you simply reinvent it. you give it another name. i take this to heart. instead of frittatas, i serve scrambled eggs with veggies.
i made further use of the food processor and made cole slaw. i refrained from adding mayo. one of the boys has a near like phobia and paranoia about it. he is always asking me if i put mayonnaise in things. i keep trying to reassure him that i am not trying to sneak any mayo into the dishes. today, some of the guys wanted to complain that i didn't add mayo to the tuna fish. they told me to set aside a plain portion for the anti mayo kid. it didn't matter that i put out a jar of mayo on the counter. they wanted 'mommy' to add the mayo. it is adorable.
the boys had a mini 'fabrangan' at lunch time. they say a bit of torah and have a few shots of liquor. they also have lots of goodies, too. i was a bit miffed. you know, slaving over a hot stove, or in this case, a hot oven and all. i wanted to scold them and tell them not to ruin their appetites by eating potato chips, but i refrained. as it turned out, they ate my lunch before they ate the junk food. as luck would have it, we ran out of fish sticks. i quickly put a few more into the oven. couldn't have my boys squabbling over food, could i? i served up a cantalope, which really went down well in this heat.
i decided that i didn't have enough food for supper. salad, sliced pumpkin and couscous wouldn't do. i baked them an eggless, wholewheat, banana, date and peanut butter cake. that's what i do. i can't help mself. the director of the yeshiva told me that he is loving my food. he told me that he has to let me know every day how great my food is. he wants me to stay inspired. why didn't i take the time to let him know that money talks? why didn't i ask for a raise? he fantasized about creating a state of the art kitchen for me. i told him that i wouldn't know what to do in one. i need more money not machinery. i am once again, quite over drawn at the bank.
the vegan kid, who is fasting during the day, for the entire three weeks, came in today, shivering. poor thing, he was cold. fasting will do that to you. i also felt cold on sunday, during the fast. he wanted us to turn off the air conditioners. he took the remote and turned them off. i told the rabbi that i couldn't possibly, survive the heat with the oven on all day long, and that if the vegan boy was cold, he could wear a sweater. i think it was a major coup for the rest of the boys. Zelda! zelda! zelda!
i babysat for the kids for a short while last night. they needed to pick up some shoes that i store for them, in my downstairs apartment. my daughter-in-law tried her luck at selling them at the open air market place, today. it was boiling hot there. i stopped by after work to see how she was doing. as usual, i was made to feel like i didn't belong. i actually, made a sale for her. i chatted up a young american lady and explained that it was like a clearance sale. she ended up buying a pair of sandals. did i get any credit? of course not! my daughter-in-law thinks that i am a total incompetent, because i don't speak fluent hebrew.
why i'm still bothered by this i don't really know. i offered my help and i was rejected, as usual. i stopped off to visit my new friend. she lives on the next street. she actually lives across the street from my post office box. it's pretty convenient to drop in. we shmoozed for a couple of hours and i left.
i got a ride to town this morning. i was kind of, literally 'taken for a ride' if you get my drift. my neighbors down the block, stopped for me. they asked where i wanted to be dropped off and i told them obligingly, that the central bus station was good. they told me that after the husband got to the supermarket at the tail end of town, the wife would take me back up. i was too tired to ask to be let out of the car at the nearest bus stop.
i rode with them all the way to this supermarket and i was freaking out a bit. i should have taken the bus. i would have already been at my cooking staion by now. the wife dropped me off a good bit out of the way for me. i gerded my loins and advanced up to town. i was totally exhausted by the time i got to work. there was no gas. yesterday, the gas stopped and started up a bit, so i thought that we'd be okay today.
it was already too late to bake a kugel or cake for breakfast. luckily, i had some boiled eggs left over from yesterday. i made a huge chunky tomato and cucumber salad and opened up a can of tuna. the kids are not used to such simplicity anymore. i explained that i was out of gas. one of the guys had some natural peanut butter. he was a happy camper. i put out a fresh whole grain bread and cut up a watermelon. it was really a scorcher today. now we have a lovely cool breeze.
i decided to make instant couscous for lunch. all you need to do is pour boiling hot water over the grain and stir. the thing with couscous is that you need a spicy sauce or soup to pour over it. and you need gas to cook and make a sauce. i sliced and spiced up a couple of pumpkin squash and put it in the oven to bake. later on, i added some water to the pan to make a sauce. after that, i added some tomato paste to make it even more saucey. are we having fun yet? i decided in the end, to serve it for supper. the vegan who is fasting all day long, wouldn't go for kugel made with eggs. i am worried about him.
in the meanwhile, i took out the food processor, something, that i never do. i got one of the guys to show me how to use it and i proceeded to grate potatoes, onions, carrots and squash to make a kugel. i also baked up a sheet of fish sticks while the kugel was baking. i'm glad that i don't get bent out of shape in the kitchen when things go awry. the many years of watching julia child and other cook shows paid off. julia child was great about dealing with flopped dishes. she always said that it something fails you simply reinvent it. you give it another name. i take this to heart. instead of frittatas, i serve scrambled eggs with veggies.
i made further use of the food processor and made cole slaw. i refrained from adding mayo. one of the boys has a near like phobia and paranoia about it. he is always asking me if i put mayonnaise in things. i keep trying to reassure him that i am not trying to sneak any mayo into the dishes. today, some of the guys wanted to complain that i didn't add mayo to the tuna fish. they told me to set aside a plain portion for the anti mayo kid. it didn't matter that i put out a jar of mayo on the counter. they wanted 'mommy' to add the mayo. it is adorable.
the boys had a mini 'fabrangan' at lunch time. they say a bit of torah and have a few shots of liquor. they also have lots of goodies, too. i was a bit miffed. you know, slaving over a hot stove, or in this case, a hot oven and all. i wanted to scold them and tell them not to ruin their appetites by eating potato chips, but i refrained. as it turned out, they ate my lunch before they ate the junk food. as luck would have it, we ran out of fish sticks. i quickly put a few more into the oven. couldn't have my boys squabbling over food, could i? i served up a cantalope, which really went down well in this heat.
i decided that i didn't have enough food for supper. salad, sliced pumpkin and couscous wouldn't do. i baked them an eggless, wholewheat, banana, date and peanut butter cake. that's what i do. i can't help mself. the director of the yeshiva told me that he is loving my food. he told me that he has to let me know every day how great my food is. he wants me to stay inspired. why didn't i take the time to let him know that money talks? why didn't i ask for a raise? he fantasized about creating a state of the art kitchen for me. i told him that i wouldn't know what to do in one. i need more money not machinery. i am once again, quite over drawn at the bank.
the vegan kid, who is fasting during the day, for the entire three weeks, came in today, shivering. poor thing, he was cold. fasting will do that to you. i also felt cold on sunday, during the fast. he wanted us to turn off the air conditioners. he took the remote and turned them off. i told the rabbi that i couldn't possibly, survive the heat with the oven on all day long, and that if the vegan boy was cold, he could wear a sweater. i think it was a major coup for the rest of the boys. Zelda! zelda! zelda!
Monday, July 9, 2012
Back On My Feet
it is 300 p.m. in the holy city of zefat. i just got back from work. i had a long weekend this week. yesterday, was a fast day so i didn't have to go to work. i offered to come in and make a pot of soup to break the fast, but i was told it wasn't needed. the young man in charge of the kitchen, when i'm not there, prefered breaking the fast with cake. a friend came over and we blabbed all afternoon long.
i stayed an extra couple of hours on thursday, to make two cakes. i made an eggless chocolate cake and an eggless banana-squash cake. the young man also put up a vat of prepared frozen fish sticks. i'm glad they had what to eat. i had left a watermelon for them also, but he didn't cut it up. i served it this morning at breakfast. i don't know why these kids aren't mad for melons.
i fell asleep yesterday evening, just before the fast ended. i woke up at 8:30 p.m. i broke my fast with a whole wheat pita and a couple of boiled eggs. i then had cookies, grapes, and iced tea. i drank some coffee so i couldn't fall asleep. i finally passed out at about 4:00 a.m. i was a real hot mess this morning.
i got up at 6:00 a.m. and took the dogs down the street for a quick walk. i showered and got ready to leave early. my neighbor offered me a ride to town. i had to go to the produce store to buy eggs and veggies for the week. i bought way too much. luckily, as it turns out, they will be having a shabbaton at the yeshiva this week; so there will be plenty of produce for the young men.
i dragged two flats of eggs, a couple of green cabbages, and some tomatoes back to the yeshiva. that entailed climbing down quite a lot of steep steps. there were plenty of cucumbers left in the fridge, so i made a huge amount of salad. i didn't have the patience to dice everything into tiny pieces to make an 'israeli' salad. instead, i sliced the tomatoes into rounds and sliced the cucumbers into thin strips. i didn't make a dressing, either.
i quickly boiled about 20 eggs and made a huge pot of oatmeal. it was hardly touched. the vegan is apparently, fasting all week long during the day. i am a bit upset about him. i know that i worry too much. i want to speak to the rabbi about him, anyway. i don't want him to know that i'm determined to speak to someone who can set him straight. he only let me know so i wouldn't go to the trouble of preparing anything extra for him. he is such a sweetheart.
i diced up a bunch of potatoes and parboiled them. instead of oven roasting them, like i usually do, i threw them into a lot of eggs and fried onions and made almost, a fritta. it was more like scrambled eggs than a fritata, but it was the same kind of principal.
i made an inexpensive type of fish fillet, in a spicy 'morracan like' tomato sauce, for lunch. i cooked up a bunch of tiny macaroni and left it pretty plain. i coated it with olive oil and oregano and garlic. i made another batch of chunky tomato and cucumber salad. this time, i added lemon and made some tahina as a dressing. i made a pot of spicy chicken wings with turkey meat balls for supper. i cooked some plain rice and made a pot of spicy green cabbage and zucchini. i don't think that rice and veggies will sustain the vegan after fasting all day. i didn't make anything else for him, either. he'll just have to eat some bread and tahina. there is always peanut butter. i should have made him an eggless cake. i was so tired and hot. i just wanted to get out of the kitchen and go home.
i sure hope that the kids liked the fish. the director, the rabbi, and the yeshiva manager, all sat down to lunch, too. i hoped they saw first hand, what i am doing for them. more important, they approve of what i am doing there.
my niece and family are returning to india today. i thought that they had more time here. i am so sad. i never got to buy any gifts for the kids and i did want to give them a contribution. perhaps, i'll get some energy to visit them later tonight.
i stayed an extra couple of hours on thursday, to make two cakes. i made an eggless chocolate cake and an eggless banana-squash cake. the young man also put up a vat of prepared frozen fish sticks. i'm glad they had what to eat. i had left a watermelon for them also, but he didn't cut it up. i served it this morning at breakfast. i don't know why these kids aren't mad for melons.
i fell asleep yesterday evening, just before the fast ended. i woke up at 8:30 p.m. i broke my fast with a whole wheat pita and a couple of boiled eggs. i then had cookies, grapes, and iced tea. i drank some coffee so i couldn't fall asleep. i finally passed out at about 4:00 a.m. i was a real hot mess this morning.
i got up at 6:00 a.m. and took the dogs down the street for a quick walk. i showered and got ready to leave early. my neighbor offered me a ride to town. i had to go to the produce store to buy eggs and veggies for the week. i bought way too much. luckily, as it turns out, they will be having a shabbaton at the yeshiva this week; so there will be plenty of produce for the young men.
i dragged two flats of eggs, a couple of green cabbages, and some tomatoes back to the yeshiva. that entailed climbing down quite a lot of steep steps. there were plenty of cucumbers left in the fridge, so i made a huge amount of salad. i didn't have the patience to dice everything into tiny pieces to make an 'israeli' salad. instead, i sliced the tomatoes into rounds and sliced the cucumbers into thin strips. i didn't make a dressing, either.
i quickly boiled about 20 eggs and made a huge pot of oatmeal. it was hardly touched. the vegan is apparently, fasting all week long during the day. i am a bit upset about him. i know that i worry too much. i want to speak to the rabbi about him, anyway. i don't want him to know that i'm determined to speak to someone who can set him straight. he only let me know so i wouldn't go to the trouble of preparing anything extra for him. he is such a sweetheart.
i diced up a bunch of potatoes and parboiled them. instead of oven roasting them, like i usually do, i threw them into a lot of eggs and fried onions and made almost, a fritta. it was more like scrambled eggs than a fritata, but it was the same kind of principal.
i made an inexpensive type of fish fillet, in a spicy 'morracan like' tomato sauce, for lunch. i cooked up a bunch of tiny macaroni and left it pretty plain. i coated it with olive oil and oregano and garlic. i made another batch of chunky tomato and cucumber salad. this time, i added lemon and made some tahina as a dressing. i made a pot of spicy chicken wings with turkey meat balls for supper. i cooked some plain rice and made a pot of spicy green cabbage and zucchini. i don't think that rice and veggies will sustain the vegan after fasting all day. i didn't make anything else for him, either. he'll just have to eat some bread and tahina. there is always peanut butter. i should have made him an eggless cake. i was so tired and hot. i just wanted to get out of the kitchen and go home.
i sure hope that the kids liked the fish. the director, the rabbi, and the yeshiva manager, all sat down to lunch, too. i hoped they saw first hand, what i am doing for them. more important, they approve of what i am doing there.
my niece and family are returning to india today. i thought that they had more time here. i am so sad. i never got to buy any gifts for the kids and i did want to give them a contribution. perhaps, i'll get some energy to visit them later tonight.
Thursday, July 5, 2012
A Long Day
it is 8:30 p.m. in the holy city of zefat. i just got home. i took the dogs for a quickie stroll and am ready to crash. i got up as usual, at 6:00 a.m. took the dogs out for a walk and went back to bed. i decided to wash the floors. i finished my 'sponger' at 8:00 a.m. i took a fast shower and ran out to catch the 8:45 a.m. bus to town. i made a mad sprint and caught the bus as it turned the corner. surprisingly, i didn't have a heart attack. i've been doing this sprint all week long.
got to work at 9:15 a.m. i got a bus card for seniors' even though i'm only 61. for about $15 a month, i have unlimited bus rides. i don't have to search my tsedukah boxes for busfare anymore. i feel so free. i don't have to catch a ride to town anymore, either. enough of those dirty looks first thing in the morning!
i made a flat of boiled eggs for the yeshiva boys and defrosted a nice loaf of whole grain bread for breakfast. i didn't feel like making any quinoi, today. i made a huge cucumber salad and sliced up a lot of tomatoes. i put out some humus and pickles and olives. i cooked up a vat of potatoes and another one of spaghetti for the other 2 meals. the boys weren't back on time, so i took off for the seniors' center.
i met my new friend and neighbor in town and brought her to the center. i introduced her to the key personnel because she wants to play music for the seniors. i went back to my group and spent the morning dancing and singing for the elders. i felt great. i have been eating only chocolate and icecream and sugar for the past couple of months, since i started cooking full time at the yeshiva. i seriously, have to put an end to this awful regimen. i am walking around with a huge stomach and i think i am suffering from a urinary tract infection. it is all from the sugar, i bet.
i left the center at 1:00 after i helped feed someone. i stopped off at the supermarket to buy a few things for shabbat. i also bought more whole wheat flour and a small box of cocoa for the yeshiva. i decided to make a couple of cakes for sunday to break the fast at night. i am not going to work on sunday. i offered to come in to make a meal for after the fast, but one of the older guys said they'd rather break the fast with cake. i stayed until 5:00 p.m. today to make the cakes.
i got back a bit late and didn't have enough time to make a hot lunch. i used the cooked potatoes and made a vinagrette sauce. there are at least two guys there who don't eat mayonnaise. i made good use of the canned goods that arrived, while i was out. i made a quick corn salad and opened up 2 huge cans of tuna. one would have been enough. while the guys were eating, i 'semi' deep fried some prepared fish sticks. i was dreading making them but the guys wolfed them down. i even had a few. they honestly, weren't bad.
i fried up some canned mushrooms with onions and added it to the spaghetti. the poor spaghetti was sitting in water all day. it tasted like noodles. when i added olive oil, it kind of became one giant blob. oh well! i don't have to deal with it. i'm off tomorrow and sunday. i overheard a couple of the boys talking about different yeshivas. they asked each other how good the food was. one of the kids said, 'nothing as good as this yeshiva's food'. i'm getting a swelled head to go with my huge swollen chocolate and sugar belly. oh, the price of fame!
as i was returning home on the bus, i drove past a simcha. the local chabad bomb shelter/synagogoue was having a selebration for the new sefer torah. i stopped by my friend's house and we walked over together. it was lovely. the huge mitzvah tank camper was out and the yeshiva boys were waving huge moshiach flags and dancing. there was taped music. the younger boys were holding huge flares for candles. it was very joyous. i'm glad, though to be finally, home.
got to work at 9:15 a.m. i got a bus card for seniors' even though i'm only 61. for about $15 a month, i have unlimited bus rides. i don't have to search my tsedukah boxes for busfare anymore. i feel so free. i don't have to catch a ride to town anymore, either. enough of those dirty looks first thing in the morning!
i made a flat of boiled eggs for the yeshiva boys and defrosted a nice loaf of whole grain bread for breakfast. i didn't feel like making any quinoi, today. i made a huge cucumber salad and sliced up a lot of tomatoes. i put out some humus and pickles and olives. i cooked up a vat of potatoes and another one of spaghetti for the other 2 meals. the boys weren't back on time, so i took off for the seniors' center.
i met my new friend and neighbor in town and brought her to the center. i introduced her to the key personnel because she wants to play music for the seniors. i went back to my group and spent the morning dancing and singing for the elders. i felt great. i have been eating only chocolate and icecream and sugar for the past couple of months, since i started cooking full time at the yeshiva. i seriously, have to put an end to this awful regimen. i am walking around with a huge stomach and i think i am suffering from a urinary tract infection. it is all from the sugar, i bet.
i left the center at 1:00 after i helped feed someone. i stopped off at the supermarket to buy a few things for shabbat. i also bought more whole wheat flour and a small box of cocoa for the yeshiva. i decided to make a couple of cakes for sunday to break the fast at night. i am not going to work on sunday. i offered to come in to make a meal for after the fast, but one of the older guys said they'd rather break the fast with cake. i stayed until 5:00 p.m. today to make the cakes.
i got back a bit late and didn't have enough time to make a hot lunch. i used the cooked potatoes and made a vinagrette sauce. there are at least two guys there who don't eat mayonnaise. i made good use of the canned goods that arrived, while i was out. i made a quick corn salad and opened up 2 huge cans of tuna. one would have been enough. while the guys were eating, i 'semi' deep fried some prepared fish sticks. i was dreading making them but the guys wolfed them down. i even had a few. they honestly, weren't bad.
i fried up some canned mushrooms with onions and added it to the spaghetti. the poor spaghetti was sitting in water all day. it tasted like noodles. when i added olive oil, it kind of became one giant blob. oh well! i don't have to deal with it. i'm off tomorrow and sunday. i overheard a couple of the boys talking about different yeshivas. they asked each other how good the food was. one of the kids said, 'nothing as good as this yeshiva's food'. i'm getting a swelled head to go with my huge swollen chocolate and sugar belly. oh, the price of fame!
as i was returning home on the bus, i drove past a simcha. the local chabad bomb shelter/synagogoue was having a selebration for the new sefer torah. i stopped by my friend's house and we walked over together. it was lovely. the huge mitzvah tank camper was out and the yeshiva boys were waving huge moshiach flags and dancing. there was taped music. the younger boys were holding huge flares for candles. it was very joyous. i'm glad, though to be finally, home.
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Pay Day
it is nearly 6:00 p.m. in the holy city of zefat. my grandson is in the next room watching 'dora' on nick jr. i didn't pick him up from daycare this afternoon. i was feeling really ill this morning and told the kids that i wasn't available. i actually, told my son that i was sick. i've regressed. i simply cannot say that i am not available without giving an excuse.
i picked up sahar at noon on friday. luckily, i got a lift right to the daycare. he was with me until nearly 7:00 p.m. candlelighting was at 7:20 p.m. i was busy doing laundry all morning long. i finished washing the floors at 11:00 a.m. i was already feeling under the weather, by then. i kept on throwing in loads of laundry until right up to candlelighting.
i called the kids to pick up their son at around 5:30 p.m. my daughter-in-law was at home all morning. she was with the baby and busy making shabbat meals for the three of them. i was on my own, as usual, of late. i didn't get a chance to make a cake. i took sahar with me to the local supermarket but i had to carry him there. he was exhausted. he was nearly falling asleep in my arms.
i quickly bought a few pitas and rolls, a bag of milk, some cans of tuna, half a watermelon, and a package of delicatessan. sahar had a roll and some chocolate pudding before he took his nap. i had to call a cab to take us home. he was very tired and very crabby. he started having a fit in the super because i didn't buy him candy. i was ready to leave him there alone.
when we got back, he had a fit, because he didn't like the teaspoons i had. i offered him about 10 different ones. he couldn't get a handle on the pudding. i took the pudding out of his hands and added milk and let him drink it as a chocolate shake, with a straw. he had 2 of these drinks, and a package of chicken deli. while he napped, i hung out more laundry downstairs.
i was completely exhausted by the time they came to pick him up. i took a shower and lit my candles and went off to the local chabad bomb shelter/synagogoue. i spastically, coughed, all through the service. i was bummed out. neither kid wished me a 'shabbat shalom'. sahar had his usual fit in their car. after 7 hours with safta zelda, he doesn't make the transition very well back to his home. i get the wrath of the kids. i never get a thank you. it puts me in a bad mood.
i woke up on saturday coughing. i felt like heck. i couldn't make it to services. i had some coffee and i wanted a cookie or a piece of cake. i was too miserable to bother a neighbor for some. i ate icecream cones sans the icecream. i used to give them to sahar when he was a toddler. the watermelon was rotten. i was too 'heady' to daven. i read a book about a woman's miraculous survivial from nazi poland. a friend form the neighborhood, came by to visit. i felt terrible. i had nothing to offer her. no almonds, fruit, or cake. that was a first for me. all i had was tuna fish and pitas. she wasn't ready to have lunch.
after she left, i fell asleep for a little while. i finished my book and davened at around 3:00 p.m. i then made kiddush on wine and had a tuna sandwich. what a shabbat meal! i bentched and went back to sleep. my throat was very sore. i was miserable. i didn't have the energy to leave the house. i let the dogs outside in the garden. i was very upset about erev shabbat. all the resentment of the last few months, seemed to come up in my mind, again.
i know i went backwards a bit. i got too involved ih helping my daughter-in-law again. i started feeling like a dish rag again. i decided to pull in the reins again. i cancelled babysitting today. i was at the bus stop at 3:00 p.m. when i got spotted by my daughter-in-law. i felt like i got caught in a lie. i wasn't so sick to miss work, but here i was, outside in the world. i got enlisted and didn't have the strength to refuse. i took the bus to my son's house and here i am, with my grandson, instead of resting in my bed. soon i bathe him and get him ready for sleep.
i got paid today. a whole $500 for cooking 3 meals a day, 5 days a week. it came out to $4 an hour. what kind of fool am i?????
i picked up sahar at noon on friday. luckily, i got a lift right to the daycare. he was with me until nearly 7:00 p.m. candlelighting was at 7:20 p.m. i was busy doing laundry all morning long. i finished washing the floors at 11:00 a.m. i was already feeling under the weather, by then. i kept on throwing in loads of laundry until right up to candlelighting.
i called the kids to pick up their son at around 5:30 p.m. my daughter-in-law was at home all morning. she was with the baby and busy making shabbat meals for the three of them. i was on my own, as usual, of late. i didn't get a chance to make a cake. i took sahar with me to the local supermarket but i had to carry him there. he was exhausted. he was nearly falling asleep in my arms.
i quickly bought a few pitas and rolls, a bag of milk, some cans of tuna, half a watermelon, and a package of delicatessan. sahar had a roll and some chocolate pudding before he took his nap. i had to call a cab to take us home. he was very tired and very crabby. he started having a fit in the super because i didn't buy him candy. i was ready to leave him there alone.
when we got back, he had a fit, because he didn't like the teaspoons i had. i offered him about 10 different ones. he couldn't get a handle on the pudding. i took the pudding out of his hands and added milk and let him drink it as a chocolate shake, with a straw. he had 2 of these drinks, and a package of chicken deli. while he napped, i hung out more laundry downstairs.
i was completely exhausted by the time they came to pick him up. i took a shower and lit my candles and went off to the local chabad bomb shelter/synagogoue. i spastically, coughed, all through the service. i was bummed out. neither kid wished me a 'shabbat shalom'. sahar had his usual fit in their car. after 7 hours with safta zelda, he doesn't make the transition very well back to his home. i get the wrath of the kids. i never get a thank you. it puts me in a bad mood.
i woke up on saturday coughing. i felt like heck. i couldn't make it to services. i had some coffee and i wanted a cookie or a piece of cake. i was too miserable to bother a neighbor for some. i ate icecream cones sans the icecream. i used to give them to sahar when he was a toddler. the watermelon was rotten. i was too 'heady' to daven. i read a book about a woman's miraculous survivial from nazi poland. a friend form the neighborhood, came by to visit. i felt terrible. i had nothing to offer her. no almonds, fruit, or cake. that was a first for me. all i had was tuna fish and pitas. she wasn't ready to have lunch.
after she left, i fell asleep for a little while. i finished my book and davened at around 3:00 p.m. i then made kiddush on wine and had a tuna sandwich. what a shabbat meal! i bentched and went back to sleep. my throat was very sore. i was miserable. i didn't have the energy to leave the house. i let the dogs outside in the garden. i was very upset about erev shabbat. all the resentment of the last few months, seemed to come up in my mind, again.
i know i went backwards a bit. i got too involved ih helping my daughter-in-law again. i started feeling like a dish rag again. i decided to pull in the reins again. i cancelled babysitting today. i was at the bus stop at 3:00 p.m. when i got spotted by my daughter-in-law. i felt like i got caught in a lie. i wasn't so sick to miss work, but here i was, outside in the world. i got enlisted and didn't have the strength to refuse. i took the bus to my son's house and here i am, with my grandson, instead of resting in my bed. soon i bathe him and get him ready for sleep.
i got paid today. a whole $500 for cooking 3 meals a day, 5 days a week. it came out to $4 an hour. what kind of fool am i?????
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