A New Year

it is 8:30 p.m. in the holy city of zefat, Wednesday night.  the grandkids just got picked up by one of their young aunts.  I had to pick up my grandson from first grade today.  I took a cab because I wasn't exactly sure where the school was.  it turns out that it was down the road from the open air market, we refer to as the shuk.

I waited for about 45 minutes in the hot sun.  we are in the midst of yet, once again, a heat wave.  it is unbearable outside.  it is nearly October and we are sweating our bodies off.  we stopped at the shuk to buy some bread.  I treated my grandson to a frozen drink and a cheap toy.

we schlepped home by bus and got home about a half an hour before we had to pick up the granddaughter.  I had disassembled the plastic playhouse from the playroom downstairs and dragged it upstairs.  I couldn't figure out how to reassemble it.  my grandson did it in minutes.

he didn't want to go back out in the heat to the gan with me.  I didn't feel right leaving him alone for so long.  he had a meltdown on the way to the gan.  on the way back the kids and I took breaks in the shade.  a ten minute walk became almost an hour trek.  I didn't feel like putting out for another cab.

I have made great strides with the downstairs.  I still have to spackle the master bedroom next week.  I went to look for curtains but they were all very expensive.  I bought a bunch of them in a second hand store years ago.  I took down the bedroom curtains, that the kids left behind, and hung them in my dining area.  what a pleasure!.

I also threw out the curtains from one of my bedrooms and replaced them with my old dining room curtains.  it made a pleasant change, too.  I managed to drag out a convertible couch and bed set from the downstairs bomb shelter /bedroom/t.v. room but couldn't get it into the master bedroom by myself.   perhaps my son will come over next week and help me.  one never knows.

I haven't heard from the kids at all.  I only get bits and pieces of information from my grandson.  I must get them out of my mindset once and for all.  I get treated like the help.  I get to see the grandkids, when no one else is around to care for them.  I went to the Sephardi clan twice last week to see the kids.  the 20 year old aunt treats me like a moran.  she doesn't think I'm capable of caring for them at all.  perhaps, that is the imput she gets from her sister.

I have no idea at this point if I will see the kids at the holidays.  they must be holding another grudge because I left the birthday party early.  I made the mistake of telling my son that I wasn't much enjoying myself.  so much for honesty.