Another Friday Afternoon

it is 11:00 a.m. in the holy city of safed.  the sun came out for a bit.  I have been thinking about getting to the local supermarket since 7:00 a.m.  my dog wakes me up every morning at this time to go out.  it has been raining for a couple of weeks.  we are truly blessed to have the rain.  I have been cabbing it home form work lately.  I keep on missing the bus and have no strength to wait a half an hour for another.  I have been getting home at 7:30 p.m. and I'm totally beat.  by the end of a 6 hour day, my hip starts to hurt and it is difficult to walk.

I was told that I didn't prepare enough food to break the fast on Tuesday.  I think they received another 3 students and of course, I wasn't notified.  as a jewish mother and grandmother, and not professional chef; it hurts me very much to think that someone went hungry.  I work in a small kitchen and it takes me 5-6 hours or more to make two meals for 25 guys.  I only have a large built in oven to work with.  it takes 2 hours or longer to make stuffed peppers and frozen French fries.  I do cook on 4 burners but even soup takes about 2 hours.

the pantry at the yeshiva is depleted and I am at the mercy of the manager to provide me with enough legumes, grains and pasta on a daily basis.  I really should come to work before 12:00 p.m. but I can't seem to get my act together in the morning.  I linger on the net for hours while I sip my chai tea.  one student complained about my serving beans all the time.  I make a vegetarian chili every couple of weeks.  it takes forever to cook beans from scratch.  I have been serving lentils about three times a week to accommodate the two vegetarian students.  I think i'll have to reevaluate my menus.  how much pasta can I serve these guys?? I have limited oven space, to boot.

my rice is nothing to write home about.  I use two cups of water to every cup of rice and it is pretty mushy. I try making bulgur and couscous but lately my couscous flops.  yesterday, I made two pans of turkey meatloaf.  I threw 5 pounds of minced turkey into a pot of leftover cooked oatmeal from breakfast.  I added some spices and a lot of eggs and covered it in the leftover juice from the broiled tomatoes, I served at lunch. I figured it would be a disaster but it actually came out great.  I was very tempted to taste it but I didn't want to have to wait 6 hours before I could eat dairy. I like my chai tea with milk.

 I had to leave the guys some pasta for their lunch today and I made a sweet noodle kugel for their supper.  I  also made split pea soup.  at the last moment, I cooked up a tray of rice so the vegan would have something besides soup.  I hope it was enough food. one of the students asked me if I could make the buckwheat groats, aka, kasha, a bit wetter. the guys leave the food on the electric platter for hours, until everything is like shoe leather.  I cannot live at the yeshiva and oversee everything.  I would love to don a hairnet and spoon out the food, cafeteria style but alas, I need to get home to my empty house and dog, Tiny.

I do not feel like making food for Shabbat.  I am having about 15 people sleep downstairs for Shabbat.  an old family friend asked to rent the place for a shabbaton.  her son got married this week. the Sephardim make a festive meal on Shabbat for the groom and family.  askanazim do a Kiddush on the Shabbat before the weeding.  anyway, I didn't accept any money.  I once lived at her parents' home many years ago, when I first came to safed.  I didn't have the strength to wash all of the apartment downstairs.  I did manage to sweep and clean the bathroom.  I think it is presentable. I put heaters in every bedroom and set up the electric water urn.

while I ran up and down the stairs, putting toilet paper in all of the bathrooms and turning on lights, I managed to do some plastering in the master bedroom on my floor and on the upstairs wall which supports the hand rail.  it was quite loose and had a gaping hole the size of a tennis ball. I filled it in and now it doesn't move.

I am pretty tired.  I keep on saying that I do not know how much longer I can keep working at the yeshiva.  I do enjoy having some extra cash; especially when I visit Jerusalem.  I really have to get down to the supermarket now.  I don't feel like getting out of my warm pajamas but I must.  I wish everyone a good Shabbos!

After thought:  2:00 p.m. I am having a snack before Shabbat.  I bought some chicken bottoms, goat cheese, pitas, cottage cheese, greek yogurt, strawberries, bananas, and 4 cartons of tea. (earl grey and jasmin).  the strawberries were on sale but still quite pricey.  I paid $10.  my bill was over $70.  oh well....  I put up some fish and veggies, hard cooked eggs and chicken bottoms and string beans.  I may be alone but why not eat well.  in a little while I will go downstairs and put on heaters.

ran into my neighbor.  tiny, may have knocked up her dog.  I am expected to take the puppies and she actually asked if I wanted to take her 10 year old dog, too. really???